New rules to help EU countries open up their rail transport markets and improve their competitiveness are debated by MEPs on Monday evening and voted on Wednesday. The new legislation should help to make travelling by rail cheaper and more attractive. Check out our infographic to find out more about Europe's railway sector and follow the debate live online.     MEPs are set to debate and vote on a series of measures to improve rail travel in the EU as part...

Read more

Today I am talking trade with European farmers, following my helpful discussion last week with the European Parliament's agriculture committee on the global opportunities for that sector. And tomorrow, I'm taking part in the Joint Ministerial Trade Council of the EU and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States. So, today, a long blog post on what EU trade policy means for farmers – those who produce and process the food we eat and export. (Also, today's speech to...

Read more

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker issued the following statement on today’s release of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity’s (Commission) Report on Securing and Growing the Digital Economy.  “Our society faces a moment of reckoning regarding the security of the networks and devices we depend on in our lives and our work,” said Secretary Pritzker. Today’s report provides a path forward for government, the commercial sector, consumers, and educators to address the challenges before us. The Commission’s recommendations emphasize...

Read more

Today, President Juncker gave a speech to students on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty. He spoke of the Treaty's achievements and called for more unity, structured cooperation and defence of our common achievements in the future. Today European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gave a speech to students at the University of Maastricht on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty. He spoke of the Treaty's achievements in creating the Economic and Monetary Union. Looking...

Read more

Good morning to all of you. I am very happy to be here with you today for a short press briefing. My goal today is to explain what we have done so far, and the spirit in which the Commission prepares itself. All of you will understand that it is too soon to talk today about the details of Brexit. At the end of July, President Juncker appointed me as the Commission's Chief Negotiator for the preparation and conduct of the negotiations with...

Read more

First Brexit, then the election of Donald Trump as the new US President: right now, the world economy is in total disarray. Even though – according to IW foreign predictions forecasts – the global growth rate is set to increase slightly in the coming year, there is still a lot to do – especially for Europe. At first glance, the current IW forecast for the global economy does not look too bad at all. This year gross domestic product is set...

Read more

Following the financial crisis, the question of how to handle a big bank’s collapse has come to the fore. This Policy Contribution evaluates the obstacles to resolvability that the legal and operational structures of the large euro-area banks could pose to the European Union’s new resolution regime. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the question of how to handle a big bank’s collapse has arisen. Large banks perform functions that if disrupted could seriously damage the financial sector and...

Read more

The European Commission today presents a package of measures to keep the European Union competitive as the clean energy transition is changing the global energy markets. The Commission wants the EU to lead the clean energy transition, not only adapt to it. For this reason the EU has committed to cut CO2 emissions by at least 40% by 2030 while modernising the EU’s economy and delivering on jobs and growth for all European citizens. Today’s proposals have three main goals:...

Read more

Decarbonisation and digitalisation are reshaping the European energy system, which will become more decentralised and interconnected with other sectors. Cities have the opportunity to be the key drivers of decarbonisation, but this will require the implementation of a new bottom-up governance system. This paper outlines a four-step mechanism in order to achieve decarbonisation at city level. Four trends are reshaping the European energy system: decarbonisation, digitalisation and, as a result of the two, decentralisation and convergence. Based on strong public policies,...

Read more