The European Parliament today gave its final approval, known as ‘discharge’, to the way in which the European Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, managed and implemented the EU budget in 2017. The positive vote follows from the European Court of Auditors’ decision to give the EU annual accounts a clean bill of health for […]
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Employment and social developments in Europe: Record number of people in employment, but more investment in skills needed
The spring edition of the Commission’s Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) Quarterly Review published today shows that the number of people in employment and the number of hours worked continues to rise. Hours worked are finally above the peak of 2008. Most of the jobs created are permanent and full time jobs. But growth is […]
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Car rentals: EU action leads to clearer and more transparent pricing
Following a call from the European Commission and EU consumer authorities, five industry leaders, Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, Hertz and Sixt, have changed the way they present car rental prices, making them fully transparent to consumers. Until now, the companies concerned had not fully implemented some of their commitments in order for the European Commission and EU consumer […]
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Antitrust: Commission fines Nike €12.5 million for restricting cross-border sales of merchandising products
The European Commission has fined Nike €12.5 million for banning traders from selling licensed merchandise to other countries within the EEA. This restriction concerned merchandising products of some of Europe’s best-known football clubs and federations, for which Nike held the licence. Licensed merchandising products are extremely varied (e.g. mugs, bags, bedsheets, stationery, toys) but all […]
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€750 million in EU funding made available for clean energy infrastructure
The Commission is releasing €750 million of funding for key European energy infrastructure projects with major cross-border benefits. Supporting the construction of necessary infrastructure, contributes to the Commission’s energy policy priorities of improving energy security, whilst giving consumers more choice, and spurring economic growth and jobs. These interconnections are also essential for renewable energy sources […]
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Brexit: European Council adopts decision extending the period under Article 50
The European Council (Article 50) has adopted a decision formalising the political agreement reached on 21 March 2019 on extending the period under Article 50. In accordance with the treaties, the decision was taken in agreement with the United Kingdom. Such an agreement was set out in a letter from the Permanent Representative of the […]
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Brexit: Railway safety and connectivity with the UK
The EU is ensuring continuity of train services between the EU (France and Ireland) and the United Kingdom in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. The Council today adopted a regulation on a temporary extension of the validity of certain authorisations, certificates and licences that are needed to run the […]
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Council strongly criticised over failing to act to protect EU values in Hungary
Civil Liberties Committee MEPs condemned the Council’s inaction relating to EU values in Hungary, following last September’s Article 7 request by Parliament. In the debate with the Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Political and Security Committee Permanent Representative Călin Stoica, on behalf of the Romanian Presidency, most of the Civil Liberties Committee MEPs who […]
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CO2 emissions from cars: facts and figures
Ever wondered how much CO2 is emitted by cars or whether electric vehicles really are a cleaner alternative? Check out our infographics to find out. Transport is responsible for nearly 30% of the EU’s total CO2 emissions, of which 72% comes from road transportation. As part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, the EU has set […]
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