Tag: Growth

Even if the European Commission seems slightly optimistic about future growth in the EU, some consider the EU executive’s forecast too rosy and warn against underestimating other risks. This has systematically been the case in the past years of crisis.

The high-level working group on growth and jobs, set up at the last EU-US summit in November 2011, will give the go-ahead to launch negotiations for a transatlantic trade agreement, said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

Northern European regions are in the lead when it comes to innovation in Europe. But there is a considerable diversity in regional innovation performance not only across European countries, but also within the member states, according to the European Commission's Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2012, published today (7 November).

With the success of the fiscal adjustment programme in Greece uncertain, and the future of the coalition government in doubt, today’s Greece resembles a barrel of gunpowder ready to explode, writes Anna Visvizi.

Europe has failed to create the right "ecosystem" that would encourage the creation of new ICT companies and sub-sectors, holding back the continent's post-crisis recovery, says a new study from the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

Countries in Eastern Europe have until now shown remarkable economic resilience, after being hit harder by the 2008–2009. But their economic future relies on a new model of growth, argues Jana Grittersova.

The leaders of France, Germany, Spain and Italy will meet in Rome after the June Greek election to discuss the eurozone crisis, the Italian press reports, as talk of Greece leaving the single currency gain momentum.

Government spending does not lead to higher growth, but digital technologies can kickstart the economy and job creation, argues Ann Mettler.

The European Commission’s latest economic forecast ranked Poland as the fastest developing EU member state in 2012, although it revised the country's growth estimate downwards for 2013. But analysts appear much more optimistic than the EU executive and insist that the Polish economy will do even better next year.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is opposing economic stimulus policies that rely on new debt, amid calls to relax austerity measures from centre-left opponents in Germany and some European leaders.

French president-elect François Hollande met yesterday in Paris (9 May) with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy to discuss the eurozone crisis. Meanwhile, the German opposition has set its conditions: it wants the fiscal treaty, coupled with measures for growth, to be ratified on the same day in France, Germany and Italy. 

The eurozone's business slump deepened at a far faster pace than expected in April, suggesting the economy will stay in recession at least until the second half of the year.

Workplace inequalities have increased significantly across Europe as a result of the global economic crisis – harshly affecting temporary and low-skilled workers, women and young people – and will continue to do so as more and more countries introduce austerity measures and labour market reforms, says Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead of the International Labour Organization.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and leaders of 11 other EU countries have called on the Union's institutions to stick to a liberal agenda for growth, bolder economic integration with the USA and deepening trade and investment relations with Russia, China and other strategic partners.

EU leaders have to find a way out of the economic crisis and to do so they need to look at long-term solutions to tackle the negative impact of the financial crisis on people with disabilities, Yannis Vardakastanis, president of the European Disability Forum, said in an interview with EurActiv.

Beneath the current gloomy economic perspective in Europe, there is underlying opportunity, says Internet guru Don Tapscott. But in order to unleash this, companies, individuals and governments must embrace the transforming power of digital innovation, he told EurActiv.

Convinced that economic growth patterns of the past will not be viable in the future, the European Commission has started a crucial dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that social enterprises are given the means and the recognition to grow, as it is fully aware that policies alone are not enough.

The EU has funded too many short-term projects that have little or no impact on the long-term competitiveness of Europe and it is high time to target EU spending on growth-led sectors, said BusinessEurope Director-General Philippe de Buck in an interview with EurActiv.

Despite the Italian finance minister's reassurances that a crackdown on tax evasion will provide enough revenue to replace the levy on high earners dropped from Rome's austerity package, employers' group Confindustria has labelled the government's plan "weak and inadequate" and expressed concern about how Italy's economic problems are being handled.

The London Stock Exchange is collaborating with the European Commission to devise new funding mechanisms for SMEs, and new SME envoys from all member states will meet for the first time in Budapest next week, the European Business Summit heard yesterday (19 May).

The main concern underlying reform of EU economic governance is avoiding another debt crisis, but although this is key, Europe should also focus on fostering sustainable growth for future competitiveness, writes Maria Joao Rodrigues, professor of European economic policies at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a policy advisor to the EU institutions. In the sketch below, she simulates a debate on reforming economic governance.

As the French government reels from a series of strikes and protests over its plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, a leading Brussels policy expert warns of more trouble ahead across Europe unless governments are frank with voters about the fundamental reforms required to grapple with the looming demographic crisis. 

A 22% boost in new industrial orders has provided a much-needed fillip for business leaders gathering in Brussels for this week's European Business Summit.

Beyond the headlines declaring a growing transatlantic divide, Europe and the United Sates still share the deepest and broadest economic partnership in the world and need to forge an innovation action plan rather than dwell on inconclusive debates, said US Ambassador to the EU William Kennard yesterday (4 March) in Brussels.