Interviews

Steffen Thirstrup, EMA’s Chief Medical Officer
Health 03-10-2024

Trust and inequalities challenge EU’s healthcare digital transformation, says EMA Chief Medical Officer

Est. 8min

The EU's digital transformation efforts were at the epicentre of the European Health Forum Gastein. Euractiv spoke to Steffen Thirstrup, the European Medicines Agency's CMO, about the digitalisation challenges.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content

Creating a Single European Rail Area – we have the vision, now it’s about implementation, says Travaini

Est. 8min

InnoTrans 2024, Europe’s leading trade fair for transport technology, was held in Berlin at the end of September. Euractiv spoke with Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director of EU-Rail, about his goal of creating a Single European Rail Area.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content

Indonesia concerned EU’s new deforestation rules will hurt millions of smallholders

Est. 6min

The European Union's Deforestation Regulation will impact Indonesia significantly. Musdalifah Machmud, Deputy Minister for Food and Agribusiness, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, spoke with Euractiv about his concerns.

Use the money first, we will talk further about defence investment, EIB’s defence chief advises

Est. 5min

As the EU’s multi-million lender still faces pressure to review its lending policy in the defence sector, Robert de Groot, vice-president for defence, calls for using available cash first.

Energy, Environment 25-09-2024

47% drop in heat pump sales: new industry boss says European demand is key

Est. 5min

Amid a collapse of European heat pump sales, the new chief lobbyist for the industry says he wants to focus on making them more attractive to allow manufacturers to stand up to their competitors from abroad.

Politics 16-09-2024

Vestager welcomes Draghi report, asks businesses to trust EU single market

Est. 4min

As her double term as the European Commission's competition chief draws to a close, Margrethe Vestager has welcomed the long-awaited Draghi report and said the single market must work better to allow companies to gain success fairly.

Economy 13-09-2024

European ‘naivety’ could trigger industrial collapse, warns new Econ Committee Chair

Est. 5min

Europe should stop being "naive" and step up efforts to support its faltering industrial base to compete with China and the United States, the newly elected chairman of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee told Euractiv in an interview.

Global Europe 12-09-2024

UN chief Guterres defends role amid Security Council gridlock

Est. 3min

United Nations chief António Guterres has defended the work of body’s Security Council amid talk of its ineffectiveness in the current global context,  in an interview with Euractiv's partner EFE.

Economy 04-09-2024

Green jobs set to find home away from Europe, head of largest industrial union warns

Est. 5min

While the EU Green Deal came with the promise of new jobs in green industries offsetting job losses elsewhere, these jobs are currently being created outside Europe, warned Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of trade union IndustriAll Europe.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content
Health 03-09-2024

Antibiotics, an important but tricky business, says Shionogi CEO

Est. 8min

Producing antibiotics remains imperative but production is hindered by an unattractive business model, says Shionogi CEO. Pull incentives are needed to ensure safe, global supplies of vital drugs.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content
EU-India 03-09-2024

Strengthening India’s European ties, Indian Ambassador to EU calls for more engagement

Est. 9min

India is seeking more engagement with the European Union just as the EU increases its presence in the Indo-Pacific. But India’s pursuit of harmony sits against a complex background involving China and Russia.

Politics 03-09-2024

German progressive parties to blame for far-right election victory, says leading French left-wing MEP

Est. 5min

Germany’s progressive parties bear significant responsibility for the historic surge in support for the far-right AfD in Sunday’s state elections in eastern Germany, Manon Aubry, the French co-chair of the Left Group in the European Parliament, told Euractiv in an interview on Monday (2 September).

Europe's East 23-08-2024

Ukraine’s envoy expects new EU team to expand assistance, engagement

Est. 6min

With the European Union's new leadership soon in place, Ukraine is looking to the bloc's new team for more assistance and a swifter accession, Kyiv's envoy to Brussels, Vsevolod Chentsov, told Euractiv.

Transport 13-08-2024

European railways: big goals but lacking political will warns train campaigner

Est. 6min

The EU's aims for rail often fall far short of the reality on the ground, says Jon Worth, a cross-border rail enthusiast and campaigner, in an interview with Euractiv.

Economy 08-08-2024

Econ vice chair Boeselager: Plans for European champions akin to ‘government capture’

Est. 5min

Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA), co-founder of the pan-European Volt party, warned that EU officials' focus on encouraging European firms to "scale up" risks pushing the bloc's competition policy "in a completely wrong direction".

Economy 30-07-2024

Social welfare will be key to Europe’s competitiveness, says Parliament’s new employment committee chief

Est. 5min

The Left Group prioritised securing the chairmanship of the European Parliament’s labour affairs committee to prevent any rollback of environmental and workers’ protections over the next five-year mandate, the new committee’s leftist chief told Euractiv in an interview.

Pascal Canfin is aiming to be his Group's Environment Coordinator, arguing that he wants “to share my experience and push for the Green Deal to be completed"
Energy, Environment 16-07-2024

MEP Pascal Canfin aims for pro-nature, pro-farmer cooperation with EPP

Est. 5min

In an interview with Euractiv, the outgoing chair of the European Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI), Pascal Canfin, called on lawmakers from the centre-right European People's Party, who supported farmers' strikes, to embrace a more ecological approach.

EU-Russia 26-06-2024

EU must think how to counter Russia’s hybrid attacks on its soil, Lithuania warns

Est. 5min

The EU should draw up possible responses against Russia's growing hybrid and physical attacks inside its territory, Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrelius Landsbergis told Euractiv, advocating a more pro-active approach to security.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content
Health 23-06-2024

Sino-EU personalised medicine project, Europe bridging a data divide

Est. 8min

The Sino-EU PerMed project was created in 2020 to foster cooperation between Europe and China in personalised medicine. As the project prepares to wrap up, Euractiv spoke with Toscana Life Sciences' Gianni D'Errico, to discuss lessons learned and the road ahead.

Development 12-06-2024

EU must not neglect development aid over defence, Commissioner Urpilainen warns

Est. 4min

The EU's increased defence spending priorities must not come at the expense of development aid, as this could risk isolating the continent geopolitically, the Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen warned in an interview.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content

Candidate countries must sync and blend with the EU, argues EESC’s Dimitris Dimitriadis

Est. 7min

To catch the enlargement train, EU candidate countries must run simultaneously with the European Union, argues the EESC’s Dimitris Dimitriadis. He says responsibility for an increasing Western Balkans' disillusionment with the EU is shared.

Economy 04-06-2024

Europe Ahead: Socialists’ Schmit on why over-regulation isn’t Europe’s main problem

Est. 5min

Europe’s economic problems primarily result from insufficient investment rather than excessively burdensome regulations, the Socialists’ lead candidate for the Commission presidency, Nicolas Schmit, told Euractiv in an interview.

In an interview with Euractiv, MEP Pascal Canfin calls for German Greens to be "realistic and pragmatic" and to "stop clinging to the battles of the past" on nuclear energy
Energy, Environment 04-06-2024

Pascal Canfin on the Green Deal: ‘Job done’

Est. 4min

Just a few days to go before the elections on 6 and 9 June, the centre-left electorate has not yet made up its mind, according to Renaissance MEP Pascal Canfin. Designated as the 'green joker' or the 'green deposit' of Macron, Canfin defends his own record. Interview.

Politics 03-06-2024

Facing headwinds, the Greens push for new audiences

Est. 5min

In a push to counter an expected drop in seats in the new European Parliament, the Greens are banking on extending their demographic and geographical base, their lead candidate Terry Reintke told Euractiv.