The return of inflation, higher interest rates, record-high debt levels and geopolitical tensions threaten to expose vulnerabilities within the financial system. This letter was submitted to G20 Leader ahead of their meeting on 15-16 November. The letter notes that developments since the Rome Summit have been a stark reminder that global financial stability should not be taken for granted. The return of inflation to levels not seen in decades has resulted in a strong interest rate response and significantly tighter financial...

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Today, the EU Commission and the High Representative put forward an Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 and a Joint Communication on an EU cyber defence policy to address the deteriorating security environment following Russia's aggression against Ukraine and to boost the EU's capacity to protect its citizens and infrastructure. In particular, the Action Plan on Military Mobility will help European armed forces to respond better, more rapidly and at sufficient scale to crises erupting at the EU's external borders...

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Today, the Commission presented a proposal to reduce air pollution from new motor vehicles sold in the EU to meet the European Green Deal's zero-pollution ambition, while keeping vehicles affordable for consumers and promoting Europe's competitiveness.   Road transport is the largest source of air pollution in cities. The new Euro 7 standards will ensure cleaner vehicles on our roads and improved air quality, protecting the health of our citizens and the environment. Euro 7 standards and CO2 emission standards...

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We need to intensify the greening of our economies despite the energy crisis. Hastening the process will reduce the costs of transition and help to ensure price stability in the long run. This is the third post in a series of climate-related entries on the occasion of COP27. The current energy crisis has sent gas and electricity prices skyrocketing and brought the potential challenges and opportunities of the green transition into sharper relief. Does that mean that the green transition...

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The global energy crisis highlights the need for a massive surge in clean energy investment The global energy crisis is fueling fierce debate around the world over which new energy projects should or shouldn’t go ahead. Conversations about energy and investment often fail to take into account the considerable lag between investment decisions and when projects actually go live. At the International Energy Agency (IEA), we warned years ago that global investment in clean energy and energy efficiency was not sufficient...

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On November 3rd, the European Commission is launching the third call for large-scale projects under the EU Innovation Fund. With a budget doubled to €3 billion thanks to increased revenue from the auctioning of EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowances, this 2022 call for large-scale projects will boost the deployment of industrial solutions to decarbonise Europe. With a special focus on the priorities of the REPowerEU Plan, the call will provide additional support towards ending the EU's dependence on...

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If we do not account for the impact of climate change on our economy, we risk missing a crucial part in our work to keep prices stable, argues Christine Lagarde in the ECB Blog. This is the second entry in a series of climate related entries on the occasion of COP27. A year ago, in his speech at COP26 in Glasgow, Sir David Attenborough asked us: “Is this how our story is due to end? A tale of the smartest...

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We need strong rules for strong banks. Basel III has what it takes. But planned EU laws might fall behind international standards, write ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos, ECB Supervisory Chair Andrea Enria and EBA Chairperson José Manuel Campa in a joint Blog post The EU banking package matters now more than ever. We need to stick to our global commitments, faithfully implement Basel III and strengthen supervisory powers. We call on the co-legislators to focus on the resilience of...

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The devastation and destruction of climate change will only worsen if we fail to act now Just this year we’ve seen the increasingly devastating effects of climate change—human tragedy and economic upheaval with typhoons in Bangladesh, unprecedented floods in Pakistan, heatwaves in Europe, wildfires in North America, dry rivers in China, and droughts in Africa. This will only get worse if we fail to act. If global warming continues, scientists predict even more devasting disasters and long-term disruption to weather patterns that...

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Keynote speech by Fabio Panetta, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the ECB Money Market Conference | The euro area is facing a sequence of unprecedented supply shocks resulting from the pandemic and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. These shocks have compounded each other and caused the current spike in inflation. Price pressures have broadened as firms have sought to pass higher costs on to consumers as the economy reopened. As a result, the ECB has accelerated the adjustment...

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