Tag: economic growth

Romania's economy is rapidly advancing and despite certain stability risks, the economic outlook is "very promising", writes Bernd Klett for Deutsche Bank Research.

MEPs and trade unions are calling for interest-rate cuts and increased regulation of financial markets at EU level in order to avert a crisis similar to that of the US subprime mortgage, ahead of a debate with European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet in Parliament.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) are potentially the most dynamic sector of the economy. Their growth is key for the overall economic well-being. The Commission has several programmes and measures in place to promote SME growth. 

EU funds have successfully boosted productivity and employment in the bloc’s poorest regions, helping them catch up with their neighbours, the Commission said in a first assessment of European cohesion policy over the 2000-2006 programming period.

Eurozone growth is at its highest in years, but governments must take advantage of the good times to consolidate public finances and implement structural reforms in order to prepare for an ageing society, warned the Commission in its annual econcomic statement.

The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates on 8 March 2007 to 3.75% and indicated that further increases were likely due to growth and inflation in the eurozone. 

While the European economy is entering a boom phase, social reality lags behind, a number of recently published reports suggest.

The Commission made an 0.3% upward correction to its economic forecast for growth in the EU, while inflation is expected to ease.

A poll carried out by the Financial Times shows that more than two-thirds of French, Italians, Spanish and half of Germans believe that the single currency has had a ‘negative impact’.

The Commission has adopted a concrete plan for immediately reducing unnecessary administrative burdens on Europe's businesses. The aim is to give the European economy a €150 billion boost by 2012.

Simplifying and improving the EU regulatory environment will be top of the German presidency’s agenda, in hopes of saving business billions of euro.

Economic growth in the EU will overtake America’s for the first time in years and millions of jobs will be created in 2007, according to the Commission’s latest economic forecasts.

Low corporate taxes give countries “a significant competitive advantage over economic rivals” and contribute to “higher than average economic growth”, according to a study by the professional services firm KPMG.

Economic ecovery is on a solid footing and growth rates could rise even more than expected by the end of the year, thanks to falling oil prices and lower unemployment. 

A majority of EU members rank in the top 40 best locations for doing business but regulatory reforms must be pursued to avoid Asia’s growing economies from overtaking.

In the report entitled Knowledge Capital as the Source of Growth, researcher Hannu Piekkola examines the role of knowledge agglomeration in productivity growth in Finland. The report was published by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). 

Having received national reform programmes on growth and jobs from all member states, the Commission has presented its first annual progress report on the Lisbon strategy. The report is mildly optimistic.

In a pamphlet on the future of Europe in a global marketplace, the UK Finance Minister Gordon Brown has called for far-reaching reforms in most economic policy areas. But critics say the UK is not leading by example.

The UK Finance Minister Gordon Brown told MEPs that Europe must invest in human skills to ensure that Europe is able to face up to "the biggest shift in the balance of global production and services the world has ever seen".

A new report by the UN labour agency shows that economic security promotes personal happiness. While income levels play a role, economic growth only has a weak impact on economic security.

Poland is expected to gain 7 billion euro in the first three years of its EU membership from the Union's budget, according to a new study by the Gdansk Institute for Market Economics.