European Green Capital Award: Green Cities Fit for Life Urban areas in Europe are the source of many of the continent’s current environmental challenges—not surprisingly, since three out of four Europeans live in towns and cities. Local governments and authorities can provide the commitment and innovation needed to tackle and resolve many of these problems. One of the policy tools the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is using to address these challenges is the European Green Capital Award (EGCA), which...

January 2014, Washington, DC - U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman issued the following statement today regarding the introduction in Congress of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014: “I welcome the introduction of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act.  We expect to have a robust conversation on the Hill about how trade agreements should be negotiated and the role of Congress in that process.  We're eager to engage directly with Members of the Finance and Ways and Means Committees...

Finance, Ways & Means Leaders Team Up to Craft Bill to Deliver Trade Deals that Boost U.S. Exports, Create Jobs WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) joined together today to introduce legislation that will establish strong rules for trade negotiations and Congressional approval of trade pacts, to deliver trade agreements that boost U.S. exports and create American jobs. The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities...

Flash estimate - December 2013 - Euro area annual inflation down to 0.8% Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 0.8% in December 2013, down from 0.9% in November, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Looking at the main components of euro area inflation, food, alcohol & tobacco is expected to have the highest annual rate in December (1.8%, compared with 1.6% in November), followed by services (1.0%, compared with...

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...