Transatlantic News

Transatlantic News
17
Feb
Stefano Scarpetta has been appointed as the next Chief Economist of the OECD. He will take up his duties on 1 April 2026.
Mr Scarpetta brings an outstanding international reputation as a leading economist, built over more than three decades of distinguished service. Since 2013, he has led the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, where he oversaw landmark initiatives including the OECD Jobs Strategy and strengthened the Organisation’s capacity to assess the impact of major structural transformations...
17
Feb
Munich, 14 February 2026
It is a mark of how much our world has changed that a central banker speaks at the Munich Security Conference on supply chains.
A decade ago, this would have seemed like a category error. Today, everyone in this room recognises that trade is as much a security issue as an economic one.
Economic interdependence has deepened substantially in recent decades, creating intricate webs of cross-border trade flows. Where this was once seen as a source of stability,...
11
Feb
Thank you, Madam President, dear Roberta,
Deputy-Minister Raouna, dear Marilena,
Honourable Members,
In the last plenary, we focused on the geopolitical shockwaves that Europe is facing and on our united response. But our power on the global stage depends greatly on our strength on the economic front. Competitiveness is not just the foundation of our prosperity but of our security, and ultimately of our democracies too. This is why competitiveness has been at the top of our agenda from day one. At...
11
Feb
The Council today formally approved new customs duty rules for items contained in small parcels entering the EU, largely via e-commerce. The new rules respond to the fact that such parcels currently enter the EU duty free, leading to unfair competition for EU sellers.
"As global e-commerce booms, EU customs rules must keep pace. Abolishing the out-of-date exemption for small parcels will help support EU business and shut down avenues for unscrupulous sellers. Now, we need to move forward decisively on the...
10
Feb
Import tariffs imposed by other countries tend to lower euro area inflation and weaken growth. However, the sectors most exposed are also the most responsive to interest rate changes. This means that monetary policy can help offset disinflationary pressures and support activity.
Tariffs are a tax on trade. The immediate impact falls on the country imposing them, as import prices rise and trade volumes fall. But trading partners can also be affected. On the one hand, higher import costs reduce...
09
Feb
Bernd Lange, chair of Parliament’s International Trade Committee and standing rapporteur for the US, has issued the following statement regarding the EU-US trade deal.
Following a Wednesday afternoon meeting of the committee’s shadow rapporteurs (i.e. political group representatives responsible for work on the legislation linked to the implementation of the Turnberry deal), Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany) said: “A majority of shadow rapporteurs of the International Trade Committee have today decided to resume work on the two Turnberry legislative proposals. A vote could...
09
Feb
The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Meta, setting out its preliminary view that Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI') assistants from accessing and interacting with users on WhatsApp. Meta's conduct risks blocking competitors from entering or expanding in the rapidly growing market for AI assistants.
The Commission therefore intends to impose interim measures to prevent this policy change from causing serious and irreparable harm on the market, subject to Meta's reply and rights...
09
Feb
Speech by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the event “The digital euro in Cyprus”
Nicosia, 6 February 2026
It is a pleasure to be in Cyprus today.
I would like to thank Governor Patsalides and the organisers for inviting me.
Cyprus’s Presidency comes at a pivotal moment for Europe. In a global environment defined by rapid change, strategic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, the Presidency’s priority, “Autonomy through security and competitiveness”, captures Europe’s ambition to strengthen its independence by...
Other Chapter News






