European

The European Union will impose a new CO2 tax in 2027. And that means one thing: more expensive gasoline

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The European Union has a new tax to punish fuel consumption. And that implies, without any doubt, a increase in the price of gasoline and diesel that we use in our day to day. But also in which carriers need to work. And that has consequences. EMISSION RIGHTS. It is not really new, because it is part of a package of measures whose reform It was already approved in 2018. We talk about EU trade emission rights trade regimealso known as the ETS2 that will change in 2027 to impose a new tax on the consumption of fuels emitted CO2. This new tax applies to the fuel consumed in homes and, of course, to transport (both particular and merchandise) that until now had been left out. And that has a clear result: the price of gasoline will rise. How does it work? With the change that will arrive in 2027, it will be the fuel suppliers that have to buy emission rights for carbon dioxide of the products they sell. For each ton of CO2 generated by that fuel, a price will be paid to the European Union. The main problem is that we do not know what increase we face. EMISSION RIGHTS They will be bought by auction So the price fluctuates. At the moment, the most optimistic estimates indicate a price of about 48 euros per ton of CO2, according to The Energy Newspaperbut Bloomberg Nef Bet on a substantial increase in the coming years and aim at 122 euros per ton of CO2 in 2030. These increases can reach an increase in demand but also by speculation with their price, with companies buying emission rights to have them reserve when considering that they will be more expensive in the future. What can we expect? When we go to the gas station, a rise in the fuel price, of course. How much? That is the big doubt. Obviously, this new cost for the supplier should fall in cascade to the final consumer. The doubt is whether something of it will be absorbed along the way or, on the contrary, it will affect completely. According to the European Commission, the expected increase with those 48 euros/ton of CO2 is 0.11 euros/liter of gasoline and 0.13 euros/liter of diesel. That is, in a 50 -liter deposit we talk about an increase between five and six euros. Other sources point to a larger cost. As we have seen, everything will depend on how much the supplier costs the right of issuance and how much the client can affect without the competition. Distributor companies point to ABC that the price will be between 0.15 and 0.25 euros/liter. The hidden climb. But beyond the cost for The driver who fills his carthe new tax points to another problem: a general increase in the cost of life. In that same article of ABC, Transport associations point to wait for an increase of up to 45 cents/liter of CO2. It would be necessary to see if the increase reaches these levels but what is certain is that the cost of fuel It has a direct impact on inflation. Because if moving the product is a greater expense, the ultimate seller has to raise the price to continue maintaining the profits … In greater or lesser average depending on the product, what is certain is that both increases usually go hand in hand. Keep in mind that ETS2 also affects the price of gas, so it is an extra cost than adding to the equation. Worry. As is logical, the first accounts have already begun to look for solutions. From the Bank of Spain they point out that inflation can rebound in 2027 to 2.5% after a year 2026 more restrained. In Belgium they calculate That an average home will pay between 250 and 400 euros more a year. At the moment, the system will have a market stability reserve. The idea is that if the price shoots, the European Union can release emission bonds to control the price and cushion the increase. In addition, it has been designed has designed the Social Fund for Climate (SCF), a fund of at least 86.7 billion euros between 2026 and 2032 to surrender to the most vulnerable families and small businesses. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Yes, the EU knows what our car consumes and the speed at which it circulates. And none of that has to do with an alleged espionage

The European space agency wants its own mini-starship. And just given 40 million to an air to design it

