A common set of standards to improve consultation, participation and dialogue with partners such as regional, local, urban and other public authorities, trade unions, employers, non-governmental organisations and bodies responsible for promoting social inclusion, gender equality and non-discrimination during the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) has been adopted today by the European Commission. These Funds comprise the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the Cohesion...

It is a source of frustration all too familiar to cultural and creative businesses across Europe. They painstakingly craft a solid business plan, but when they go to their bank and ask for a loan to turn their brilliant entrepreneurial idea into a profitable venture, all but the biggest enterprises usually find the door firmly shut. A new study published today by the European Commission finds that a mismatch in supply and demand in the loans market means creative...

In his annual New Year's message, the EU Ambassador to the United States João Vale de Almeida highlights 2014 as a year for strong transatlantic cooperation.  "There is a lot we can do together based on our common values, but also accepting our differences. Most importantly we need to focus on what we can do to help our citizens to find jobs, what we can do to promote economic growth, and what we can do to help the world...

After Latvia adopted the euro at midnight December 31st– on the 15th anniversary of the launch of the euro in 1999 – 18 Member States and 333 million Europeans will share the same currency. This is a major achievement for Latvia and for the euro area as a whole. On January 1st, Latvians will start withdrawing euro cash and paying for their purchases in euro. This has been made possible thanks to thorough preparations ahead of the introduction of the...

SPIEGEL: Mr Draghi, do you know Andrea Nahles? Draghi: I have heard the name before but I don’t know her personally. SPIEGEL: Ms Nahles is the new German Labour minister and boss of Jörg Asmussen, your former colleague in the Executive Board of the ECB. That he gives up this prestigious job has caused great surprise in Germany. Did you chase him out?Draghi: Jörg and I had an excellent personal and professional relationship. I consider it as a great loss for...

Last December 12, 2013 the Italian Communication Authority (AGCOM) approved a new regulation on online copyright enforcement that will enter into force on March 31, 2014. The new regulatory framework is a first-of-its-kind for Italy or the EU. Such new rules may potentially affecting all companies with a digital presence: not only ISPs and social media, but also companies hosting forums, newsgroups or any kind of user-generated content. According to such rules, AGCOM may order access or hosting providers to remove “digital...

The German insurance company Allianz positively rated Austria’s economic competitiveness in a current study on the eurozone economies. The study evaluated overall balance, taking account of the labor market, public finances, debt, wealth and competitiveness. Austria was ranked third among 17 eurozone countries, outperformed only by Germany and Estonia. Austria was one of the few core countries in the eurozone which managed to improve its overall standing since 2012. Austrian Government program strengthens business location The agenda of the new Austrian...

Op-ed  by EU Ambassador Vale de Almeida - Published EU Delegation Website and Huffington Post Negotiators from the European Union and United States are taking a well-deserved break after wrapping up the latest round of our Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks in Washington today. We have been engaging our American counterparts on everything from tariffs on chocolate to car safety standards in talks this week. And we have been hard at work ever since President Barack Obama announced the...