Financial integration in the euro area is improving, though more slowly Recent financial turbulence should not hamper further integration Further developing European capital markets and integrating retail banking markets enhances the financial system’s resilience, its contribution to cross-country risk-sharing and its ability to finance the real economy The 2016 edition of the ECB’s report on Financial Integration in Europe, published today at a joint conference with the EU Commission at the ECB in Frankfurt, shows that financial integration in the euro area...

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89 420 applications for trade mark protection were received in 2015 by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) from the Member States of the European Union (EU), a number about 4 times higher than that of the mid-1990s. Over recent years, the number of EU trade mark (TM) applications originating from EU Member States has constantly risen, with the exception of the slowdown registered with the economic and financial crisis in 2008. Full text available on EUROSTAT website Compliments of the...

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The European Commission published new figures today showing that, in 2015, more than 2,000 dangerous products triggered EU-wide alerts. A key challenge is the increasing share of products bought online from outside the EU. The Commission, EU Member States and businesses are working together to ensure that these unsafe consumer goods are removed from the European market. "The Rapid Alert system has helped coordinate quick reactions between consumer protection authorities to remove dangerous products across Europe. Two challenges lie ahead of...

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On 22 April 2016 the EU and its 28 member states signed the global Paris climate agreement in a high-level ceremony in New York (United States). The agreement was concluded at the UN climate change conference in December 2015, so called COP21, that took place in Paris. The document will be now open for signature for one year. Dutch Minister for the Environment and President of the Council, Sharon Dijksma, said: "This is a historic day for global climate action....

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Today is Earth Day, the last one I'll celebrate as President. Looking back over the past seven years, I'm hopeful that the work we've done will allow my daughters and all of our children to inherit a cleaner, healthier, and safer planet. But I know there is still work to do. That's why, today, the United States will join about 170 other countries in signing the Paris Agreement, a historic deal to reduce carbon emissions across the globe. When Secretary of State...

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Over the past few years, The Whitehouse have watched closely as millions of people created and signed petitions on our We the People petitions platform. We've responded to our signers on issues from overtime rules, to STEM OPT regulations, to the Syrian refugee crisis. We've watched how people used the site and have heard some helpful feedback from the community. Now, we have something exciting to share with you: a new version of We the People. You'll notice that we made a few...

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A provisional agreement to open up the EU market for domestic passenger rail transport and to ensure equal conditions for railway companies was reached by European Parliament and Council negotiators on Tuesday evening. It aims to boost the quality of services offered to passengers and to improve the performance of the rail sector.  The new rules would boost competition in two ways. First, railway companies should have access to the EU domestic passenger rail market from 1 January 2019 “in...

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Entering the second day of its inaugural forum on financing for development follow-up, the Economic and Social Council held three round tables and a panel discussion today focused on the global framework for financing sustainable development, domestic and international public resources, global infrastructure forum, and private business and finance. The first round table explored early actions taken towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and identified obstacles to policy action.  Among other issues, panellists focused on measures undertaken by...

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European Agenda on Security: Paving the way towards a Security Union The Commission is today setting out the way forward towards the achievement of an effective and genuine EU Security Union – building on the European Agenda on Security presented on 28 April 2015. Whilst responsibility for security lies primarily with Member States, transnational threats such as terrorism cannot be addressed effectively without a common European approach. The necessary tools, infrastructure and environment are being built at European level for...

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The European Commission has informed Google of its preliminary view that the company has, in breach of EU antitrust rules, abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators. The Commission's preliminary view is that Google has implemented a strategy on mobile devices to preserve and strengthen its dominance in general internet search. First, the practices mean that Google Search is pre-installed and set as the default, or exclusive, search service on most Android...

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