Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the crisis and opportunity of the energy transition It is hard to look at a crisis like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and see a moment of opportunity. We—to say nothing of Ukrainians—are still very much in a crisis, and a compounding one at that, with potential long-lasting economic and political consequences. It is similarly clear that talk of “opportunity” cuts both ways. Vested interests are often the ones that benefit the most from swift political action,...

The European Commission welcomes the decision by Canada to return a natural gas pipeline turbine to Germany after its repair, for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. With the return of this part, one of the excuses being used by Russia for reduced gas flows has been removed. The Commission has been in close contact with both Germany and Canada on this issue, and with Siemens, to ensure that we were well informed of the situation. The Commission continues...

Among the most sensitive categories of data collected by connected devices are a person’s precise location and information about their health. Smartphones, connected cars, wearable fitness trackers, “smart home” products, and even the browser you’re reading this on are capable of directly observing or deriving sensitive information about users. Standing alone, these data points may pose an incalculable risk to personal privacy. Now consider the unprecedented intrusion when these connected devices and technology companies collect that data combine it,...

Crypto-assets and markets must be subject to effective regulation and oversight commensurate to the risks they pose, both at the domestic and international level. In February 2022, the FSB published a risk assessment on crypto-assets, which outlined its concerns over the rapid growth in crypto-assets. The recent turmoil in crypto-asset markets highlights their intrinsic volatility, structural vulnerabilities and increasing interconnectedness with the traditional financial system. In addition to imposing potentially large losses on investors and threatening market confidence arising from...

How much do people trust their government? And to what degree do a government’s competence and values influence trust in public institutions? To measure and better understand what drives people’s trust in public institutions, the OECD conducted the first cross-national survey of more than 50,000 people in 22 countries*, aimed at helping governments better understand where citizen confidence is wavering, where it remains solid and what needs to be done to close the gap. A report, Building Trust to Reinforce...

The ECB is taking action to reduce the carbon footprint in its portfolio and push banks to better manage climate and environmental risks. Within our mandate, we are incorporating climate change considerations into our monetary policy and banking supervision. Climate change matters for central banks. It is not only an existential threat to civilisation, it also entails severe risks for the economy. Floods, storms and wildfires have become more frequent. Extreme weather events damage infrastructure, destroy harvests and raise food...

ECB to account for climate change in its corporate bond purchases, collateral framework, disclosure requirements and risk management, in line with its climate action plan Measures aim to reduce financial risk related to climate change on the Eurosystem’s balance sheet, encourage transparency, and support the green transition of the economy Measures to be regularly reviewed to check that they are fit for purpose and aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the EU’s climate neutrality objectives The...

Today, the Commission adopted a New European Innovation Agenda to position Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep tech innovation and start-ups. It will help Europe to develop new technologies to address the most pressing societal challenges, and to bring them on the market. The New European Innovation Agenda is designed to position Europe as a leading player on the global innovation scene. Europe wants to be the place where the best talent work hand in...