Latest news with #Euractiv
Euractiv
4 hours ago
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Lithium firms press EU executive to overrule chemicals regulator in toxicity row
Stefano Porciello Euractiv Jul 29, 2025 17:23 2 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Want to keep reading? Get a subscription on Euractiv Pro and elevate your political insight! Discover Euractiv Pro For corporations Already have an account? Log in
Euractiv
4 hours ago
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Spanish defence firm backs Belgium joining FCAS fighter project despite French qualms
Spanish defence firm Indra would welcome Belgium as a new partner in the joint European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, despite vocal public opposition from French aerospace contractor Dassault Aviation. Belgium's participation in the multi-billion-euro next-generation fighter project would be "a positive step in the current geopolitical context", Jorge San José, Indra's director of the FCAS project, told Euractiv. Adding another country to the joint French-German-Spanish programme "strengthens the collaborative nature" of the programme, one of Europe's largest and most ambitious defence projects, San José said. Indra 'will work on identifying potential synergies with Belgian industries and see how they can contribute to and support the execution of the programme,' San José said. Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier last week sharply criticised Belgium's proposal to fully join the programme, saying that Belgium can't expect to join the FCAS project if the Belgian armed forces also buy American-made F-35 fighter jets. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken quickly fired back, saying the country had no use for lessons 'from arrogant industrialists' and that Brussels would need to re-evaluate joining FCAS. Decisions on adding further partners to the programme are ultimately up to the French, German, and Spanish governments, not key industrial contractors. Belgium has been an official observer in the FCAS project for several years in order to evaluate its potential contribution. San José declined to elaborate on potential synergies with Belgian firms. Alain de Neve, a defence aviation expert at Belgium's Royal Higher Institute for Defence, told Euractiv that local expertise in electronics could help with avionics, secure communications, and advanced simulation. The German defence ministry and Germany's lead contractor on the FCAS programme, Airbus Defence, both declined to comment on Belgium's potential membership. The French and Spanish defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
Euractiv
4 hours ago
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Member states push back against limits on CAP crisis reserve
Maria Simon Arboleas Euractiv Jul 29, 2025 14:54 3 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Want to keep reading? Get a subscription on Euractiv Pro and elevate your political insight! Discover Euractiv Pro For corporations Already have an account? Log in
Euractiv
4 hours ago
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EU tells Czechia to recover illegal subsidies to large farm
Aneta Zachová Euractiv Jul 29, 2025 18:13 2 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Want to keep reading? Get a subscription on Euractiv Pro and elevate your political insight! Discover Euractiv Pro For corporations Already have an account? Log in
Euractiv
4 hours ago
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EU Commission still waiting on military lending proposals ahead of midnight deadline
Nine countries have formally expressed interest in borrowing from the EU's €150 billion SAFE military procurement programme ahead of Tuesday night's soft deadline to send proposals to Brussels, according to the European Commission. EU countries have until midnight on Tuesday to express their interest in taking loans from the €150 billion SAFE funding mechanism to the Commission, and to break down how much exactly they are willing to borrow. In an interview with Euractiv last week, EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius gave a 'very conservative evaluation' of 'around 20 member states' willing to take up loans. The Commission remains "confident" that the number of countries joining the SAFE lending programme will "quite impressively increase". The Commission's list currently includes Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Hungary, and Lithuania, a spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday. Euractiv previously reported that France, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Greece, Italy, Latvia, and Portugal were also interested. In June, Polish Minister of State Assets Jakub Jaworowski told Euractiv that Poland would request €25 billion in loans. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday that Athens would submit a proposal on Tuesday, requesting "at least" €1.2 billion. Latecomers could still be considered after Tuesday, which only marks an 'initial soft deadline', according to the Commission. A 'full list' of interested countries will be published on Wednesday. (bts, aw)
