David Rinaldi

Centre for European Policy Studies | CEPS · Economic Policy

The circular economy is attracting significant interest worldwide, as evidenced by the numerous government strategies, business commitments and partnerships devoted to its development. At the EU level, the Action Plan for the Circular Economy and several other policy documents have demonstrated a strong commitment to move towards a low-carbon and c...

The use of financial instruments within the EU budget is becoming more and more common. The present study first revises key concepts in determining the use of those instruments, before providing an analysis of the functioning and consistency of the ex-ante assessments, which are required by regulation to help identify the rationale and scope for fi...

This briefing introduces the challenges that have been faced in delivering a discharge of the Council’s budget over the last decade, with particular regard to the Council’s executive activities. The authors analyse the institutional and legal constraints and put forward a number of recommendations aimed at achieving more accountability regarding th...

The Study, commissioned by the European Committee of the Regions, outlines the current challenges facing local and regional authorities and present some scenarios and policy options for re-structuring a multiannual financial framework that can help addressing social, economic and environmental issues at city and regional level.

In recent years the circular economy has received increasing attention worldwide due to, inter alia, the recognition that security of supply of resources and environmental sustainability are crucial for the prosperity of countries and businesses. G20 countries should consider developing frameworks that enhance the circular economy and more generall...

CEPS Research Reports provide in-depth analyses of a wide range of key policy questions facing Europe, drawing on state-of-the-art research methodologies and the latest literature. As an institution, CEPS takes no position on questions of European policy. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the authors in a pers...

The Digital Single Market is a complex dossier with plenty of different interests at stake. Progress at the EU28 level is slow and the Commission is not as ambitious asexpected. We deem that concrete steps to promote digital growth must be done urgently; Europe cannot waste another opportunity for growth. As a consequence, we recommend positive int...

A preliminary analysis of the quantitative impact of its first year and a half of activity is complemented by an outline of the corollary policies that can determine the success of EFSI. Taking into account the instrument’s original mission, the preliminary evidence is encouraging and suggests that it is on track to attain expected targets. For EFS...

This business case analyses why and how E.ON reacted to the EU climate regulations and to the changing environment of the European energy market. In December 2008 the European Parliament adopted the EU Climate and Energy Package to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and to promote renewables. The overcapacity on the market and...

Athough the EU developed a “Social Europe”, the economic crisis and public debt has caused an imbalance between the social and economic dimensions of the European project. In policy brief start with a short discussion on the construction of the social acquis in order to answer the following questions: Why must Social Europe be reinforced today? How...

The recent European crisis has put the issue of government efficiency high on national policy agendas. Policy measures that result in a reduction of bureaucratic slack or red tape can alleviate the trade-off between consolidation and public service provision. Since 2007 the role of the EU budget in support of administrative reforms has been strengt...

As Jacques Delors underlines in the foreword of this Report, “if European policy-making jeopardises cohesion and sacrifices social standards, there is no chance for the European project to gather support from European citizens”. It is rather clear that both narrative and concrete actions coming from Europe must change. This Report, commissioned by...

Europe is becoming more unequal, both between and within countries, but there is no one-size-fits-all explanation for this. The EU has stopped being a ‘convergence machine’. Overall, new member states recorded impressive economic growth after their accession to the EU, but the Eurozone crisis triggered a process of divergence between the Eurozone m...

In the early 21st century, poverty, impoverishment and inequalities are increasing across the European continent. These phenomena not only weaken the social cohesion of European societies, they also violate human rights, including social and civil and political rights, and question the functioning of democracy. How can people living in poverty make...