Chapter News

European Commission | Ursula Von der Leyen: State of the Union Speech

“Check against delivery” President Metsola, Honourable Members,   Europe is in a fight. A fight for a continent that is whole and at peace. For a free and independent Europe. A fight for our values and our democracies. A fight for our liberty and our ability to determine our destiny for ourselves. Make no mistake – this is a fight for our future. I thought long and hard about whether to start this State of the Union address with such a stark appraisal. After all,...

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Chapter News

OECD | Governments increased tax revenues in 2024 to meet rising spending needs

Rising health expenditures and population ageing prompted many governments to increase social security contribution rates in 2024, reflecting a broader trend towards increasing revenues to strengthen the long-term sustainability of social protection systems, according to a new OECD report. The tenth annual edition of Tax Policy Reforms: OECD and Selected Partner Economies provides a comprehensive overview of tax reform trends, offering cross-country comparisons and tracking policy developments over time. This 2025 edition describes tax reforms implemented in 2024 across 86 jurisdictions, including all OECD...

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Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

Transatlantic Trade Monitor: Facts You Need Now | Changes to Reciprocal Tariffs and New Framework for Tariff Relief Under Trade Agreements

By Ryan Last, Associate, Troutman Pepper Locke On September 5, President Trump signed an executive order introducing new exemptions (and removing other exemptions) to reciprocal tariffs, while also setting out a new framework that aims to promote the conclusion of more definitive trade and security agreements in exchange for additional forms of tariff relief. The executive order, titled “Modifying the Scope of Reciprocal Tariffs and Establishing Procedures for Implementing Trade and Security Agreements” (the Order), builds on previous actions, notably Executive Order 14257 of April...

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Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

PwC | President Trump signs order modifying reciprocal tariffs and outlines path for trade deals

What happened?  President Trump issued an Executive Order and Fact Sheet on September 5 modifying the scope of the reciprocal tariffs first announced on April 2, 2025 via Executive Order 14257, and establishing a framework for implementing trade and security agreements with US partners. The Executive Order revises Annex II of Executive Order 14257, which had carved out certain categories of goods from reciprocal tariff coverage. Under the new changes, bullion-related articles, certain critical minerals, and additional pharmaceutical products subject to pending Section 232 investigations...

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Chapter News

European Commission | 2025 Strategic Foresight Report sets out ‘Resilience 2.0′ to guide Europe’s long-term choices

The European Commission's 2025 Strategic Foresight Report presents ‘Resilience 2.0', a forward-looking and proactive approach to ensuring the EU thrives in turbulent times, anticipates new challenges and creates a safe space for citizens and business. The report recognises various megatrends: climate and environmental transitions are accelerating, security concerns are rising, and global competition is reshaping economies and societies. At the same time, Europe faces questions on its strategic autonomy, competitiveness, social cohesion and the protection of democracy and fundamental values. The scale and...

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Member News

EIB | Multilateral development banks hit record $137 billion in climate finance to drive sustainable development worldwide

• New report shows climate finance by multilateral development banks rose 10% in 2024 compared with previous year. • MDBs’ climate finance for low- and middle-income economies increased 14% to more than $85 billion. • Mobilised private finance for climate investments worldwide jumped 33% in 2024. Global climate finance by multilateral development banks (MDBs) increased 10% last year, reaching a record $137 billion, with the majority directed to low- and middle-income economies. MDBs including the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the year-on-year...

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Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

Transatlantic Trade Monitor: Facts You Need Now | EU-U.S. trade deal: one joint state­ment, two legislative pro­posals and many open questions

By Bärbel Sachs, Tobias Zuber, Caroline Glöckle, Yuliya Zhmuro, and Theresa Bachmann, Noerr A. Introduction Almost a month after U.S. President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reached a high-level political agreement aimed at resetting the transatlantic trade relationship and preventing sweeping U.S. import tariffs from coming into force, the EU Commission and the U.S. published a Joint Statement on a United States – European Union framework on an agreement on reciprocal fair and balanced trade (“Joint Statement”) on...

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Chapter News

OECD | Educational attainment at an all-time high but barriers to access and low completion rates must be addressed, says OECD

Educational attainment is at an all-time high, with around half (48%) of young adults in OECD countries now completing tertiary education, up from just 27% in 2000. These graduates tend to enjoy higher earnings, more stable employment and better health, according to a new OECD report. Education at a Glance 2025 provides comparable national statistics measuring the state of education worldwide. It shows that, despite overall growth in tertiary attainment, family background continues to strongly influence who pursues higher education. Just...

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Chapter News

NY Fed | Short-Term Inflation Expectations Tick Up, Job Finding Expectations Reach Series Low

NEW YORK—The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data today released the August 2025 Survey of Consumer Expectations, which shows that households’ inflation expectations ticked up at the short-term horizon and remained unchanged at the medium- and longer-term horizons. Unemployment and job loss expectations worsened. Job finding expectations declined to a series low. Spending and household income growth expectations remained broadly unchanged. The survey was fielded from August 1 through August 31, 2025. The main findings from...

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Chapter News

European Commission | From Promise to Progress: State of the Union 2025

Last year, almost 200 million Europeans cast their ballots to elect their representatives in the European Parliament. It was the moment of Europe’s choice. Turnout was the highest it had been in 20 years. This is proof that Europeans care about our Union and expect it to deliver on the challenges ahead. And this is the mission that the new Commission has taken on  – to deliver on our citizens’ expectations and aspirations.  The world around us is more conflictual and competitive than it has...

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