This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Francois Austin, Partner, Oliver Wyman The energy industry was vastly different 20 years ago, when two colleagues and I founded a consultancy which advised global oil and gas companies. Our work was primarily focused on reducing operational risks […]Is the energy industry meeting its sustainability goals?
November 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Francois Austin, Partner, Oliver Wyman The energy industry was vastly different 20 years ago, when two colleagues and I founded a consultancy which advised global oil and gas companies. Our work was primarily focused on reducing operational risks […]A skills gap is jeopardizing efforts to end energy poverty
November 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kristina Skierka, CEO, Power for All New technologies and business models create a constant churn of labour market disruption. Robots, driverless cars and other forms of automation will mean millions fewer jobs worldwide. On the other hand, fast-growing […]Satellites and data are going to help us phase out fossil fuels. Here’s how
October 12, 2018 by 2 Comments
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Matt Gray, Head of Power and Utilities, Carbon Tracker Initiative Power and industry are responsible for around two-thirds of carbon emissions and half of energy demand, and yet we are frequently kept in the dark about how the […]Cryptocurrency mining could become the new face of energy storage. Here’s how
September 28, 2018 by 1 Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Enass Abo-Hamed, CEO, H2GO Power & Daniel Evans, Co-founder, Gibraltar Stock Exchane If we want to prepare for the future, we must acquire a stake in the new and crucial area of technology called blockchain. Amongst other applications, […]These Dutch microgrid communities can supply 90% of their energy needs
September 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Johnny Wood Writer, Formative Content The power to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources could rest in the hands of local communities. New research suggests decentralized, smart microgrid systems are capable of providing most, if not […]What does reimagining our energy system look like?
September 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: David Martin, Co-founder and Managing Director, Power Ledger That carbon emissions from power generation are one of the leading causes of climate change is nothing new, nor is the fact that the proliferation of clean energy sources is […]EU prolongs economic sanctions on Russia by six months
July 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
This story is brought to you in association with the European Union Council Today, 5 July 2018, the Council prolonged economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy until 31 January 2019. This decision follows an update from President Macron and Chancellor Merkel to the European Council of 28-29 June 2018 on the state of […]The EU Commission vies to screen Chinese investment in Europe
September 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Last week, Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the powerful European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, announced a plan to screen foreign investments. The idea is to hold back or even effectively block business acquisitions or other investment plans financed by third country companies, in key sectors allegedly considered to be sensitive from […]Trump badly cornered at home by agribusiness and steel consumer lobbies: Trade
July 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Donald Trump, the real estate mogul and TV reality show star, as President, discovered the hard way that international trade is a much more complicated issue than he could have ever imagined. His poor cognitive abilities and his rampant nature didn’t allow him to realize that international trade is a much more complex issue, than […]Does Draghi have another ace up his sleeve given his Quantitative Easing failure?
March 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last Monday Eurostat, the statistical service of the European Union, released a flash estimate for euro area annual inflation revealing a -0,2% inflation rate for February. The latter has worried the European Central Bank’s (ECB) officials and especially its president Mario Draghi. ECB’s Governing Council meeting which is taking place next week will have to reconsider […]Who is to lose from the 6-month extension of the EU economic sanctions against Russia?
June 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The European Foreign Ministers gathered in Luxembourg two days ago and decided to continue imposing economic sanctions to Russia for another six months. This shows the strong intention of Europe to weaken Russia’s power in Ukraine and thus put a stop on Russia’s imperialistic plans. However, Russia claims these sanctions as “illegal and unfounded” and will fight […]ECB’s trillion has to be printed and distributed fast before Armageddon comes
December 15, 2014 by 2 Comments
The latest Eurostat data on employment and industrial production for the Eurozone economy point invariably to stagnation, if not recession, while the long-term tendency of household consumption, as a percentage of GDP, appears falling. In short all the key growth indicators of the economy are quite disappointing, to say the least. The economic problems of […]A Sting Exclusive, the European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger writes for the Sting on “EU Industry: a major energizer”
May 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written by Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner responsible for Energy In the European Union, energy and industry are two sides of the same coin. A strong industrial base is the precondition for the robustness of our economy, for the excellence of our research and for the number and quality of our jobs. Industry accounts for over […]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 […]Eurozone: In vicious cycle of disinflation and unemployment?