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If Elon Musk is right, the rockets that have not been designed to be totally reusable They will stop making sense Once Starship manages to land and reuse his second stage. Not to fall into the sack of irrelevancethe European Space Agency has just signed a contract with the Italian company Avio to develop its own mini-nave starship. The contract. Avio, already manufactures the European rockets Vegawill receive 40 million euros from ESA to design a reusable rocket stage. The contract lasts for 24 months. During this time, the Italian company will be responsible for defining the requirements, system design and technologies necessary to create a higher stage capable of returning to Earth safely and, something no less important, reused in recurring missions. The agreement closed on Monday During the International Astronautics Congress of Sydney marks a new milestone in the transition of European rockets towards total reuse. A strategy that, following the path marked by Spacex, seeks to reduce costs and increase the frequency of space releases. A clear inspiration. Although the technical details are still scarce, the conceptual image that accompanies the announcement is … revealing. Shows a two -stage rocket whose upper part undeniably remembers the Spacex Starshipalthough on a much smaller scale. The Avio rocket would be 36.5 meters high, compared to 123 meters of Elon Musk’s Martian system. As for the engine type, analyst Andrew Parsonson writes in European Spaceflight that Avio could take advantage of his experience in liquid methane and oxygen systems, reusing technology from his MR10 engines, currently in development for the future Covete Vega E. And the first stage? According to ESA, the Abarca project Both the flight segment and the groundbut not for that reason the first integrated versions of the rocket will be totally reusable. In the sketch, the European mini-starship seems to be stacked on a solid fuel propeller P120C, which uses the Vega C. rocket In a two -stage rocket, the first spear to the second to space, and the second displays the satellites in the desired orbit before exorbiting. The European race to manufacture a rocket with a first reusable stage is already underway, and PLD Space is located Among the candidates to get it. But developing a superior stage also reusable is a more ambitious and complex objective. The question is how much advantage Europe will have trimmed with this first investment. Images | Avio, that In Xataka | Europe’s access depends on the United States. ESA has presented a strategic plan to become independent

All commercial relations between the European Union and India depend on one thing: Basmati rice

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For years, Brussels and New Delhi negotiate a free trade agreement. It is a historical, tremendously ambitious and, above all, necessary for all parties: for India because the union is its third commercial partner (and represents 10% of its total trade); for union because it desperately seeks to diversify partners in an increasingly aggressive and polarized context. Well, negotiations They are about to derail and all by grain of rice. Basmati rice, to be concrete. Basmati is a highly appreciated rice. Of long and delicate fragrance, this variety of rice has been growing at the foot of the Himalayas, between India and Pakistan. Even today. In fact, According to 2019 dataIndia produced 65% of the world’s basati. Pakistan, the other 35%. Something perfectly normal in two countries that have 3,323 kilometers of border. The problem is that, in short, They are India and Pakistan. Why not be friends? In 2018, India requested the label of exclusive protected geographical indication for the Basmati in the EU. There the problems began. Pakistan, as was predictable for anyone who knew the rivalry between the two countries, fell flatly and claimed it for himself. Although it seems a minor issue, a decision in favor of one country or another could seriously affect exports of the victim. And India wants to take advantage. No one can recriminate it to New Delhi: the current geopolitical situation has cornered a European Union. And it is not that the previous situation was great strength. It is only enough to remember that before the pandemic (and probably after) it was not manufactured Not a gram of paracetamol throughout the continent. Therefore, what was some common sense, in the middle of the commercial war, has become pressing: Brussels needs to expand the pitch and India is its great trick to do so. We live rare times (or not so much). For years, the international commercial consensus that gave the World Trade Organization and its standards the pivotal nature of world economic dynamics. Today, between Bravuonadas and Wars, we have discovered that this consensus was nothing more than a fiction. The economic fragmentation, the collapse of multilateralism and the growing uncertainty have led to such crisis of the system that even a grain of rice can put it in check. Image | Kanesue | Joshua Olsen In Xataka | India to Pakistan: “I’m not going to give you more water from my rivers.” An unprecedented climbing of the conflict

While industrial production collapses in the European Union, in Switzerland is triggered. And it is an energy issue

