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An independent media is a pillar of democracy and an important part of the economy, helping to shape public opinion and hold those in power to account. In recent years, however, there have been increasingly worrying trends across the European Union (EU), as documented in the annual rule of law reports by the European Commission and other tools such as the Media Pluralism Monitor. Tabled on 16 September 2022, the proposed European media freedom act (EMFA) would introduce a new set of rules to promote ...

This infographic provides an insight into the economic performance of the United States (US) compared with the European Union (EU), and looks at the trade dynamics between them. The US unemployment rate rose substantially in 2009 following the financial crisis. This was followed by a steady fall in unemployment from 2010 onwards, with the exception of the COVID-19 years (2020 and 2021) when a new steep increase was recorded. Both foreign direct investment (FDI) and remittances remained relatively ...

Two European Union (EU) directives regulate the EU collective investment funds industry: the Directive relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) and the Alternative Investment Funds Manager Directive (AIFMD). The UCITS Directive, which covers mutual funds, lays down uniform rules, allowing them to be offered cross-border, while the AIFMD, which covers hedge funds and private equity, lays down the rules for authorising, supervising and overseeing the managers ...

The crypto-asset sector, while still relatively new, has already changed the world of payments and investment forever. The fast-changing, mobile nature of the sector and its growing market prominence poses challenges, however, for tax authorities, which are not always able to track the capital gains made from trading crypto-assets. On 8 December 2022, the European Commission proposed to set up a reporting framework which would require crypto-asset service providers to report transactions made by ...

In 2023, the EU celebrates the 30th anniversary of the single market. Recent shocks have shown not only how vulnerable to crises the single market is, but also the extent to which the EU economy relies on a well-functioning single market. It is now considered to be a key driver of EU resilience. In September 2022, the Commission put forward a single market emergency instrument (SMEI) package. It includes one main proposal for a regulation establishing a SMEI, and two accompanying proposals amending ...

The EU is an important market for illicit drugs (hereinafter referred to as drugs), both in terms of consumption and production. An estimated 29 % of European adults aged 15-65 have used drugs at least once in their lifetime, the majority of them being men. Cannabis remains by far the most used drug, followed by cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy or molly) and amphetamines. Drugs have been claiming an increasing number of lives in the EU since 2012, but their impact goes far beyond the harm caused by their use ...

This briefing provides an insight into the implications of the EU's Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Kenya – with a particular focus on the extent to which it could affect regional trade in the East African Economic Community (EAC) and the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It examines the new EPA and its implications in terms of its trade schemes as well as provisions in the area of sustainable development. It provides an overview of key factors that may affect regional and intra-African ...

The briefings offer an overview of EU’s trade and investment relations before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion and a data-supported analysis of recent trade developments. They address the trade patterns of Ukraine and Russia, the economic structure of the two countries, and the EU’s dependencies on Russia as well as the EU's alternatives for Russian imports, focusing on the energy sector and critical raw materials. The final briefing provides an overview of the sanctions imposed by the ...

In line with the overall objectives of the European Green Deal, the proposed initiative aims to render consumption more sustainable by increasing the repair and reuse of defective consumer goods, both within and outside their legal guarantee. It complements two related initiatives that are currently pending (eco-design and empowering consumers for the green transition). The IA presents a clear intervention logic and a seemingly comprehensive qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impacts ...

Payment services enable digital payments through direct debits, credit transfers or payments with cards or similar devices. Within the EU, these are regulated through the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), which sets rules for payment services, their providers and consumer protection. Announced in September 2021 under the digital finance strategy and the retail payments strategy, the Commission published two proposals on the revision of PSD2 on 28 June 2023 as part of the financial data access ...