Written by Joseph Daul, the President of European People’s Party (EPP) Our lives are digital. This has changed the way we interact, work, produce, consume and live. We must embrace this digital revolution, as it can lead to sustainable growth and jobs for European entrepreneurs, employees and citizens. Our American friends are using new digital services […]A Sting Exclusive: “The competitiveness of Europe depends on a digital single market”, EPP President Joseph Daul highlights live from European Business Summit 2015
May 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Written by Joseph Daul, the President of European People’s Party (EPP) Our lives are digital. This has changed the way we interact, work, produce, consume and live. We must embrace this digital revolution, as it can lead to sustainable growth and jobs for European entrepreneurs, employees and citizens. Our American friends are using new digital services […]It’s EU vs. Google for real: the time is now, the case is open
April 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment
As anticipated by the European Sting in a latest Sting of the day last week on Google’s antitrust case in Europe, the European Commission did take finally formal actions and filed a complaint against the Northern American tech giant, alleging the company’s search results unfairly favoured its own shopping services over third-party sites. The antitrust charge followed a five-year […]On Google antitrust case: “Let’s face it, some companies want to hurt Google and it goes as simple as that”
April 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
After 5 long lingering years a bit of light will be cast on Google’s antitrust case in Europe. Former Commissioner Joaquin Almunia for Competition failed to resolve the matter successfully during his term, going back and forth numerous times. Like a modern Pontius Pilate who “washed his hands”, the Spanish politician, who launched the Google investigation back […]Yesterday’s “jokes” and sarcasm by Digital Single Market’s Vice President Ansip on EU member states’ right to protect their telco markets
March 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The distance between an actual speech and a press release is abyssal. A good example of that came out of Mr Ansip’s introductory speech at an event in Brussels yesterday evening about the EU Digital Single Market. The Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Single Market (DSM) touched there briefly all current hot topics of the […]EU to Telcos: Stop Mergers and Acquisitions but please help me urgently with 5G development
March 11, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Last week in the Mobile World Congress 2015 you had the distinct feeling being in an immense supermarket, strolling from isle to isle in order to find the product that you desire. For a deep pocket investor #MWC15 could be an excellent market place where she would be able to put in her “shopping basket” […]EU seeks foreign support on 5G from Mobile World Congress 2015 as the “digital gold rush” begins
March 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
“The digital economy is simply becoming the economy. And the future network infrastructure, 5G, will become the infrastructure”. These words came from Günther Oettinger, the European Union Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, and they were spelled in Barcelona, during Mobile World Congress, 2015 last week. Those words stood for Mr. Oettinger’s introduction for the […]Mobile World Congress 2015 first to debate EU’s new stance on Net Neutrality and Roaming Charges
March 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Did you really think that Christmas 2015 would be the perfect chance to travel abroad in Europe, do your shopping in London or Paris and call your folks back home for wishes at zero roaming cost? More so, did you really think that Christmas 2015 would be the perfect chance for you to Skype with your pal without […]“Be aware where you put your I Agree signature on and something else”; now Facebook by default opts you in an unseen private data bazar
February 6, 2015 by 2 Comments
When was the last time you installed an application or software in your mobile, tablet or computer? I bet it was quite recently; yesterday or even a couple of hours ago. Do you remember the smooth popup text box that appears in your screen before the installation of your new widget begins? You know, it’s […]“As German Chancellor I want to be able to cope with the merger of the real and digital economy”, Angela Merkel from Switzerland; the Sting reports live from World Economic Forum 2015 in Davos
January 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment
At the second day of the World Economic Forum 2015 in Davos the world was expecting the German Chancellor, Mrs Angela Merkel, in one of the most awaited sessions, titled “Global responsibilities in a digital age”. Mrs Merkel’s speech was warm and stimulating covering the hot issues of the European political agenda. To a disappointment […]New VAT rules in the EU: how a digital sea could have become an ocean
January 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
From 1 January 2015, a major change to the European Union VAT rules occurred affecting the digital world, which is destined to be discussed widely for a long time. A new regulation has come into place where VAT on digital products sold in the EU will be chargeable in the place of purchase rather than […]“Hasta la vista” Google says to Spain and now Europe is next?
