Fiscal Policy
€600m Italy recovery fund fraud likely to be repeated, EU audit chief warns
Est. 5minThe head of the EU’s auditing body warned that there is “absolutely” a risk that recent news of the alleged embezzlement of hundreds of millions of euros from the bloc’s pandemic recovery fund could reoccur in future.
German Socialist politician warns against failed EU debt rule talks
Est. 5minMuch is at stake in the reform of EU debt rules, which could also threaten the very existence of the euro, Social Democrat MEP Joachim Schuster told Euractiv in an interview.
Debt rules will affect the most vulnerable, EU trade union chief warns
Est. 5minThe new EU rules for national debts and deficits will limit member states' ability to act on climate change in a socially fair manner, the secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Esther Lynch, told Euractiv in an interview, warning against a return of austerity across the bloc.
France must do more to cut down debt, Court of Auditors chief urges
Est. 5minFrance’s debt reduction plan must be more ambitious than what’s already been laid out, French Court of Auditors President and former European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told EURACTIV France in an interview, warning that the country’s public finances were in a particularly poor state.
Green transition: Member states must ‘free themselves’ from financial markets, expert says
Est. 5minMember states must look to financing options other than public debt and taxation to support the green transition and free themselves from debt repayments, French financial economist Jézabel Couppey-Soubeyran told EURACTIV France in an interview.
Canfin MEP: ‘Europe must put in place policies to protect, promote green industries’
Est. 8minWith its upcoming Battery Directive and carbon border tax, the EU has the opportunity to build the foundations of Europe's future green industrial policy and respond to America’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), says Pascal Canfin.
IMF chief tells EU to drop energy price caps idea
Est. 3minInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva told EURACTIV she opposes caps on energy prices, emphasising that ministers and central bank operators must work together.
MEP Petar Vitanov: EU green fuel taxes ‘must not create additional inequality’
Est. 8minThe European Commission has proposed wide-ranging legislation aimed at cutting emissions from road transport across the EU. But the various taxes embedded in the proposals run the risk of exacerbating inequality if not implemented properly, warns MEP Petar Vitanov.
John Kerry: Carbon border tariffs are ‘a legitimate idea to have on the table’
Est. 10minThe EU’s proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism is a “legitimate” instrument to consider, and the United States are “exploring it” as well. “It may be a tool that we have no choice but to employ if other countries are not going to be serious enough about reducing carbon,” John Kerry told EURACTIV in an interview.
Trade Minister of Kazakhstan: As WTO chair, we will push for consensus on reform
Est. 7minIn an exclusive interview, the Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Bakhyt Sultanov discussed the upcoming WTO ministerial under the chairmanship of his country, EU-Kazakhstan economic relation, and carbon border tax.
Bulgaria’s justice minister: ‘This chief prosecutor will bring us EU sanctions’
Est. 6minIn an exclusive interview for EURACTIV Bulgaria, the caretaker justice minister Ivan Demerdjiev offered scathing criticism of Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev, saying that unless he is removed, Bulgaria risks losing access to EU funding.
Bruegel’s Darvas: ‘We need much higher carbon prices in Europe’
Est. 6minIn a paper discussed by EU finance ministers on 11 September, Bruegel think tank made the case for protecting green investment as part of the upcoming Stability and Growth Pact review. Bruegel’s Zsolt Darvas, one of the report's authors, told EURACTIV that most of the investment needed to reduce CO2 emissions would come from private sources.
Dombrovskis: ‘We are quite satisfied with the recovery plans submitted’
Est. 7minThe EU’s framework to coordinate national economies this year has been shaped by the recovery and resilience plans. The Commission’s executive vice-president for economy, Valdis Dombrovskis, told a group of media including EURACTIV that overall, the EU executive is satisfied with the recovery plans submitted by 23 member states.
MEP Canfin: EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism ‘is not a tax’
Est. 9minThe European Union’s future carbon border adjustment mechanism must mirror the EU’s own carbon market price and structure in order to be compatible with WTO rules, says Pascal Canfin.
Tax subcommittee chair: Donohoe is not ideal candidate to lead Eurogroup
Est. 7minPaul Tang has been elected chair of the new permanent tax subcommittee the European Parliament has created. In an interview with EURACTIV, the Socialist MEP said one of his key goals is to "crack down on tax avoidance", and he therefore wants to strengthen ties with national parliaments and get them involved in the fight against fiscal dumping in the EU.
EU must openly discuss Turkey sanctions, says Austria’s EU minister
Est. 6minAt the next European summit, Austria wants to speak openly about sanctions against Ankara, including the possibility to break off accession talks with Turkey, the country's EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler told EURACTIV Germany.
Major political groups harbour corruption – Greens’ Freund
Est. 8minThe major European political groups tolerate corruption and malfeasance among the member parties, says Green MEP Daniel Freund, who also analyses the weaknesses of instruments to fight the misuse of EU funds.
MEP Olbrycht: Member states may thwart recovery fund over rule of law
Est. 6minThe European Parliament will fight to have a say in the oversight of the EU's €750-billion stimulus package, alongside the Council, MEP Jan Olbrycht, co-rapporteur on the EU's next seven-year budget (MFF), told EURACTIV Italy in an interview.
Austria minister ‘cannot imagine’ an agreement at EU summit
Est. 6minAustria's EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler does not expect an agreement to be reached at the EU's budget summit on Friday and Saturday. In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, she explains where Austria wants to renegotiate and pleads for a stricter link to the rule of law.
Ex-Eurogroup boss: Nobody is so stupid to propose to ‘just go back under 3% deficit’
Est. 8minAs one of the most influential Eurogroup figures during the previous crisis, Thomas Wieser chaired the preparatory meetings of eurozone finance ministers between 2011 and 2018. In an interview with EURACTIV, the American-Austrian economist described the EU’s fiscal rules as “bad practical economics”, in particular for handling a crisis such as the current one.
Volt MEP: Abolishing unanimity is key to making the EU more effective
Est. 5minThe coronavirus crisis has once again shown that reforms of "the basic structure" of the EU are necessary, including abolishing unanimity in the European Council, to strengthen the EU's ability to act, German MEP Damian Boeselager (Volt) told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.
Linn Selle: Coronavirus may have a long impact on German presidency
Est. 5minThere are only a few months left until Germany will take over the EU Presidency. But the ongoing corona crisis could really upset the plans, says the president of the European Movement Germany. What can the EU actually do in these turbulent times?
Centeno: ‘I do see good reasons to support green investment under the fiscal rules’
Est. 6minSpeaking to EURACTIV in Davos, Eurogroup President Mario Centeno remained hopeful about the eurozone's stalled reform process, saying there are “good reasons” to support ‘green’ investment as part of a broader review of EU fiscal rules due later this year.
OECD chief: ‘Sánchez government is a response to Spain’s political reality’
Est. 5minOECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría is one of the most-wanted men in the corridors of the World Economic Forum, held this week in Davos (Switzerland). On Wednesday (22 January) he introduced Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the forum as “one of the great champions of multilateralism”.