subsidies Archives - IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/tag/subsidies/ Independent research and policy analysis on fiscal, monetary, and regulatory issues in Europe Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:22:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://en.irefeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/IREF-LinkedIn-Profile-DarkBlue-scaled.png subsidies Archives - IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/tag/subsidies/ 32 32 Who pays and who should pay for travel? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel/#respond Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:22:13 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36250 As the story goes, there are no free rides. The costs of each journey must necessarily be borne by someone. They can be broken down into three categories: the monetary…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel/feed/ 0 Venezuela Is Not a Victim of Sanctions—It’s a Victim of Its Own Policies https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/venezuela-is-not-a-victim-of-sanctions-its-a-victim-of-its-own-policies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=venezuela-is-not-a-victim-of-sanctions-its-a-victim-of-its-own-policies https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/venezuela-is-not-a-victim-of-sanctions-its-a-victim-of-its-own-policies/#respond Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:26:01 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36217 Few economic collapses in modern history have been as dramatic, prolonged, and devastating as Venezuela’s. Once the wealthiest country in Latin America, endowed with the world’s largest proven oil reserves,…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/venezuela-is-not-a-victim-of-sanctions-its-a-victim-of-its-own-policies/feed/ 0 The ban of the ban on new thermal cars: a cure worse than the disease? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease/#respond Wed, 07 Jan 2026 05:42:01 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36187 The widely circulated news that the EU is backtracking on the ban on selling cars with internal combustion engines in 2035 is greatly exaggerated. Rather than a U-turn, it’s more…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease/feed/ 0 The sad story of a private railway company in Italy https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy/#respond Wed, 08 Oct 2025 03:21:21 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36045 In 1825,  the first public railway line from Stockton and Darlington in the UK was opened to traffic. For more than half a century, there was a vigorous development of…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy/feed/ 0 What would happen if taxpayers no longer paid for public transportation? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation/#respond Wed, 15 Jan 2025 06:19:10 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35752 Rail and public transports are usually deemed essential features for a well-functioning mobility system. How could we get around in our cities without buses, trams and metros? Wouldn’t there be…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation/feed/ 0 Green Protectionism in Disguise: The Hidden Facets of the Inflation Reduction Act https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/green-protectionism-in-disguise-the-hidden-facets-of-the-inflation-reduction-act/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=green-protectionism-in-disguise-the-hidden-facets-of-the-inflation-reduction-act https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/green-protectionism-in-disguise-the-hidden-facets-of-the-inflation-reduction-act/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2024 03:44:03 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35418 In August 2022, US President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which promises massive investment by the US government in US-built green infrastructure and industry. The IRA will provide $400bn-$1trn over…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/green-protectionism-in-disguise-the-hidden-facets-of-the-inflation-reduction-act/feed/ 1 Fuels in Europe: subsidized or too heavily taxed? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/fuels-in-europe-subsidized-or-too-heavily-taxed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fuels-in-europe-subsidized-or-too-heavily-taxed https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/fuels-in-europe-subsidized-or-too-heavily-taxed/#respond Wed, 20 Sep 2023 09:24:53 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35218 The world is warming up and now “boiling”, according to the new definition by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Yet, instead of tackling the “climate crisis”, governments are subsidising fossil fuels.…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/fuels-in-europe-subsidized-or-too-heavily-taxed/feed/ 0 How do agricultural subsidies in wealthy countries harm low-income countries? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/how-do-agricultural-subsidies-in-wealthy-countries-harm-low-income-countries/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-do-agricultural-subsidies-in-wealthy-countries-harm-low-income-countries https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/how-do-agricultural-subsidies-in-wealthy-countries-harm-low-income-countries/#respond Wed, 03 May 2023 03:33:23 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35048 Since the Agreement on Agriculture of the World Trade Organization (WTO) came into force in 1995, global trade patterns have changed, but a number of distortions have remained. For example,…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/how-do-agricultural-subsidies-in-wealthy-countries-harm-low-income-countries/feed/ 0 The Butch Dutch https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-butch-dutch/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-butch-dutch https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-butch-dutch/#respond Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:56:13 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/the-butch-dutch/ Government’s mortgage interest subsidy, besides creating a lot of social costs, benefits almost solely the rich, yet it’s precisely the rich who boldly claim to want to scrap the programme. What’s going on?

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-butch-dutch/feed/ 0 Green jobs: a myth that destroys real jobs https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/green-jobs-a-myth-that-destroys-real-jobs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=green-jobs-a-myth-that-destroys-real-jobs https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/green-jobs-a-myth-that-destroys-real-jobs/#respond Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:39:21 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/green-jobs-a-myth-that-destroys-real-jobs/ By Nicolas Lecaussin

The French government recently announced the creation of 100 000 green jobs over the next three years. The goal is of course to stem rising unemployment. However, the tangible results of creating green jobs in several countries, as well as the real costs of these jobs, should have given food for thought before taking action.

In France, an IREF study (“Les mythes des emplois verts”) published in early 2011 showed that the term is ambiguous and calculated the real cost of a green job, based on official reports. The definition of green jobs is rather vague, although there is an official handbook on green growth (“Focus on 50 professions for green growth”). Among these, most already exist (gardeners, sewermen, cleaners, geologists …). Others seem to come straight out of a vaudeville: nature discovery guide, eco-museum guide, eco-interpreter, nature guide...

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