Eurogroup - Athens, 1 April 2014 - Olli REHN, Vice-President of the European Commission and member of the Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro Let me begin with some words on the economic outlook. In fact, the picture has not changed substantially since I presented the Commission’s Winter Economic Forecast on 25 February. We continue to project growth in the euro area of 1.2% this year and 1.8% next year, driven by a gradual strengthening in...

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The European Commission has today adopted a package of measures to stimulate new and different ways of unlocking long-term financing and support Europe's return to sustainable economic growth. Significant long-term investment will be needed under the Europe 2020 strategy and the 2030 climate and energy package, in infrastructure, new technologies and innovation, R&D and human capital. Investment needs for transport, energy and telecom infrastructure networks of EU importance alone are estimated at €1 trillion for the period up to 2020...

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"Improving ISDS to prevent abuse" - Statement by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht on the launch of a public consultation on investment protection in TTIP | European Commission - STATEMENT/14/85 Brussels, 27 March 2014 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. As you are aware, on the 21st of January I decided 'to pause' the part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP negotiations specific to Investor to State Dispute Settlement and Investor Protection. I paused this part of the current...

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Speech at the New York Stock Exchange in New York | Wednesday, 26 March 2014 Ladies and gentlemen Thank you for inviting me to speak at the New York Stock Exchange. It is a great honour and pleasure to be here today. In 1792, a few stock brokers gathered under a buttonwood tree at the lower end of Wall Street. In this meeting, they signed an agreement which, in effect, marked the birth of the New York Stock Exchange. Today, more than 200...

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Cyberspace issues have acquired a growing importance in various international fora, with increasing focus on economic opportunities and threats, norms of behaviour and application of existing international law in cyberspace, as well as on protecting human rights online. The US and the EU share a commitment to support a universal, open, free, and secure Internet, based on an inclusive, effective, and transparent multi-stakeholder model of governance. EU-US Cooperation on cyber security dates back to the 2010 EU-US summit, where leaders...

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EU-US Summit 2014 - EU and US leaders met to discuss international foreign policy, the crisis in Ukraine, the economy and key global challenges. Meeting at the occasion of the EU US Brussels summit, Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso, and President Barack Obama discussed the strong EU-US partnership, International foreign policy, the crisis in Ukraine and key global challenges. International foreign policy and the Ukraine crisis Recent events in Ukraine have confirmed that a strong cooperation between the European Union and...

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For 10 years the EU Rapid Information system (RAPEX) has been guarding European consumers against un-safe non-food products. In 2013 a total of 2,364 measures were taken by EU Member States. This figure indicates a 3.8% rise in alerts compared to 2012 and continues the increasing trend which has been apparent since the establishment of RAPEX in 2003. "RAPEX shows that Europe is vigilant and cares for the safety of our 500 million citizens. It is a success story of...

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The financial crisis in Europe highlighted the need for better regulation and supervision of the financial sector, and since 2010, the European Commission—the EU’s executive arm—has proposed nearly 30 sets of rules to ensure that all financial actors, products, and markets are appropriately regulated and efficiently supervised.  These rules constitute the basic framework for all 28 EU Member States and are the foundation of a properly functioning single market for financial services. As part of this new framework, the EU has...

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  On the eve of the US-EU summit, stakeholders remain optimistic that a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal can be reached, but they believe a less comprehensive agreement will result from more protracted talks, according to an Atlantic Council-Bertelsmann Foundation survey released yesterday. The survey, a follow-up to a similar 2013 poll, gauges the attitudes of more than 300 individuals on both sides of the Atlantic nearly one year after formal TTIP negotiations began. TTIP will be on the agenda...

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On 20 March the Council, represented by the Greek Presidency, has reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on the single resolution mechanism regulation. Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is chairing the intergovernmental conference on certain aspects of the single resolution fund, also participated in the negotiations. "On behalf of the Presidency, I should like to warmly welcome today's agreement on this key element of Europe's banking union. I sincerely hope that it will open the way for approval by both Parliament...

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