The Council today adopted a directive aimed at strengthening shareholders' engagement in big European companies. The directive will encourage transparent and active engagement by shareholders of listed companies by reviewing the current Shareholders' Rights Directive (2007/36/EC). The financial crisis revealed that shareholders in many cases supported managers' excessive short-term risk taking. The revised directive is intended to redress this situation and contribute to the sustainability of companies, which will result in growth and job creation. The new directive establishes specific requirements in...

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Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) play a pivotal role in the European business landscape by bridging industry and academia and by adding value across the entire innovation value chain. However there is a need to optimise and complement RTOs’ traditional business model and funding strategies with new additional business models and funding strategies to allow them to successfully navigate through a changing funding landscape and make full use of existing business opportunities. This is the result of a study...

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Tusk: So, here it is, six pages: the notification from Prime Minister Theresa May, triggering Article 50 and formally starting the negotiations of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. There is no reason to pretend that this is a happy day, neither in Brussels, nor in London. After all, most Europeans, including almost half the British voters wish that we would stay together, not drift apart. As for me I will not pretend that I am happy...

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Plans to make it easier to move money around within the EU’s long-run budget, to help tackle urgent challenges such as the migration crisis, strengthening security, boosting growth and creating jobs, were backed by the Budgets Committee on Monday. Parliament has long fought for greater flexibility within the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), which would apply for the remainder of the 2014-2020 MFF. “Parliament demanded this revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework because it considered it highly necessary due to a...

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Non-governmental organisation commends ECB for steps taken to enhance transparency ECB confirms that it maintains balanced dialogue with all stakeholders ECB committed to strengthening good governance framework and integrity mechanisms The European Central Bank (ECB) today stressed its commitment to open dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders, as a non-governmental organisation published a report on the central bank. While emphasising that it is directly accountable to the European Parliament (EP), the ECB facilitated a project by Transparency International...

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We, the Leaders of 27 Member States and of EU institutions, take pride in the achievements of the European Union: the construction of European unity is a bold, far-sighted endeavor. Sixty years ago, recovering from the tragedy of two world wars, we decided to bond together and rebuild our continent from its ashes. We have built a unique Union with common institutions and strong values, a community of peace, freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, a major...

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On 25 March, EU leaders will come together in Rome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which were signed on this day in 1957.Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, will participate in the Rome Summit, where a number of events are being organised to mark the occasion and to reflect on Europe's common future. The Treaties of Rome – signed by the six founding Member States – paved the way for the European Union that we know today:...

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