Author: Euronews

There is a warning that fees for new border checks of plants and animal products could leave supermarket shelves empty and lead to small business closures in the UK. ADVERTISEMENTNewly announced details of a post-Brexit border check system has drawn criticism from businesses and trade bodies in the UK, with a warning that it could inflate food prices and lead the closure of several small businesses. From 30 April this year, firms importing plants or animal products from the EU via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel will have to pay up to £145 per consignment to cover the costs of a new…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is embroiled in a row over favouritism, after appointing German MEP Markus Pieper as Envoy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, a five-year post with a salary of nearly 17,000 euros a month. Source link

Ample female business leaders, a slight gender pay gap and fair maternity policies makes Norway the best country in Europe for female workers, according to a new analysis. Source link

NGOs join lawmakers and senior commission officials in questioning the decision to hand a lucrative official role to a political ally. Source link

Reductions in commercial and civil engineering activity, as well as a decline in new business also contributed to this figure. Source link

Ursula von der Leyen has selected her current chief of staff to run her campaign ahead of the elections to the European Parliament. ADVERTISEMENTBjoern Seibert, a highly influential power broker in Brussels, will act as campaign manager from 8 April until the conclusion of the continent-wide elections on 9 June.Alexander Winterstein, a high-ranking official in the European Commission’s communications department, will serve as chief spokesperson during the same period.The announcement was made on Friday morning by the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and immediately raised ethical questions, given the two appointees hail from an institution that, according to the treaties,…

Consumers in Europe appear not to want to increase their spending despite the slowing inflation in Europe, the latest retail sales figures suggest. Source link

Almost half of Europeans have a positive opinion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but the feeling varies wildly across member states. Source link

Lower-than-expected demand for German manufacturing suggests dark days may still lie ahead for the country’s industry. ADVERTISEMENTGermany’s factory orders were up 0.2% in February, a monthly increase that fell short of experts’ forecasts.A Reuters poll of analysts had estimated an increase of 0.8%, whilst Bloomberg had predicted a jump of 0.7%.According to Germany’s official statistics agency, this marginal uptick was driven by increased demand in the machinery and equipment sector (+10.7% on the previous month), and more orders within the chemical (+3.1%) and pharmaceutical (+6.6%) industries.February’s growth figure comes after a dramatic monthly fall of -11.4% in January, although the…

We will continue to the bitter end of this battle, begun five years ago, to defend workers’ rights and the environment in the face of multinationals’ crimes, MEP Manon Aubry writes. Source link