Brussels, 15 January 2015 Countries providing high quality jobs and effective social protection as well as investment in human capital have proved to be more resilient to the economic crisis. This is one of the main findings of the 2014 Employment and Social Developments in Europe Review, which has looked back to the consequences of the recession. It also stresses the need to invest in the formation and maintenance of the right skills of the workforce to support productivity, as...

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Strasbourg, 13 January 2015 Just 50 days after announcing its ambitious Investment Plan for Europe to boost jobs and growth, the European Commission today adopted the legislative proposal for the European Fund for Strategic Investments, which will be established in close partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The Fund is at the very heart of President Juncker's Investment Offensive, which will mobilise at least €315 billion in private and public investment across the European Union. This will especially support...

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Brussels, 09 January 2015 New rules applying as of tomorrow mean businesses and consumers will be able to resolve cross-border legal disputes more easily – bringing expected savings of up to €48 million each year in the EU. The rules abolish the costly and lengthy procedure, which is currently used 10,000 times per year to get judgments in civil and commercial matters recognised in other EU countries. Starting tomorrow, such cross-border judgments will be automatically enforceable across the EU. Consumers will...

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2015: A Make or Break Year? 2015 promises to be a pivotal year for the TTIP negotiations, and global trade generally. After a (hopefully) restful holiday season, a new Congress is coming to a snow-covered Washington today -- and the European Union is returning to work in Brussels to outline its goals for 2015. Trade is high on both agenda, as it should be. Difficult election campaigns in Greece, Spain, the UK and (next year) the United States mean that significant...

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European Commission - Fact Sheet | Brussels, 06 January 2015 On 1 January 2015, Lithuania adopted the euro as its official currency and the changeover is running smoothly and according to plan. The previous national currency – the litas – will be phased out during a transitional two-week dual circulation period when both currencies have legal tender status in Lithuania. By Saturday, 3 January, 89% of customers were getting their change in euro. No major problems were observed in banks...

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Opinion piece by Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, for Project Syndicate, 2 January 2015 There is a common misconception that the euro area is a monetary union without a political union. But this reflects a deep misunderstanding of what monetary union means. Monetary union is possible only because of the substantial integration already achieved among European Union countries – and sharing a single currency deepens that integration. If European monetary union has proved more resilient than many thought, it...

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