European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
economic policy
Sustainable finance and disclosures: Bringing clarity to investors [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 24 May 2018, the Commission published three proposals for regulations reflecting the EU’s efforts to connect finance with its own sustainable development agenda. The proposals include measures to: create an EU sustainable finance taxonomy; make disclosures relating to sustainable investments and sustainability risks clearer; and establish low-carbon benchmarks. Continue reading
EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Economic policy [Policy Podcast]
In the European Union (EU), although economic policy is the remit of each Member State, there is, nevertheless, multilateral coordination of economic policies between individual countries. Continue reading
Global Trends to 2035: Economy and society
Machiavelli wrote about the difficulty of spotting evils before they hatch; this is a good reason to build expertise about developments in the world around us. A new EPRS publication does this by analysing economic and social trends to 2035. Continue reading
Outlook for the meetings of EU leaders on 22-23 March 2018
On 22 and 23 March 2018, the EU Heads of State or Government will convene in four different formations with varying compositions and levels of formality: a regular meeting of the European Council, a Leaders’ meeting on taxation, a Euro Summit and a European Council (Article 50) meeting. Continue reading
Regulation of OTC derivatives: Amending the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) [EU Legislation in Progress]
The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR – Regulation (EU) No 648/2012), adopted in 2012, forms part of the European regulatory response to the financial crisis, and specifically addresses the problems observed in the functioning of the ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) derivatives market during the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Continue reading
Plastics and the circular economy [Policy Podcast]
Written by Didier Bourguignon, Plastics are everywhere in our daily life: they are used in packaging, buildings, cars, electronics, agriculture, and other sectors. Plastics production is now 20 times higher than in the 1960s, and is forecast to almost quadruple by 2050. Although there are thousands of types of plastics, 90 % of plastics are derived … Continue reading
Plastics in a circular economy: Opportunities and challenges
Written by Didier Bourguignon, Plastics pervade modern life; plastics production has been growing exponentially since the 1960s and is expected to double by 2036. Although there are over 1 000 types of plastic, 90 % of plastics are derived from virgin fossil fuels. In Europe, post-consumer plastic waste is either incinerated with energy recovery (39 %), landfilled (31 %) or … Continue reading
Financial instruments in cohesion policy
Written by Agnieszka Widuto, The use of financial instruments in cohesion policy is increasing, as they are considered a resource-efficient way of using public funding. They provide support for investment in the form of loans, guarantees, equity and other risk-sharing mechanisms. In the 2014-2020 programming period, financial instruments can be applied in all thematic areas … Continue reading
Public opinion and EU action on economic policy and taxation: exploring the expectations gap
Written by Clare Ferguson, Economic policy has recently been a matter of some concern to all European citizens, with the consequences of the economic crisis hitting hard. In order to test the public mood concerning economic policy and the fight against tax fraud, the European Parliament recently commissioned a Eurobarometer survey on EU action, including … Continue reading
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