EP President Martin Schulz said the EU institutions are appealing to the Greek people to vote in favour of their proposals during Sunday's referendum. Speaking about proposals made to continue economic support for the country, Schulz said yesterday this represented "a hand stretched to the Greek people", adding that the result of the referendum would prove "fundamental" to Greece's position in the euro zone. "What will happen in the referendum affects first of all the Greek people," he said....

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Today the European Parliament's Conference of Presidents (EP President and political group leaders) discussed the latest situation on Greece with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The Conference of Presidents then discussed the situation further and adopted a position on the immediate next step that should be taken. It called for all parties to the talks on Greece to return to the negotiating table before the end of Tuesday to discuss how to avoid negative developments for Greece and possible ways of...

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Brussels, 29 June 2015 -- Today the Commission is further delivering on its top priority of creating jobs and boosting growth in Europe, by unveiling a record €13.1 billion investment plan in 276 transport projects, selected under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). This investment will unlock additional public and private co-financing for a combined amount of €28.8 billion. Along with the future European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the CEF will play a major role in bridging the investment gap...

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Brussels, 28 June 2015 - In the interest of transparency and for the information of the Greek people, the European Commission is publishing the latest proposals agreed among the three institutions (European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund), which take into account the proposals of the Greek authorities of 8, 14, 22 and 25 June 2015 as well as the talks at political and technical level throughout the week. Discussions on this text were ongoing with the Greek...

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ECB takes note of decision on Greek referendum and the non-prolongation of the EU adjustment programme ECB will work closely with Bank of Greece to maintain financial stability Emergency liquidity assistance maintained at Friday’s (26 June 2015) level Governing Council stands ready to review decision Governing Council closely monitoring situation and potential implications for monetary policy stance The Governing Council of the European Central Bank today welcomed the commitment by ministers from euro area Member States to take all necessary measures to further improve...

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On 26 June the Greek authorities decided to reject the proposals by the institutions (the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund) for Greece's reforms plan. The plan, which has been negotiated since February, is a precondition to unlocking the remaining financial assistance for Greece under the current arrangement. The Greek government decided to call for a referendum on these proposals. It is expected to take place on Sunday, 5 July 2015, after the expiration date...

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The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the endorsement made today by the Heads of State or government at the European Council of the so-called 5 Presidents' Report on "Completing Europe's Economic and Monetary Union".  Political will has now to deliver on citizens' expectations for growth and jobs, says the EESC. Today's move is a strong signal of support for more integration – and therefore stability – in the Eurozone and a push for increased trust between Members...

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WASHINGTON, DC — Yesterday, in a bipartisan vote, the Senate passed legislation establishing trade promotion authority (TPA). This action follows House passage last week, and the bill will now head to the president for his signature. In response, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement. “Years of hard work have finally paid off. This is a win for our economy, for our national security, for government accountability, and for American leadership. With TPA in...

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The €315-billion “Juncker” investment plan, announced by the European Commission last November to encourage the financing of viable investments in Europe, was backed by the European Parliament in a vote on Wednesday. Parliament modified its financing structure, won a say in selecting its leadership and ensured more democratic oversight in negotiations with the Council. Parliament approved the fund’s rules by 464 votes to 131 with 19 abstentions. The vote marks the end of a rapid legislative process, demonstrating Parliament's...

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Mr President, Honourable Members, Let me first express my gratitude to this House, the European Parliament, and especially to Presidents Gualtieri and Arthuis, and of course the two co-rapporteurs Mr Bullman and Mr Fernandes, for your excellent support, for your excellent work on this very specific and important file. I also want to thank the other Rapporteurs who were working on this issue. Mr President, I have to say that these people were very tough negotiators, but also very result-oriented negotiators....

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