Trade, economic and cultural relations between the European Union and Hong Kong remained strong during the period covered by this annual report. The European Union remained Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner after mainland China, while Hong Kong was a major partner for the European Union as regards trade in goods and services and foreign investment […]
Read More
European Defence Union: new guidance to help Member States run joint defence procurements
The European Commission has published guidance on cooperative defence procurement to help Member States apply the Defence Procurement Directive (Directive 2009/81/EC) consistently and make use of all the cooperation possibilities it offers. This will facilitate Member States’ participation in collaborative defence projects under the future European Defence Fund and its current precursor programmes. Commissioner Elżbieta […]
Read More
Commission presents results of initiative supporting regions in industrial transition
The Commission has presented the first results of an initiative launched a year ago to support 10 EU regions and two Member States in industrial transition. They applied to receive Commission support and expertise in achieving industrial transition and designing development strategies based on their areas of competitive strength – their so-called ‘smart specialisation’ assets. […]
Read More
EIB and Banca March provide €340m to finance Spanish SMEs and mid-caps
The EIB has provided Banca March with a €70m Investment Plan for Europe guarantee to support mid-caps and €100m in financing for SMEs. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Banca March are joining forces to provide financing on favourable terms for Spanish SMEs and mid-caps. EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro and Banca March CEO José Luis […]
Read More
10 years of the Eastern Partnership: celebrations take place in Brussels
Today Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 May, to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Eastern Partnership (#EaP10), the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, are hosting a series of high-level […]
Read More
State aid: Commission approves new commitments package for National Bank of Greece
The European Commission has concluded that Greek support, approved by the Commission in 2014 and 2015, for National Bank of Greece (NBG) remains compatible with EU State aid rules based on a new commitments package submitted by the Greek authorities. Background Since 2015, NBG has successfully executed a significant rationalisation of its operations and sold a substantial part […]
Read More
Behind the scenes of Russia’s foreign policy-making
There is much we don’t know about how foreign policy is being shaped in Russia. Is Vladimir Putin as almighty as some believe him to be? Do international relations academics have an influence on government decisions? The RuKNOW project tried to find out. Relations between the EU and Russia are at one of their lowest […]
Read More
WestMED Hackathons: “Blue Economy contribution to the Summit of the Two Shores”
The first WestMED Hackathons will take place on Tuesday 14 May 2019 in Palermo, Italy. The event, organised by the European Commission and the Co-Presidency of the Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western Mediterranean, will showcase and develop concrete projects among businesses, investors, researchers, national and local authorities belonging […]
Read More
Can you afford to pay all your bills?
In 2018, 6.2 % of the population or around 31 million people in the European Union (EU) were severely materially deprived. This means that they cannot afford at least four of the following items, which are considered by most people to be desirable or necessary to lead an adequate life: pay their bills on time; keep their home […]
Read More