Τhe European Commission put forward today a package of proposals to further strengthen the Capital Markets Union and the Banking Union. The new measures consist of four parts: risk-reduction rules that will allow market-led solutions for the development of sovereign bond-backed securities (SBBS), first tangible measures to allow the financial sector become a powerful actor in fighting climate change, new rules that will make it easier for smaller businesses to get financing through capital markets and strengthened EU rules...

The Juncker Commission is undertaking the third and final set of actions to modernise Europe's transport system. In his State of the Union address of September 2017, President Juncker set out a goal for the EU and its industries to become a world leader in innovation, digitisation and decarbonisation. Building on the previous 'Europe on the Move' of May and November 2017, the Juncker Commission is today putting forward a third and final set of measures to make this a reality in the mobility sector. The objective...

* European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide EUR 300m framework loan in new climate finance partnership with The Export-Import Bank of China (Eximbank). * The initiative is expected to draw in other financiers to finance up to EUR 1 billion of climate-relevant investments. * Streamlined lending programme to back new renewable energy, energy efficiency, water and sustainable transport investment in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Provinces. Up to EUR 1 billion of new investments to reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental protection in...

European citizens asked what direction they want the EU to take, in an online consultation. On Europe Day, the European Commission is launching an online public consultation, asking all Europeans what direction they want the Union to take in the future. This unique consultation is part of the broader Future of Europe debate launched with the Commission's White Paper on 1 March 2017 For the first time, the Commission convened a Citizens' Panel on 5-6 May to draft this consultation, with...

Investors seeking information on whether a financial service provider is authorised within in the European Union (EU) will now be able to do so on the European Securities and Markets Authorities (ESMA)'s new companies' portal. The portal provides investors with a one-stop-shop register, including for: MiFID Investment firms including Systematic Internalisers MiFID Trading venues MiFID data reporting service providers UCITS management companies AIFMD fund managers including funds managed/marketed in the Union The portal provides reference to sanctions applied by the competent authorities in the Member...

Speech by Peter Praet, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Swiss Financial Analysts Association (SFAA), Geneva, 7 May 2018 Slides from the presentation After several quarters of higher than expected growth, the latest euro area data point towards some moderation, but remain consistent with a solid and broad-based economic expansion. Monetary policy measures introduced since 2014 have been central in supporting euro area growth and paving the way for a return of euro area inflation to a rate...

Commission proposes a pragmatic and focused long-term budget with modernised programmes to deliver efficiently on the EU's priorities The Commission proposed today a pragmatic, modern, long-term budget for the 2021-2027 period. It is an honest response to today's reality in which Europe is expected to play a greater role in providing security and stability in an unstable world, at a time when Brexit will leave a sizeable gap in the EU budget. The Commission's proposal aligns the Union's budget to the...

Brussels, 3 May 2018 Growth rates for the EU and the euro area beat expectations in 2017 to reach a 10-year high at 2.4%. Growth is set to remain strong in 2018 and ease only slightly in 2019, with growth of 2.3% and 2.0% respectively in both the EU and the euro area. Watch video here Private consumption remains strong, while exports and investment have increased. Unemployment continues to fall and is now around pre-crisis levels. However, the economy is more exposed...