Speech by Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at an event organised by the Bayerischer Sparkassenverband, Munich, 27 January 2016 Ladies and Gentlemen, You have invited me to speak about “Current developments in the German banking market”. Allow me to say right at the beginning, not just in my official capacity as a representative of the European Central Bank (ECB), that a national banking market in a monetary union must be seen in the context of...

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Keynote address by Commissioner Jonathan Hill at the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue, Brussels | Brussels, 27 January 2016 Regulatory responses to the global financial crisis in the EU and US: Implementation and enforcement of retail financial services regulation It's a great pleasure to be here at your annual conference and to have the opportunity to talk about financial services from the point of view of the consumer. We depend on a strong financial services industry to pay our bills, to...

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New LIFE funding will help bring over € 1 billion of support to environmental plans across the EU. The European Commission today announced an investment of € 63.8 million for the first-ever "Integrated Projects" to be funded under the LIFE programme for the environment. "Integrated Projects" were introduced to implement environmental legislation on a wider scale and increase the impact of funding for plans developed on the regional, multi-regional or national level. The six projects selected have a total budget...

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The Fiscal Sustainability Report 2015 provides an overview of the challenges to public finance sustainability faced by Member States in the short, medium and long term. Although public finances in the EU today are more sustainable than they were at the onset of the crisis, significant challenges remain over the medium and long term because of high debt levels and population ageing. FAQ Download PDF: Fiscal Sustainability Report 2015 IN THIS CONTEXT: An early-detection index of fi scal stress for EU countries  

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Foreign Direct Investment stocks at the end of 2014 - The EU, a net investor in the rest of the world - Main FDI partner: by far the United States Brussels, 25 January 2016 -- At the end of 2014, the European Union (EU) held Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stocks of €5 749 billion in the rest of the world (+7.6% compared with the end of 2013), while stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU amounted...

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SPF inflation expectations have been revised downwards for 2016 from 1.0 to 0.7 percent Real GDP growth expectations are unchanged in the 1.7-1.8% range Unemployment rate forecasts have been revised downward and remain on a downward path Respondents to the ECB’s Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF, Q1 2016) have revised their inflations expectations for 2016 downwards by 0.3 percentage point to 0.7 percent, mainly reflecting oil price developments. Inflation is expected to pick up further in 2017 to 1.4% and in 2018...

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As 2016 gets underway, U.S. writers and commentators have been looking into their crystal balls, predicting that this will be year the European Union will buckle under surmounting problems. “Terrorism, Migrants, and Crippling Debt: Is This the End of Europe?” blasts Vanity Fair. The Washington Post hones in on Europe’s crises in 2015 and speculates 2016 will be the year it unravels. Break-up of the European Union is on the table, predicts Fortune. The thinking behind the headlines is clear: a...

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Market Operations Annual review of acceptable non-regulated markets and issuers classified as agencies in haircut category II On 18 December 2015 the Governing Council reviewed the list of acceptable non-regulated markets for assets eligible as collateral for Eurosystem monetary policy operations. Accordingly, it decided to accept the Alternext Lisbon and the Alternext Paris as acceptable non-regulated markets. The updated list of acceptable non-regulated markets is available on the ECB’s website. Furthermore, the Governing Council reviewed the list of issuers classified as...

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Virtual currencies (VCs) and especially their underlying technologies are a potentially important advance for the financial sector that could increase efficiency and financial inclusion, but can also serve as vehicles for money laundering, terrorism financing, and tax evasion. Achieving a balanced regulatory framework that guards against risks without suffocating innovation is a challenge that will require extensive international cooperation, says a new staff paper, “Virtual Currencies and Beyond: Initial Considerations,” released today by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the...

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