Latest Europe Headlines
All the headlines from our Europe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
EU Privacy Regulator Fines Meta €251 Million for 2018 Breach
Dec 18 2024 // The lead European Union data privacy regulator for Meta fined the social media giant 251 million euros ($263.5 million) on Tuesday for a 2018 Facebook security breach that affected 29 million users. Meta notified...
Hacking Rooftop Solar Is a Way to Break Europe’s Power Grid
Dec 12 2024 // All it takes is one hacker and a batch of faulty solar panels to threaten the safety of Europe’s electric grid. Vangelis Stykas, a cybersecurity consultant, said he figured out how to do it. Using a laptop and...
People Moves: Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers Int’l Names Birrell Exec Chair, Montgomery as CEO; Howden Re Taps Aon’s Kroely as MD for Continental Europe
Dec 3 2024 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Ryan Specialty and Howden Re. A summary of these new hires follows here. Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers Int’l Names Birrell Exec Chair,...
Rising Sick Days Are Costing Europe Billions Every Year
Dec 3 2024 // Norway, illness is becoming an increasingly trying problem. Workers take more sick days than anywhere else in Europe and absences are at the highest level in 15 years. As companies struggle with chronic shortages, critics...
EU Seeks to Streamline ESG Regulations Amid Growing Backlash
Nov 26 2024 // The next European Commission will urgently seek to streamline the bloc’s many environmental, social and governance rules, as it responds to complaints that excessive regulations are gutting industry competitiveness....
EU Proposes to Sanction Chinese Firms Aiding Russia’s War
Nov 26 2024 // The European Union is proposing to sanction several Chinese firms that it claims helped Russian companies develop attack drones that were deployed against Ukraine. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is...
Meta Fined €798 Million by EU Over Abusing Classified Ads Dominance
Nov 18 2024 // Meta Platforms Inc. was hit with a €798 million ($841 million) fine by European Union regulators by tying its Facebook Marketplace service to the social network, the US tech giant’s first ever penalty for EU...
EU Readies More Sanctions on Russia’s Shadow Fleet by Year’s End
Nov 15 2024 // The European Union is working on a new package of sanctions aimed at targeting the shadow fleet of tankers Russia is using to get its oil to market, according to people familiar with the matter. The package, which the bloc...
Cevian’s Baloise Move Triggers European Insurers to Study Deal
Nov 13 2024 // Baloise Holding AG has become one of the most-discussed takeover candidates in the European financial sector, after agitation by an activist investor triggered top industry players to take fresh looks at the Swiss...
2024 Will Be World’s Hottest Year on Record, EU Scientists Say
Nov 7 2024 // This year is “virtually certain” to eclipse 2023 as the world’s warmest since records began, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday. The data was released...
Swiss Re Agrees to Sell iptiQ’s European P&C Business to Allianz Direct
Nov 5 2024 // Swiss Re has agreed to sell iptiQ’s European P&C business to Allianz Direct, in line with its strategic decision to withdraw from iptiQ. Allianz Direct, the pan-European online insurer of Allianz Group, will take...
Gas Stoves Linked to 40,000 Premature Deaths in Europe Annually
Oct 28 2024 // Gas stoves in European homes are associated with tens of thousands of premature deaths, a study has found. Nearly 40,000 early deaths each year in the EU and UK can be linked to exposure to nitrogen dioxide from burning...
EU AI Act Checker Reveals Big Tech’s Compliance Pitfalls
Oct 17 2024 // Some of the most prominent artificial intelligence models are falling short of European regulations in key areas such as cybersecurity resilience and discriminatory output, according to data seen by Reuters. The EU had...
City of London Chief Says Brexit ‘Disaster’ Cost 40,000 Finance Jobs
Oct 16 2024 // Britain’s departure from the European Union cost London’s financial center about 40,000 jobs, the Lord Mayor of the City of London told Reuters, a far deeper impact from Brexit than previous estimates. Michael...
People Moves: Miller Promotes Nagle to Head of Miller Europe, Succeeding Holloway; Markel Taps AIG’s Eastwood as Sr. Cyber U/W
Oct 10 2024 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the insurance broker Miller and the insurer Markel. A summary of these new hires follows here. Miller Promotes Nagle to Head of Miller Europe, Succeeding...
People Moves: Coalition Appoints AIG’s Simonsen as European Head of Insurance
Oct 7 2024 // Coalition, the San Francisco-based cyber managing general agent and cyber-security firm, has appointed Tine Simonsen as the company’s head of Insurance for Continental Europe. As an experienced cyber underwriter and...
Hurricane Kirk’s Remnants Forecast to Hit Europe Later This Week
Oct 7 2024 // The remnants of Hurricane Kirk are forecast to hit northwest France on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and gale-force winds. Hurricane Kirk peaked at Category 4 storm over the Atlantic last week, but is weakening as it...
Ryan Specialty Completes Purchase of Certain Assets of Geo Underwriting Europe
Oct 3 2024 // Ryan Specialty, the Chicago-based international specialty insurance firm, announced it has completed the acquisition of certain assets of the European managing general agent, Geo Underwriting Europe BV (Geo Europe), part...
Insured Losses from Central European Floods Range From US$2.2B to US$3.4B: Verisk
Oct 2 2024 // Insured industry losses from the flooding in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria in September 2024 will range from €2 billion (US$2.2 billion) to €3 billion (US$3.4 billion), according to Verisk, the data analytics...
Europe Set for Colder Winter Than Last Year as La Niña Arrives
Oct 1 2024 // Europe’s winter is forecast to be colder than last year — Germany’s third-mildest on record — as a weakened La Niña finally arrives, but it will still be warmer than longer-term averages. France, the UK...
