17/02/2023 (Agence Europe) – Between the third and fourth quarters of 2022, the number of business bankruptcies rose by 26.8% in the European Union, the highest increase recorded since 2015, the EU’s statistical office (Eurostat) said on Friday 17 February. The director of the employers’ organisation BusinessEurope, Markus J. Beyrer, described the data as “alarming”. “Many bankruptcies have been artificially postponed due to government support measures in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. These are now coming to an end. However, bankruptcies due to the triple shock of high energy costs, high material and production costs and rising labour costs are worrying”, he added. He called for a plan to rapidly improve the business environment (regulatory simplification), provide incentives for investment and reduce energy costs. (MB)