Category: 3. Business

Brussels, BELGIUM – Today, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) launched a novel campaign calling on the European Commission to raise both the ambition level and scope of its upcoming Digital Omnibus Simplification Package. 

Europe has always been a continent of trailblazers: from Gutenberg’s printing press to Lovelace’s pioneering algorithms. Yet today’s digital innovators face something far less inspiring: a maze of complex and overlapping EU tech rules that slow progress. 

The new ‘Simplify EU Tech Rules. Unlock Innovation.’ campaign urges the Commission to adopt bolder, more impactful measures in its soon-to-be-published package. Early reports suggest the current plans may not go far enough to remove unnecessary regulatory hurdles. 

The timing is critical. The European Commission’s public consultation on these simplification plans closed yesterday, and officials will now review stakeholder input before agreeing the precise scope and ambition level of the final digital package, expected next month. 

CCIA Europe calls on the Commission to simplify the path for Europe’s next generation of digital pioneers. Explore www.unlock-innovation.eu to learn more about how Europe’s historic innovators might fare under today’s EU digital rules. 

The campaign’s messages, featuring these historic innovators, are also being showcased on digital billboards at key locations in Brussels’ European quarter, including metro stations. 

The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Senior Vice President & Head of Office, Daniel Friedlaender: 

“Europe does not need more rules, it just needs better ones. Rules that are clear, consistent, and innovation-friendly. Slowly the EU’s simplification efforts are moving in the right direction, but things are not going fast enough. Now is the time for real ambition and decisive action.” 

“CCIA Europe urges the European Commission to be bolder in its simplification agenda. This means making hard but necessary choices for a stronger and smarter digital future. We need ambitious positive reform to honour the legacy of Europe’s great inventors.”

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‘£12,000 in vet bills’

Steve Fildes / BBC

Kept in the dark

Royal Mail has been fined £21m for missing its annual first- and second-class mail delivery targets, leading to millions of letters arriving late across the UK, the regulator Ofcom has said.

This represents the third-largest fine ever imposed by the UK communications watchdog.

Royal Mail delivered 77% of first class-mail and 92.5% of second-class mail on time during the 2024-25 financial year, Ofcom found. This was short of its respective 93% and 98.5% targets.

Ian Strawhorne, the director of enforcement at Ofcom, said: “Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people aren’t getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp.

“These persistent failures are unacceptable, and customers expect and deserve better. Royal Mail must rebuild consumers’ confidence as a matter of urgency. And that means making actual significant improvements, not more empty promises.”

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In April this year the price of a first-class stamp rose again, up 5p to £1.70, while the cost of the second-class service rose by 2p to 87p.

HILLERØD, Denmark, October 15, 2025 – FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, a world-leading contract development and manufacturing organization for biologics, vaccines, and advanced therapies, today announced that 100 percent of its existing electricity needs at the Hillerød, Denmark, commercial-scale biologics manufacturing site are now covered by solar-power through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA).

The solar-powered electricity consumption is facilitated through a previously announced 10-year PPA to offtake 40 GWh of renewable energy annually from a nearby solar park. The solar park announced new ownership by the energy group Andel in 2025.

The solar park is expected to have an annual production capacity of 110 GWh equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 28,000 Danish households. In addition to offsetting the energy consumption of the Hillerød site, the solar park will increase the amount of renewable energy in the Danish power grid.

The Hillerød site currently has 12 x 20,000 liters (L) mammalian cell culture bioreactors to support biopharma manufacturing. As part of a previously announced investment to create the largest end-to-end CDMO in Europe, the site will add 8 x 20,000 L bioreactors and two downstream processing streams — increasing to a total footprint of approximately 51,500 m². As part of the target to substitute fossil fuels with renewable energy in production, this further expansion will be fully electrified, as FUJIFILM Biotechnologies is installing electric steam boilers instead of natural gas fired boilers.

“I’m proud of the significant milestone in utilizing solar-powered electricity. This achievement reflects our strong commitment to sustainability and our Partners for the Planet plan,” said Christian Houborg, senior vice president, and Hillerød site head, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies. “As a leader in biopharma manufacturing, we aim to set high standards in sustainable operations within biopharma manufacturing.”

The PPA and other renewable energy initiatives at the Denmark site are part of FUJIFILM Biotechnologies’ Partners for the Planet plan to convert operations to renewable electricity and achieve a 50 percent reduction in (Scope 1 & 2) GHG emissions by Fiscal Year 2030 (compared to baseline in Fiscal Year 2019), and to focus on GHG emissions reduction throughout the supply chain.

