The European Union has unveiled a red-tape-cutting plan dubbed “EU Inc.” to boost the emergence of companies that could compete on the world stage with US and Chinese rivals. The linchpin of the European Commission’s proposal is a set of measures to allow firms to incorporate once under a single EU-wide regime and operate seamlessly […]
Continue ReadingSwitzerland’s government urged voters to reject a proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million people, warning that the measure risks harming prosperity, security and ties with the European Union. The plan would make it harder for companies, hospitals and public services to recruit workers from the surrounding bloc and risk billions of francs […]
Continue ReadingTeresa Ribera raised the alarm over how companies can “entrench corporate power” in AI markets, as her regulators pursue alleged risks posed by giants including Nvidia and Meta Platforms. “We are looking at the entire AI stack,” Ribera told Berlin’s International Conference on Competition on Thursday, referring to the set of technologies and services that […]
Continue ReadingThe European Union made a “strategic mistake” in turning its back on nuclear energy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in thinly-veiled criticism of Germany’s decision to close its reactors. “While in 1990 one-third of Europe’s electricity came from nuclear, today it is only close to 15%,” she said at the Nuclear Energy […]
Continue ReadingUkrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Hungary of unlawfully detaining seven employees of its state-owned Oschadbank in Budapest, the latest in a series of disputes between the neighbouring states. The Ukrainian citizens were stopped as they were taking two vehicles carrying cash between Austria and Ukraine “as part of regular services between state banks,” Sybiha […]
Continue ReadingThe European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to pump more money into a fund backing companies developing new defence technologies as the EU pushes to become more independent and competitive, the Luxembourg-based EU institution’s chief said Tuesday. EIB President Nadia Calviño opened the bank’s annual conference in Luxembourg outlining its plans for this year. Its projects include […]
Continue ReadingThe prime ministers of five European Union countries have called on the European Commission to act on a citizen-led initiative seeking funding to support access to abortion across the bloc. “No individual should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will due to legal, financial, geographical, or broader socio-economic barriers that undermine equal access […]
Continue ReadingGerman Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said Germany sees no need to revise its stance on common European debt, backing Chancellor Friedrich Merz in opposing recent calls for more joint borrowing. “There are currently sufficient funds available,” Klingbeil said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published on Sunday. “I don’t see any need for the […]
Continue ReadingLuxembourg’s love affair with cars continues, with the country boasting the second-highest rate of cars relative to population anywhere in the EU in 2024, according to data published on Friday by the bloc’s official statistics agency Eurostat. Only Italy, with 701 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2024, had a higher rate of car ownership than […]
Continue ReadingBank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau said his successor must be independent and committed to Europe after his early resignation gave President Emmanuel Macron a surprise opportunity to pick the next central bank chief. “Competence is of course necessary, and the independence that underpins credibility and expertise, and independence has several dimensions,” Villeroy […]
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