Improved technology heralds a new era in EUIPO communications From 1 March 2021, a number of important changes will affect the way the EUIPO communicates with customers. The changes are reflected in two key decisions recently adopted by the Executive Director of the EUIPO. 100% eComm No more fax: as fax communications prove less and less reliable the EUIPO has discontinued its fax service as a means of communication in EUIPO procedures. Fully eComm: the EUIPO’s secure e-communications platform will be...

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Climate change has made the world a riskier place. The destruction wrought by heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, and coastal flooding doesn’t stop with the toll on human lives and livelihoods—it can also have deep consequences for a country’s finances. Recent IMF staff research has found that a country’s vulnerability or resilience to climate change can have a direct effect on its creditworthiness, its costs of borrowing, and, ultimately, the likelihood it might default on its sovereign debt. 'Financial risks created by climate change are felt...

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Blog post by Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, 13 February 2021 | Climate change requires urgent action, and the window of opportunity is closing fast. The ECB must be committed to doing its part. Yet, such commitment may raise a few eyebrows: why should the ECB care about climate change and how does that square with its mandate? These are important questions that we take seriously: the European Union is underpinned by the rule of...

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Good evening to all of you. Before I debrief you on today's Eurogroup, let me mention that we had the chance to welcome two new colleagues to our meeting today - the new Italian minister, Daniele Franco, whose government was just sworn in this weekend, and indeed, it was his first day in his new role. And the new Estonian minister, Mrs. Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, who presented the policy priorities of the new Estonian government. The Commission also presented its...

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Europe remains in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. The resurgence in the number of cases, together with the appearance of new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus, have forced many Member States to reintroduce or tighten containment measures. At the same time, the start of vaccination programmes throughout the EU provides grounds for cautious optimism. Economic growth poised to recover as containment measures ease The Winter 2021 Economic Forecast projects that the euro area economy will grow by 3.8% in both 2021...

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The criminal network defrauded Dutch tax authorities of an estimated €9 million On 10 February 2021, the investigation service of the Dutch tax authorities -FIOD (Fiscale Inlichtingen en OpsporingsDienst) busted a criminal network involved in international VAT fraud with electronic devices traded via an online company. Fraudsters established a complex trading scheme with Secure Digital (SD) memory cards for electronic devices, which is believed to have defrauded the Dutch treasury of an estimated €9 million between 2017 and 2019. The...

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MEPs approved the EU’s key instrument to help countries recover from Covid-19, debated the vaccines situation and called for tighter recycling rules. Covid recovery On Tuesday, MEPs approved the Recovery and Resilience Facility, designed to help EU countries recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact of Covid-19 on young people and sport MEPs called on the Commission and EU countries to do more to prevent the pandemic affecting young people and the sports sector in a report adopted on Wednesday. Vaccinations In a debate on Wednesday, MEPs said...

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Paris, 11 February 2021 | Speech by François Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of the Banque de France | I would like to welcome you to the Banque de France for this 5th edition of the Rencontres on "Climate Change and Sustainable Finance", organised jointly with Option Finance. Central banks’ commitment to the climate cause may seem obvious today, and this despite the urgency of addressing the Covid pandemic.  But it was not the case five years ago, and few issues...

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Europe remains in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. The resurgence in the number of cases, together with the appearance of new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus, have forced many Member States to reintroduce or tighten containment measures. At the same time, the start of vaccination programmes throughout the EU provides grounds for cautious optimism. Economic growth poised to recover as containment measures ease The Winter 2021 Economic Forecast projects that the euro area economy will grow by 3.8% in both 2021...

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The ability to renew your passport or driver’s license, pay a tax bill, or access government data with the click of a button or swipe of a screen, anytime and anywhere, has grown more important during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the spread of the virus. Beyond the obvious efficiency and transparency gains that digital government services provide, “e-government” can actually make an economy more attractive to foreign investors. Recent IMF staff research has linked―for the first time―the accessibility of government information and...

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