At the initiative of the Hungarian presidency, today the Council approved conclusions on the Commission’s White Paper titled ‘How to master EU’s digital infrastructure needs’.  Extensive transformations, driven by rapid technological progress, have been shaping the electronic communications sector, as well as the whole digital landscape in the past decade. The cross-sectoral nature of the digital transition also signifies that its impact extends well beyond the digital realm, touching upon environmental and societal aspects, as well. "Today’s comprehensive set of conclusions provide a clear...

Read more

Contribution by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB to The Economist A fragmented financial infrastructure means that Europe gets less bang for its euro Europe is not short of ideas, innovators or savings. Europeans save more of their income than Americans, and their share in global patent applications is close to that of the United States. But Europe often struggles to turn ideas into new technologies that can drive growth. One reason is that it is much less able than the...

Read more

The global economy is projected to remain resilient despite significant challenges, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook. The Outlook projects global GDP growth of 3.3% in 2025, up from 3.2% in 2024, and 3.3% in 2026. Inflation in the OECD is expected to ease further, from 5.4% in 2024 to 3.8% in 2025 and 3.0% in 2026, supported by the still restrictive stance of monetary policy in most countries. Headline inflation has already returned to central bank targets in nearly...

Read more

New accession candidates will need to undertake equally ambitious reforms to make the next expansion a comparable success Poland is one of the success stories of European economic convergence. The country, which in January takes the reins of the Council of the European Union (the decision-making institution representing the Union’s member states) is now the EU’s sixth largest economy. This convergence process was driven by the 2004 EU enlargement, which also welcomed the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,...

Read more

The latest Eurobarometer released today reveals the highest level of trust in the European Union since 2007 and the highest-ever support for the euro. The survey also shows that Europeans have a more optimistic view about the future. They would like to see a stronger and more independent EU, especially in the face of the current global challenges. Trust in the EU is at its highest level in 17 years 51% of Europeans tend to trust the EU, the highest result...

Read more

The Council of the EU has endorsed 46 Global Gateway flagship projects for 2025. The projects identified as flagships by EU member states’ ambassadors are prominent examples of Global Gateway deliverables in the areas of digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research. This selection of key initiatives helps to showcase the comprehensive support the EU and its member states offer to partners across the globe in terms of the sectors of activities, as well as the countries and regions concerned. The...

Read more

ECB updates digital euro rulebook following joint review with consumers, retailers and payment service providers ECB concludes call for applications to select potential external providers and publishes invitation to tender ECB launches new research to incorporate users’ digital euro design preferences Stakeholder engagement across euro area remains key priority to support ongoing legislative deliberations The European Central Bank (ECB) has published its second progress report on the preparation phase of a digital euro, which was launched on 1 November 2023 and...

Read more

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact regional local job markets differently across OECD countries, exacerbating existing urban-rural income and productivity gaps as well as the digital divides between regions, according to a new OECD report. Job Creation and Local Economic Development 2024 finds that, following a decade of employment growth, over half of OECD regions had reached employment rates above 70% by 2023, with more women joining the workforce, narrowing the gender gap in labour force participation in 84% of OECD...

Read more

Project in Georgia, California, and Arizona aim to strengthen America's leadership in cutting-edge substrate technology for critical industries like AI Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is entering negotiations to invest up to $300 million in advanced packaging research projects in Georgia, California, and Arizona to accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies essential to the semiconductor industry. The expected recipients are Absolics Inc. in Georgia, Applied Materials Inc. in California, and Arizona State University...

Read more