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In the midst of the European energy storm, Switzerland seems to live in a bubble of prosperity. In a recent publicationthe geopolitical analyst Velina Tchakarova showed how the Swiss industry continues to grow in front of the European Union. And the data does not deceive anyone: in the first quarter of this year the industrial production of the Helvetic increased 8.5% year -on -yearwhile in Germany recorded last June A 1.9%collapse, the worst data in years. The contrast is even more evident in the long term: since 2011, Swiss industrial production It has grown almost 40%in front of the German stagnation. The Swiss road. True to its neutrality, but knowing how to position itself, the Swiss industry is dominated by sectors of high added value and low relative energy consumption, like pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. But here is the most revealing: that low energy consumption is not only efficiency, but also outsourcing (a sophisticated strategy of Green offshoring). An EBP consultant study for the Federal Environmental Office (BAFU) shows that two thirds of the environmental footprint of Switzerland They are generated outside their borders. The report Umwelt Schweiz 2022 Confirm this pattern: the country reduces its internal impact at the expense of moving it abroad. There are different examples that illustrate it well: the Roche company announced in May A new biopharmaceutical plant in Shanghai, the Lonza company operating in Guangzhou Or, the most striking case, Siegfried managing a global network with headquarters in different countries that allows you to distribute phases of the chain outside the Helvetic territory. Together, these movements illustrate how the Swiss industrial “miracle” retains the added value at home while displacing the most polluting and expensive part abroad. To this is added an electrical system less vulnerable to gas: the Hydroelectricity and the nuclear They represent a good part of their mix. The Labyrinth of the EU. At this time you are going through an industrial decline: Eurostat reported that in June the production fell 1.0% in the EU as a whole and 1.3% in the eurozone. The setback It was coming last yearwhen the manufacturing volume was 2% lower than in 2022. And Ing Think analysts They warn that European industrial production It remains 5% below two years ago, a prolonged stagnation signal. To this fall is added a perfect storm: high energy costsCO₂ and an internal debate about its energy model. France, With a reactor -based systemleads the block that defends nuclear energy as a backbone of the transition. Spain and Portugal, with solar and wind abundance, demand otherwise: more interconnections and networks To take advantage of renewable surplus. In addition, it is added The tireless search by the EU of looking for another output to stock up that it is not Russia in terms of gas. While Switzerland transfers its heaviest loads to Asia, Europe is enclosed in its own rules, paying CO₂ rights that further increase its energy intensive industries. Switzerland outsourizes, Europe internalizes. Switzerland harvest added value, Europe assumes added costs. The awkward contrast. Here the paradox emerges. Switzerland exhibits an expansion industry, favorable environmental statistics and a more stable electricity supply. Everything seems to indicate that it has found the perfect formula to prosper in the midst of European chaos. For its part, the European Union is paying the price If pioneer: its factories face much higher energy costs, their energy intensive industries lose competitiveness and their governments carry the pressure of meet strict climatic objectives. But Swiss success relies on a small print. The report itself Umwelt Schweiz 2022 He admits that two thirds of the country’s environmental footprint are generated outside their borders. That is, Switzerland retains at home the added value of its pharmaceutical and technological industry, while the energy cost and pollution are transferred to other places. That apparently virtuous model implies a strategic risk: to depend on global supply chains and expose themselves to political vulnerabilities in Asia. In climatic terms, the question is inevitable: are global emissions really reduced when Switzerland “is cleaned” at the cost of others getting more? Or, in other words, isn’t its industrial miracle with another way to outsource the environmental invoice? Forecasts On paper, Switzerland seems greener and more prosperous. But the true story is told in the chimneys of China and in the closed factories of Germany. The Helvetic miracle works, to a large extent, because the energy and climatic invoice is paid by others. While industrial production collapses in the European Union, in Switzerland is triggered. However, that balance, sustained in global chains and in others, could be broken when geopolitics tightens. The real unknown is not how much the Swiss miracle can last, but who is willing to pay his invoice. Image | Freepik and Unspash Xataka | Nuclear fever in the middle of AI: Uranium rises like foam while stumble

Byd has the future of buses in their hands and they are bad news for European brands

