Member News

EIB Investment Survey 2025 – European Union

About the EIB Investment Survey The EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS), conducted annually since 2016, is a unique survey of some 13 000 firms across all EU Member States, with an additional sample from the United States. The survey collects data on firm characteristics and performance, past investment activities and future plans, sources of finance, financing issues and other challenges, such as climate change and digital transformation. The EIBIS uses a stratified sampling methodology and is representative across all 27...

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Member News

Thompson Hine | USPTO Launches Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program: A New Path to Faster Examination

The USPTO has opened a new pathway in the examination queue with its Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program. Effective October 27, 2025, this limited-duration initiative allows qualifying applications to move “out of turn” to a first Office action, offering potential advantages for applicants willing to narrow their claim sets and meet strict procedural requirements—while requiring careful navigation of tradeoffs and procedural pitfalls. What the Program Does—and Does Not Do The pilot advances eligible utility applications to the front of the line...

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Chapter News

European Commission | 2025 Enlargement Package shows progress towards EU membership for key enlargement partners

Today, the European Commission adopted its annual Enlargement Package, presenting a comprehensive assessment of the progress made by the enlargement partners over the past twelve months. This year's package reaffirms that the momentum for enlargement stands high on the priority agenda of the EU. It also confirms that the accession of new Member States is increasingly within reach. Staying consistent and following a merit-based approach is key to successful EU accession. Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, North Macedonia,...

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Chapter News

ECB | Bulgaria on the euro’s doorstep: towards a shared future

Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the high-level conference on “Bulgaria on the Doorstep of the Eurozone”, jointly organised by the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance and Българска народна банка (Bulgarian National Bank) On 1 January 2026 Bulgaria will adopt the euro as its currency. The change will happen in a single night, but it is the outcome of a much longer journey. Bulgaria has long been part of Europe’s monetary story. From the lev’s peg to the...

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Member News

Trepp | Inside the $4.8T CRE Debt Universe

By Andy Boettcher, Head of Research, Trepp, and Rachel Szymanski, Chief Economist, Trepp After two years of tightening credit and economic uncertainty, the commercial real estate (CRE) debt market is revealing a split across different lender types. Using data from the Federal Reserve’s Financial Accounts of the United States (Z.1), we examine how outstanding balances are distributed across the market and the timing of future maturities. While some lenders are deploying fresh capital where they see opportunity and stability, others are...

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Member News

Bannockburn Capital Markets | November 2025 Monthly

The world economy is limping into November 2025, buffeted by geopolitical crosswinds, policy fragmentation, and structural shifts that defy easy categorization. Despite record highs in many equity markets, beneath the surface, the global order is being re-engineered—one export restriction, cyberattack, and parliamentary deadlock at a time. US-China Tensions Move Away from the Immediate Brink Let’s start with the main event: the U.S.–China tech war. Washington thought it had cornered the semiconductor chessboard. By the end of September, the U.S. had expanded...

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Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

European Commission | EU trade agreements accelerate EU export growth and support diversification

According to the fifth Annual Report on Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade Policy published today, the EU's large network of trade agreements helps companies find alternative markets for their exports, while reducing dependencies in a challenging geopolitical environment. The report, covering 2024 and the first half of 2025, concludes that EU trade agreements increase the resilience and competitiveness of EU economic operators: • In 2024, goods exports to the EU's 76 preferential trade partners grew twice as much as exports to countries not covered by a...

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Chapter News

European Commission | EU launches ‘Resource for AI Science in Europe’

Today, at the European AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen, organised by the European Commission and the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva launched the pilot of RAISE – the Resource for Artificial Intelligence Science in Europe. This new virtual institute is a flagship initiative under the Apply AI Strategy and the European Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Science. It will bring together essential resources for developing AI and applying it to drive transformative scientific breakthroughs: from improving...

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Member News

EIB | Bio-based industries are Europe’s assets says EIB report

A new study published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB) shows that scaling up bio-based industries can strengthen EU’s strategic autonomy as well as competitiveness, foster innovation and create growth and jobs, particularly in rural and coastal regions. Improving access to finance by expanding venture debt and early-stage investment offerings can accelerate the upscaling of new technologies that use renewable natural resources to produce sustainable food, materials, and energy. The study, which was commissioned and supported by the European Commission’s Directorate...

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Member News

Consulate General of Finland | Finland and USA Deepen Icebreaker Cooperation

Finland and the United States have signed a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and US President Donald Trump signed the memorandum of understanding at their meeting in Washington on 9 October. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also attended the meeting. This memorandum of understanding lays the foundation for commercial agreements between the United States Coast Guard and Finnish companies. Finland and the United States are deepening their cooperation in the design and construction of icebreakers....

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