Countries around the world are examining whether they should offer central bank money to the public not only as banknotes and coins, but also in digital form. The fact that the majority of central banks around the world have already started exploring the possibility of launching a state-owned digital currency comes as a response to the increased adoption of digital, contactless payments, cryptocurrencies and e-commerce, further accelerated by  Covid-19, b and also due to the possibilities offered by these digital...

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The EU Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council to boost the number of publicly accessible electric recharging and hydrogen refuelling stations in particular across the European Union's main transport corridors and hubs. This is a landmark agreement that will enable the transition to zero-emission transport and contribute to our target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The new Regulation for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR)...

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More than €1.1 billion in finance to be mobilised in sustainable projects, supported by €150 million in InvestEU guarantees Under the InvestEU programme, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and European Commission work together to help various EU countries in reaching their full green potential New investments to boost green and sustainable projects in the municipal, transport and energy sectors Funds to benefit Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia On...

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Big ships to gradually reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Containerships and passenger ships at major EU ports to use on shore power supply as of 2030 Ships fuel mix to have at least 2% of specific renewable fuels as of 2034 EU Parliament and Council reached a deal on cleaner maritime fuels, asking to cut ship emissions by 2% as of 2025 and by 80% as of 2050, to help the EU become climate neutral. A provisional agreement reached on...

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Prenotification plans, continuity programs, automatic renewals, free-to-pay conversions. They’re all variations on the negative option theme. Under the right circumstances, those marketing methods can be convenient for consumers. But as decades of FTC law enforcement makes clear, when negative options are tainted with untruths, half-truths, and hidden strings, the impact on consumers can be, well, negative. That’s why the FTC is asking for public comment on proposed amendments to its Negative Option Rule designed to combat unfairness and deception. When...

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Speech by Fabio Panetta, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at a panel on “Global shocks, policy spillovers and geo-strategic risks: how to coordinate policies” at The ECB and its Watchers XXIII Conference | Frankfurt am Main, 22 March 2023 | We are still going through a sequence of global shocks that are disrupting economies around the world. In just three years we have seen a pandemic, severe supply chain disruptions, a war, an energy crisis and now...

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On this note: be sure to check out the EACCNY's podcast series on the FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY Digital technologies shielded labor and productivity from the pandemic, while lagging countries accelerated the adoption of technology. However, digitalization gaps persist. As the world does its best to move on from the pandemic, one of the lasting legacies for many advanced economies has been greater adoption of digital technologies. Working from home is now common, and many companies have expanded online operations. And as the...

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On 20 March 2023, the European Commission has started unannounced inspections at the premises of a company active in the energy drinks sector in various Member States. The Commission has concerns that the inspected company may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU') and Article 53 of the European Economic Area Agreement (‘EEA')). The inspected company may also have violated EU antitrust...

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You may have heard of simulation theory, the notion that nothing is real and we’re all part of a giant computer program. Let’s assume at least for the length of this blog post that this notion is untrue. Nonetheless, we may be heading for a future in which a substantial portion of what we see, hear, and read is a computer-generated simulation. We always keep it real here at the FTC, but what happens when none of us can...

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The challenges to the European Union's security and resilience are becoming increasingly complex and dynamic. A range of actors constantly test our resilience, seeking to exploit the openness, interdependence and connectivity of our societies and economies. The weaponisation of energy and the acts of sabotage against the Nord Stream gas pipelines have led to heightened attention to ensure the resilience of our critical infrastructure. Against this background, it is crucial for both the EU and NATO to support efforts to...

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