New accession candidates will need to undertake equally ambitious reforms to make the next expansion a comparable success Poland is one of the success stories of European economic convergence. The country, which in January takes the reins of the Council of the European Union (the decision-making institution representing the Union’s member states) is now the EU’s sixth largest economy. This convergence process was driven by the 2004 EU enlargement, which also welcomed the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,...

The latest Eurobarometer released today reveals the highest level of trust in the European Union since 2007 and the highest-ever support for the euro. The survey also shows that Europeans have a more optimistic view about the future. They would like to see a stronger and more independent EU, especially in the face of the current global challenges. Trust in the EU is at its highest level in 17 years 51% of Europeans tend to trust the EU, the highest result...

The Council of the EU has endorsed 46 Global Gateway flagship projects for 2025. The projects identified as flagships by EU member states’ ambassadors are prominent examples of Global Gateway deliverables in the areas of digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research. This selection of key initiatives helps to showcase the comprehensive support the EU and its member states offer to partners across the globe in terms of the sectors of activities, as well as the countries and regions concerned. The...

ECB updates digital euro rulebook following joint review with consumers, retailers and payment service providers ECB concludes call for applications to select potential external providers and publishes invitation to tender ECB launches new research to incorporate users’ digital euro design preferences Stakeholder engagement across euro area remains key priority to support ongoing legislative deliberations The European Central Bank (ECB) has published its second progress report on the preparation phase of a digital euro, which was launched on 1 November 2023 and...

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact regional local job markets differently across OECD countries, exacerbating existing urban-rural income and productivity gaps as well as the digital divides between regions, according to a new OECD report. Job Creation and Local Economic Development 2024 finds that, following a decade of employment growth, over half of OECD regions had reached employment rates above 70% by 2023, with more women joining the workforce, narrowing the gender gap in labour force participation in 84% of OECD...

Project in Georgia, California, and Arizona aim to strengthen America's leadership in cutting-edge substrate technology for critical industries like AI Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is entering negotiations to invest up to $300 million in advanced packaging research projects in Georgia, California, and Arizona to accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies essential to the semiconductor industry. The expected recipients are Absolics Inc. in Georgia, Applied Materials Inc. in California, and Arizona State University...

Improving fiscal policy frameworks, fostering education and skills, and supporting the green transition can help ensure strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth Blog post by Paula Beltran Saavedra, Nicolas Fernandez-Arias, Chanpheng Fizzarotti, Alberto Musso | For most Group of Twenty economies, growth is poised to weaken over the next five years and remain well below what was typical in the two decades before the pandemic. That’s one of the biggest shared challenges for the group, which accounts for about 85 percent of global gross...

The average level of tax revenues among OECD countries was largely unchanged in 2023 as governments sought to ease cost-of-living pressures amid growing spending challenges related to climate change and ageing populations, according to a new report released today. Revenue Statistics 2024 shows that the average tax-to-GDP ratio for OECD countries was 33.9% in 2023, 0.1 percentage points (p.p.) below its level in 2021 and 2022, but above its pre-pandemic level of 33.4% in 2019. In 2023, the tax-to-GDP ratio increased in 18 of the...