Justine Phillips, California partner in Baker McKenzie’s Data & Cybersecurity practice, was featured in The Recorder discussing the California Privacy Protection Agency’s (CPPA) record USD 1.35 million fine against Tractor Supply Company for violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

In the article, Justine emphasizes the unique focus California places on employee and applicant data, noting that the CPPA enforcement signals a shift toward more customized and transparent privacy disclosures for employees and applicants. She also highlighted the need for harmonized governance across people, process, and technology to mitigate data-driven risk. As enforcement ramps up, Justine’s insights underscore the urgency for businesses operating in California to reassess their privacy compliance strategies.

Read the full article in The Recorder: California Privacy Watchdog’s Record Fine Against Tractor Supply Company Signals ‘Escalating’ Enforcement Trend | Law.com

 

Vets in the UK could be forced to publish their prices and whether they are part of a larger group after an investigation by the markets watchdog into claims chain-owned surgeries have left pet owners with dwindling choice and higher bills.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found pet owners pay 16.6% more on average at large vet groups than at independent vets and called for a market that is “not fit” for purpose to be modernised.

Publishing its findings on Wednesday of an investigation into how veterinary services operate in Britain, the regulator found that owners were often unaware of the prices of commonly used services and whether their local practices are part of large national chains.

It said customers have no effective way of comparing vet prices when they get a pet or move areas and may be paying twice as much for commonly prescribed medicines from vet practices than they could pay online, often hundreds of pounds more.

The CMA proposed 21 measures, including making vet businesses publish comprehensive price lists, be clear if they are part of a large group, and make sure that their policies and processes allow vets to act in the best interests of pets and pet owners.

It also advised better information treatments, a price cap on written prescriptions and a new comprehensive price comparison website.

The findings are provisional, with interested parties now having until next month to make submissions before a final decision is published next year.

The current regulatory system dates back to 1966. It only regulates individual veterinary professionals and not vet businesses, even though most practices are part of a large corporate group.

The CMA found that acquisitions among larger companies led to an increase of 9% in average prices four years later.

It said many of the concerns raised with it relate to the six large veterinary groups, which own the majority of practices, and have owners who are not vets.

Two of them are listed companies (CVS and Pets at Home), three (IVC, VetPartners and Medivet) are owned by private equity investors, and Linnaeus is owned by Mars Petcare.

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It said its proposals, if implemented would enable pet owners to choose the right vet, the right treatment, and the right way to purchase medicine – without confusion or unnecessary cost.

Martin Coleman, the chair of the inquiry group, said: “Pet owners are often left in the dark, not knowing whether their practice is independent or part of a chain or what a fair price looks like.

“They are sometimes committing to expensive treatment without understanding the price in advance. And they do not always feel confident asking for a prescription or buying medicine online – even when it could save them hundreds of pounds.”

Rakuten began considering a potential U.S. listing of one of Japan’s largest credit card businesses last month, the sources said. The considerations are in the early stages, with other potential options including a stake sale to a strategic buyer, one of the sources said.

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The company’s considerations of a U.S. IPO had not been reported previously.

Rakuten did not respond to requests for comment.

For PayPay, institutional investors see a baseline valuation of 2 trillion yen, but expect the valuation could exceed 3 trillion yen in the IPO that could take place as early as December, Reuters reported this week.

CARDS CENTRAL TO RAKUTEN’S BUSINESS

Rakuten, which is led by founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani, shook up Japan’s finance sector by simplifying the process for applying for credit cards and making them available to a wider range of consumers.

Credit cards are an important part of a web of Rakuten businesses spanning online shopping, banking, travel and other services, with customers accruing loyalty reward points by making payments.

Rakuten also announced plans to list Rakuten Securities, but Mizuho injected funding by taking stakes in the brokerage and card businesses.

Rakuten Card has issued more than 30 million credit cards in Japan. Non-GAAP operating profit at the business grew 20% to 62 billion yen last year but fell 4.5% in the April-June quarter of this year compared to the same period a year earlier due to higher costs.

The IPO considerations come as companies around the world are looking to list in the U.S. as they seek higher valuations.

The U.S. IPO market has had its busiest quarter since the fourth quarter of 2021, with companies raising $24 billion through first-time share sales in the third quarter, according to Dealogic.

($1 = 152.0900 yen)

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