Lately, rents and residential real estate prices in most areas have known only one direction: steeply upwards. But while citizens groan under the exploding costs, officials at the ECB have paradoxically been complaining about too low rates of inflation for a long time, writes Sven Giegold. This is in part because housing costs have so far played only…
Economy
Is China–CEEC cooperation truly a role model?
In 2020, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) saw their trade value cross US $100 billion for the first time, writes Dr Jianli Yang. The Chinese media lauded this development, deeming it a ‘role model’ in a time when regional cooperation has taken a hit. It…
Digital Development Targets
The Europe Commission has set out new targets as part of Europe’s Digital Decade 2030. Reaction to the announcement on Monday was swift with Vodafone Group External Affairs Group Director, Joakim Reiter telling this website, “Vodafone believes that the new Digital Decade 2030 targets set out by the European Commission today, combined with the €672.5…
Recovery and resilience facility: local and regional governments must have a say
If the coronavirus pandemic has had a shocking impact on the health of citizens, their daily life and local economies, the EU’s recovery plan constitutes an historic act of solidarity for our continent and a turning point for our Union, writes Stefano Bonaccini. Without this new financial windfall, we will not be able to overcome…
New Circular Economy
The European Parliament will vote this week on the Parliament’s position on the European Commissions’ New Circular Economy Action Plan, a main pillar of the Green Deal. The Action Plan consists of 35 measures, including: Legislative proposals for a new sustainable product policy framework, sustainable production and better waste management of batteries, and a proposal…
Building Back Better
On Friday Nick Read Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group, delivered a keynote speech at LSE’s German Symposium event, where he highlighted the importance of the EU Recovery Funds in enabling Europe to Build Back Better, and why Europe must set higher ambitions for its digital transformation, in order to lead on a global scale. He also stressed the…
More Funds Need to be Devoted to Digital Skills
New research reveals wide support for the European public’s attitudes towards the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Three out of four people believe digital public services (75%), digital skills (74%) and broadband internet access (73%) are important aspects for the recovery of Europe. But the report says that the public remain sceptical on…
Pulling a “Sickie”
This year’s National Sickie Day falls on the 3rd of February, with researchers predicting it will cost employers £34million in total. There was an estimated 350,000 absences* from work on the first Monday of February last year, indicating this is when employees are most likely to call in sick, leaving employers unsure whether they are telling…
Setting a New Social-Ecological Contract
Despite a spectacular economic reaction to the pandemic crisis, the authors of the 2020 edition of the European “Bilan social’’, express concerns about the so-called ‘social affairs players’ being sidelined in the new Recovery and Resilience Facility, the “fuzzy” EU commitment to gender issues, the EU response to rising in-work poverty and the setting a new…