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EU a 'reliable partner' for digital cooperation amid turbulence, tech chief says
EU a 'reliable partner' for digital cooperation amid turbulence, tech chief says

Yahoo

time05-06-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

EU a 'reliable partner' for digital cooperation amid turbulence, tech chief says

By Isabelle Yr Carlsson and Milan Strahm BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union will work with international partners to boost its competitiveness and promote a rules-based global digital order, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said on Thursday, a move aimed at offsetting turbulent ties with the United States. The U.S. administration has in recent months criticised the European Commission for its swathe of new rules reining in the power of Big Tech and threatened to impose tariffs in retaliation for fines levied on U.S. tech giants. Under the proposed International Digital Strategy announced on Thursday, the 27-country bloc will collaborate with other countries for a secure and trusted digital infrastructure in energy, transport, finance and health, the European Commission said. Other areas of cooperation include emerging technologies, digital governance that fosters social cohesion and protects democratic principles, cybersecurity and protecting children on online platforms. "We are living through a profound digital revolution that is reshaping economies and societies worldwide. This is happening in a geopolitical landscape that is more challenging than before," Virkkunen told a press conference. "In this environment, the EU is stepping forward as a stable and reliable partner, deeply committed to digital cooperation with our allies and partners," she said. Virkkunen said the proposed strategy had two prongs - the first is to boost the bloc's competitiveness in key technologies like AI, quantum cybersecurity or semiconductors, and the second is to help other countries in their digital goals. "Crucially, it reaffirms the EU's unwavering commitment to building a rules-based global digital order, rooted firmly in our fundamental values. Indeed, no country or region can lead the technological revolution alone," she said.

EU Commission proposes extending temporary protection for Ukrainians to March 2027
EU Commission proposes extending temporary protection for Ukrainians to March 2027

Yahoo

time04-06-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

EU Commission proposes extending temporary protection for Ukrainians to March 2027

By Isabelle Yr Carlsson and Milan Strahm (Reuters) -The European Commission proposed on Wednesday extending temporary protection for Ukrainians who have sought refuge in the European Union until March 2027, underlining the need for flexibility as Russia's war in Ukraine drags on. The Commission, the EU's executive body, also proposed steps to help displaced Ukrainians return home when the war eventually ends. EU figures show more than 4.25 million people who have fled Ukraine benefit from the bloc's Temporary Protection Directive, a measure to help cope with mass arrivals of displaced persons that was activated after Russia's 2022 invasion. The directive, which was due to expire in March 2026 and has already been extended three times, provides protection and benefits lasting for one to three years across the EU, including a residence permit, access to employment and social welfare. "The situation in Ukraine is, of course, still volatile, so we need to be flexible," EU internal affairs and migration commissioner Magnus Brunner told a press conference in Brussels alongside Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. "This provides legal certainty for the EU member states, Brunner said, adding that it avoided overburdening national asylum systems. The directive, whose extension requires the approval of EU member states, was initially passed in 2001 after the Balkan wars of the 1990s but had not been used until 2022. The Commission recommended measures to ensure Ukrainians can return home smoothly when the fighting ends that included organising voluntary return programmes and providing beneficiaries with information and support. It also recommended member states start transitioning beneficiaries who want to stay in the EU to other legal statuses, for instance offering work permits and student visas. Many of the displaced Ukrainians are in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, according the EU statistics office. Chernyshev said it was clear that some Ukrainians would hope to stay in the EU when the war ends but added: "I would like to state that we desperately need Ukrainians back home once the war is over." (Writing and reporting by Amina Ismail, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

World's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark
World's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark

Japan Today

time14-05-2025

  • Business
  • Japan Today

World's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark

FILE PHOTO: The Alette Maersk, a green methanol-powered ship, is seen docket at the Port of Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Baertlein/File Photo By Isabelle Yr Carlsson The world's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant began operations in Denmark on Tuesday, with shipping giant Maersk set to buy part of the production as a low-emission fuel for its fleet of container ships. The shipping sector is under pressure to find new sources of fuel after a majority of countries gave their backing to measures to help meet the International Maritime Organization's targets towards eliminating carbon emissions by 2050. So far zero-emission shipping fuels, such as green ammonia and e-methanol, which are produced using renewable energy, have tended to be more expensive than conventional fuel largely because they are not produced at scale. "We expect that we will have a price parity with fossil methanol around 2035," Knud Erik Andersen, CEO of Denmark's European Energy, told Reuters. Located in Kasso in southern Denmark, the new plant, which has cost an estimated 150 million euros ($167 million), will produce 42,000 metric tons, or 53 million litres, of e-methanol per year, its joint owners Denmark's European Energy and Japan's Mitsui said. Maersk will be a major customer of the Kasso plant. It operates 13 dual-fuel methanol container vessels that can be powered with fuel oil and with e-methanol and has ordered another 13 of the vessels. It said, the plant's annual production is enough to power one large 16,000 container vessel sailing between Asia and Europe. For the smaller Laura Maersk, the world's first dual-fuel container ship, with a capacity of more than 2,100 twenty-foot equivalent units, requires only 3,600 tons of fuel per year. The Laura Maersk was scheduled to fuel near Kasso on Tuesday. Traditional methanol is typically produced from natural gas and coal. The Kasso plant will make e-methanol using renewable energy and CO2 captured from biogas plants and waste incineration. Maersk said one of the biggest challenges of switching to sustainable fuel was cost, and it is researching green fuel technologies and more efficient shipping to make the process cheaper. European Energy CEO Andersen said the company has plans to expand the Kasso facility as well as a pipeline of similar plants in Europe, Australia, Brazil and the United States. In addition to its use in shipping, e-methanol can replace fossil methanol in plastic production, meaning it can supply other Danish companies. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk and toymaker Lego will use e-methanol from the plant for making injection pens and plastic elements, respectively. Excess heat generated from the e-methanol production will be used to heat 3,300 households in the local area. © Thomson Reuters 2025.

