Money Buzz! Europa

Tag: european Commission

  • EU to impose additional tariffs on „Made in USA” products

    EU to impose additional tariffs on „Made in USA” products

    The European Union will impose additional tariffs on American products, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis announced on Monday, AFP and DPA reported.

    On October 26, the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally authorized the European Union to impose additional tariffs on US products worth nearly four billion dollars (3.37 billion euros).

    Europe has already prepared a long list of US products that could be targeted by the new tariffs, a list that includes airplanes, wines, spirits, tractors, frozen fish and frozen orange juice.

    Last month’s WTO decision, to the benefit of the EU, comes about a year after the institution granted the US the right to impose additional tariffs on European products worth $ 7.5 billion, due to illegal subsidies granted by the European Union to Airbus.

  • The European Union wants to renovate 35 million buildings by 2030

    The European Union wants to renovate 35 million buildings by 2030

    The European Commission announced on Wednesday its intention to double the rate of buildings renovation in the next ten years, in order to increase their energy efficiency and accelerate the transition to climate neutrality, DPA reports.

    This would mean that by 2030 35 million buildings could be renovated and up to 160.000 additional ”green” jobs could be created in the construction sector.

    Buildings are currently responsible for around 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, only 1% of buildings are subject to energy-efficient renovations each year.

    In order to meet the Commission’s September 2020 target of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030, the EU must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 60%, energy consumption by 14% and energy consumption by heating and cooling by 18%.

  • How satisfied are European citizens of their life in cities around EU

    How satisfied are European citizens of their life in cities around EU

    The European Commission released a report on Tuesday on the quality of life in European cities. Cities are home to about 40% of the EU’s population.

    In the top 10 cities where citizens are satisfied with the noise level are those in northern Europe. The most satisfied are the citizens of Oulu (Finland), in proportion of 88%, followed by those from Malmö (Sweden), Dublin (Ireland) and Aalborg (Denmark), with 86%.

    On the other hand, the least satisfied with the noise level are the residents of Bucharest (Romania), in proportion of 31%, Palermo (Italy), with 32% and Athens (Greece), with 33%.

    Residents of Zurich (Switzerland) are the most satisfied with air quality (93%), compared to 13% for those living in Skopje (Northern Macedonia).

    Also in the top of the most satisfied citizens with air quality, with over 85%, are those from Oulu and Helsinki (both from Finland), Aalborg (Denmark) and Białystok (Poland).

    Six out of ten city residents are satisfied with the cleanliness of the city where they live (62%). The percentage is below average in cities in the south of the EU (47%), in the Western Balkans and Turkey (54%).

    On average, the citizens of the European capitals are less satisfied than those who do not live in the capitals. Satisfaction also decreases depending on the size of the city, air quality and noise. The percentage of citizens satisfied with the cleanliness of the city where they live varies from 94% in Luxembourg to less than 10% in Palermo and Rome.

    Three out of four city residents in EU are satisfied with public transport

    Three out of four city residents are satisfied with public transport, although the figures range from just 22% in Palermo to 97% in Zurich.

    Besides Palermo, the least satisfied with public transport are the inhabitants of Rome (Italy, 26%), Tirana (Albania, 30%), Naples (Italy, 31%), Podgorica (Montenegro, 36%), Belgrade (Serbia, 40%), Nicosia (Cyprus, 51%), Oulu (Finland, 52%), Bucharest (Romania, 53%) and Diyarbakir (Turkey, 55%).

    Also, eight out of ten citizens are satisfied with the public spaces (squares, squares, pedestrian areas) in the city, and the least satisfied are those in Athens (Greece, 35%), Valletta (Malta, 44%), Palermo (Italy, 47%), Naples (Italy, 49%), Heraklion (Greece, 51%), Skopje (Northern Macedonia, 51%), Rome (Italy, 54%), Bucharest (Romania, 56%), Istanbul (Turkey, 56%) and Nicosia (Cyprus, 57%).

    Residents in Zurich are very satisfied with local health care services

    Seven out of ten residents are satisfied with local health care services, with the highest percentage being in Zurich (Switzerland, 94%) and Groningen (Netherlands, 93%).

    The least satisfied are in Skopje (Northern Macedonia, 35%), Athens (Greece, 35%), Palermo (Italy, 38%), Warsaw (Poland, 41%), Belgrade (Serbia, 41%), Budapest (Hungary, 41%), Miskolc (Hungary, 41%), Bucharest (Romania, 44%), Burgas (Bulgaria, 45%) and Naples (Italy, 45%).

  • Investigation into public support for LG Chem’s plant in Poland

    Investigation into public support for LG Chem’s plant in Poland

    The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether €95 million of public support granted by Poland to chemical company LG Chem Group for investing in the expansion of its battery cell production facility for electric vehicles (EV) in Biskupice Podgórne in the Dolnoślaskie region (Poland) is in line with EU rules on regional State aid. 

    In 2017, LG Chem decided to invest more than €1 billion in the expansion of its production capacity of lithium-ion cells and battery modules and packs for electric vehicles in its existing plant in the Dolnoślaskie region of Poland.

    In 2019, Poland notified the Commission of its plans to grant €95 million of public support for the expansion.

    At this stage, the Commission has doubts that the planned public support of €95 million to LG Chem for the expansion of the Biskupice Podgórne plant complies with all relevant criteria of the Regional Aid Guidelines.

    The Commission will now investigate further to determine whether the initial concerns are confirmed.

    In 2019, the Commission approved a €36 million investment aid granted by Poland to support LG Chem’s €325 million investment for the creation of the Biskupice Podgórne in the Dolnoślaskie region of Poland.

  • ALUM is one of the beneficiaries of EUR 8.8 million granted by the EC

    ALUM is one of the beneficiaries of EUR 8.8 million granted by the EC

    ALUM, the only calcined alumina producer in Romania, is one of the stakeholders of the ReActiv project, an initiative aiming to reduce waste and CO2 emissions by transforming bauxite residue, the main by-product of the alumina sector, into an active material suitable for developing new cement products, with low CO2 footprint.

    Coordinated by LafargeHolcim through its Research and Development Center, the project is part of the Horizon 2020 program for creating low carbon circular industries and received EUR 8.8 million grant from the European Commission.

    ReActiv focuses on transforming a currently unexploited industrial residue from the alumina sector Bauxite Residue, into active material for new sustainable cement products.

    In ReActiv project, ALUM participates as a stakeholder, providing appropriate samples of bauxite residue to be processed in the project, contributes to the feasibility studies and business plan development, especially in regards to potential technology deployment at cement plants.

    The project will be implemented starting end of 2020 or early 2021 and will be finalized in a four year period.

    The ReActiv project will deploy new technologies that will transform the bauxite residue in a re-active material for low CO2 cement production, to substitute 30% to 50% of clinker, the main component of cement. The process will provide much lower costs and will produce novel cement products with equal or better performances while reducing emissions related to production by at least 30%.

    Moreover, the ReActiv project’s objectives are to:

    • reduce with at least 30% the primary raw material use per tonne of cement;
    • cut-off waste generation by at least 25%;
    • provide significant energy savings and reductions in CO2 emissions;
    • establish the secure and sustainable provision of secondary resources at a total cost lower than existing solutions and to provide a sustainable method that can be replicated across industries.

    Furthermore, for the alumina producers, having the possibility of further usage of the bauxite residue and reintroducing it in other industries represents a significant step forward in terms of achieving a sustainable value chain.

    Moreover, this will relieve the ecosystems in the vicinity of alumina refineries from the stockpiling and costs associated with them, as well as developing a new business line, where its waste becomes a resource and, ultimately, a new innovative product.