December 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“But sadly, as a result of a new Spanish law, we’ll shortly have to close Google News in Spain. Let me explain why. This new legislation requires every Spanish publication to charge services like Google News for showing even the smallest snippet from their publications, whether they want to or not. As Google News itself makes […]EU to Google: How to dismantle European search engines in 13 steps
December 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It seems that the search engine thriller that we are watching with horror in the Old Continent goes on. Last week the Sting reported on how parliamentarians were planning to “break up with reality in the Google antitrust case”. This week we are counting the votes and the list of “guidelines” to Google and all […]Parlamentarians to “break up” with reality in the Google antitrust case
November 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
How many years can an antitrust case endure in the EU? It certainly depends on many factors but in the case of Google 4 is the minimum. This is because the topic of a ‘digital monopoly’ of a search engine is so refined and sophisticated that for the majority of EU stakeholders it is “terra incognita”. Also […]Search Engine neutrality in Europe in danger: Are 160.000 Google filtering requests good enough?
November 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The long awaited last public discussion about “the right to be forgotten” took place in Brussels yesterday. This was the last of the seven miracles or otherwise open forums in different European cities that the Californian giant has been organising since last May. The reason for these costly events was to engage civic society in […]Digital business is Europe’s best hope to get back to growth
October 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Digital market has received a lot of interest lately in Europe. Not only by the market players that have always lobbied more favourable or less regulation in general, but most importantly by the EU leadership. New Commissioner, new priorities Jean Claude Juncker, new President of the European Commission, seems to have ‘bet all his money’ […]Benjamin Franklin was wrong: Amazon can tax evade
October 10, 2014 by 1 Comment
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”, Benjamin Franklin said back in the 18th century. Three hundred years later in principle it maintains validity, when it comes to the former. Of course for most developed societies tax is a de facto obligation of the citizen. Most of us we […]Facebook wins EU approval for WhatsApp acquisition; just a sign of the times
October 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment
After a few months of sleepless nights, Facebook founder and young billionaire Mark Zuckerberg can finally relax a bit. The world’s largest social network will likely receive approval by the European Union for its $19 billion purchase of mobile messaging startup WhatsApp, reports said. Citing two people “familiar with the matter” Reuters revealed on Thursday […]
Qualcomm to be the next target of EU antitrust regulators? China might be the answer
August 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This hot, rich summer 2014 is approaching its end, but it seems like a hot fall is awaiting already. Google’s antitrust case is still a big question for European regulation on competition, but another case might be giving a big shake to the whole scene. Reuters recently reported that Qualcomm, the world’s No. 1 mobile […]Google’s hot summer never ends: EC to launch ANOTHER antitrust inquiry against the American giant
August 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
We must admit it: this is not exactly a quiet summer for Google. Not in the Old Continent at least. After the “Right To Be Forgotten” case has disturbed Google’s top management’s sleep recently, a new dark cloud may come soon. According to Reuters, the Mountain View, California-based company may soon face a new probe […]I’m not feeling lucky: The “Right to Be Forgotten” ruling puts Google inside a box
July 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“How should one person’s right to be forgotten be balanced with the public’s right to know?” This is the question that Google is asking to its users with an open form which allows the general public to offer its advice. This happens in a moment that the first effects of the decision of the European Court […]Zuckerberg, a paella, and the mighty EU questionnaires that would stop Whatsapp acquisition by Facebook?
July 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It was the end of February and we were walking around the Ramblas in Barcelona, at the eve of Mobile World Congress 2014, where the Sting was the only Brussels media that made it to Catalunya. Seduced by the smell of paella and cinnamon, there was one major thing that all the people wearing the magic MWC badge were whispering […]Intel, Almunia and 1 billion euros for unfair potatoes
June 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“The General Court upholds the fine of 1.06 billion euros ($ 1.4 billions) imposed on Intel for having abused its dominant position on the market for x86 central processing units between 2002 and 2007”. With these words the judge of the General Court of the European Union dismissed Intel’s action against the decision of the Commission […]European Commission: Does Apple, Starbucks and Fiat really pay their taxes?
