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ACS signs €10 billion contract for the purchase of Abertis with Atlantia

IBEX, In Spain, Markets 9th April 2021

ACS Shows Atlantia Its Interest In Italian Motorways: Offers €10 Bn for Autostrade

Corporate activity in Spain is gaining momentum with ACS’s offer to buy the Italian concessionary group ASPI (Autostrade per l’a Italia) from its partner Atlantia. ASPI has 3,000 kilometres of toll roads. The aim is to create a giant in the concessions business, with the union of Autostrade and its subsidiary Abertis, and ACS would be willing to make the purchase in the company of other investors – there is talk of the Italian group CDP. The offer would be for 10 billion euros, exceeding that presented by the Italian public bank CDP, which has the backing of the Italian government, and the funds Blackstone and Macquarie.

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Lack of political will for renewables energy

In Europe 9th April 2021

EU: The Share Of Renewables In The Mix Rose To 39%, Beating Fossil Fuels (36%) For The First Time

The share of electricity generated from renewables in the EU energy mix (39%) exceeded the share of fossil fuels (36%) in 2020 for the first time ever and EU consumption of both electricity (-4%) and gas (-3%) fell from 2019 levels, but most of the drivers for this change (notably the COVID-19 pandemic) were exceptional, according to the latest Commission quarterly reports on gas and electricity markets published today.

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merchbank

In the World, World economy 8th April 2021

U.S. | Commercial Real Estate After Covid – Crisis And Reinvention, Business As Usual, Or Full Steam Ahead?

Filip Blazheski (BBVA Research) | The U.S. is slowly exiting the Covid induced recession and is on track to post the highest rate of growth in almost 40 years. The economic expansion will be driven by effective vaccination, the reopening of the economy, strong job creation, elevated savings, pent-up demand, massive fiscal support, and accommodative financial conditions. The commercial real estate (CRE) industry will benefit greatly from these conditions, which will help drive down vacancies and support rent growth (Non-financial businesses and nonprofits own close to $32tn of real estate assets, equivalent to close to 39% of all assets owned by these sectors of the economy).

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interviews

“Even Farmers, Subsidised By The EU Common Agricultural Policy, Voted For Brexit”

Tristan de Bourbon | “In some cities like Boston, on the coast, half the population and half the schoolchildren came from Eastern Europe. But it is true that immigration does not explain all of Lincolnshire’s Brexit vote. Look, even farmers, heavily subsidised by the European Common Agricultural Policy, voted for Brexit because they were fed up with all the European controls. The European system is totally absurd: you receive aid according to the area you own, whether you farm or not,” says Edward Leigh, Conservative MP, former Chairman of the British Public Accounts Committee.

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“In Many Companies, Audit Is Still Very Reactive; It’s Often The Last To Know What’s Going On”

Pablo Pardo| The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB) comprises 48 countries, has four official languages, and is the largest provider of development aid in the region. Its annual loan portfolio was around $15 Bn (more than €12 Bn) before the outbreak of Covid-19, which has boosted the institution’s activity due to the ravages of the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Canadian-Brazilian Jorge da Silva has been the IDB’s Executive Auditor for eight years, where he heads a unit of 30 people dedicated to internal auditing.

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