MEPs approve revamped EU product safety rules

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The updated law will ensure that products in the EU, whether sold online or in traditional shops, comply with the highest safety requirements. On Thursday, MEPs endorsed the revised rules on product safety of non-food consumer products with 569 votes in favour, 13 against […]

Fluorinated gases: reinforced EU action to cut emissions

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Parliament is ready to negotiate with EU governments on further reducing fluorinated gases emissions, to meet EU and global climate goals. On Thursday, MEPs adopted their position on revising the EU’s legislative framework on fluorinated gases (F-gases) emissions with 426 votes in favour, 109 […]

MEPs assess Commission’s rule of law monitoring in the member states

Parliament points to worrying trends based on the Commission’s latest findings across the EU and highlights specific concerns in the three member states. During a joint debate on rule of law issues on Thursday, MEPs discussed with Commission Vice-President Jourová recent events and allegations of democratic backsliding in Greece, Spain, and Malta. They also voted […]

Innovation Fund: €100 million offered for innovative small-scale clean tech projects

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission is launching the third call for small-scale projects under the Innovation Fund, one of the world’s largest funding programmes for the deployment of innovative low-carbon technologies. Financed by revenues from the auctioning of emission allowances from the EU’s Emissions Trading System […]

Lebanon: €60 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. On a visit to Lebanon today, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, announced €60 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable people in the country, including Syrian refugees and Lebanese people in need. The Commissioner is visiting EU-funded humanitarian projects and meeting humanitarian […]

Competition: EU-US hold third Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, US Federal Trade Commission (‘FTC’) Chair Lina Khan and the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust of the US Department of Justice (‘DOJ’) Jonathan Kanter met in Washington for the third meeting of the EU-US Joint Technology Competition […]

Will a global recession accelerate geopolitical fragmentation?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Dimitri Zabelin, Associate, LSE IDEAS Inflation continues to be the headline risk for investors and policy-makers. Countries are wrestling with shocks from the war in Ukraine, and the residual effects of domestic fiscal/monetary stimulus packages during the pandemic. As […]

Parliament marks 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs today commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which brought 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland to an end. Opening the commemorative ceremony, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hailed the Good Friday agreement (GFA) as one “which has […]

Equal pay: Commission statements ahead of the European Parliament’s vote on pay transparency rules

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Tomorrow the European Parliament is set to vote on the Commission’s proposal on pay transparency. The new Directive aims to ensure the effective enforcement of equal pay for men and women; bring more transparency in setting of pay; and improve access to justice for […]

Commission proposes more transparency and less red tape for companies to improve business environment in the EU

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive making it easier for companies to expand the use of digital tools and processes in EU company law. The proposal aims to facilitate cross-border companies’ operations and to increase business transparency and trust by […]

Global Gateway: Team Europe invests in transformative green mobility in Nairobi

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Kenyan President William Ruto, met in Brussels to discuss how to strengthen the partnership between the EU and Kenya and opportunities to drive the green and digital transitions in Kenya under Global Gateway. […]

The chemical industry’s overlooked role ushering in the low-carbon economy

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Dr. Bob Maughon, Executive Vice President, Sustainability, Technology & Innovation and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, SABIC The chemical industry is critical to the global economy and for meeting societal needs. The innovations the field has given rise to […]

Migration: new rules on screening of irregular migrants and faster asylum procedures

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. On Tuesday, the Civil Liberties Committee adopted its position on new rules for checks at EU borders and updated its negotiating mandate on asylum procedures. With 41 votes in favour, 17 against, and 7 abstentions, MEPs backed a new regulation on screening at EU […]

First green light given to the reform of EU asylum and migration management

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Civil Liberties Committee endorsed on Tuesday a new approach to manage asylum and migration flows into the EU and specific rules to tackle crises. With 47 votes in favour, 17 against, and 1 abstention, MEPs adopted their position on the proposed update of […]

European Green Deal: ambitious new law agreed to deploy sufficient alternative fuels infrastructure  

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council to boost the number of publicly accessible electric recharging and hydrogen refuelling stations in particular across the European Union’s main transport corridors and hubs. This is a landmark agreement that […]

Greater Horn of Africa: EU allocates €331 million in humanitarian aid

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Greater Horn of Africa region is facing multiple and overlapping humanitarian crises with more than 50 million people in urgent need of food assistance. To help, the Commission will provide some €331 million in humanitarian aid primarily targeting food insecurity as well as […]

