Making a List & Checking It Twice! Planning to do some holiday shopping on Black Friday? Did you know that toys manufactured in the EU are required to comply with high safety standards, and that the U.S. is one of Europe's most important trading partners for toys? For more information click here. For further readings click on fallowing links: European Commission: Toys European Toy Safety Campaign

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The Federal Reserve Board (Board) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced increases in the dollar thresholds in Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) and Regulation M (Consumer Leasing) for exempt consumer credit and lease transactions. These increases are consistent with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) amendments to the Truth in Lending Act and the Consumer Leasing Act to adjust these thresholds annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price...

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On November 13, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) voted unanimously to advance its report entitled "Proposed Recommendations Regarding Money Market Mutual Fund Reform." FSOC was established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) to identify risks to the financial stability of the United States, to promote market discipline, and to respond to emerging risks to the stability of the United States' financial system. To read more click here. For further resources on the Dodd-Frank Act,...

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Financial stability in 2012 – an overview The risks to the German financial system remain high. The European sovereign debt crisis is still largely dictating the risk situation, having broadened in the course of 2012 and come to a head at various points in the year. On several occasions, doubts were even cast over the long-term survival of European monetary union. Spain and Italy – two major economies – have increasingly been drawn into the crisis. Crisis management measures have...

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Leaders of the European Union today congratulated President Barack Obama on his re-election as President of the United States of America. "The United States is a key strategic partner of the European Union and we look forward to continuing the close cooperation established with President Obama over these last four years, to further strengthening our bilateral ties and to jointly addressing global challenges, including in the fields of security and economy," said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European...

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The Deutsche Bundsbank Representative office here in New York made available the speech by Dr. Andreas Dombret Member of the Executive Board, presented November 2 at Columbia University.

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Innovation is a key driver of economic growth and jobs. The Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2012, published today, provides a comparative assessment of how European regions perform with regard to innovation. The report covers 190 regions across the European Union, Croatia, Norway and Switzerland. To read more about the subject click here. Additional information about the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2012 click here.

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Envision a "wild west" version of cyberspace where crime is rampant, security is breached, and systems go down. The EU is on it-tackling threats to global networks, combating cybercrime, and working with the U.S. to safeguard this vital foundation of the 21st century economy. Learn more in the November 2012 issue of EU Focus.     In this context also see: Cyber-security – a shared responsibility.        

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