Europe - EBR

Edition: International | Greek

FOLLOW EBR MAGAZINE ON:

Home » Europe

To prevent manufacturers from leaving the country, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has proposed to subsidise energy consumption for key indutrial sectors that are heavy consumers of electricity. In return, companies would be obliged to keep production at home and invest in the green transition.

Berlin annoyed by EU’s reluctance on industrial power tariff

By: EBR | Friday, July 7, 2023

Germany’s economy minister has defended plans to subsidise electricity consumption for energy-intensive industries, despite warnings from Brussels and smaller EU member states that it would distort competition on the EU single market

The text adopted by Parliament proposes the creation of transnational lists which would elect 27 MEPs from across the bloc, as well as giving the possibility for EU citizens to indicate their preferred candidate for the presidency of the European Commission.

Most member states hesitant about EU electoral law reform

By: EBR | Friday, July 7, 2023

Most EU countries are hesitant or actively against some of the key proposals of the bloc’s proposed reform of its electoral law, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Swedish presidency

In 2022, China supplied 27 tonnes of gallium to Germany, accounting for 55% of total imports. Regarding germanium, China supplied 3 tonnes, or 75%, according to data supplied by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).

Germany says preparing for possible China mineral export controls

By: EBR | Thursday, July 6, 2023

A German official said the country has been working to secure long-term supplies of critical and strategic raw materials as it assesses the possible effects of Chinese export controls on some metals used in semiconductors

Of those banks, 17 had explicitly excluded nuclear energy from their green financing frameworks, while 12 had frameworks that were silent on nuclear, and one had no such framework, the researchers said.

Major banks yet to match EU with nuclear green label, study finds

By: EBR | Thursday, July 6, 2023

None of the world’s 30 major banks have explicitly included nuclear energy in their criteria for issuing green or sustainability-linked bonds, despite an EU decision last year to label it as sustainable

Now it appears that such a regional policy to cushion climate action is needed elsewhere, too: To defuse social dynamite in rural areas, Europe must prepare its cow phase-out.

Prepare for the cow phase-out

By: EBR | Wednesday, July 5, 2023

As EU countries phase out coal, they support their affected regions in transitioning economically

We know why the idea of European strategic autonomy struck a nerve among many EU actors then. In line with a fragmentation of global and regional orders, the EU faced manifold internal and external challenges, lending urgency to rethinking European security.

European Strategic Autonomy 2.0: What Europe Needs to Get Right

By: EBR | Tuesday, July 4, 2023

The EU’s strategic autonomy ambitions have not materialized

While the government has been struggling to agree on the upcoming federal budget since the start of the year, Lindner introduced strict austerity targets for the individual ministries to close the existing financial gap of €20 billion. With the new budget, this target is about to be met.

Finance minister puts Germany back on austerity course

By: EBR | Tuesday, July 4, 2023

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner will stay true to his goal of reimposing Germany’s debt brake for the first time since 2019 in the budget that is to be approved by the Federal Cabinet

The European Commission has suspended its efforts to get member states and parliament to ratify an investment agreement reached with China at the end of 2020, after seven years of talks, following differences over human rights in the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang.

EU ambassador regrets lack of progress with China on trade

By: EBR | Monday, July 3, 2023

The European Union’s ambassador to China expressed regret over the lack of “substantial progress” with Beijing on trade talks, as EU countries seek to reduce their economic dependence on the Asian giant

Over a year has passed since the Commission proposed European health data space (EHDS), a new legislative proposal with ambitions to make a true revolution in health data and unleash its full potential for all stakeholders – from patients and healthcare professionals to policymakers and researchers.

EU Parliament solving riddle of secondary use of data in health data space

By: EBR | Monday, July 3, 2023

As the European Parliament debates how European health data space should be shaped, the co-rapporteur of the file has warned that the agreements regarding the secondary use of data were the hardest to reach

The Commission chief had earlier explained that over the 16 months of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the EU executive had taken €30 billion from the bloc’s budget to support Ukraine financially, and that these funds had come primarily from been mainly from reserves in the budget.

Von der Leyen replies to Orban’s allegations about EU’s ‘bankruptcy’

By: EBR | Monday, July 3, 2023

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen answered allegations by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that the EU was “bankrupt”, which he had published earlier on social media

With Hungary’s ratification process stranded in parliament since last July, Orban aired concerns about Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership for the first time in February.

Hungary delays ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership

By: EBR | Thursday, June 29, 2023

Hungary’s parliament will not ratify Sweden’s NATO membership before the summer recess as it has not included the vote in the agenda of next week’s session

For all that, the Europeans have to focus on how to deal with the Russia of today and the future. Schadenfreude, if it does exist over what happened on June 24-25, is not a substitute for strategy, especially given Russia’s nuclear status.

What the Russian Crisis Means for Europe

By: EBR | Thursday, June 29, 2023

Europe need not be powerless

A second term for Kyriakos Mitsotakis is not just good news for Greece. It also sends important signals to Europe.

Greece: A Vote for Stability, Growth and Reforms

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 28, 2023

In a repeat election, Greece’s conservative New Democracy party, led by the economic reformer Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won an impressive 40.6% of the popular vote

More importantly, there was no extra money on the table to rival the US Inflation Reduction Act and its $370 billion in cash for clean energy investments. Instead, the Commission chief said the money will be rehashed from existing EU funds, with a proposed €10 billion top-up coming from EU member states’ coffers.

The predictable flop of EU’s green industrial policy

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 28, 2023

The mishap around the European Sovereignty Fund has exposed the fault lines in the EU’s approach to industrial policy

EU lawmakers are closing in on the file, with two technical meetings scheduled for Tuesday and Friday this week. A final political agreement is expected to be reached among the main political groups of the house next Wednesday (5 July).

MEPs hash out on scope, manufacturers’ obligations in cybersecurity law

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are fine-tuning the obligations a new cybersecurity legislation will impose on product manufacturers and how it will apply to open-source software

Ukraine is the latecomer of the nine hopefuls wanting to join the EU. But accepting it even as a candidate with years of negotiation ahead poses major difficulties.

The EU needs to detail a ’Ukraine strategy’ free of empty promises

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 27, 2023

What sort of European Union lies ahead?

“The Spartans” party got 12 seats, and it’s considered to be the continuity of the former neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which has been branded as a criminal organisation.

‘Dark’ far right clouds Greek skies

By: EBR | Monday, June 26, 2023

Greek conservatives emerged victorious in the second round of elections giving them a historic absolute majority, but with the further collapse of the leftist opposition, combined with the rise of the far-right, dark shadows are now cast over the new parliament

To me, Germany is free falling, a country in decline,” Oettinger told a conference of German newspaper publishing houses on Thursday before using even more dramatic words, calling Germany “a sick case, in need of restoration.”

Germany is a ‘sick case’, says former EU Commissioner

By: EBR | Friday, June 23, 2023

Germany is ‘a sick case’ and in dire need of innovation and reform, Gunther Oettinger, a former German EU Commissioner, explained at a conference

The Parliament will also make use of the together.eu platform, engaging thousands of stakeholders across the EU and groups with whom the communications service is already in touch in member states via the European Parliament Liaison Offices (EPLOs).

EU Parliament elections campaign will cost €0.08 per citizen

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The Parliament’s communication strategy for the 2024 EU elections will rely on a network of media and civil society organisations, with a €37million budget – or €0.08 per citizen