Rotterdam, 7 October 2014 | Karel De Gucht, European Commissioner for Trade Ladies and gentlemen, I don't think I can think of anywhere in Europe, and perhaps even in the world, that would be a better place to talk about trade than Rotterdam. Well… maybe if we were in the Port of Antwerp… but there I'm showing my Belgian colours! These cities live and breathe trade. They also have a special role among statisticians. When experts look at Trade statistics, they need to...

Read more

The EU Delegation is hiring! Put your international relations skills to use and contribute to the long-standing transatlantic relationship by joining our team.     Consider a career at the EU Delegation to the United States, one of the European Union’s largest and most active diplomatic missions. Located in downtown Washington, DC, we offer an excellent staff benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, life, short- and long-term disability insurance; a retirement savings plan; and competitive vacation time. We are currently in search of one executive assistant...

Read more

In 2013, economic conditions remained challenging for SMEs in most Member States. Economic results suggest there is a recovery, but it is uneven and not yet following a robust trajectory. These are the conclusions of the annual SMEs Performance Review and country-specific SBA factsheets published today by the European Commission. In 2013, the numbers of SMEs and their value added stood above pre-crisis levels of 2008, but SMEs’ employment was still some way below that mark since it was down...

Read more

Jean-Claude Juncker and the candidate commissioners The 27 candidates hoping to be part of the European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker start appearing at hearings at the European Parliament today. During the three-hour hearings EP committees will test the candidate commissioners' expertise and competences ahead of the EP voting on whether to approve the new Commission on 22 October. The hearings will be shown live on our website and can also be followed on various other platforms. Read on...

Read more

Today the Commission further strengthened the protection of consumers, in particular babies and young children. It adopted two measures restricting the use of three preservatives in cosmetic products. "We have shown once again that the safety of consumers is paramount in every decision we take. Preservatives in cosmetics serve a valuable function ensuring that the products we use on a daily basis are free from pathogens. We need however to ensure that the preservatives guarantee the maximum degree of protection....

Read more

Speaking at the UN Climate Summit in New York City today, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said that the European Union will aim to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030, and set a renewables target of at least 27 percent and energy savings of 30 percent. "I am confident that EU leaders will seal this deal at their summit in October." President Barroso noted that "these targets are milestones on the way to our broader objective...

Read more

Would you like to discover secret treasures of the Roman Empire, guided by an old merchant and his nephew? New technologies make this incredible journey possible. An exciting new exhibition is being launched today in four different cities, representing key areas of the Roman Empire: Rome (Italy), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Alexandria (Egypt). ‘Keys to Rome’ (#K2R) is organised by an EU-funded network of archaeologists, art historians, architects, computer scientists and communication experts. "All the technologies...

Read more