EU Drugs Agency: Commission welcomes political agreement on new fully-fledged Agency

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission welcomes today’s political agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on a stronger mandate which establishes a new EU Drugs Agency. The new Agency builds on the achievements of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Illicit drugs pose […]

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Photomath by Google

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Photomath, Inc. (‘Photomath’) by Google LLC (‘Google’). The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). Google is a technology company […]

In Africa’s free trade area, investment in pharmaceuticals means impact and profit

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution, Chido Munyati, Head of Regional Agenda, Africa, World Economic Forum The COVID-19 pandemic brushed away any doubt as to the importance of functioning and productive pharmaceutical industries. Countries […]

The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, explained

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Spencer Feingold, Digital Editor, World Economic Forum The European Union (EU) is considering a new legal framework that aims to significantly bolster regulations on the development and use of artificial intelligence. The proposed legislation, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, […]

Let’s talk about ‘regenerative business’ not sustainability

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Oliver Dudok van Heel, Global Sustainability Director, Kearney In recent years, a significant change has occurred in how companies view sustainability and the actions required to deliver this. Whereas previously, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) was considered by […]

How competitive is your region? Commission publishes the Regional Competitiveness Index

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today the Commission has published the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI), a fully revised version of a now long-established tool that measures different competitiveness dimensions for all EU regions. The fully revised RCI 2.0 shows that there are still large differences between EU regions, but […]

Investment Committee paves way for first InvestEU projects by EBRD to support green mobility and energy

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. More than €1.1 billion in finance to be mobilised in sustainable projects, supported by €150 million in InvestEU guarantees On Friday, 24 March 2023, the InvestEU Investment Committee has approved guarantees worth up to around €150 million in the form of framework agreements for […]

Polar regions are our insurance policy against runaway climate change. Here’s why

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Gail Whiteman, Professor of Sustainability, University of Exeter Business School, University of Exeter This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its latest synthesis of climate science. It restated that we are well on the path to […]

The trilemma facing the energy industry and how it’s dealing with it 

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Ditlev Engel, Energy Systems CEO, DNV The energy industry is facing three challenges: the war in Ukraine has put energy security in the spotlight; coal output is rising; and, energy prices have increased.This global survey of the energy industry […]

US raises interest rates, UBS takes over Credit Suisse, and other economy stories you need to read this week

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Ian Shine, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda 1. US raises interest rates again as it weighs up banking crisis The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point but indicated it is on the […]

Space: Commission invites the industry to submit proposals to deploy the new EU secure connectivity satellite constellation, IRIS²

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission launches an invitation to tender to procure a concession contract to implement the EU satellite constellation called IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). The public-private partnership between the Commission and the private sector will ensure common investment into the […]

What is a rolling recession? And are we in one right now?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Emma Charlton, Writer, Forum Agenda When is a recession not a recession? If that feels like a trick question, the answer – when it is rolling – also feels a bit tricksy. Traditionally, in the US, recessions are defined […]

How cities can encourage EV adoption

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Andreas Nienhaus, Co-lead the Oliver Wyman Forum’s Mobility Initiative and Partner, Oliver Wyman, Fabian Brandt, Co-lead the Oliver Wyman Forum’s Mobility Initiative and Partner, Oliver Wyman Electric vehicle (EV) sales jumped by more than 60% globally in 2022, hitting […]

Representation matters, but it’s knowledge input that really matters

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Alice Bell, Integrity Director, Deloitte, Professor Deen Sanders OAM, Integrity Lead and Indigenous Leader, Deloitte, David Sangokoya, Head of Civil Society Impact, World Economic Forum The standard view of good governance and representation is that there should be representation […]

Climate change: 5 charts from the IPCC report that show why every increment of warming matters

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Charlotte Edmond, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda Climate change has already had a substantial impact on humans and the planet. And every increment of global warming we cause will have a profound effect on future generations. The latest Intergovernmental Panel […]

Why brands must make reusable packaging a commercial priority

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Matt Kennedy, Founder & CEO, Again To truly scale reusable packaging, it must compete with single-use packaging on cost.The macroeconomics of the reusable packaging industry are changing wildly, it could be cheaper than single-use by 2024.The adoption of reusable […]