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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Over 15,000 start-ups in Germany will benefit from this €1 billion agreement signed today The European Investment Fund (EIF) and the German promotional bank KfW Bankengruppe have signed a €1 billion agreement for start-ups in Germany under COSME– an EU funding programme for SMEs – with the support of the Investment Plan for Europe. The agreement will allow KfW to support €1 billion of loans to start-ups in Germany over the next two and a half years, benefitting over 15,000 start-ups and young small enterprises under...

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The Council of the European Union prolonged by 6 months the application of EU restrictive measures targeting actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. The asset freeze and travel bans against 149 persons and 37 entities have been extended until 15 March 2016. The assessment of the situation did not justify a change in the regime of sanctions nor in the list of persons and entities under restrictive measures. One deceased person was removed from the list. The legal acts are available...

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The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System. The Investment Court System would replace the existing investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the EU-US talks on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The proposal for an Investment Court System builds on the substantial input received from the European Parliament, Member States, national parliaments and stakeholders...

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