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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Digital technology is part of everyday life. From studying to watching films, buying or selling online to connecting with friends or your doctor – the internet is a goldmine of digital opportunities. But every day in the EU people and companies run into many barriers – from geo-blocking or cross-border parcel delivery inefficiencies to unconnected e-services. Digital services too often remain confined to national borders. The Juncker Commission has made it a priority to remove these obstacles and create a...

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The European Central Bank’s expanded asset purchase programme, better known as “quantitative easing” (QE), is starting to make headway across the EU, ECB President Mario Draghi told Economic and Monetary Committee MEPs on Monday. Mr Draghi also reported on the tough negotiations with Greece and outlined what it would take for the ECB to reinstate the waiver for buying Greek state bonds on the secondary market, so as to enable QE to benefit Greece, too. The ECB began buying sovereign bonds...

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Brussels, 23 March 2015 -- The European Commission published new figures today, showing that in 2014, nearly 2500 products, ranging from toys to motor vehicles, were either stopped before they entered the EU or removed from markets because they were dangerous for EU consumers. For 12 years, the European Commission and EU Member States have been working together to ensure that consumer goods placed on the European markets are safe. For this purpose, they use the Rapid Alert System for...

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