June 13, 2019 - Press Release Over 200 million Europeans voted in the 23-26 May elections, resulting in turnout increasing from 42,61% in 2014 to 51% in 2019. The new legislature will start on 2 July. Before the first plenary sitting in July, political groups hold their constitutive meetings. A political group must consist of at least 25 MEPs elected in at least one-quarter of the member states (i.e. at least 7). To be officially recognised as of 2 July, political...

Read more

June 12, 2019 - Press Release Efforts to reduce risks in the EU banking sector are bearing fruit, according to new figures released by the European Commission today. In its fourth progress report on the reduction of non-performing loans (NPLs), the Commission today confirms that NPL levels are continuing their downward trajectory towards pre-crisis levels. The ratio of NPLs in EU banks has come down by more than half since 2014, declining to 3.3% in the third quarter of 2018...

Read more

Brussels, 11 June 2019 Today, the European Commission is releasing the results of the 2019 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which monitors Europe's overall digital performance and tracks the progress of EU countries with respect to their digital competitiveness. Countries that have set up ambitious targets in line with the EU Digital Single Market Strategy and combined them with adapted investment achieved a better performance in a relatively short period of time. This is one of the main conclusions of...

Read more

On June 7, the Council adopted conclusions on the future of a highly digitised Europe beyond 2020: 'Boosting digital and economic competitiveness across the Union and digital cohesion'. The conclusions highlight the main priorities and challenges for a strong, competitive, innovative and highly digitised Europe. They refer to the importance of supporting innovation and encouraging European key digital technologies, respecting ethical principles and values in artificial intelligence, strengthening Europe's cybersecurity capacity, improving e-skills, and developing the gigabit society, including 5G....

Read more