June 08, 2020 | The Council approved conclusions on the "Team Europe" package that is part of the EU's global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its conclusions the Council expresses its deep concern about the global spread of the COVID‑19 pandemic, which continues to claim lives worldwide and have far-reaching social and economic effects. The Council stresses the urgency of protecting the lives and livelihoods of all people, leaving no-one behind, and of prioritising efforts in partner countries that are most in need. In light of that the Council fully supports the "Team Europe" approach and welcomes the announcement that...

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June 05, 2020 | Well-functioning and liquid gas markets are a prerequisite for ensuring affordable energy for consumers, competitiveness of industries, and security of supply. They also play a role in achieving the environmental ambitions of the European Green Deal, which foresees the decarbonisation of the gas sector via a forward-looking design for a competitive decarbonised gas market. To support the reflections on the possible need to enhance the EU regulatory framework for gas markets in the context of the European...

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June 08, 2020 | • Further decline – by 6.3% on average – in number of bank branches in most EU Member States • Number of bank employees also continued to fall by 0.9% on average • Share of total assets of the five largest banks, at national level, ranged from 28% to 97% The European Central Bank (ECB) has updated its dataset of structural financial indicators for the banking sector in the European Union (EU) for the end of 2019. This annual...

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