June 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission (EC) decided two days ago to conduct an investigation which will focus on the tax affairs of Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Finance and Trade in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively. Basically, EC’s purpose is to examine if the tax authorities of the aforementioned countries are in line with the rules of […]European Court of Justice to Google: It is #righttobeforgotten but not #righttoberemembered
May 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Did you always feel bad about that weird drunk photo your girlfriend had taken a few years ago and was posted on your Hi5 profile? How disappointed did you feel when you saw that if you Google your name, that horrible photo is still at the first 10 results even though you have today lost […]Intel @ European Business Summit 2014: Better decisions now, the new business dashboard
May 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written By Christian Morales, Vice President and General Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa, Intel Corporation We’ve never had more information coursing through our businesses. Data presents an unprecedented opportunity to make better decisions and be more responsive to customers, suppliers and markets. It can be overwhelming, though. Many companies struggle to make sense of it, […]NEC @ European Business Summit 2014: The Digitally Enabled Grid
May 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written by Ciro Scognamiglio, responsible for the market and regulatory analysis at NEC Corporation’s Centre of Competence for Smart Energy Solutions in EMEA For the third time in history, Non-predictable Renewable Energy Sources (NPRESs) were the number one electricity source across the EU in terms of added installed capacity according to the EPIA (European Photovoltaic […]Samsung’s profits fall as cheaper smartphones gain market share
April 16, 2014 by 1 Comment
Last Friday tech giant Samsung Electronics hit the market with its ultimate creature. The Galaxy S5 was released worldwide, in more than 100 countries. Samsung said there was high demand for its latest flagship smartphone in many countries across the globe such as France, India and Canada, reporting that there were long queues for the device, […]ZTE @ MWC14: ZTE excels in all areas at this year’s Mobile World Congress
March 12, 2014 by 2 Comments
Written by Dr Xiang Jiying, Director of Wireless Technology, ZTE Once again ZTE had a big presence at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) and demonstrated its global leadership in telecommunications equipment and network solutions. Executives from all levels of the organisation were on hand to communicate the directions that ZTE will be taking in […]NEC @ MWC14: “Smart cities” hold the key to enhancing citizens’ lives and cutting costs
March 8, 2014 by 1 Comment
Written by Jean-Matthias Bohli, Senior Researcher at NEC Laboratories Europe By 2030, 5 billion people — around 60% of the world’s population — will live in cities, compared with 3.6 billion today, turbocharging the world’s economic growth. City leaders in developing nations must cope with urbanisation on an unprecedented scale, while those in developed ones wrestle […]Intel @ MWC14: Our Love Story with Mobile – Transforming Wireless Networks
March 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written by Bernadette Andrietti, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group, Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa Marketing, Intel Corporation Bursting with product launches, new technologies and insights from the biggest names in mobile, the recent Mobile World Congress was as exhilarating as ever. Each year the show is a heady reminder of just how fast developments […]Microsoft’s YouthSpark: a kiss of Life to European Youth from the European Parliament
December 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Two weeks ago, on 14 November, the European Sting attended the event at the European Parliament, organized by the European Youth Forum and YouthIntergroup, titled “Internships: a Call for Quality”. Here we present the third piece of our Special Edition “European Youth & Employment”. This piece reflects the Industry’s perspective, and particularly the ICT sector’s […]While EU Open Days 2013 discuss the 2020 strategy, Microsoft shares a glimpse of EU 2060
October 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
As we move towards the middle of October, the most important annual events in Brussels start taking place one after the other. Last week it was the turn of the 11th European Week of Regions and Cities under the annual open dialogue forum series called Open Days 2013. The event offered the opportunity to EU […]GSMA Mobile 360: Connecting Cities, Connecting Lives, Connecting Europe
September 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Traditionally the first week of September in Brussels is the time when you see grumpy faces walking around the European Quarter thinking that the time they were lying on a beach is over for good. Most EU stakeholders did not miss their flight back and neither did the powerful network of influencers. One of this […]
