Today during the Smart Regions conference, the European Commission is launching the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation.  This new initiative offers hands-on support to regions to foster interregional cooperation based on matching smart specialisation prioritiesrelated to industrial modernisation - such as Key Enabling Technologies, service innovation or resource efficiency. It will be hosted by the European Commission's Smart Specialisation Platform located in Seville. The aim of this initiative is to create an investment pipeline of mature projects in new growth...

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The European Commission today presented guidance aimed at supporting consumers, businesses and public authorities to engage confidently in the collaborative economy. These new business models can make an important contribution to jobs and growth in the European Union, if encouraged and developed in a responsible manner. The collaborative economy is growing rapidly. As it takes root in the EU, national and local authorities are responding with a patchwork of different regulatory actions. This fragmented approach to new business models creates uncertainty...

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One year after the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) came into force, the Commission looks at what has worked well in the Investment Plan, what can be improved, and how to advance. Eighteen months after President Jean-Claude Juncker launched the Investment Plan for Europe, and a year after the start of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the Commission takes stock of achievements to date. Today the Commission shares the lessons learned and makes clear proposals for an...

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The European Commission presents its vision on how European standard setting should evolve in the light of technological developments, political priorities and global trends. It also announces next steps on the Joint Initiative on Standardisation (JIS), which aims to reinforce the partnership between the European institutions and the standardisation community. From the A4 paper size to GSM technology, standards reduce costs, promote innovation, ensure interoperability between different devices and services, and help companies to access markets. Largely voluntary and industry-driven, European...

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Speech by Sabine Lautenschläger, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Single Supervisory Mechanism, Bundesbanksymposium "Dialogue on banking supervision" Frankfurt am Main, 1 June 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, In 1863 the Freemasons’ Tavern in London was the scene of a lively discussion. It concerned the adoption of a set of rules which was initially only valid in England and a good 20 years later was to become very important for the whole world....

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Cities get more influence in EU policies Today in Amsterdam, EU ministers responsible for urban policy have, under the Netherlands Chairmanship of minister Ronald Plasterk (Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations), adopted the Pact of Amsterdam. It states that European cities, on the basis of the so called ‘Urban Agenda for the EU’, will get more involved with EU legislation, access to financing and knowledge sharing. The agenda as drawn up by the Ministers includes 12 priority themes,...

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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today released the second set of Top Markets Reports that provides the latest assessment of export opportunities for U.S. companies in 19 sectors. As part of the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) Top Markets Series launched in 2015, the report ranks future export markets within a particular industry, delivering in-depth commentary on key opportunities, trends, and challenges facing U.S. companies looking to expand their businesses and export globally. “The Department of Commerce is committed to providing exporters...

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Several start-ups are chasing ways to use food waste to make other edibles. Some are aiming to quickly distribute food that is about to be thrown out. And yet others are working to use every last ounce of ingredients. Food waste, in other words, is now a platform for commerce. “I’m convinced there’s a business that’s a kind of Uber for refrigerated trucks,” said Jesse Fink, a founder of the travel site Priceline who now calls himself a food waste evangelist. The...

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In the European Union (EU), household electricity prices rose by 2.4% on average between the second half of 2014 and the second half of 2015 to reach €21.1 per 100 kWh. Since 2008, electricity prices in the EU have risen by 33%. Across the EU Member States, household electricity prices in the second half of 2015 ranged from below €10 per 100 kWh in Bulgaria to more than €30 per 100 kWh in Denmark. Full text available on EUROSTAT website Compliments...

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Amsterdam, 26 May 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, Let me start by thanking you for inviting me to this first edition of the Energy Fest, hopefully the first of a long series. One of the most brilliant European minds of all times, Lenardo Da Vinci once said that "people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things". By 'happening to things', Da Vinci meant questioning axioms, challenging the common wisdom, and above all daring...

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