Once again Europe is trailing the United States, Japan and South Korea when it comes to boosting innovation and meeting EU targets of devoting 3% of GDP to research and development. More »

Yes, European countries have to cut public spending in order to put their finances back in shape. But this should not compromise essential public services such as education, health care or tax collection, writes Klaus Heeger of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI). More »

The United States remained the primary backer of biotech crop technology in 2011, but adoption spread internationally as the total global planted area of genetically modified seeds grew 8% from a year ago, a new report says. More »

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is the single most effective way to meet the EU’s energy savings goals, argues Oliver Rapf of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe. More »

Argentina's president yesterday (7 February) accused Britain of "militarising the South Atlantic" and vowed to complain to the United Nations as tension rises ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war. More »

European Commission and national officials raided the offices of two electricity exchanges on Tuesday (7 February) following concerns their planned tie-up may thwart competition in the power exchange market. More »

Even though Greece’s government missed another deadline to come up with a list of painful reforms, the European Central Bank (ECB) has signalled it will exchange its Greek bond holdings in order to reduce the country’s debt. More »

Nine EU countries have asked the Danish presidency to put the financial transaction tax (FTT) on the 27-country bloc's agenda without delay, the French government announced in a statement yesterday (7 February). More »

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said yesterday (7 February) that the EU would push for firm international commitments on sustainable growth at an upcoming UN conference in Rio de Janeiro, saying “a day will not pass by” without the EU pressing for action. More »

Jacques Delors, former European Commission president, and José Manuel Barroso, the current chief of the EU executive, both regretted the national "resistance" and "lack of spirit of cooperation" amongst the leaders of the 27 EU countries in dealing with the bloc's debt crises. More »