Search Results for: Belgium

The European Union (EU) is edging towards a digital Euro, one of several jurisdictions worldwide developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), but what anti-money laundering controls would need to be built into the system and how can this be balanced with data protection and privacy considerations?…

The European Parliament is grappling with the fallout of the Qatargate’ cash-for-influence corruption scandal. Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili has been replaced as the parliament’s vice-president by a Luxembourg socialist, after Kaili was arrested by Brussels police. Officers allege they found EUR1.5 million cash at her home and that of former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, another socialist, from Italy.…

The European Union (EU) food and drink industry is preparing to lobby to improve reforms proposed by the European Commission to EU packaging and packaging waste legislation. Industry association FoodDrinkEurope has said they will “require significant improvements to be workable”. In particular, the association is concerned about mandates within a proposed regulation that food and drink companies ensure growing proportions of their packaging be made refillable or reusable.…

Sugar production and consumption are being targeted for spending in new national Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plans approved by the European Commission as part of a new process to secure European Union (EU) food production funding. With EUR53 billion spent in 2022 alone, this is the EU’s largest spending programme.…

The European Union’s (EU) new ‘Women on Boards’ directive (1) is designed to force change in the EU’s director cohort by requiring that the ‘under-represented sex’ (which could be male on rare female-dominated boards) make up 40% of non-executive directors or 33% of all major company directors.…

The European Parliament is reeling from the so-called ‘Qatargate’ cash-for-influence corruption and money laundering scandal that broke December 9 when Belgian police found over EUR1.5 million (USD1.6 million) cash in raids on locations across Brussels. In a December 15 resolution (1) on the suspicions of corruption by Qatar, passed by 541 votes in favour, two against, and three abstentions, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) agreed to suspend all work related to Qatar, notably on visa liberalisation and an aviation agreement, as well as to deny access to the Parliament for Qatari representatives.…

European textile companies are working to ensure that future water scarcity problems will not affect their operations, notably by cutting water consumption and installing high quality waste treatment facilities, European Union (EU) experts have told World Textile Information Network (WTiN).                               

According to EU statistical agency Eurostat’s regional yearbook 2022 (1), EU water scarcity – chiefly seen in southern Europe, with Portugal’s textile industry particularly affected – is primarily driven by climate change and excessive water consumption.…

Germany’s estimated 1,300 breweries are leaving the Covid-19 pandemic behind only to find themselves faced with skyrocketing energy prices and the affiliated rapid consumer price inflation. Several of large German brewery groups have already raised their prices to compensate for their past Coronavirus losses, and a second wave of price increases has recently been announced for early 2023.…

WORLDWIDE inflation is impacting the can making industry and its supply chain partners. Indeed, metal packaging prices have risen by at least 25% this year, according to industry association FoodDrinkEurope. A key reason has been soaring prices for energy used in manufacture, up more than 50% in 2022 according to the World Bank.…

WHEN European energy experts consider the future of hydrogen as an energy source, assessments sound remarkably like comments made about wind or solar power in the late 1990s – it is a great idea, but it would help if production and processing were less expensive.…