The European Commission has published the results of an external market study on the distribution practices of hotels in the EU. The market study was conducted in 2021 and covers the period between 2017 and 2021. It focused on a representative sample of six Member States (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Poland, Spain and Sweden). The study […]
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Interview with Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB
Last Thursday 28th July, the Governing Council of the ECB decided to increase the key interest rates by 0.5 percent, which differed from the initial plan to increase rates by 0.25 percent. But has it not come too late? Other major central banks reacted to inflation much earlier. We started the normalisation of our monetary […]
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Commission makes second 12 billion payment to Spain under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism
On Friday 29 July, the Commission has paid Spain the second instalment of €12 billion of non-refundable financial assistance (excluding pre-financing) under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM). The payments made by the Commission under the RRM are performance-based and depend on Spain’s implementation of the investments and reforms outlined in Spain‘s recovery and resilience […]
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Europe signs multimillion-dollar contract with Spanish industry to heat ITER plasma
Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU organisation responsible for the European contribution to ITER, the international fusion experiment, has announced the signing of a major contract with IDOM and Alsymex. The consortium of the two companies has been commissioned to design and produce very powerful heating systems that will help raise the temperature of the […]
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EU Roadmap with Civil Society Bolivia 2019-2024
A capable civil society is a crucial component of any democratic system and is an asset in its own right. It represents and fosters pluralism and can contribute to more effective policies, equitable and sustainable development, and inclusive growth. Civil Society is an important actor in the promotion of peace and conflict resolution. The Roadmap […]
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ECB raises interest rates for first time in eleven years
The ECB Governing Council has raised interest rates for the first time in eleven years, and is likely to raise them again in the coming months. Why have interest rates increased? The ECB is the central bank of the euro and has a mandate to keep prices stable. When prices in our economy are rising […]
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General product safety regulation: Council adopts its position
Member States agreed on a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a regulation on general product safety (GPSR). An increasing number of consumers buy goods and products online – a trend which was reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. To keep up with challenges linked to this trend, the GPSR proposal modernises the rules […]
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DMA: Council gives final approval to new rules for fair competition online
On 18 July, the Council gave its final approval on new rules for a fair and competitive digital sector through the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA ensures a digital level playing field that establishes clear rights and rules for large online platforms (‘gatekeepers’) and makes sure that none of them abuses their position. Regulating the […]
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State Aid: Commission approves up to €5.4 billion of public support by fifteen Member States to boost hydrogen technology
The Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an Important Project of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI’) to support research and innovation and first industrial deployment in the hydrogen technology value chain. The project, called “IPCEI Hy2Tech” was jointly prepared and notified by fifteen Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, […]
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