Antonio Tajani, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, was in Portugal, Friday, for a Mission for Growth with 800 entrepreneurs from Portugal, Europe and third countries. Tajani met the President of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva to address the economic crisis and discuss the need for growth policies to boost domestic demand and increase industrial competitiveness. […]
Reding ‘Re-Orients’ Justice Policies, Fair Trial for All Demanded
The European Commission has presented a package of proposals to further strengthen procedural safeguards for citizens in criminal proceedings. The aim is to guarantee fair trial rights for all citizens, wherever they are in the European Union. The proposals aim to guarantee the respect for the presumption of innocence and the right to be present […]
Ashton Celebrates Chanukah, The Festival Of Light
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy participated in the “EuroChanukah 4 Peace 2013” event. Organised by the European Jewish Community Centre (EJCC) to celebrate the eight-day Jewish festival of Chanukah – which means “festival of lights” – it aimed to illustrate the message that “a small light can […]
Damanaki Harpoons Fish Rogues
Maria Damanaki, European Fisheries Commissioner harpooned Belize, Cambodia and Guinea today, following a formal warning by the Commission one year ago. Damanaki intensified the Commission’s fight against illegal fishing by identifying Belize, Cambodia and Guinea as non-cooperating third countries. Despite the Commission working closely with the countries’ authorities to set up fisheries management and effective control […]
EU Cyber War Capabilities, Ashton Must Clarify Says Schaake
Dutch Member of European Parliament Marietje Schaake (ALDE/D66) has called on EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, to provide clarification on the European Union’s developing offensive capabilities in cyber defence. “It looks like Ashton is aiming for European offensive capabilities to counter threats against critical European ICT infrastructure.” “While cooperation in conventional defence is lagging […]
EU-China Summit, “Two Major Forces For Peace, Markets, Human Progress”
China and the EU are two major forces in maintaining world peace, two important markets to promote common development and two civilizations to advance the cause of human progress, said Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China at the commencement of the 16th China-EU Summit, in Beijing. In a meeting with European Council President Herman […]
€1 Billion For Central Asian Development, Announced By Commission
Around €1 billion will be made available to support the development efforts of Central Asian countries between 2014-2020, has today announced EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs. This amount includes the bilateral allocations for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and regional allocations and multi-country funds, to support the region’s efforts on sustainable management of natural […]
Washington – Reding’s Christmas Dinner With The In-Laws… and about that puppy that got run over on the driveway.
The NSA was there, on almost every item of the agenda. Much like Christmas dinner with the in-laws, it would be impolite to get too upset about that time Uncle Sam reversed over the new puppy in the driveway. And so, cousin NSA sat in the corner as the grown-ups talked about how bad the […]
1-in-3 of Europe’s SMEs Not Getting Finance They Need
One third of SMEs didn’t get the full financing they had planned for during 2013, and 15% saw access to finance as a significant problem for their companies. Europe’s companies believe that bank financing conditions worsened during 2013, with respect to interest rates, collateral and required guarantees. Despite this sorry tale, 85% of all loans […]
Best Supporting Actor, Almunia Adopts New Film Rules
European Commission Vice-President, Joaquín Almunia, has adopted revised criteria for EU state aid in favour of films and other audio-visual works. The new Cinema Communication allows aid for a wider scope of activities, highlights Member States’ discretion in defining cultural activities worthy of support, introduces the possibility to give more aid to cross-border productions and promotes film […]