Slovakia takes over the helm of the Council of the EU from the Netherlands on 1 July. Over the next six months the country wants to strengthen the EU's economy, modernise and deepen the common market in the areas of energy and digital economy and work on a sustainable migration and asylum policy. In addition it will have to deal with the new situation in the wake of the UK referendum. Read what Slovak MEPs from Parliament’s three main...

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A revamped EU legal framework, applicable as of 3 July, will ensure even more efficient, transparent and trustworthy European financial markets. This new rulebook, will increase investor protection and confidence by allowing deeper and more integrated financial markets, and contribute to the creation of the Capital Markets Union. The new framework will strengthen the fight against market abuse across commodity and related derivative markets, explicitly ban the manipulation of benchmarks, such as LIBOR, and reinforce the investigative and sanctioning powers...

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US and EU negotiators have agreed on changes to the Privacy Shield deal, the new transatlantic data transfer framework. Under the new deal, companies are required to delete personal data that is no longer used for its intended purpose, and third-party services will find it more difficult to access the data from companies who have signed on to the agreement. EU member states still need to approve the deal, which would take effect in July. However, Privacy Shield is...

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Today, the United States, Canada, and Mexico joined together at the North American Leaders Summit to set an historic goal -- to achieve 50 percent clean power across North America by 2025, through cooperation on permitting new transmission lines, commitments to procure clean energy for our federal facilities, and cutting waste through increased efficiency.  Here's what you need to know: Growing clean power also grows the economy. The plan will support more than one million jobs, on average, over the next decade....

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The European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have launched a new initiative to help SMEs in the cultural and creative sectors access credit. The €121 million which will be invested by the EU in this financial instrument until the end of 2020 is expected to leverage more than €600 million worth of bank loans over the next 6 years. Why is it needed? The creative and cultural sectors employ more than 7 million people in the EU and account...

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The Commission has today proposed the 2017 draft EU Budget of €134.9 billion in payments focusing on the two main policy priorities for Europe: supporting the ongoing recovery of the European economy and addressing the security and humanitarian challenges in our neighbourhood. Increased funding will go to investments in growth, jobs and competitiveness in the European Union as well as to securing the necessary resources to protect the external borders of the EU, to reinforce security inside and outside...

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Together with the Presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission, EU leaders met for the first time today without the United Kingdom at the table. They expressed their regret for the referendum result but showed determination to forge ahead with current priorities. The 27 Heads of State or Government and the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council met to discuss the political and practical implications of the UK vote to leave the EU and...

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Transport plays a critical role in the way we live. Our food, clothes and household waste all need to be transported, contributing to our economy and quality of life. But the increasing use of planes, cars and other fossil-fuel dependent modes of transport is causing more pollution, putting at risk our environment and health. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals 2016 explores how Europe’s carbon-dependent transport sector can be turned into a clean and smart mobility system. EEA Signals 2016...

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