“Don’t blame the fire brigade for fire damage”, ECB Exective Board member Benoît Coeuré urged Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs at a hearing held on Thursday to assess the economic crisis recovery work of the ECB/EU Commission/IMF “Troika”. This followed a committee debate on Wednesday about which findings to flag up in the Troika […]
Archives for February 2014
MEPs May Withhold TTIP Consent If NSA Snooping Continues
The European Parliament should withhold its consent to an EU-US trade deal unless it fully respects EU citizens’ data privacy, says an inquiry report on US National Security Agency (NSA) and EU member states surveillance of EU citizens, approved by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday. It adds that data protection rules should be excluded […]
Stronger, Clearer Environmental Impact Assessments Required
A proposed update of EU law to make environmental impact assessments clearer, build in biodiversity and climate change, and involve the public, was backed by the Environment Committee on Wednesday. This update, already informally agreed with the Council of Ministers, includes beefed up rules to ensure that decisions to authorize development projects are not influenced […]
Digital Travelers Get Tougher Consumer Protection
The internet has revolutionised the way we travel. Many people now prefer to book online through individual travel service providers rather than opt for ready-made packages. On 12 February the consumer protection committee approved new rules to ensure travellers know their rights and are aware of who is responsible for the services provided. We discussed […]
MEPs Insist On Troika Jobs And Recovery Plan
Growing unemployment – especially among the young, leading to their emigration – the loss of small firms and rising poverty rates, even among the middle class, are the key impacts of the economic crisis and adjustment measures designed by the ECB/EU Commission/IMF “Troika” for Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, say Employment Committee MEPs in a resolution voted […]
KIC InnoEnergy’s VC Community Signs Top 10 Clean Tech Venture Capital Firms
KIC InnoEnergy reports a number of European top 10 venture capital companies have signed a collaboration agreement to support the most innovative clean tech start-ups in the EU. In an inaugural move for the industry, the community will provide KIC InnoEnergy’s 37 European startups with access to €3 billion in the next two years. “This […]
Honest Broker Kroes Pursues Negotiations On Internet Governance
In the wake of large-scale Internet surveillance and reduced trust in the internet, the European Commission has proposes a key reform to the way the Internet is managed and run. The proposal calls for more transparent, accountable and inclusive governance. Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes said: “The next two years will be critical in redrawing the […]
Kroes Promotes Safer Global Internet
Safer Internet Day is being celebrated today in over 100 countries (including the USA for the first time.) In one of thousands of events taking place European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes will reward the creators of the best online content for kids and, together with INSAFE ask young people for their idea on how to […]
Schaake Calls For New Internet Governance Debate
Dutch liberal MEP, Marietje Schaake, has called for a debate in the European Parliament on internet governance and what the EU’s strategy should be. “Safeguarding the open internet faces more and more challenges and must be a priority for the EU. Decisions and responsibilities are increasingly in the hands of a diverse group of governments, […]
MIT Center for Digital Business Boosts Capgemini Digital Expertise
Leading technology and consulting firm, Capgemini, has announced plans to combine its key digital assets and capabilities under a new global service line entitled Digital Customer Experience (DCX). DCX intends to provide organizations with the seamless offer they need to understand and implement digital engagement strategies, platforms and solutions, to fundamentally change how they do […]