There's no hiding the fact that we wanted a different outcome of yesterday's referendum. I am fully aware of how serious, or even dramatic, this moment is politically. And there's no way of predicting all the political consequences of this event, especially for the UK. It is a historic moment but for sure not a moment for hysterical reactions. I want to reassure everyone that we are prepared also for this negative scenario. As you know the EU is...

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What is crucial to create a smart Europe? This question framed the first day of the European conference Industrial Technologies 2016, Wednesday 22 June in Amsterdam. The world is changing rapidly and we need to come out of our comfort zone to make our factories future proof. It’s eat or be eaten. With this message opened Ineke Dezentjé Hamming-Bluemink, chair of FME and president of CEEMET, the conference. Pan-European policy All keynote speakers underlined the importance of a pan-European policy to...

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The EU multiannual plan for managing Baltic Sea cod, sprat and herring stocks was approved in plenary on Thursday. This is the first new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) regional plan that takes account of interactions between species. It aims to ensure the sustainability of fisheries and offer fishermen better economic conditions in the long run. Parliament and Council negotiators reached an informal agreement on it in March. The multispecies management approach is much more effective than managing a single species....

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Keynote speech by Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Natixis Meeting of Chief Economists, Paris, 23 June 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, The past few years, not to speak of present days, have been challenging ones for central banks worldwide, and the euro area has been no exception. The ECB’s monetary policy decisions have come under greater scrutiny than ever before. Some commentators have argued that the ECB does not have sufficient tools to counter deflationary...

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The EU's renewable energy target - 20% of total consumption by 2020 - has already been hit by many EU member states. But others lag behind and must do more, MEPs urge in a resolution, voted on Thursday, on the EU Commission's “renewables progress report." To achieve the EU's energy efficiency target - a 20% gain by 2020 – member states need to implement EU legislation faster, and in full, says a second resolution, also voted on Thursday. "Our concern...

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In April 2016, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, launched the Department’s new Commercial Diplomacy Institute (CDI) as a vehicle to advance government to business partnerships by promoting stronger professional development and thought leadership opportunities in the commercial diplomacy field.   One of CDI’s newest programs is the U.S. Industry Internship Program (USIIP). USIIP allows our strategic partners to host experienced trade professionals for a period of up to 90 days over a calendar year. This mutually beneficial exchange...

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Thank you very much for the invitation and opportunity to speak to you today. Again, in a time of uncertainty. Political and economic uncertainty, this time stemming directly from a referendum in the UK. And again, commentators throughout Europe contemplate the consequences of the possible next crisis. I will argue today that we should not wait for the next possible event (which may never happen) but should look at the fundamentals and continue to work on improving those. Economic outlook eurozone There is quite a...

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Two major global initiatives to fight climate change at city level are merging to create an alliance of more than 7,100 cities across the world called the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. The Covenant of Mayors – an EU initiative launched in 2008 involving 6,800 cities and regions in 57 countries – and the Compact of Mayors – a global coalition of mayors and city officials launched in 2014 by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – together...

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The European Central Bank (ECB) has bought €80 billion worth of public and private debt since March 2015 in order to boost growth and push interest rates down. The bond buying programme has led to the bank being criticised for overstepping its mandate, but today the German constitutional court ruled that it wasn't. ECB President Mario Draghi is expected to discuss the strategy known as quantative easing during his meeting with Parliament's economic committee today from 15.00 CET. The ECB...

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