Brussels, 2 March 2017 Ahead of next week's European Council and in the form of three progress reports, the Commission is today making a renewed call on Member States to pick up the pace of relocation to alleviate pressure from Italy and Greece, with few having met their commitments in full. The Commission is also calling on Member States to make good on the strong political commitment given and fill gaps in manpower and equipment by the end of March for...

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The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is a composite index that summarises relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the evolution of EU member states in digital competitiveness. Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands have the most advanced digital economies in the EU followed by Luxembourg, Belgium, the UK and Ireland. Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy have the lowest scores on the DESI. In 2016, all Member States improved on the DESI. Slovakia and Slovenia progressed the most (more than...

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Given London’s current central role in the European financial system, Brexit will generate significant risks and opportunities for the financial system of the remaining members of the European Union (EU-27). With Britain’s departure from the EU single market nearly certain to occur before mid-2019, the EU-27 should not wait to adapt its financial regulatory structure to successfully manage the resulting shifts. The main risks relate to the supervision of wholesale activities of financial firms and capital markets. To address...

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The 2017 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) shows that the EU is making progress but the gap between top digital players and lower-performing countries is still too wide. More efforts and investments are needed to make the most of the Digital Single Market. Today the European Commission published the results of the 2017 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), a tool presenting the performance of the 28 Member States in a wide range of areas, from connectivity and digital...

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The new Trade Agenda reinforces the Administration’s commitment to defend American interests through the promotion of truly free and fair trade. Washington, D.C. – Today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative ("USTR") released President Trump's 2017 Trade Policy Agenda, as required by Congress. The 2017 Agenda outlines the new Administration’s four trade priorities: promoting U.S. sovereignty, enforcing U.S. trade laws, leveraging American economic strength to expand our goods and services exports, and protecting U.S. intellectual property rights. USTR leads development and...

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The European Commission just published its White Paper on the Future of Europe. The White Paper is the European Commission contribution to the upcoming Rome Summit, the moment when the EU will discuss its achievements of the past 60 years but also its future at 27. It maps out the drivers of change in the next decade and presents a range of five scenarios for how Europe could evolve by 2025. It marks the beginning of a process for...

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Amb. David O’Sullivan, ambassador of the European Union’s Delegation to the United States, discusses the future of EU relations with the Trump administration, upcoming European elections, policy on Russia, Iran and Syria during a wide-ranging interview with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.  Compliments of the Delegation of the EU to the US

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EU citizens could access registers of beneficial owners of companies without having to demonstrate a “legitimate interest,” and trusts would have to meet the same transparency requirements as firms, under amendments, agreed by MEPs on Tuesday, to the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The amendments, agreed by the Economic and Monetary Affairs and Civil Liberties committees, would plug gaps in the EU’s framework legislation against money laundering and terrorism financing.  They would also introduce stricter transparency rules to prevent tax evasion....

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Trade agreements can help increase sales and support jobs in the EU agri-food sector, a new study shows. Trade agreements have helped to boost EU agricultural exports and have supported jobs in the agri-food sector and other sectors of the economy, according to a new independent study carried out on behalf of the European Commission. Trade agreements with three countries – Mexico, South Korea and Switzerland – were studied in detail. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan said: "These...

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