Institutions

Sensitive issues between Commission and Ombudsman

The European Ombudsman and the new commissioner in charge of administration will have to deal with a number of sensitive issues under this term of office and Treaty of Lisbon provisions. The treaty creates a new ball game because many of its articles are related to and strengthen...

Financial services

Commission sets out its intentions regarding sovereign swaps’ ban

The European Commission sees eye to eye with the leaders of France, Germany, Luxembourg and Greece, who are eager to curtail the trade in sovereign credit default swaps (CDS). The four wrote to the EU executive on 10 March demanding it begin an investigation into the speculative use of CDS, which...

Information society

Etno has misgivings about enlargement of universal service

The big telecoms operators have not yet adopted a firm position on the Commission’s public consultation on universal service, i.e. basic telecommunications services like telephone directories, access to a fixed line and public pay phones. One thing is certain, though: they want a reform that...