Euractiv.com

Artificially low energy prices in France are one of the reasons why former state monopoly EDF loses money, says Thomas Pellerin-Carlin. Moreover, regulated prices are useless to protect vulnerable consumers from energy poverty and “almost never leads to low energy bills,” he argues.

Many European countries have placed limits on electricity prices, often justified by consumer concerns about rising energy bills, or to protect households from energy poverty. But regulated energy prices also thwart competition and hinder the deployment of clean energy solutions....

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev issued a stinging critique of the government's record on corruption and press freedom Friday (9 November), saying "the foundations of democracy are being threatened to a critical degree".

French senators have removed around 20 over-transpositions of EU directives, which are considered to harm businesses’ competitiveness. This was part of a “tidying-up” mission which is sometimes at odds with the public interest. EURACTIV France reports.

Vanadium, borate, bismuth, gallium – they may sound like planets from a science fiction movie, but in fact they are some of the most critical elements of the European Union’s economy.  

Metals are essential components in the manufacturing of smart phones, electric car batteries and other green technologies. In this special report, EURACTIV looks at how the EU's circular economy strategy can help secure Europe's supply of critical raw materials in a sustainable way.

What is 'sobriété énergétique' and what is its role in pushing Europe towards its carbon reduction goals? Kamila Waciega explains.  

November 9 is a very unique day for Germany, as Manuela Schwesig (SPD), premier of Schleswig-Holstein (Northern Germany), described it today. It is a day when three pivotal events took place,  with far-reaching effects for Germany but also for Europe.

The Romania-Bulgaria Cross-Border (RBCB) Cooperation Programme supports the development of eligible border areas, both in Romania and Bulgaria for over 14 years. These programmes aim to create a "bridge" between the two countries in order to support the border regions.

The European left has been essential in preventing conservatives from cutting necessary policies in the name of “better regulation”, says Kathleen Van Brempt, who sees the inability of member states to manage the migration crisis as the biggest failure of the 2014-2018 period.

In a meeting in Paris on Wednesday (7 November), the nine ministers from the member countries of European Intervention Initiative (EI2) welcomed Finland as the tenth participant. The group’s objective is to promote Europe’s strategic autonomy in security and defence. EURACTIV France reports.

The president of leftist group GUE/NGL in the European Parliament urged left-wing parties across Europe on Friday (9 November) to be open-minded and respect mutual differences in order to come up with a joint strategy for achieving majorities in the next EU House and fighting "neoliberalism and racism". EURACTIV.com reports from Bilbao.

The numbers may have fallen dramatically – by October the number of migrants reaching Europe had dropped to around 80,000 so far this year, compared to 300,000 in 2016 - but European leaders are still preoccupied with migration control.

The midterms in the United States were not subject to an intervention due to a lack of Russian resources. But will the upcoming European elections also go under Moscow’s radar? EURACTIV France reports.

Foreign companies have encountered problems related to the protection of intellectual property in China but most, if not all, want to continue doing business in the country because of its size and fast pace of growth, EURACTIV.com has learnt from their representatives.

Washington's energy secretary on Thursday (8 November) hailed a 24-year deal to deliver US liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Poland as signal for Europe on ensuring energy security and easing dependence on Russian supplies.

Whether humankind fails or succeeds in keeping the rise in global temperatures within manageable levels, central banks will sooner or later be called upon to act, said Benoît Cœuré, a member of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Executive Board.

The many exceptions to the  French carbon tax does not make it easier to accept green taxation, EURACTIV France reports.

The election of Manfred Weber as the European People’s Party (EPP) Spitzenkandidat ahead of next May's European elections confirms the right turn of the EPP, Nikos Pappas, Greek minister for digital policy, media and telecommunications, told EURACTIV.com on Thursday (8 November).

The EU's next multi-annual budget (2021-2027) should dedicate 40% of spending to the low-carbon economy and high-quality jobs, said Rudy de Leeuw, a delegate at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an EU advisory body.