Finance

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Court of Auditors examines use of cohesion policy as crisis instrument
Repeated use of cohesion policy to address crises could dilute the goal of reducing development disparities between regions. That is the finding of a new special report by the European Court of Auditors. It examined how the Commission adapted rules to give member states greater flexibility in using cohesion policy funds for the 2014-2020 period […] continue reading →
Due diligence: NGOs call for regulation of financial service providers
If the Council succeeds in the trilogue negotiations, the Due Diligence Act will be toothless. The NGO European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) and the Luxembourg Due Diligence Initiative criticized this at a press conference yesterday. They criticized in particular the generous exemptions for financial service providers, which the Council adopted in December under special […] continue reading →
Germany expands second battery IPCEI
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) wants to open up Germany’s coordinated second European battery project, “EuBatIn”, to other large-scale strategic projects. Budget funds of around one billion euros have been made available for the expansion of the battery IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest). Projects that focus on […] continue reading →
ECB expects strong wage growth
The European Central Bank (ECB) expects very strong wage growth in the euro area in the coming quarters. This reflects robust labor markets that have so far coped well with the economic slowdown, the ECB said Monday in a pre-published article from its “Economic Bulletin.” Higher minimum wages and a general catch-up in wages in […] continue reading →
Sweden: Russian assets for reconstruction
Shortly before the official presentation of the presidency program, the new Swedish EU presidency has dampened expectations. No quick breakthroughs are to be expected on the two central issues of the next six months – Ukraine and migration, Swedish EU Ambassador Lars Danielsson said in Brussels. “We will do it the Swedish way and work […] continue reading →
Zelenskiy expects first tranche of EU financial aid in January
Ukraine expects to receive the first tranche of financial assistance from the European Union before the end of January. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Twitter after talks with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Selenskyj thanked von der Leyen for her support and added that both sides had also agreed on […] continue reading →
More attractive capital markets for a sustainable economy
The Commission's proposal on the EU Listing Act is a first step, but it is not enough. Germany must shape Europe! continue reading →
Croatia adopts the euro
At the turn of the year, Croatia introduced the euro in place of the national currency, the kuna. One euro is equivalent to 7.5345 kuna. At the same time, the popular vacation destination joined the Schengen zone, which is free of border controls. In air traffic, border controls will be discontinued on March 26. According […] continue reading →
EU holds back all of Hungary’s cohesion funds
The European Commission said on Thursday it would hold back all €22 billion of EU cohesion funds for Hungary until its government meets conditions related to judiciary independence, academic freedoms, LGBTQI rights and the asylum system. EU institutions had already decided on Dec. 12 to freeze 6.3 billion euros of the funds until the right-wing and eurosceptic […] continue reading →
US provides Patriot air defense and new military aid to Kyiv
The US government will supply Ukraine with the Patriot air defense system for the first time. It is part of a new $1.85 billion (about €1.7 billion) military aid pact for the Russia-attacked country, the US State Department announced Wednesday. That brings total US military aid to Ukraine to $21.9 billion since President Joe Biden […] continue reading →
EU Commission gives green light for German billion-euro aid for Ukraine
Germany may provide companies affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine with €49 billion in aid. According to its own information, the EU Commission approved a corresponding German regulation on Wednesday. This was preceded by an examination under competition law. The German support package is aimed at companies that are end users of electricity, natural gas […] continue reading →
Carsten Pillath – Lindner’s man for Europe and international affairs
The call from Berlin reached EU Director General Carsten Pillath a few days before his retirement. On the other end of the line, Christian Lindner: “On behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, I would like to make you an offer. I would like you to become my state secretary.” Pillath, who is now 66 […] continue reading →
Commission attaches conditions to billions in aid for Uniper
The EU Commission has approved German aid worth billions for the ailing gas importer Uniper. The federal government may support the company with up to €34.5 billion, the competition watchdogs announced on Tuesday evening. On Friday, the Commission had already approved the company’s nationalization under merger and antitrust aspects. This clears the way for the […] continue reading →
EU Commission announces new funding strategy
The EU Commission is now the fifth largest issuer in Europe. In the future, it does not want to issue program bonds, but only EU bonds. The aim is to broaden the investor base for EU bonds. continue reading →
COP15: EU Commission promotes increase in environmental funding
At the World Conference on Nature (COP15), negotiations reached the decisive phase and everything continues to revolve around the issue of funding. EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius called the Global South’s call for an increase in financial support “legitimate.” He reiterated the EU’s commitment to double funding to €7 billion from 2021 to 2027. Germany […] continue reading →
REPowerEU: trilogue agreement on funding
MEPs, the Council and the Commission reached an agreement on REPowerEU funding in the early hours of yesterday morning. The agreement makes energy projects eligible for funding from the EU’s €800 billion recovery fund, which was established two years ago in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement means member states can apply for […] continue reading →
Von der Leyen calls for ‘fresh look’ at EU budget
Germany and the other EU states should consider a far-reaching overhaul of the EU’s long-term budget, according to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. A “fresh look” at the budget would also open the door for the creation of a sovereignty fund, von der Leyen said in Brussels on Monday. The current budget for the […] continue reading →
Second wave of raids in Kaili corruption case
An NGO with three ex-commissioners on its board has become the focus of investigations. There is criticism of the lack of transparency of so-called friendship groups in the European Parliament. continue reading →