Financial integration in the euro area has improved steadily and has reached a level close to that before the sovereign debt crisis Establishment of Banking Union and unconventional monetary policy actions taken by the ECB are major drivers of the improvement Financial integration is crucial for restoring efficient credit flows to the real economy Overall, financial integration in Europe has returned to a level close to that recorded before the sovereign debt crisis, the European Central Bank (ECB) said today in a...

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Brussels, 24 April 2015 -- The Neighbourhood Investment Facility brings additional investments in transport, energy and environment infrastructure, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to the development of social and private sectors in Eastern and Southern Partner Countries. The European Commission decided to contribute an additional EUR 295.04 million to the Facility in 2015 to enable more than EUR 3 billion in investments. The Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) is an instrument which combines EU grants with other public and...

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In the fourth quarter of 2014, the seasonally adjusted general government deficit to GDP ratio stood at 2.4% in the euro area (EA19), an increase compared with 2.2% in the third quarter of 2014. In the EU28, the deficit to GDP ratio stood at 2.6%, a decrease compared with 2.8% in the previous quarter. Full text available on EUROSTAT website or here: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-press-releases/-/2-23042015-AP

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Amid concerns over a “new mediocre” in the global economy, trade should be seen as an integral part of the plan for increasing global growth over the medium term, a new IMF report says.  In its regular five-year review of trade, the IMF takes stock of the changes in the trade landscape and discusses key issues for the institution’s future work agenda.  A revival of trade growth, which has been slowing in recent years, has the potential to significantly impact growth...

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Ms Lautenschläger, you have a unique role in the European Central Bank: not only do you have a say in the key ECB interest rates but, as Vice-Chair of the new banking supervision, you also monitor the institutions. Do you manage to avoid conflicts of interest between monetary policy and supervision? I am a purist in this regard, so I strictly separate both of my tasks in order to avoid conflicts of interest. Before contributing to a discussion, I...

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THE PRESIDENT:  Well, as I said in the State of the Union address earlier this year, my top priority is to make sure that we continue the economic momentum that's been established, continue to grow businesses, create jobs, and make sure that we've got the kind of prosperity that is broad-based and allows people not just to get into the middle class, but ultimately to start their own businesses, start their own industries, in some cases, climb out of...

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The EP plays a crucial role in deciding the fate of a trade deal between the US and the EU The European Parliament is working on its position on the EU-US trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The international trade committee is responsible for drafting the Parliament's recommendations; however 14 other EP committees will contribute with their opinions. MEPs are due to debate and vote on the EP's position before summer. The trade deal, which...

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29 March 2015 -- The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) are today announcing a series of measures aimed at enhancing financial stability in relation to centrally cleared markets within the EU. The ECB and the BoE have agreed enhanced arrangements for information exchange and cooperation regarding UK Central Counterparties (CCPs) with significant euro-denominated business. The ECB and the BoE are today extending the scope of their standing swap line in order, should it be necessary and...

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International Trade Statistics 2014 provides a detailed overview of the latest developments in world trade, covering both merchandise and services trade as well as trade measured in value-added terms. A key developments section at the start of each chapter uses charts and maps to illustrate the most important trends. More detailed data are provided in a variety of tables covering specific aspects of world trade up to the end of 2013. A chapter on methodology explains how the data are...

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