In 2017, total disbursements stood at EUR 548m In 2018, four new loans and two grants have been signed in Serbia worth EUR 347m: Railway Nis-Dimitrovgrad, and credit lines to Banca Intesa Beograd, Erste Bank and Societe Generale Serbia in support of SMEs Strong focus on the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI) aimed at addressing the challenges posed by the migration crisis The European Investment Bank (EIB) is reaffirming its commitment to support the Western Balkans. In 2017, the EU bank signed...

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By Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancelor of Germany World Economic Forum am 24. Januar 2018 ,  Davos Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Schwab, liebe Kollegen, meine Damen und Herren, Ich freue mich, wieder in Davos dabei zu sein – in diesem Jahr in einer ganz speziellen Situation; aber darauf komme ich noch. Ich will an diesem Tag, an dem Europa ja sehr im Zentrum der Diskussionen dieses Davoser Forums steht, daran erinnern, dass 1918, vor hundert Jahren, der Erste Weltkrieg endete. Er wird auch als...

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The priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers are being outlined to parliamentary committees by ministers in a series of meetings. Bulgaria is holding the Presidency of the Council for the first time. It will last until end of June 2018. Constitutional Affairs: Transparency Register, European Citizens’ initiative, electoral law Achieving progress on the inter-institutional agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register and the European Citizens’ initiative were some of the priorities outlined by Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian...

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By Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France Davos Centre de Congrès – Mercredi 24 janvier 2018 Merci beaucoup Professeur, cher Klaus. Laissez-moi aussi saluer les vice-présidentes de ce Forum, puisque c’est le choix, je pense, heureux, fort que vous avez fait pour cette année et je salue donc nos vice-présidentes en même temps que les chefs d’État et de Gouvernement ici présents et tous les amis que nous avons dans la salle. Vous avez parlé de la mondialisation et les paradoxes...

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Strengthened EIB engagement in Greece delivers EUR 2.5 billion new investment Crucial renewable energy, transport and telecom infrastructure transformed 2,750 Greek companies benefit from new investment backed by largest ever European Investment Fund engagement EIB trade finance scheme expanded following new EUR 134 million HSBC support The European Investment Bank Group today confirmed that a total of EUR 2.5 billion of new financing was signed in 2017 for public and private sector investment across in Greece. This marks the...

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The Commission publishes today guidance to facilitate a direct and smooth application of the new data protection rules across the EU as of 25 May. The Commission also launches a new online tool dedicated to SMEs. With just over 100 days left before the application of the new law, the guidance outlines what the European Commission, national data protection authorities and national administrations should still do to bring the preparation to a successful completion. While the new regulation provides for a...

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The Commission proposes new rules to give Member States more flexibility to set VAT rates and to create a better tax environment to help SMEs flourish The EU's common VAT rules, agreed by all Member States in 1992, are out of date and too restrictive. They allow Member States to apply reduced VAT rates to only a handful of sectors and products. At the same time, EU countries consider VAT rates as a useful instrument to pursue some of their...

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To follow up on the Gothenburg Summit, the European Commission has today adopted new initiatives to improve key competences and digital skills of European citizens, to promote common values and pupils' awareness of the functioning of the European Union. The new proposals come only two months after European Heads of State and Government discussed education, training and culture at the Gothenburg Summit in November 2017. They are intended to reduce socio-economic inequalities, whilst sustaining competitiveness in order to build a...

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