Multilingualism is central to the European Union’s cultural heritage, and the EU protects its linguistic diversity, promotes language learning, and encourages its citizens to become multilingual. Multilingualism allows people to take full advantage of the opportunities offered across the EU, from employment to culture, from living or retiring in another EU country to undertaking multinational business ventures. Now in its 15th year, the European Day of Languages is celebrated on September 26 each year with numerous events highlighting the positive...

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The Investment Plan for Europe aims to revive investment in strategic projects around Europe to ensure that money reaches the real economy. This should unlock additional investment of at least EUR 315bn over the next three years. What is the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI)? EFSI is an initiative launched jointly by the EIB Group and the European Commission to help overcome the current investment gap in the EU by mobilising private financing for strategic investments. EFSI is a EUR 16...

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September 2015 The ECB has published new statistics on loans adjusted for sales and securitisation, providing more complete information on loans that were granted by euro area banks but are no longer recorded on their balance sheets. The enhanced method for adjusting loans for sales and securitisation enables a more comprehensive view of lending to the real economy originated by euro area banks, and improves comparability across countries. The flows and growth rates of bank loans to the euro area private sector,...

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Speech by Vice-President Dombrovskis at the Humboldt University: | Berlin, 21 September 2015 President, distinguished guests, fellow Europeans, It is a privilege to be here at Humboldt University, where many eminent speakers have stood in the past and set out their vision on the future of Europe. And it is wonderful to be back here in Berlin. When I was here in April, I delivered a speech in the Axel Springer building. I remember looking out at the view where the Wall once stood...

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By João Vale de Almeida, incoming EU Ambassador to the United Nations In August 1415 , when the Portuguese kicked off the first wave of globalization by taking control of the north African  strategic port of Ceuta, they could hardly have imagined the long-term nature and extent of the process they were launching. A small country on the western most corner of Europe, Portugal had the merit of creating the first global network of trade routes and maritime outposts and of...

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The 2015 edition of the Consumer Scoreboard shows that cross-border e-commerce is still an under-developed market in Europe: 61% of consumers feel more confident buying online from their own country (61%) than from another EU country (38%). The 2015 edition of the Consumer Scoreboard shows that cross-border e-commerce is still an under-developed market in Europe: 61% of consumers feel more confident buying online from their own country than from another EU country (38%). The scoreboard which focuses on The Digital...

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Speech by Commissioner Jonathan Hill European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union at European Banking Federation, 2015 Annual High Level Conference | Brussels, 17 September 2015 Ladies and gentlemen, This is a Commission that puts growth and jobs first. It is a Commission that wants a strong and stable banking sector that is well led, where managers take responsibility. A banking sector that is able to compete internationally and respond to the challenges of a fast moving digital...

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ECB: Euro area house prices recovering House prices in the euro area have turned the corner and can be expected to gradually strengthen further, according to the forthcoming Economic Bulletin. The upturn is favourable for the economy as a whole and has posed little risk for financial stability up to now. The European Central Bank published an Economic Bulletin that discusses the current state of the euro area house price cycle and compares it with historical patterns. It finds that the...

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Interview with Vítor Constâncio, Vice-President of the ECB, conducted by Paul Ingrassia, Balazs Koranyi and John O'Donnell of Thomson Reuters on 14 September Is quantitative easing working? It is working and effective in many ways. The ultimate metric to assess success is the inflation rate normalization around our medium term target. That is achieved through the improvement of financial conditions in general, by the effect of our policies on expectations, the cost of capital, and rebalancing of portfolios. All of...

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