February 1, 2014 by 1 Comment
Eurostat, the EU statistical service, announced late yesterday evening that in December unemployment remained at the persistently high level of 12% since October, while inflation took a new downwards turn to 0.7% in January, from 0.8% in December. It’s difficult to say which one of the two developments is more alarming. On both accounts Eurozone […]Eurozone hasn’t escaped the deflation danger
December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Eurostat, the EU statistical service, confirmed its own inflation rate estimate for November at 0.9% in the Eurozone; that is two decimal points higher than in October. However, this doesn’t mean that inflation took the upward path neither does it indicate that growth has already started pressing consumer prices to higher levels. It must be […]Mixed news about the Eurozone economy
December 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
According to a flash estimate released by Eurostat, the EU statistical service, Eurozone annual inflation was 0.9% in November, slightly higher than 0.7% in October. Excluding the items under the categories of energy, food, alcohol & tobacco, the November inflation rate is thought to have been 1% after 0.8% in October. Price developments in the […]European Business Summit 2014 Launch Event: “Energising Industrial Growth”
November 13, 2013 by 1 Comment
As we are writing the epilogue of 2013, collecting and assessing the bits and pieces of a rather important year in the EU Affairs, some people in Brussels are already pointing towards 2014, a milestone year for the EU for many. There is no doubt that one of the biggest 2014 challenges will be for […]Eurozone: Disinflation engulfs the industrial goods sector
October 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In three months, from July to September this year, inflation in Eurozone fell from 1.6% to 1.1%, with a brief stopover of 1.3% in August. The European Sting has been sounding the alarm for months now, over this fast deceleration of consumer goods prices. This trend is present all along this year, starting from […]Is Eurozone heading for disinflation?
September 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Under different circumstances a drop of inflation to 1.3% could have been a cause for celebration. It’s not like that now. The fall of the inflation rate to that level in August is a rather negative development. However averages on many instances hide the truth. Eurozone countries in deep recession like Greece and Cyprus or […]How Eurozone consumers spend their income when they have one…
September 2, 2013 by 2 Comments
Eurostat, the EU statistical service, presented on 30 August a statistical survey on the euro area headline inflation and its four main components. Together with it Eurostat published a valuable table showing the weight of each of the twelve items that compose the inflation index and its four main components. By the same token however […]Azerbaijan chooses Greek corridor for its natural gas flow to EU
June 26, 2013 by 1 Comment
Azeri officials are visiting Athens today to announce their choice of the ‘Greek corridor’ for the flow of their natural gas towards the central European Union countries, to reach them after crossing also the Adriatic Sea in a deep water pipeline to Italy. Let’s folow the facts. Very early last Monday morning the European Sting […]EU Commission: Banking and energy conglomerates don’t threaten competition!
June 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
At a time when the financial sector in the eyes of the wider public all over the world, and more so in Europe and the US, is to be held responsible for the real economy crisis and the unemployment burst, the European Commission dares to approve the acquisition of NYSE-Euronext (NYX) by the InterContinental Exchange. […]Azeri natural gas will keep the EU warm soon
June 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan was in Brussels on Friday 21 June for a good reason. The giant state oil and gas company of his country, Socar, has reportedly agreed with the Greek authorities to acquire the National Natural Gas System Operator (DESFA) S.A. of Greece, owner and operator of the country’s natural gas […]EU leaders slammed on anti-tax evasion inaction and expensive energy
May 29, 2013 by 1 Comment
Only days after the 27 EU leaders gathered in Brussels on 22 May and decided that, “The supply of affordable and sustainable energy to our economies is crucial”, Eurostat, the EU’s statistical service, announced that, “in the second half of 2012 household electricity prices in the EU27 rose by 6.6% and gas prices by 10.3%”. […]EU summit: No energy against tax evasion and fraud
May 23, 2013 by 1 Comment
As the European Sting predicted early yesterday morning, the European Council meeting of 22 May, which regrouped once more the 27 EU leaders, turned out poor results on both subjects that occupied its agenda, namely ‘energy’ and ‘taxation’. Sting writer Maria Milouv wrote, “the European Council of the 27 EU leaders has only ‘energy’ and […]Commission’s spending totally uncontrolled
March 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago the European Court of Auditors established that the money spent on EU projects to enhance energy efficiency (€5 billion since 2000) did not achieve targets. More recently, the CoA also found that “The effectiveness of EU funding for municipal waste management (€10.8bn in the period 2000-2006) infrastructures was limited, due to […]Inflation keeps falling in Eurozone
March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The downwards trend of Eurozone’s inflation rate is an infallible witness of the strong competitive base of home production on both fronts, that is manufacturing production and services. According to Eurostat, the EU statistical service, “The euro area annual inflation rate was 2.0 % in January 2013, down from 2.2 % in December 2012. A […]The EU pollution rights trading system frozen
February 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The recent collapse of the European Union emissions trading system (EU-ETS) revealed the flimsy grounds on which the EU has built its policy against the climate change. The idea was to make polluting expensive but not much so. How thin were the foundations of this system started to clearly emerge, when the economic crisis knocked […]Where is heading Putin’s Russia?
December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Russia is the third trading partner of the EU and the EU is the first trading partner of Russia. This simple fact tells the whole story, about the relations between the two largest economic volumes of the Old Continent. Not much of Europe is left outside the two heavyweights. Energy, food, machinery and equipment, raw […]