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Throughout the last years we have seen how the automobile industry has revolved around the conquest of multiple Chinese manufacturers looking for a piece of cake in Europe. Byd has been Great participant in this situationbut we still have something to say. And is that the Chinese giant recently presented his new E-Bus Platform Platform 3.0with the promise of also revolutionizing the public transport industry. The highlight: 1,000 volt technology and batteries integrated directly in the chassis, a formula that seeks to lead in the sector. Byd buses. The new platform incorporates for the first time in the bus sector A 1,000 volt systemthe same as Byd already uses Tang Ev and Han Ev in its electric cars. This allows ultra -grape loads that would drastically reduce stop times, something key if we talk about public transport operations. In addition, integrate batteries LFP Blade directly in the chassis, which promises a lower ground and a better use of space. The figures. The first model based on this platform, the Byd C11, offers battery configurations from 184 to 593 kWh, with autonomies ranging from 220 to 730 kilometers according to the Chinese cycle. To put this in perspective, it is an autonomy that far exceeds the majority of current European electric buses. According to Bydthe C11 “has an autonomy exceeding 400 kilometers with full load and air conditioning.” Cars technology. Byd has moved innovations of its car division to public transport, including the DISUS-A adaptive suspension system and a sophisticated thermal management system 7 in 1. The platform also incorporates Driver Assistance System 2.0 and an intelligent torque control system (ITAC), in addition to security functions such as an emergency stop button and stability control in case of a tire count. At the moment, only in China. Byd advances by leaps and hungry, while European bus manufacturers such as Mercedes, Man, Volvo or Scania bet on incremental evolutions of their existing platforms. On the other hand, Byd does not sell cars in the United States, but it has been making electric buses in California Since 2013which shows that its buse division also has the capacity to adapt to the western public. A touch of attention. The E-Bus Platform 3.0 promises a significant leap with respect to previous platforms. In addition, the company assures which offers a reduction in energy consumption of 18% and an increase in autonomy in low temperatures of 50 to 80 kilometers. With the great presence of ByD in public transport in other regions, this new platform is a warning that the Chinese manufacturer can, at any time, call the European public transport market door, and perhaps with the same force as with its cars. Cover image | Byd In Xataka | The modern car is no longer a car: it is a trap for privacy

European cookies notices have been a nightmare. We may finally wake up from her

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It was supposed to “accept cookies” would facilitate life. He is actually doing us lose 575 million hours a year. Cookies consent banners have become a Absolute nightmare For Internet users, but the European Commission (CE) is rethinking its regulations. Let’s cross fingers. What happened. A note sent to a discussion group of the European Commission was sent on September 15. This document, filtered by politician, reveals that the EC is considering how Modify cookies regulations in force so that it is much less annoying and intrusive to users. The browser can take care of it. There are apparently two options on the table. One, including more exceptions that would make cookies consent banners appear only on certain websites and situations. The other, even more interesting, is to ensure that each user could establish universal preferences through the browser to apply automatically every time they visit a website. That would not have to accept or reject them all suddenly, or select which cookies we accept or reject every time we visit a site, but do it transparent and instantaneously. A little history. In 2002 the European Union launched A directive on the privacy of electronic communications. This regulation required user consent for the use of cookies. In 2009 a law called E-Privacy Directive to force websites to achieve user consent before loading those cookies on their devices. The demand It was consolidated in May 2018 with the activation of the General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD) of the European Union. Good intentions turned into nightmare. Although the measure was well intentioned and was aimed at protecting the rights and privacy of Internet users, its implementation has converted it in something unbearable that makes the experience of insufferable web navigation. As Peter Craddock, Keller and Heckman’s lawyer, “too consent basically kills consent.” Or what is the same: The remedy is worse than the disease. Plans. This hell is now one of the key points of a European strategy to simplify the regulation that affects technology. Commission officials want to present an “omnibus” text in December in which many of the current regulations would be relieved. There was a previous attempt. In 2017 There was a proposal For an electronic privacy regulation that theoretically was going to simplify these cookies consent notices. However, the petition was abandoned in February of this year because the proposal was too complex and covered from online advertising to national security. THE GDPR TO RESCUE. A way to partially solve the problem would be Integrate that regulation of cookies within the general regulation of data protection (RGPD or GDPR for its acronym in English). This regulation adopts a more flexible philosophy based on risks, so that cookies banners theoretically apply only to a subset of the websites visiting users. In Xataka | You thought to be navigating in unknown and erasing cookies on your Android mobile. Goal I saw everything you did

