Tech

France has been given the green light to ban short-haul domestic flights. Specifically, between locations where there is a train alternative that takes less than 2.5 hours. When the French government suggested the measure in 2021 as part of the country’s Climate Law, it was contested by the Union of French Airports (UAF) and the European branch of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe). This led to an investigation by the European Commission, which gave the final approval on Friday — making France the first EU member state with a short-haul flight ban. Initially, the measure will affect routes between…

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According to EU data, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of Europe’s economy. They represent 99% of all businesses in the Union, employ around 100 million people, and account for more than half of Europe’s GDP. Yet, business survival for SMEs has been continuously challenged since the pandemic. After suffering the consequences of the COVID crisis, SMEs are now particularly affected by soaring energy prices, inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, and changed consumer behavior. That’s especially the case in the retail, food, and restaurant sectors — among those that were hit hardest during the pandemic. A survey conducted by…

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