Today, the Commission published EU guidelines to ensure the safe resumption of activities in the cultural and creative sectors across the EU. At a time when the epidemiological situation is improving and vaccination campaigns are speeding up, Member States are gradually reopening cultural venues and activities. Today's guidelines aim to provide a coordinated approach in line with the specific national, regional and local conditions. They are expected to guide the design and implementation of measures and protocols in EU countries to...

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EU ambassadors today confirmed a provisional agreement reached between the Council presidency and the Parliament on a new directive harmonising rules for credit servicers and credit purchasers of non-performing loans issued by credit institutions. The aim of the new rules is to support the development of the secondary market for non-performing loans in the EU in order to allow banks to clean their balance sheets of ‘bad loans’, while ensuring that the sale does not affect the rights of borrowers. Efficient lending opportunities...

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Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Brussels Economic Forum 2021 | Frankfurt am Main, 29 June 2021 | Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. The economist Rudi Dornbusch once said that “in economics, things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.” That describes the situation we face today very well. The pandemic has accelerated pre-existing trends at a pace we could never...

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New Value-Added Tax (VAT) rules for online shopping enter into force later this week* as part of efforts to ensure a more level playing field for all businesses, to simplify cross-border e-commerce and to introduce greater transparency for EU shoppers when it comes to pricing and consumer choice. The EU's VAT system was last updated in 1993 and has not kept pace with the rise in cross-border e-commerce that has transformed the retail sector in recent years. The Coronavirus pandemic has...

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The results show that large banks continue to have strong capital levels and could continue lending to households and businesses during a severe recession. The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday released the results of its annual bank stress tests, which showed that large banks continue to have strong capital levels and could continue lending to households and businesses during a severe recession. "Over the past year, the Federal Reserve has run three stress tests with several different hypothetical recessions and all...

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The webinar looked at the state of digital transformation in European regions, taking stock of the latest research showing an increasing digital divide across European regions and urban-rural communities. Invited speakers shared their views on how public authorities at all levels can facilitate the digital transition of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), showcasing some best practices and collaboration initiatives from the European Entrepreneurial Regions. In the opening session, Mr Ivan Štefanec, Member of the European Parliament and President of SME Europe, identified three...

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EU carbon sinks will de facto raise 2030 emissions reduction target to 57% Greenhouse gas budget must guide 2040-target New independent EU scientific body to monitor progress The new EU Climate Law increases the EU’s 2030 emissions reductions target from 40% to at least 55%. With the contribution from new carbon sinks it could raise to 57%. Parliament endorsed the Climate Law, agreed informally with member states in April, with 442 votes to 203 and 51 abstentions. It transforms the European Green...

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The European Commission has today extended – by one additional year –the current transitional regime regarding the capital requirements that EU banks and investment firms must maintain when exposed to non-EU central counterparties (‘CCPs'). This transitional regime will therefore continue to apply until 28 June 2022. Mairead McGuinness, EU Commissioner responsible for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union said, “Today's decision gives us a bit more breathing space while we continue to work on equivalence decisions. It also gives EU...

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Rising world food prices for producers are making headlines and causing concerns among the public. The most recent data show a moderation in consumer food price inflation globally, but as we explain below, that could change in the coming months. This would only add to the high prices that consumers in many countries already lived through last year. If prices eventually rise again, there will likely be sizeable differences between countries. Due to various factors, it is probable that the effect...

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