European Union

Under Sweden's reimbursement system, patients currently pay the full cost of prescription drugs up to €126. From 1 July, the threshold will rise to €174.

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Currently, the state does not pay for the tests, meaning patients cannot receive any of a range of 40 drugs unless they pay for the tests in advance.

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A source told Euractiv that a meeting between Trump Jr and the Greenlandic premier was possible.

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The projects are expected to boost production of 42 essential medicines in France, whose supply is considered vulnerable to imports from outside Europe.

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This short-term cancellation will not end efforts to improve relations between Kyiv and Bratislava.

The post Commission last-minute cancels Slovakia-Ukraine gas dispute talks appeared first on Euractiv.

Written by Marco Centrone and Meenakshi Fernandes.

In response to heightened geopolitical risks and security challenges, including Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,European leaders have called for action to boost defence readiness. In this context, the European Union institutions have put forward several initiatives and reports. The European defence industrial strategy presents a range of ambitious measures to support Member States move towards a European defence union. The Letta Report calls for a ‘radical transformation to build a common market for the security and defence industry’. The Draghi Report presents ten proposals to improve the competitiveness of the European defence sector. The Niinistö Report underscores that security is a public good and that readiness is a common responsibility. A promising approach to respond to current and future challenges is deepening cooperation across Member States to leverage European economies of scale with regards to existing defence spending and activities, which are mainly organised at the national level.

What is the scope?

This ‘cost of non-Europe’ report investigates the quality of European defence spending and the extent to which deepening cooperation could leverage European economies of scale and boost efficiency, considering the nature of defence as a public good. It assesses the potential gains of scaling to the European level for different categories of defence spending. The research draws on an original quantitative analysis of publicly available data carried out by a research team from the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University based in Iași, Romania (see Annex I).

What are the key findings?

Table 1 presents the key findings for defence spending with respect to military forces and strategic assets, defence equipment procurement and defence research on emerging developing technologies. The cost of non-Europe in defence spending– in other words, the cost of not leveraging European economies of scale –is estimated to range from €18 to €57 billion per year.

European economies of scale can be leveraged by deeper cooperation between Member Statesfor all defence activities, including at the planning stage. The more ambitious and deeper the cooperation in the EU, the greater the potential gains for all Member States. The EU could provide complementary executive capacity and act further in the general interest of its citizens, thanks to the provision of financial incentives, facilitation and technical assistance. The EU could also reinforce the coordinated annual review on defence (CARD) process to broaden areas of common strategic interest especially for the 20-year horizon. Effort to improve the quality of European defence spending could promote higher standardisation and quality of European military equipment and generate other gains for society such as job creation, a more predictable environment for businesses and reinforced rule of law.

summary of findings

Read the complete study on ‘Improving the quality of European defence spending – Cost of non-Europe report‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Returning to pre-war tariff quotas would be "a €3 billion per year shock" for Kyiv.

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“Freedom of expression is at the core of our democracy” said a Commission spokesperson.

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The Italian prime minister's office dismissed claims that she discussed SpaceX with Donald Trump on Sunday as "simply ridiculous".

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Brushing off far-right leader Kickl's bid to form a new government as mere Austrian eccentricity would be a mistake.

The post The Brief – Austrian barbarians at Europe’s gate appeared first on Euractiv.

But she has not handed the reins to her second-in-command Ribeira.

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Headline inflation increased to 2.9% in December, up from 2.4% in November and above the 2.6% rate predicted by economists.

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Interview with the Head of State for the “Ana tili” Newspaper.

The post Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: “The Goal is to Strengthen the Economy and Sovereignty” appeared first on Euractiv.

Far right Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl will lead the formation of a new government.

The post Austria’s far right set to form government for the first time appeared first on Euractiv.

By Euractiv's new Editor-in-Chief.

The post A note from the editor appeared first on Euractiv.

The coalition talks in Austria between the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos have collapsed. Chancellor Karl Nehammer has announced his resignation and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen plans to meet Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ, to discuss the new situation. Commentators examine the reasons for the change of direction and what comes next.