Measures to enforce EU rules that will ensure home buyers across the EU are fully informed of the real costs of taking on a mortgage, and properly protected against the worst risks, were approved by MEPs on Tuesday, in a vote on legislation already agreed with EU member states. “For most families, a mortgage is the biggest and longest financial commitment they make. So we need these rules to drive progress towards an EU-wide  mortgage market that is stable,...

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The EU's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has today updated its guidance on the use of portable electronic devices on board (PED), including smartphones, tablets and e-readers. It confirms that these devices may be kept switched on in "Flight Mode" (non-transmitting mode) throughout the journey (including taxiing, take-off and landing) without a risk to safety. EU Transport Commissioner, Vice President Siim Kallas has asked EASA to accelerate its safety review of the use of electronic devices on board in transmitting mode,...

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Compliments of the European Commission 1. All that glistens is not gold Offers too good to be true often are too good to be true. Be extra-careful in checking “*” and other “small print” conditions. Verify that conditions of delivery and especially return are well explained. Pay attention to hidden subscriptions when you accept a free sample. Also watch out for fake Trustmark logos and check if the Trustmark in question really exists 2. Cash is not king: choose a secure method...

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Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission, EU Justice Commissioner| Press Conference at the Justice and Home Affairs Council /Brussels 6 December 2013 Today's Justice Council meeting can be easily summarised: It was a disappointing day for data protection but an excellent day for other justice for growth measures! Let me start with the good news first: Today Ministers found political agreement on two important files that will help the European economy. Cross-border debt recovery Thanks to the agreement on the European Account Preservation...

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Justice Ministers have today reached agreement in record time on a European Commission proposal (IP/13/750) to complete the legal framework for Europe-wide patent protection. The proposal will update EU rules on the jurisdiction of courts and recognition of judgements (the so-called “Brussels I Regulation”) and thereby pave the way for a specialised European patent court – the Unified Patent Court – to become operational. The court will have specialised jurisdiction in patent disputes, avoiding multiple litigation cases in up to...

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The Governing Council of the ECB decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 0.25%, 0.75% and 0.00% respectively. __________________ Introductory statement to the press conference by Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, Frankfurt am Main, 5 December 2013 Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to welcome you to our press conference. I will now report on the outcome of today’s meeting...

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Guidelines to enable trainees to acquire high-quality work experience under safe and fair conditions, and to increase their chances of finding a good quality job, have been proposed today by the European Commission. The proposal for a Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships would in particular call on Member States to ensure that national law or practice respects the principles set out in the guidelines, and to adapt their legislation where necessary. Traineeships are a key element of...

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EU Permanent Representative Committee (COREPER II) on December 4 in Brussels has confirmed the Member States agreement on the Directive amending the current legislation on the harmonised functioning of collective investment funds and aiming at strengthening investors confidence. The agreement on the Directive to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities as regards depositary functions, remuneration policies and sanctions (UCITS V) enables the Council to start negotiations with European Parliament, with a view to have a final agreement on this...

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December 3, 2013 -- Today's decision marks the end of two and a half years of negotiations and allows the new generation of EU spending programmes to be implemented as from 1 January 2014. The Council today adopted/1 the regulation laying down the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020 (11791/7/13). This follows the European Parliament's consent of 19 November. Today's decision marks the end of two and a half years of negotiations and allows the new generation of EU...

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