Photo by Rafay Ansari on Unsplash The blueprint for a net-zero industry “lacks vision on how to ensure Europe’s industry stays competitive and attracts investment.” That is the view of the European Economic and Social Committee, the body that represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by…
Photo by Precious Madubuike on Unsplash The EU risks falling behind in its bid to become a global battery powerhouse, according to a new report published by the European Court of Auditors. It says it is true that the EU’s industrial policy on batteries has been promoted effectively in recent years. But access to raw materials remains a major…
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash EU Member States are said to be “exacerbating economic inequality, eroding democracy and obstructing efforts to create a green, transformative European economy by marginalising citizens in decision-making,” a new report by the Citizens’ Observatory for Green Deal Financing alleges. The report claims to show how “excluding the public has opened the door…
Photo by Fadi Alagi on Unsplash The international community including the EU has pledged €5.6 billion for 2023 and beyond, including €4.6 billion for 2023 and €1 billion for 2024 and beyond. The funding pledged at a conference on Thursday aims to support people inside Syria and the neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees. Some €3.8 billion of grants…
Photo by Giuseppe Mondì on Unsplash Regional politicians have gathered in Firenze for the summer meeting of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions CPMR Political Bureau, hosted by Regione Toscana (Italy). One year ahead of the European elections, regional leaders have reflected on their contributions to bring back prosperity to the continent in a context of recovery, and…
Photo by Jack Ward on Unsplash The European Union cannot tackle social, economic and territorial disparities through Cohesion Policy alone. All EU initiatives and policies, like the post-COVID recovery plan NextGenerationEU, should fight against inequalities and promote cohesion, which must be a fundamental value of the European Union. This is the main message of the opinion on the…
Photo by Pommelien da Silva Cosme on Unsplash The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommended back in February 2023 to remove the Kingdom of Morocco from the enhanced monitoring process, known as the ‘grey list’. The European Commission has accordingly accepted this recommendation, making the decision after assessing the compliance of the national system with international standards relating…
Photo by Ildar Garifullin on Unsplash The annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will be held in Uzbekistan On May 16-18, the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will be held in Samarkand, under the general main theme – “Investing in Resilience”. The…
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have announced €18 billion of financing under Global Gateway, Europe’s investment strategy for partner countries. This will boost investment in Global Gateway’s priority areas – climate action, clean energy and connectivity – in Europe’s partner countries around the world. In particular, these projects will aim…
Photo by Anastasiia Rozumna on Unsplash Belfast and Bilbao are capital cities of their regions, Northern Ireland and the Basque country respectively. Both share a proud heritage of shipbuilding over centuries, followed by its decline as the world moved on. Over the last sixty years both also suffered the trauma of armed insurrectionists, fighting to impose their particular…