Value sacrifice the historical dividend to create a European champion

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Telefónica is valuing to eliminate or reduce its dividend of 0.30 euros per share, as reported VOICE. The measure would be part of the Strategic plan that Marc Murtra will present on November 4 and that seeks to obtain liquidity to finance acquisitions in Europe. Why is it important. This movement would mean the end of an era for Telefónica and its shareholders. The Teleco has been considered a “dairy cow” for investors seeking dividend profitability, especially those of senior age and traditionalist profile, and conservative funds. Deleting this remuneration would mean betting everything to technological transformation and growth. And the end of a stage for the Matildes. In figures. Telefónica annually allocates about 1.7 billion euros to the payment of dividends. According to Bank UBS, eliminating this game would reduce leverage 0.18 times a year. That is, not distributing dividends would allow Telefónica to reduce the pressure it has for its still high debt to its benefits. The action has revalued 12% since the arrival of Murtra in January, but follows 83% below its historical maximums in 2000, and 80% from the peak prior to the 2008 crisis. The context. The operator needs financial muscle to execute its European consolidation strategy. Murtra wants to create a “European champion” through acquisitions, With Vodafone Spain in the spotlight as he anticipated Expansion. However, these operations require billions that the company does not have years of desireing. Zegona bought Vodafone two years ago for 5,000 million euros and will want to get a benefit to a hypothetical sale to Telefónica. Between the lines. Several investment banks have recommended this measure to Murtra, a sign of consensus in the financial sector about their need. The proposal breaks with decades of tradition in a company where shareholders such as Criteriacaixa and BBVA have historically based their confidence on “the remuneration strategy.” Yes, but. If this measure ends up, it will not be extraordinarily popular, not even internally. Pallete already reduced the dividend from 0.40 to 0.30 euros in 2021 To reduce debt, and maintain it has been an implicit promise. Bank of America considers “complicated” the passage through this prior commitment, although not impossible. The decisive moment. November 4 will be the key date. Murtra must convince the market to sacrifice the dividend will generate a higher future value. Outstanding image | Telefónica In Xataka | 100 years after his birth, Telefónica faces the greatest existential dilemma in its history: what wants to be older

In the war between Spain and Ryanair for hand luggage, the European Union has already sent a message. It does not paint well for Spain

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At the end of last year, Spain sanctioned Ryanair and four other airlines with millionaire fines for the collection of hand luggage. Since then, the Irish company has been defending that the sanction is illegal because they are not breaking any regulations. The case has climbed to the European Union … And things do not paint well for Spain. Gathered. In person or by video call, which begins to give an idea of ​​positions. At the end of last week, Apostols Tzitzikostas, European Transport Commissioner, He scheduled a meeting with Michael O’LearyRyanair CEO. Yesterday, Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Consumption, met with that same commissioner by video call. The digital meeting arrives days after the reception to the maximum leader of the company and thousands of kilometers away. A first approach that gives an idea of ​​where the positions are. Affinity. From the meeting between O’Leary and Tzitzikostas they have not transcended holders but in Spain they already begin to fear that the positions between them are closer to Spanish positions, they explain in The country. To start because Bustinduy requested to have that meeting before Ryanair’s CEO met with the European leader but there was no success. And, second, because from the European Transport Commission they have clear that their positions are close to those of low -cost airlines in terms of hand luggage. Your last proposition It does not differ much from what, until now, Ryanair was allowing. 4 liters. It is, according to BBC The increase in space Ryanair assumed with its new measures for hand luggage. The company has gone from 40 x 25 x 20 cm with those that was handled until this summer to some innovative 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Those five centimeters are those that are calculated, increase the size by four liters. As we count a few months ago, the decision comes after the Airlines For Europe (A4E) association of which Ryanair is part of, will sign an agreement to establish a minimum in 40 × 30 × 15 cm bags. A movement that actually serves to make lobby and create a new European standard. And, before the fines, Ryanair herself has pressed so that exact minimum sizes allowed are defined. On the side of the low cost. The A4E agreement arrives just when the European Union has decided to close, at once, the hand luggage chapter. Right now, airlines have to ensure that you can travel with “the essential” in a backpack. But there are no minimum measures. In that strip and loosen to get a new regulation of travelers, The Council of Europe has proposedexactly, that the measures to be collected are those 40 x 30 x 15 cm. That is, Ryanair would already be complying with the minimums. And the Transport Commission also bets on the same measures although it emphasizes that this backpack must be free (and It has discrepancies on other aspects). The fine, in the air. Although there is no record that Ryanair has climbed the disagree to European magistrates, what we do know is that the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid He has suspended the sanction Economic, pointing out that if applied, a hard impact on the treasury of these companies will be generated, for what has applied, for the moment, precautionary measures. In fact, in Spain justice has been shown in favor of users and the airline in contradictory sentences for the same fact. In Salamancathe courts have considered that the free size allowed by Ryanair is not enough for the passenger to carry the “essential” luggage. In SevilleHowever, they do not have the same opinion and have failed in favor of the company. Summarizing. At the moment, the Ministry of Consumer faces a complicated role. Has imposed a millionaire fine to Ryanair (the highest in the history of our country) Justice has caught the sanctions precautionary The company has pressed in the European Union European leaders have previously received the company’s CEO than Spanish leaders (and have done so by video call) And Europe seeks to carry out a new regulation to travel with hand suitcases … with more restrictive measures than those Ryanair offer from this summer. Photo | Nejc Soklič and My Random Photo In Xataka | Lack of a hole, prize on the payroll: Ryanair will upload the prize for employees who discover too large handbags

