June 12, 2019 - Press Release Efforts to reduce risks in the EU banking sector are bearing fruit, according to new figures released by the European Commission today. In its fourth progress report on the reduction of non-performing loans (NPLs), the Commission today confirms that NPL levels are continuing their downward trajectory towards pre-crisis levels. The ratio of NPLs in EU banks has come down by more than half since 2014, declining to 3.3% in the third quarter of 2018...

Brussels, 11 June 2019 Today, the European Commission is releasing the results of the 2019 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which monitors Europe's overall digital performance and tracks the progress of EU countries with respect to their digital competitiveness. Countries that have set up ambitious targets in line with the EU Digital Single Market Strategy and combined them with adapted investment achieved a better performance in a relatively short period of time. This is one of the main conclusions of...

On June 7, the Council adopted conclusions on the future of a highly digitised Europe beyond 2020: 'Boosting digital and economic competitiveness across the Union and digital cohesion'. The conclusions highlight the main priorities and challenges for a strong, competitive, innovative and highly digitised Europe. They refer to the importance of supporting innovation and encouraging European key digital technologies, respecting ethical principles and values in artificial intelligence, strengthening Europe's cybersecurity capacity, improving e-skills, and developing the gigabit society, including 5G....

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker headlines POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook live interview on June 11 in Brussels.  In this interview, President Junker will talk about what’s left to do for the remainder of its term, the outcome of the European elections, and what’s next for the EU. Watch the event live on this page on Tuesday, June 11 from 4 PM CET.  The first part of the interview will be conducted in German and translated into English. The second part will be...

Press Release - June 5, 2019 The European Commission presents today the 2019 country-specific recommendations (CSRs), giving economic policy guidance to all EU Member States for the next 12 to 18 months. The Commission also recommends closing the Excessive Deficit Procedure for Spain and adopts a number of documents under the Stability and Growth Pact.  The European economy is growing for the seventh consecutive year and is set to continue expanding in 2020, with all Member States' economies growing despite less...

June 4, 2019 Euro area (EA19) annual inflation is expected to be 1.2% in May 2019, down from 1.7% in April according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Looking at the main components of euro area inflation, energy is expected to have the highest annual rate in May (3.8%, compared with 5.3% in April), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (1.6%, compared with 1.5% in April), services (1.1%, compared with 1.9% in April) and...