The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs today publishes its Quarterly Report on the Euro Area, featuring in-depth technical analysis of economic issues affecting the euro area. In this edition, staff economists compare the euro area's ongoing recovery with similar instances in its past and elsewhere and assess estimates of the EU's output gap. The report also takes a look at the factors driving inflation in the euro area and presents an abridged version of the Commission's July...

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The European Commission will boost competitiveness by investing almost €16 billion in research and innovation in the next two years under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation funding scheme. The European Commission will invest almost €16 billion in research and innovation in the next two years under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation funding scheme, following a new Work Programme for 2016-17 adopted today. The new funding opportunities offered by the Work Programme are directly aligned with the policy priorities of...

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In the second quarter of 2015, the business investment rate was 22.3% in the euro area, compared with 22.0% in the previous quarter. The business profit share in the euro area was 40.0% in the second quarter of 2015, stable compared with the first quarter of 2015. This data come from a first release of seasonally adjusted quarterly European sector accounts from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, and the European Central Bank (ECB). To read the full...

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The Commission is today launching a new initiative to ensure that taxpayer money is spent efficiently by improving the synergies between EU funding for regional policy and for research. The new "Seal of Excellence" scheme will allow regions to recognise the quality label awarded to promising project proposals submitted under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme and promote their access to different funding sources like the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and other national or regional investment...

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On 9 October 2015 the Council agreed its negotiating stance on the draft data protection directive. This draft directive is aimed at protecting personal data processed for the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal offences or the safeguarding against and the prevention of threats to public security. To read about the outcome of the meeting, click here Courtesy of the EU Delegation to the U.S.

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Today, Ministers in the Justice Council have sealed an overall agreement on the EU's Data Protection Directive for the police and criminal justice sector. Following the agreement reached in June 2015 on the Regulation, today's agreement means the EU is fully on track to finalise its data protection reform by the end of this year, as called for by the European Council. Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová welcomed today's agreement: "The right to personal data protection is a fundamental right...

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The regional yearbook, published every year by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, provides an overview of European regional statistics covering a wide range of fields. It is thus a helpful tool to understand the regional diversity that exists within the EU. Commenting on the yearbook, Marianne Thyssen, responsible for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobilitysaid: "Despite economic recovery and signs of improvements in the EU labour market, the employment situation varies between the EU Member States. We can observe the...

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The new rules will protect consumers better when they make payments, promote the development and use of innovative online and mobile payments and make European payment services safer. The European Commission welcomes today's adoption by the European Parliament of the revised Directive on Payment Services. This new law, proposed by the European Commission in July 2013, enhances consumer protection, promotes innovation and improves the security of payment services. PSD2 is the latest in a series of laws recently adopted by the...

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