Chery trusted Spain to assault the European market without tariffs. Europe has another opinion

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Europe, China and cars. A bomb that, for now, has resulted in the imposition of tariffs on the electric car. The European objective is that Chinese manufacturers invest in Europe if they want to sell their electric cars at the price that pleases them. Chery thought that Spain would be his gateway to the market of our continent. The European Commission believes that it is not enough. “It’s not a good model”. The definition is by the Executive Vice President of the Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné. The Frenchman expressed in these terms collected by The newspaperwhile ensuring that relations between China and Europe are “in the midst of nowhere.” What is about the model that Chery has implemented in Barcelona, ​​a factory where, at least for the moment, only cars that previously arrive mounted from China are completed. It is the easiest way to put the label Made in Spain to a product that, in reality, has very little of Spanish. DKD. Or, what is the same, Direct Knock Down. This is what the way of working is called that Chery employ in Barcelona. In summary, cars arrive in semi -ado containers and the only thing that is done in Spain is to finish marrying the last parts as if they were the four large groups of pieces of a puzzle that, in reality, is made up of thousands of them. The process is so advanced that, in fact, cars in Barcelona are not even painted. The intention, in the future, is to jump to the CKD (Complete Knock Down), in which the pieces do not arrive welded or painted but do produce entirely in China. The cars produced under this system are the Ebro that, although rescue the name of a Spanish brand, They are actually entirely Chinese. “Low quality”. In his statements, Séjourné, has insisted that “a factory on the outskirts of Barcelona in which a car occurs with all Chinese components generates Low quality jobs And it does not suppose any added value for the European industry. “And he emphasizes:” The solution does not go on to maintain tariffs, but neither by a factory in Barcelona in which cars are assembled with all Chinese components. “ Although hard, the words of the vice president of the commission are not new in the car market. In fact, Chery had already received Europe’s notice that, working in this way would not free him from tariffs to his electric cars. At the moment, the Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7 They continue to arrive from China but as they have combustion engines they are not taxed with tariffs. The electric omoda 5, however, is punished with a fee that in the case of Chery reaches 21% (which adds to 10% base for all cars from China, electric and non -electric). It is no accident that the company has delayed its incorporation to the Catalan plant without the confirmation of taking out its cars through the doors of the free zone without being punished with tariffs. “In nobody’s land”. As we said, Séjourné pointed out that negotiations between Europe and China are stopped. In his day, Europe taxed tariffs on Chinese electric cars but left the door open to those who take combustion engines, both pure and plug -in hybrids. This was seen as a hand tended to negotiation. Not imposing tariffs on this type of cars has allowed Chinese brands to have taken advantage of the entrance door of countries where cheaper cars are bought, such as Spain. In fact, Chery herself with just six cars in the market (distributed between Ebro, Omoda and Jaecoo) They already add more than 19,800 units In the first eight months of the year. And only three of those six cars have been selling the full year. That open door to a negotiation seemed to consolidate a few months ago. In April it was confirmed that Europe and China seemed willing to reach some kind of agreement between the two countries. The last thing we have known since then have been these last statements. They are not the only. What Europe wants is that Chinese manufacturers invest in our continent and generate business here. To skip those tariffs, everything indicates that companies have to assemble their cars in our soil but also generate a local industry that generates value through the Component provision. This way of acting by Chinese manufacturers is not something exclusive that they do in Europe. Byd is used very similarly in Thailand. But European manufacturers are also used in the same way in those markets that are veiled with tariffs, as happens in Algeria. Country that, tired of these practices, has already warned Renault that they will have to invest more money. Photo | Ebro In Xataka | That Chery has chosen Spain is not accidental: it may be its saving letter to the investigations of the European Commission

