European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
economic development
Public economic support in the EU: State aid and special economic zones [Policy podcast]
State aid can be defined as an advantage given by a government that may provide a company with an unfair competitive edge over its commercial rivals. State aid can take several forms, such as public subsidies, tax relief, or the purchasing of goods and services on preferential terms. Continue reading
The Juncker Commission’s ten priorities: An end-of-term assessment
As the European Parliament reaches the end of its 2014-2019 mandate and the European Commission approaches the end of its term, it is timely to look back at the commitments made by the Juncker Commission when it took office in 2014 and assess to what extent it has delivered. Continue reading
The Juncker Commission’s ten priorities: State of play in early 2018
The Juncker Commission has now been in office for more than three years. With only one full calendar year to go until the end of its mandate, many consider that 2018 will be judged as ‘the year of delivery’. Continue reading
The European Commission at mid-term: State of play of President Juncker’s ten priorities
Written by Etienne Bassot and Wolfgang Hiller, At a time when, more than ever, citizens expect the European Union institutions to address their concerns and deliver on promises and commitments made, this analysis provides an overview of the work carried out by the European Commission at the mid-term of its current mandate, notably in the … Continue reading
The Juncker Commission’s ten priorities: State of play at the start of 2017
Written by Étienne Bassot and Wolfgang Hiller, More than two years since Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker took office on 1 November 2014, having presented the ten priority areas that would serve as his Commission’s guiding lines for the following five years, the European Commission is now approaching the midway point of its mandate. Building on the … Continue reading
Better Life Index
Written by Marcin Grajewski There’s more to life than GDP – debate on OECD’s Better Life Index Is life really getting better? How can we tell? What are the key ingredients to improving our lives – is it better education, environment, healthcare, housing or working hours? Does progress mean the same thing to all people, … Continue reading
‘Make in India’ for more ‘made in India’
Written by Enrico D’Ambrogio Doing business in India today is much more difficult than elsewhere, but the government wants to change this. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative to attract investors and make India a global manufacturing hub. The launch ‘Goodbye red tape, hello red carpet’ read one of the … Continue reading
Le défi de la coordination des politiques européennes de développement
Written by Marta Latek Le poids que représente pour les pays en développement la gestion d’un nombre croissant de (petits) projets, combiné avec un nombre grandissant de donateurs de plus en plus divers – “la fragmentation de l’aide” – est largement reconnu comme nuisible à l’efficacité de l’aide voire à sa légitimité. Les instances internationales … Continue reading
European Year for Development 2015
Written by Marta Latek In this time of economic crisis, when Europeans are increasingly tempted to focus on overcoming their own problems, the EU invites us to look to the developing world, keeping the EP’s motto ‘Our world, our future, our dignity’ in mind. 2015 EYD – how it all started Since 1983, the EU … Continue reading
The European Union and Northern Ireland
Written by Conall Devaney and Aidan Christie The European Union has played a key role in assisting Northern Ireland’s recovery from decades of conflict and division. The political support of the Commission, and the channelling of EU funds to Northern Ireland, has helped pave the way for several key projects aimed at improving cross-community cooperation … Continue reading
The OECD – Promoting ‘better policies for better lives’
Written by Ron Davies The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to promoting public policies which improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The successor to the organisation formed after the Second World War to coordinate the implementation of the Marshall Plan in Europe, over the past half century … Continue reading
Africa in focus: rethinking the EU partnership
EU Foreign Affairs are focused this first week of April by the EU-Africa Summit (2-3/04) bringing African and EU leaders together in Brussels. A dynamic player in this partnership, the European Parliament hosts the third Parliamentary Summit with the Pan-African Parliament (31/03-1/04). On this occasion, we offer some of our insights on Africa, drawing a mixed … Continue reading
Measuring well-being and progress: Looking beyond GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of national economic production, has come to be used as a general measure of well-being and progress in society, and as a key indicator in deciding a wide range of public policies. However GDP does not properly take into account non-economic factors such as social issues and the environment. … Continue reading
The g7+ group of fragile states
The g7+ is an association of 18 fragile and conflict-affected states that have joined forces to share experiences and promote a new development framework based on five peace-building and state-building goals. The group brings together: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Papua … Continue reading
The EU Parliament and the Battle to Secure Our Common Future
By Eric Lowitt This guest blog post is a pre-cursor to the upcoming debate on The Collaboration Economy scheduled for 16 October 2013 at 18.00 to take place in the EU Parliament Library in Brussels. Worldwide we are engaged in a conflict that we must win. This conflict has three components: math, trust, and economic … Continue reading
The (low) absorption of EU Structural Funds
At present, the European Union (EU) faces the difficult task of exiting the economic crisis while achieving the transition to a more dynamic and competitive economy. Cohesion policy and its Structural Funds are one of the main EU instruments to sustain economic growth, while reducing disparities between regions. These funds are allocated to Member States … Continue reading
EU macro-regional strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR)
Updated October 2014 The European Council endorsed the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) (on 24 October 2014) and called on all relevant actors to implement it without delay, as outlined in the Council conclusions of 29 September 2014. This strategy builds on the Maritime Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Seas … Continue reading
European Union’s macro-regional strategies
The European Commission has published its report on EU’s macro-regional strategies. It aims to ‘clarify the concept of macro-regional strategies and to evaluate their value added’. The report and its accompanying document were submitted to the Council and to the European Parliament in July 2013. Currently, the European Union is implementing two macro-regional strategies: the EU Strategy for … Continue reading
The EU Strategy for the Atlantic Area
The Action Plan for a Maritime Strategy in the Atlantic Area, published in May 2013 by the European Commission, sets out four priorities for research and investment in the eligible regions of the five Member States (United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain) participating to the Atlantic Area programme to drive the ‘blue economy’ forward in this … Continue reading
The “Addax affair”: Gabon challenges China in oil dispute
In June 2013, the Gabonese government informed Addax Petroleum, a subsidiary of the Chinese international oil giant Sinopec that it planned to withdraw the drilling licence for its Tsiengui onshore oilfield after the current contract expires in 2015. The reasons cited relate to contract violations; moreover Gabon is accusing Addax of failing to pay customs duties and not respecting … Continue reading
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