From connectivity and digital skills to public services, EU countries have made progress since last year which marked the launch of the Digital Single Market Strategy by the European Commission. Today the European Commission published the results of the 2016 edition of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). The findings show that Member States have made progress in areas such as connectivity and digital skills, as well as in public services, since the publication of the Commission's Digital Single...

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President Buzek, dear friend, Ladies and gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to celebrate the first anniversary of the Energy Union here with the Jacques Delors Institute, of all institutions. Let me therefore start by thanking Notre Europe/ the Jacques Delors Institute for organising this event on this very special day. Indeed, exactly one year ago, the Commission presented the Energy Union Strategy, a project which I have the privilege of steering for the Commission. Today is an opportunity to reflect back...

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When people in the UK vote on 23 June on their country’s EU membership, it will have consequences for the whole of Europe. MEPs debated on Wednesday 24 February the possible consequences of the referendum. Most MEPs said the country would be better off in the EU, while others insisted it would benefit from leaving. The debate during the plenary session in Brussels was about the EU summit on 18-19 February dedicated to the refugee crisis and the UK referendum. UK...

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The annual growth rate of the broad monetary aggregate M3 increased to 5.0% in January 2016, from 4.7% in December. The annual growth rate of the narrower aggregate M1, which includes currency in circulation and overnight deposits, decreased to 10.5% in January, from 10.8% in December. The annual growth rate of loans to households stood at 1.4% in January, unchanged from December. The annual growth rate of loans to non-financial corporations increased to 0.6% in January, from 0.1% in...

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Eight years after the start of the economic crisis, recovery in the European Union is still weak and uneven, with member states struggling to put their debts under control and unemployment still too high. MEPs discuss the challenges during a plenary debate on the annual cycle of economic policy coordination within the EU, on 24 February. Parliamentary committees have prepared reports calling for structural reforms that create jobs and boost productivity. Plenary debate The European semester is how EU countries...

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Parliament's political group leaders will react to the EU-UK reform deal reached at the EU summit and comment on the changes conceded by EU leaders to the UK as well as their consequences for the European Union as a whole. The debate with Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will start at 3.10pm. Member states' responses to the ongoing refugee crisis will also be addressed by MEPs during the debate on the outcome of the 18-19 February...

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Questions and answers on combining European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds with the Investment Plan's European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) following publication of guidelines The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) are important contributors to the EU goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Over the 2014-2020 period, €454 billion will be invested in 500 programmes and targeted at strategic, growth-generating areas, primarily in Research, Development & Innovation, support to SMEs, the low-carbon economy, and Information and Communication...

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On February 12, 2016, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the United Kingdom. The UK economy has been growing steadily. Economic recovery has been driven by robust expansion of private domestic demand and has supported rapid job growth, with the unemployment rate falling to 5.1 percent in late 2015. Looking forward, growth looks set to continue, averaging around 2.2 percent over the medium term. Inflation, which is currently very low (0.3 percent in...

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Twenty-two EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, international businesses and patient organisations have agreed to make food products healthier by reducing salt, saturated fat and sugar content. To achieve this they will work with the food industry and NGOs. This is the outcome of the conference that took place in Amsterdam on 22 February under the auspices of the Netherlands EU Presidency. Photographer: Hans Molenaar Large-scale meeting Health minister Edith Schippers and agriculture minister Martijn van Dam received delegations from the food industry, supermarkets,...

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