Microsoft 365 will have cheaper versions worldwide. It is the result of the antitrust pressure of the European Commission

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Soon, many Microsoft Office customers worldwide can access cheaper subscriptions. It is not a promotion or isolated commercial gesture, but the result of years of Brussels. Microsoft has accepted change your strategy to close an antitrust investigation I could cost him expensive. With this agreement, the company dodges a possible fine and the European Commission reinforces its image as guardian of the rules that govern the digital market. The European Commission confirmed that Microsoft must maintain versions of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without Teamsyour communication tool, at a clearly lower price compared to the editions that include it. These conditions will be in force for at least seven years and will be complemented with interoperability and data portability commitments for a decade. The American company has indicated that it will implement changes globally. Microsoft undertakes to lower prices and open its ecosystem The origin of this pulse dates back to July 2020, When Slack denounced Microsoft to the European Commission For packaging Teams within Office, claiming that it made it difficult for users to choose alternatives. Three years later, Brussels opened a formal investigation To evaluate whether this practice was abuse of dominant position in the collaborative software market. The case focused on the impact of Teams integration on competitors such as Slack and other business communication platforms. To reduce the pressure, Microsoft began taking action before a resolution arrived. In October 2023 he disaggregated Teams of his suites for commercial clients in the European and Switzerland Economic Space, with lower prices for those who chose not to include the tool. In April 2024 he extended this policy to the rest of the world, withdrawing for new business clients the traditional editions with Teams and introducing “without teams” plans along with an independent license. These steps sought to show good regulatory will and simplify the catalog for multinational companies, but did not suffice to close the file. With the agreement announced this month, the measures become mandatory and more ambitious. Microsoft must guarantee a significant price difference and allow customers to migrate to versions without teams without penalties. It should be noted that to benefit from these sales, organizations must hire the new plans or make the change to renew subscriptions; There will be no automatic discounts for those who maintain current contracts. It also undertakes to facilitate that rival services integrate Office applications into their platforms and that users export Teams data to other tools, reducing change barriers. This valued the measure, Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the European Commission for the clean, fair and competitive transition: “With today’s decision, we make binding for seven years or more Microsoft’s commitments to end their linking practices that could be preventing their competitors effectively competing with Teams. Therefore, today’s decision opens the competition in this crucial market and guarantees that companies can freely choose the communication and collaboration product that best suits their needs.” Microsoft published concrete examples of prices that will enter vigor in November this year: In Enterprise plans, the difference will be up to 8 euros per user per month; In the Business Standard and Premium plans, it will be around 3 euros. Of course, domestic users and students will not see changes: their subscriptions of Microsoft 365 Personal or family did not include payment teams and are not affected by the new framework. In any case, this episode arrives at a time where the commission has intensified its scrutiny about large technological in recent years, with multimillionaire sanctions to companies such as Google, which recently imposed a fine of 2,950 million euros. However, Brussels face a diplomatic challenge: the US president Donald Trump has criticized these measuresthreatening to activate section 301 of the Commerce Law as a response. Images | Ed Hardie | Microsoft In Xataka | The EU has put Apple against the strings: none of its options guarantees that its devices remain the same

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