Together with our members we are creating a Video series of first-hand accounts of the Pandemic’s impact, both personally & professionally. We invite you to join us today for a first-hand look at the impact of the global shutdown following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak – Today we are featuring James S. York, Director of US Business & Innovation, Enterprise Estonia a Member of the EACCNY. The questions we asked our members for this series are: 1) What are some challenges you, personally...

Today, the European Commission published its latest report on the Commission's system to prevent or restrict the selling of dangerous products on the market, the so-called ‘Rapid Alert System'. The report shows that the number of actions taken by authorities following an alert is growing year on year, reaching 4,477 in 2019 compared to 4050 in 2018. Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, said: “The Rapid Alert System is available 24 hours, 7 days a week, keeping information flowing and our single market safe. As...

The EU economy will experience a deep recession this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, despite the swift and comprehensive policy response at both EU and national levels. Because the lifting of lockdown measures is proceeding at a more gradual pace than assumed in our Spring Forecast, the impact on economic activity in 2020 will be more significant than anticipated. The Summer 2020 Economic Forecast projects that the euro area economy will contract by 8.7% in 2020 and grow by 6.1% in...

Speech by President Charles Michel | First of all, I would like to thank you for inviting me to speak at this 20th edition of your economic forum. This year, by way of exception, the forum will be conducted virtually. And it is the exceptional nature of this COVID-19 crisis that I wish to address first, setting the context for the action we are endeavouring to take at EU level. It is a simple yet astonishing fact: leaders throughout the world – regardless...

ECB supportive of banks’ European Payments Initiative Pan-European card and digital wallet to complete European retail payments market The European Central Bank (ECB) welcomes the decision by 16 European banks to launch the European Payments Initiative. This initiative aims to create a unified payment solution for consumers and merchants across Europe, encompassing a payment card and a digital wallet and covering in-store, online and person-to-person payments as well as cash withdrawals. In recent years, significant progress has been made towards...

The Commission is launching today the first call for proposals under the Innovation Fund , one of the world's largest programmes for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, financed by revenues from the auction of emission allowances from the EU's Emissions Trading System. The Innovation Fund will finance breakthrough technologies for renewable energy, energy-intensive industries, energy storage, and carbon capture, use and storage. It will provide a boost to the green recovery by creating local future-proof jobs, paving the way to...

The EUIPO begins its next strategic cycle with the launch of its Strategic Plan 2025 on 1 July 2020. After two rounds of consultation with stakeholders, the Strategic Plan was adopted by the Office’s Management Board in 2019, and begins its implementation period today. The Strategic Plan 2025 consists of projects and activities grouped under three strategic drivers, linked to an overarching vision of ‘delivering IP value for businesses and citizens in Europe.’ The first strategic driver centres on the Office’s cooperation activities both...