The Commission is today proposing to strengthen the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the Schengen Information System (SIS), as announced in the Communication setting out the way forward towards the achievement of an effective and sustainable EU Security Union and as reiterated in President Juncker's State of the Union Address. Consulted 2.9 billion times in 2015, SIS is the most widely used information sharing system for border management and security in Europe. The proposed improvements will further enhance the ability...

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The European Commission today adopted its long-term plan to give fresh impetus to the management of the Customs Union, a basic pillar of the European Union which supports and protects the Single Market. The role of customs authorities in ensuring our safety and security in the EU is increasing. A strong and well managed system helps to protect the public against terrorist, health, and environmental threats while at the same time fostering and developing competitive businesses. Today's Communication sets out...

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  184 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 28 countries have been selected for funding in the latest round of the Horizon2020 SME Instrument. The funding is provided under Phase 1 of the instrument, which means that each project will receive €50,000 to finance feasibility studies for new products that can disrupt the market. They can also ask for up to three days of free business coaching In this fourth and last round in 2016, the European Commission received 2091 proposals by...

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The latest annual review of Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) published today shows encouraging results. Around 3 million jobs have been created and employment has risen, pushing back poverty. However, unemployment remains high, with huge disparities across Member States. Labour markets and societies will need to adapt to new forms of work. This year's Employment and Social Developments – or shortly, 'ESDE' - report focussed on employment as a means to tackle poverty, digitalisation and the changing world of...

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Italy’s banking problem has been left unaddressed for too long. Similar to Japan in the 1990s, it is best understood as a combination of structural and cyclical factors. Most of Italy’s banks, many of which are small and local, have politicized governance features that blur commercial incentives. As a consequence, they were unable to rein in their lending during the downturn of the late 2000s. Many of these loans turned sour in subsequent years and local connections prevented the banks from...

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