On 13th September, the European Commission (EC) published its new strategy to tackle the increased cyber threats by aligning the national governments, industry and civil society in a more unified European approach. The EC highlights that cybercrime will cause 3 billion euros in damages by 2020. In addition, tens of billions of “Internet of Things”…
Recent developments in Catalonia have created turmoil in the Spanish economy. Following the 1st October referendum – considered illegal by both the Spanish government and the EU – and the Catalan intention to move ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence, the foundations of the fastest growing economy in the Eurozone are starting to shake.…
We are back after the summer break. The holidays might be over but the Brexit negotiations continue. This week we have seen the fourth round and evidence of some progress. Elsewhere a German election and lots of political posturing and airy talk – whether in Florence, Brussels or Paris – continue to fuel speculation about…
Angela Merkel has won a bitter victory in Germany’s general election. On the one hand, her Christian Democrats, expectedly, gained the biggest share of votes by far. On the other hand, the Christian Democrats, unexpectedly, only won 33 per cent of the vote, which is their worst result since 1949, and stands at more than…
Catalonia is located at the North-Eastern extremity of Spain bordering with France. The region is similar in size to Belgium, boasts a population of 7.5 million and amounts to 19% of the country’s GDP. The capital and largest city is Barcelona, the second-most populated municipality in Spain and seventh-most populous urban area in the European…
Responding to recent calls from France, Germany and other Member States for stricter controls on foreign takeovers, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, has proposed a new EU framework for the screening of foreign direct investment. Although the proposed Regulation comes in large part in reaction to the rise in Chinese investment into…
Among EU observers, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union speech was highly anticipated and widely expected to be more visionary and personal than in previous years. The speech was indeed much more optimistic and forward looking; Juncker claimed that the EU now had the wind in its sails. In this snapshot, we…
The Energy Union has had an impressive start, with 12 legislative proposals in 2016 alone the European Commission means business. However, publishing proposals is one thing, getting the legislation adopted by the European Parliament and Member States is a much harder challenge. While the security of gas supply package was adopted relatively smoothly, it is…
In this Brexit Perspective we discuss the third round of formal Brexit negotiations that took place in Brussels this week, amid continued disagreements between the EU and UK sides over the pace and scope of the talks. Despite another long week with dozens of negotiators and experts from both sides thrashing through complex political and…
Partnerships in the mining sector can contribute to sustainable development argues Arne Koeppel, Head of Research at FTI Consulting in Brussels in this article for the latest edition of GREAT Insights, the publication of the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM). The article lines out why the mining sector has an important role to play in…