World's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark
World's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark

Yahoo

time13-05-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

World's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark

By Isabelle Yr Carlsson COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -The world's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant began operations in Denmark on Tuesday, with shipping giant Maersk set to buy part of the production as a low-emission fuel for its fleet of container ships. The shipping sector is under pressure to find new sources of fuel after a majority of countries gave their backing to measures to help meet the International Maritime Organization's targets towards elimating carbon emissions by 2050. So far zero-emission shipping fuels, such as green ammonia and e-methanol, which are produced using renewable energy, have tended to be more expensive than conventional fuel largely because they are not produced at scale. Located in Kasso in southern Denmark, the new plant, which has cost an estimated 150 million euros ($167 million), will produce 42,000 metric tons, or 53 million litres, of e-methanol per year, its joint owners Denmark's European Energy and Japan's Mitsui said. Maersk will be a major customer. It operates 13 dual-fuel methanol container vessels that can be powered with fuel oil and with e-methanol and has ordered another 13 of the vessels. It said, the plant's annual production is enough to power one large 16,000 container vessel sailing between Asia and Europe. For the smaller Laura Maersk, the world's first dual-fuel container ship, with a capacity of more than 2,100 twenty-foot equivalent units, requires only 3,600 tons of fuel per year. The Laura Maersk was scheduled to fuel near Kasso on Tuesday. Traditional methanol is typically produced from natural gas and coal. The Kasso plant will make e-methanol using renewable energy and CO2 captured from biogas plants and waste incineration. Maersk said one of the biggest challenges of switching to sustainable fuel was cost, and it is researching green fuel technologies and more efficient shipping to make the process cheaper. "When you look at the production from Kasso, it is of course just a literal drop in the ocean, so we need to scale up and we need to bring costs down," Emil Vikjar-Andresen, head of European Energy's Danish Power-to-X team, said in a webinar. In addition to its use in shipping, e-methanol can replace fossil methanol in plastic production, meaning it can supply other Danish companies. Drugmaker Novo Nordisk and toymaker Lego will use e-methanol from the plant for making injection pens and plastic bricks respectively. Excess heat generated from the e-methanol production will be used to heat 3,300 households in the local area. ($1 = 0.9004 euros) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Denmark inches towards ratifying US defence deal despite Greenland dispute
Denmark inches towards ratifying US defence deal despite Greenland dispute

Yahoo

time11-04-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Denmark inches towards ratifying US defence deal despite Greenland dispute

By Isabelle Yr Carlsson and Stine Jacobsen COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's parliament on Friday took an important step towards ratifying a defence cooperation deal with the United States that expands the U.S. military's rights in the Nordic country despite a diplomatic dispute over Greenland. Recent opinion polls have shown significant opposition among Danes to the 10-year pact which, if ratified, would grant the U.S. military broad access to station troops and store equipment on Danish soil. U.S. President Donald Trump's insistence that the United States take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, for security reasons has soured relations between the two traditionally close NATO allies. The Danish and Greenland governments have both ruled out yielding the huge, resource-rich Arctic island to U.S. control. But despite the dispute, the Danish government, which signed the bilateral cooperation deal in 2023, when Joe Biden was U.S. president, has said it is critical to bolstering Denmark's defences at a time when Russia is regarded as an increasing threat to Europe due to its three-year-old war in Ukraine. On Friday the Danish parliament held the first of three readings of the bill before a final vote expected by end-June. A lawmaker representing Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democratic party defended the deal. "It would be decidedly unwise to push the United States away by throwing the most important defence agreement in many years straight into the bin," Simon Kollerup said. "The reality is that we have built the defence of Europe on our NATO membership," Frederiksen said in a similar message on Tuesday. "We want to hold on to that." The left-wing Alternative and Red-Green Alliance parties have indicated their opposition to the deal, though it is expected to pass thanks to support for the minority government's proposal from several other opposition parties. The deal does not cover Greenland itself, where the U.S. already enjoys wide access through a 1950s defence pact, or the Faroe Islands, another Danish territory in the North Atlantic. Finland, Sweden and Norway have also signed bilateral defence pacts with the United States in recent years.

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