The Autumn SMEunited Barometer shows that SMEs are heavily impacted by the crisis. Especially lockdowns had a dramatic impact on many services sectors. The situation for autumn was far from going back to normal and the second wave may stop the rebound completely. The pandemic drops SME confidence to an all-time low of 54,2 points….
312,556 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in October, barely 13% of the number of passengers in October 2019. Freight transport continues to grow, with volumes transported increasing by 12% in October. ‘The passenger figures for the last few months are obviously catastrophic,’ explains Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “The current situation is untenable for all players…
The logistics and supply chain sector has experienced extreme challenges during the Coronavirus pandemic, writes Alistair Binks. A recent survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Chain Management found that nearly 75 per cent of companies reported supply chain disruptions in one form or another due to Covid-19-related transportation restrictions. The importance of global supply chains…
COVID-19 Wipes Over US$13 Trillion Off Top Nation Brand Values Belgium retains its position as world’s 24th most valuable nation brand, brand value down 19% to US$505 billion Top 100 nation brands in Brand Finance Nation Brands 2020 ranking lose US$13.1 trillion of brand value in 2020 as they negotiate devasting COVID-19 pandemic China continues to close gap…
Women in the European Union still earn less than men. The gender pay gap in the EU-27 has slightly improved since last year: from 14.5% to 14.1% according to the latest Eurostat findings. The European Equal Pay Day marks the day when women symbolically stop getting paid compared to their male colleagues for the same…
The European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA) has presented its long-awaited report on the role of the German financial supervisor BaFin and the German Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (FREP) in the Wirecard accounting scandal. In Germany, BaFin and FREP are jointly responsible for the enforcement of financial reporting. ESMA publishes guidelines aimed at harmonising enforcement throughout…
The European parliament’s Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament has adopted its position on the so-called “MiFID quick fix” which amends the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). The MiFID sets the key rules for stock exchanges, financial trading platforms, consumer protection in financial markets and rules for the speculation…
The European Publishers Council (EPC) has welcomed the Italian Competition Authority’s investigation against Google for an alleged abuse of dominant position. The Authority questions the discriminatory use of the huge amount of data collected through its various applications, preventing rivals from competing effectively as well as adversely affecting consumers. In particular, the authority is focusing…
The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) completed its fourth quarter funding needs on Monday, raising the full €2 billion it had targeted The ESM issued a new €2 billion 0% bond maturing on 16 December 2024. The spread was fixed at mid-swaps minus 8 basis points, for a reoffer yield of -0.582% and a new issue…
379,303 passengers passed through Brussels Airport during September. This is just 15.2% of the total number of passengers recorded in September 2019. This 85% drop in passenger numbers is mainly due to increased travel restrictions particularly for Spain. Meanwhile, air freight showed a strong 18.9% increase in volumes in September making this the fourth consecutive…
