Reforms could increase investment in high-tech startups that power innovation Blog post by Nathaniel Arnold, Guillaume Claveres, Jan Frie | The European Union has a productivity problem. Its people produce nearly 30 percent less per hour worked than they would have, had real output per hour worked increased in line with that in the United States since 2000. A failure to sufficiently develop innovative startups into “superstar” firms is one of the reasons for the bloc’s poor productivity growth. Europe’s fragmented economy and financial system...

Blog post by Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas | Our global growth projections are unchanged at 3.2 percent this year and slightly higher at 3.3 percent for next year, but there have been notable developments beneath the surface since the April World Economic Outlook. Growth in major advanced economies is becoming more aligned as output gaps are closing. The United States shows increasing signs of cooling, especially in the labor market, after a strong 2023. The euro area, meanwhile, is poised to pick...

Blog Post by Jakob Feveile Adolfsen, Danielle Kedan and Marie-Sophie Lappe | The green transition will significantly increase demand for key minerals over the coming decades. The impact on energy prices will ultimately depend on how supply adjusts. The ECB Blog looks at the geopolitical risks involved. The green transition relies on certain key minerals, in particular lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite. Assuming that the transition takes place in accordance with the Paris Agreement, demand for these key...

The Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC) is the official European representative for selected counties, cities, and corporations from over 30 U.S. States. It is our mission to promote transatlantic trade and investment. To that end, TBIC bridges the gap between U.S. Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) and European investors looking to enter or expand in the U.S. market. This latest issue of our quarterly features an analysis of the newly published data for Q4 2023 and revised data for the...

Blog post by Jim Tebrake, Francien Berry, Darja Milic | As economies worldwide strive to reduce emissions and achieve sustainable growth, reliable data is crucial. It forms the foundation for informed decision-making, guiding policy development, implementation, and monitoring. Recognizing this, the Group of Twenty is stepping up efforts to enhance the scope and quality of climate-related data. Through the third phase of the Data Gaps Initiative, it seeks to better integrate climate data with macroeconomic statistics. Doing so allows us to better understand...

OECD labour markets remain tight, with total employment higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic and the OECD unemployment rate close to its lowest level since at least 2001. Jobs growth has slowed, however, and real wages have recovered to pre-2020 levels in only 19 of the 35 OECD countries with available data, despite some catching up in the past quarters. Gender employment participation gaps are narrowing, with female employment up by about 5% in May this year from December...

Blog post by By Ursel Baumann, Annalisa Ferrando, Dimitris Georgarakos, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Judit Rariga and Timo Reinelt | Firms’ inflation expectations are key for monetary policy makers. The ECB Blog presents new survey data on these expectations, evidence on what influences them, how they change when new information becomes available, and if they matter for the plans and choices firms make. Setting prices, negotiating wages, deciding how much to invest or how many workers to employ - these are all...

Canada is joining the growing group of non-EU countries who have associated to the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, and will work jointly on large-scale projects tackling our biggest challenges. Today, Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, are signing the agreement that gives Canadian researchers and organisations the opportunity to participate in the programme on equal terms with their EU counterparts. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian...