Regional Policy
CoR President: Regions must be involved in crisis response
Est. 5minThe EU must shrink the gap between its institutions and regional actors to respond to contemporary crises and challenges effectively, Apostolos Tzitzikostas told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Socialist think tank chief: pandemic global failure but EU good example
Est. 5minThe EU “should lead by example” for the recovery from COVID-19 but needs to face its own shortcomings to curb existing and new social inequalities, FEPS President Maria João Rodrigues told EURACTIV in an interview.
Foreign Minister: Uzbekistan is promoting ‘pragmatic relations’ with Afghanistan
Est. 15minIn a wide-ranging interview, Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov discussed his country’s relations with the EU, the situation with "fraternal neighbour" Afghanistan, regional cooperation, and strategies for a 'Third Renaissance' of Uzbekistan.
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.
Presidential envoy: For Kazakhstan, the EU is a neighbor
Est. 11minIn a wide-ranging interview, Yerzhan Kazykhan, special representative of the president of Kazakhstan for international cooperation, discussed the state of play of the Central Asian country's relations with the EU, its international initiatives and new projects, such as joining the EU’s battery alliance.
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.
Analyst: Central Asian ‘patient’ is ready for deeper cooperation
Est. 6minEven though unresolved border disputes stand in the way of further economic integration of Central Asia, this vast region is ready to deepen ties, according to Askar Nursha.
Social dialogue must be stronger after the pandemic, trade union leader says
Est. 8minNearly a year into the coronavirus crisis in Europe, the world of work has changed drastically with more transformation on the horizon. In an interview with EURACTIV, trade union leader Michael Vassiliadis discusses the EU policy agenda from economic recovery to the Democracy Action Plan and responsible supply chains.
EESC President: Crisis is widening gap between school and real life for youth
Est. 3minEurope needs to "get the economy up and running" to help its youth find opportunities and bridge the gap between school and the workplace, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Christa Schweng told EURACTIV in an interview.
Official: Pandemic restrictions led to ‘intolerable hostility’ in border regions
Est. 5minThe pandemic has thrown Europe back into the age of borders, with new barriers manned by police and military, and ID checks. Freedom of movement, the cornerstone of the European way of life, disappeared. Cross-border regions, called "Eurodistricts", came to play a special role, Frank Scherer explains in an interview with EURACTIV Germany.
MEP Fernandes: There is a risk EU countries may forget about repayable support
Est. 5minFaced with tight deadlines to programme recovery and new cohesion funds while still implementing projects from the previous budgetary period, EU countries may be tempted to forget about repayable Union assistance, warned Portuguese MEP José Manuel Fernandes, in which case a lot of cheap money would be left on the table.
Mayor: Cities are the atoms in the organism of the EU
Est. 5minMario Rajn, the mayor of Križevci, a medieval city of 20,000 people northeast of Croatia's capital is pushing for his city to become energy independent by 2030. He explains what actions have been taken so far.
MEP Omarjee: Cohesion, not ‘renationalisation’, should guide Europe’s policies
Est. 4minSocial and territorial cohesion among the EU's region's, as well as their convergence, must remain at the centre of Europe's recovery plans lest efforts to support investment and growth should lead to more regional divides, MEP Younous Omarjee told EURACTIV.
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.
Regional leader: Without cohesion, Europe cannot stand
Est. 6minAs the EU faces the deepest recession in its history, the bloc's long-contested Cohesion Policy – its regional development instrument – has now become central to the recovery plan. EURACTIV spoke about it with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
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.
German trade unionist: Stronger worker participation helps in times of crisis
Est. 5minThe coronavirus pandemic has caused a rapid transformation of the workplace at a time when digitalisation and the Green Deal were beginning to restructure entire industries. In an interview with EURACTIV, trade unionist Karin Erhard describes how workers should go forward in these uncertain times and how a strong system of codetermination can help chart the way.
Yerman Mukhtar: We don’t build walls in the steppe
Est. 11minIn a wide-ranging interview, Yerman Mukhtar, the chairman of the Kazakh parliament's committee on foreign affairs, defence and security, explains his country's foreign policy initiatives, known as 'the Three Dialogues'.
MEP Novakov: EU Cohesion policy needs a tough lady like Elisa Ferreira to defend it
Est. 14minRule of law should be a matter of respect everywhere, not only in the Cohesion Policy. But ordinary beneficiaries should not be held responsible for the action of the whole country infringing common EU standards, MEP Andrey Novakov told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.
REGI chair: If von der Leyen has an ambition for Europe, she must have an ambition for Cohesion
Est. 11minThe European Parliament shall not accept cuts on the budget of Cohesion Policy and expects the European Commission and its new President to be on its side, says MEP Younous Omarjee.
Rioja president: ‘We will stand behind our wine producers’ in EU-US tariff war
Est. 6minConcha Andreu, the president of La Rioja region, made her first visit to Brussels last week, just after the US announced fresh tariffs on European exports, including wine produced in her region. She told EURACTIV.com she is confident Europe will support the region, whose economy is heavily dependent on the wine sector.
Inequalities of chances, income and capital are destroying society, says German expert
Est. 8minIn an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Hanno Burmester, founder of the consultancy firm Unlearn, spoke about the widening gap between rich and poor in Europe, the rise of nationalism and whether social cohesion is crumbling.
Researcher: Lowering electricity taxes is cheapest way of meeting EU climate goals
Est. 23minThe energy transition will hit the poor hardest unless it's balanced by a shift in taxation, says Christian Egenhofer. The EU needs to acknowledge this and get started by lowering taxes on electricity to achieve the EU’s carbon reduction goals at least cost, he argues.
‘Citizens are calling for a change’, regional leader says on upcoming EU election
Est. 8minIf the EU wants to regain citizens' trust after the European elections, it has to strengthen links with cities and regions, Stefano Bonaccini told EURACTIV.com.