Author: Euronews

Austria, France and Italy pushed for putting lab-grown meat on the ‘menu’ of the next gathering of EU agriculture ministers, taking the helm of the 12-country coalition against this food technology. ADVERTISEMENTThe countries’ delegations have placed fake meat on the agenda of agriculture ministers meeting in Brussels next week (23 January), the first time the issue will be debated at this level, according to the latest version of the EU Council agenda.The term lab-grown meat – also known as artificial, cultivated or cell-based meat – refers to edible tissue gleaned from harvesting animal muscle cells which are nurtured in bioreactors…

Hopes for a cut in taxes as UK government borrowing in December shows a dramatic drop. ADVERTISEMENTThe UK government borrowed £7.8 billion (€9.1 billion) to cover spending costs in December, a fall of £8.4 billion (€9.8 billion) year-on-year and the lowest December figure since 2019.It is also substantially less than the £14 billion (€16.3 billion) borrowing total predicted by the UK’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).Government savings on interest payments contributed to the surprise result, as payouts on state debt fell to £4 billion (€4.7 billion), helped by falling inflation.The government paid out a much larger sum of…

Foreign ministers of the European Union denounced on Monday morning the controversial remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting Palestinian statehood. ADVERTISEMENTOver the weekend, Netanyahu doubled down on his opposition to establishing a Palestinian state after the war, defying the West’s push for a so-called two-state solution.The Israeli premier’s remarks were criticised by the bloc’s foreign ministers, who, upon arriving at a high-stakes meeting in Brussels, reiterated that the creation of a Palestinian state must be part of future peace negotiations.”Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements are worrying,” France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné told reporters ahead of the meeting. “We need a Palestinian…

Carlsberg’s new CEO, Jacob Aarup-Andersen on how climate change may alter the flavour of your favourite beer and other challenges facing brewers. ADVERTISEMENTCarlsberg is one of the largest brewers in the world, selling more than 125.4 million hectolitres of beer in 2022. That’s more than 22 billion pints.The company own 140 brands and, despite their namesake beer being hugely popular, Tuborg is, in fact, its most successful global brand.However, with the climate crisis, the rising cost of living and alcohol-free lifestyles becoming more popular, is the beer industry in danger?In the latest episode of The Big Question, Hannah Brown spoke…

The European Commission has formally begun a three-month process to review the €76.5 billion of cohesion funds that Poland has been unable to access due to concerns over judicial independence. ADVERTISEMENTThe cash has always been a matter of top priority for Warsaw, one of the largest recipients of cohesion funds, which pay for development projects meant to modernise infrastructure and bridge the gap with richer member states.But the sweeping judicial reform introduced by the previous hard-right government of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which empowered the disciplinary chamber of the Supreme Court to punish magistrates according to their rulings, led…

Following on from the recent rise in eurozone inflation, consumers say they are losing confidence in the EU economy, according to the latest consumer economic sentiment Indicator for January 2024. ADVERTISEMENTThe flash estimate of the consumer confidence indicator in the eurozone fell to -16.1 in January 2024, a fall of 0.9 on December’s figure. In the eurozone, the indicator measures how optimistic people feel about the economy, rating confidence on a scale from -100 to 100. The -100 figure indicates very low confidence, 0 is neutral, and 100 points to high confidence.The survey involves 23,000 households in the eurozone, with questions…

The European Commission is working on a new proposal that could allow Eastern member states, like Poland and Hungary, to impose restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain in case of market “disturbances.” ADVERTISEMENT”We need to take into account the sensitivities of agricultural sectors especially in neighbouring countries, which are most affected. So we’re looking at the best ways to do it, including the possibility of having safeguards not only in the case of disturbances of the EU market as a whole but also in case of disturbances in a single member state or a few member states,” Valdis Dombrovskis, the…

France’s data protection watchdog found the tech giant’s practices breached workers’ rights, fining Amazon a hefty €32 million. ADVERTISEMENTAmazon France Logistique, which manages the company’s warehouses in France, set up “an excessively intrusive system for monitoring the activity and performance of employees”, said the French data protection agency CNIL. The finding follows an inquiry set up in 2019 after a complaint from workers which was subsequently reported in the media. Watchdog CNIL fined the company €32 million, the equivalent of about 3% of its annual revenue which reached €1.1 billion in 2021. Amazon France Logistique employs around 20,000 staff in France.The practice…

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. As the European Green Deal enters a critical phase, a major effort is needed to help alternative proteins take off and play their part in delivering EU food and climate security, Nusa Urbancic, Pieter de Pous, Dustin Benton and Nico Muzi write. ADVERTISEMENTSomething extraordinary is happening in the world of energy. After at least 400,000 years of burning carbon for its energy (and cooking) needs, a combination of clean energy policies and market dynamics is helping the world…

Primark’s market share touched a record high of 7.1% in December, despite early challenges due to an unusually warm winter. ADVERTISEMENTAssociated British Foods (ABF), the owner of retail-chain Primark, has issued a buoyant trading update for the 16 weeks up to 6 January. The group’s grocery arm clocked in a revenue of £1,414 million (€1654) for the period, with ingredients coming in at £698 million (€816). Revenue from agriculture for the same 16 weeks raked in £572 million (€669 million) while sugar added its own sweetness to the figures with a revenue of £825 million (€965 million). Retail, however, surpassed all…