The depth of the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact for the post-Covid era marks the first two EU economic meetings. EUROGROUP Meeting 17-18 January 2022 Eurozone finance ministers (Eurogroup) kicked off their 2022 meetings on Monday 17 with a new debate on the future of the common currency’s economic governance, which includes the […]
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EU challenges Russian export restrictions on wood at WTO
Today, the EU is requesting consultations with Russia at the World Trade Organization (WTO) concerning export restrictions placed by Russia on wood products. The export restrictions consist of significantly increased export duties on certain wood products and a drastic reduction in the number of border crossing points through which exports of wood products can take […]
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REACT-EU: Spain receives 382.7 million to fight COVID-19 and facilitate the green and digital transition
2022 has started with a new investment in Spain as the European Commission has granted 382.7 million euros to Spain within the framework of Next Generation EU, through the REACT-EU funds. This additional funding under the European Regional Development Fund is added to twelve 2014-2020 operational programmes to help the health system fighting the coronavirus pandemic […]
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The EU funds 47 million for green and digital transition of SMEs
Today, the Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) launched the new EU SME Fund, which offers vouchers for EU-based SMEs to help them protect their intellectual property (IP) rights. This is the second EU SME Fund aiming at supporting SMEs in the COVID-19 recovery and green and digital transitions for the next three […]
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Tourism nights booked online drop by almost 50% in 2020
In 2020, guests spent around 272 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the EU booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or Tripadvisor, representing a decrease of around 47% compared with 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. These data on short-stay accommodation offered via these platforms are the result of a landmark agreement between the European Commission and […]
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Sparkling wine extra-EU exports see 6% dip in 2020
In 2020, the EU’s sparkling wine exports to countries outside the EU amounted to 494 million litres, a decrease with respect to the 528 millions litres exported in 2019. This was the first decrease in sparkling wine extra-EU exports in a decade (-6% when compared with 2019), where the pandemic significantly dampened wine trade growth as many bars and restaurants […]
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20 years of the euro in your pocket
Twenty years ago, on 1 January 2002, twelve EU countries changed their national currency banknotes and coins for the euro in the largest currency changeover in history. In these two decades, the euro has contributed to the stability, competitiveness and prosperity of European economies. Most importantly, it has improved the lives of citizens and made […]
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Online sales continue to grow among EU enterprises
In 2020, 22% of EU enterprises had e-commerce sales and 19% reported that their online sales reached at least 1% of their total turnover, a 1 percentage point (pp) increase compared with 2019 and 6 pp up from 13% in 2010. The steady growth in the use of e-commerce sales in many countries was heightened by the coronavirus pandemic and movement […]
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Commission proposes to end the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes within the EU
The European Commission has presented a key initiative to fight against the misuse of shell entities for improper tax purposes. This proposal should ensure that entities in the European Union that have no or minimal economic activity are unable to benefit from any tax advantages and do not place any financial burden on taxpayers. This […]
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