The European parliament’s Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament has adopted its position on the so-called “MiFID quick fix” which amends the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). The MiFID sets the key rules for stock exchanges, financial trading platforms, consumer protection in financial markets and rules for the speculation…
The Commission on Monday adopted its 2021 work programme, designed to make Europe healthier, fairer and more prosperous, while accelerating its long-term transformation into a greener economy, fit for the digital age. It contains new legislative initiatives across all six headline ambitions of President von der Leyen’s political guidelines and follows her first state of the union…
The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) completed its fourth quarter funding needs on Monday, raising the full €2 billion it had targeted The ESM issued a new €2 billion 0% bond maturing on 16 December 2024. The spread was fixed at mid-swaps minus 8 basis points, for a reoffer yield of -0.582% and a new issue…
The latest EU SME Barometer presented shows an unprecedented drop in the Business Climate for SMEs caused by the COVID-19 crisis. This is mainly due to very negative results for the past semester, but also the expectations from the second semester are subdued. As a consequence, the SME Climate Index fell by 18.8, reaching 54.6…
A new international report launched this week ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bankers’ meeting by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK), the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, unveils the significant, and growing, economic impact of older workers across the G20: Nearly 1 in 3 workers across…
COVID-19 is a ticking time bomb for Europe’s tourism industry, says the EESC The Coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on Europe’s tourism sector. In six months’ time half of the businesses may be gone unless the EU steps in quickly, says the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in a new opinion. On world tourism…
HRH Prince Charles, “Climate change is now rapidly becoming a comprehensive catastrophe that will dwarf the impact of the coronavirus pandemic” The following are highlights of his address today. The borderless Climate bio-diversity and heath crisis are all symptoms of a planet that has been pushed beyond its boundaries, without swift and immediate action at a unprecedented case…
Some of the world’s biggest banks reportedly let criminals and fraudsters move dirty money around the world, according to leaked banking documents seen by BBC Panorama. More than 2,000 sensitive banking papers detailing more than two trillion US dollars’ worth of transactions were analysed after being leaked to BuzzFeed News and shared with the International…
On 23 September at 16.00, the second virtual meeting in a series of public dialogues – ideas for a new world – will take place. The initiative, promoted by the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, brings together philosophers, writers, economists, representatives from European civil society and the world of work. The aim of the dialogues…
The COVID-19 pandemic is still holding the world under its spell. Inequalities are worsening worldwide and putting many achievements of recent years in danger. The UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are key in the struggle for amelioration. Today, Friday 18 September, marks an important day in this struggle. The first ever annual ‘SDG Moment’ has been held, setting…
