Europe faces considerable challenges, EIB President Werner Hoyer warned in his speech at the Columbia University in New York on 10 April 2017. “Brexit confirmed the severity of the disenchantment,” said President Hoyer. “Some European citizens may have taken for granted the Union and some of the values it represents.” But multilateralism remains crucial for a functioning global economy in his view. “Going forward, an important factor will be the strength of multilateral institutions”, he said and called for equal...

Environment MEPs put forward a number of possible measures to cut the EU 88 million tonnes per year food waste by half by 2030 on Tuesday. MEPs called on the European Commission to lift existing restrictions on food donations and stressed a solution is needed for the confusion created for many consumers by the “best before” and “use by” labelling. “In developed countries food is wasted mostly at the end of the chain, at distribution and consumption. Everyone has a...

On 12 April 2017, EU ambassadors agreed the Council's negotiating stance on macro-financial assistance for the Republic of Moldova. Up to €100 million is proposed in EU assistance, of which €60 million in loans and €40 million in the form of grants. It would supplement resources provided by the IMF and other multilateral institutions. The assistance would be aimed at supporting the country's economic stabilisation and structural reform agenda, helping to cover its external financing needs over the coming two years. Ambassadors asked the presidency to...

The Maltese Presidency today struck a provisional deal with the European Parliament on the participation of the EU in a partnership to develop innovative solutions for sustainable water provision and management and food production in the Mediterranean region. The initiative, known as PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area), will pool the know-how and financial resources of the EU and participating states. The partnership currently involves nine member states: Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg,...

The investment recovery is strengthening in Europe. 84% of European firms reported having invested in the previous financial year. Going forward, more firms expect to expand their investment activities than to scale them back. Firms consider only some 44% of their machinery and equipment to be “state-of-art”. Global competition and technological advancement call for a quick action. But most firms say uncertainty (69% of firms), lack of skilled labour (68% of firms) and the business and the regulatory...

Speech by Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, at The ECB and Its Watchers XVIII Conference, Frankfurt am Main, 6 April 2017: Over the course of the crisis, the making of monetary policy has become progressively more complex. We have operated in an environment where the limits of our traditional instruments have been tested, and where new instruments have had to be introduced. This has required adaptation, not just by those of us who decide on it, but also by...