Roberta Holland

The U.K. agency in charge of prudential regulation and supervision this week released its roadmap to strengthen capital standards and comply with other changes triggered by the European Union’s Capital Requirements Directive. The Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) said the changes will affect banks, building societies, and investment firms regulated by the PRA, but will not […]

The European Banking Authority issued a report this week on the regulatory consistency of risk-weighted assets in the EU banking sector, which identified some discrepancies requiring further analysis. The EBA’s second interim report covered RWA consistency in low-default portfolios (LDP), consisting of central governments, credit institutions, and large corporates, all of which typically have low […]

French President Francois Hollande’s administration is pushing for a new law that would require small to medium-sized businesses to notify employees of plans to sell the business, according to a Reuters report this week. The idea behind the proposal is to give employees the opportunity to buy the company, and in the process save their […]

The European Commission is championing new regulations to end mobile roaming charges and create a single EU-wide telecom market. European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes, the commissioner in charge of the digital agenda, has promised to release a package in September to move the EU closer to a single telecom market. Kroes said because of […]

The European Commission last week announced plans to establish a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) capable of cracking down on fraud that costs the EU millions of euros each year. The independent office would be able to investigate and prosecute cases of fraud involving the EU budget in member states’ courts. The office also could […]

Germany and France are lining up on opposite sides of the proposal to create a single banking authority with the power to pull the plug on failing banks. German officials have voiced displeasure with the idea being pursued by the European Commission, while their French counterparts have welcomed the move. At issue is the so-called […]

A Scottish lawmaker is accusing the European Commission of shackling shale gas exploration with “over-zealous restrictions.” The criticism from Member of European Parliament Struan Stevenson came after the commission’s Environment Committee voted last week to include shale gas exploration on a list of activities requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before they can take place. […]

A majority of Europeans believe corruption is worsening in their countries, according to a global survey released this week by Transparency International. The Global Corruption Barometer 2013, released by the Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin, showed corruption is still widespread across the globe, and Europe is no exception. Survey respondents in 25 of 36 European nations […]