ECTA, the pan-European trade association representing over 100 pro-competitive telecoms operators welcomes the Italian law liberalizing ancillary services over the former monopolist Telecom Italia’s fixed access network.

Fondation EurActiv Politech, in partnership with EurActiv Germany and Allianz, hosted a panel discussion of senior economists from both the private and public sectors yesterday. The talk underscored major challenges and uncertainties for the eurozone economy in the years ahead.

Christophe Leclercq, Founder and Publisher of EurActiv, said the discussion "highlighted two points which I find especially important: one is about balanced growth and the other one about the early warning system regarding macro-economic imbalances."

- Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are excellent for the right project, but they remain controversial and need to be used with care, as their value for money is very limited, were the main conclusions of a roundtable organised by ACCA ( The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)  recently in Brussels -

“Based on our latest survey, flexible employment contracts play an important role in the successful operation of European metal, engineering and technology-based industries”, comments CEEMET Secretary General Uwe Combüchen CEEMET’s latest survey among its membership.

Due to the volatile economic cycles today, rapid technological development, the intensified globalisation of markets, lean manufacturing and changing employee needs, more flexible forms of employment contracts have become a necessity. 

Opening the GUE/NGL hearing on women's pension rights on the eve of International Women's Day, MEP Mikael Gustafsson, Chair of the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee, reminded participants that "women's precarious working conditions, sharp pay inequalities during their working lives, and an unequal sharing of care for children, are later mirrored in their lower pension rights".