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This briefing provides a summary of the recent economic developments in the EU Member States and gives an overview of relevant economic projections forecasted by major international and EU institutions. Annex 1 includes latest GDP data and forecasts for all EU Member States and Annex 2 the latest inflation data and developments.

The Commission’s implementing decision under Article 25(6) EMIR extends for three further years the current equivalence decision regarding the UK (i.e. to consider the regulatory framework applicable to central counterparties in the UK equivalent to the one applicable in the Union). The currently applicable equivalence decision is due to expire on 30 June 2025. The extension could disincentivise efforts to reduce excessive exposures to clearing services of substantial systemic importance provided ...

This paper has been drafted to assist the European Parliament's Committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and on Budgets (BUDG) in the context of their work on an implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Based on publicly available information, it provides a literature review of EU reports and academic papers on the state of play of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. It also summarises the main topics of recent parliamentary resolutions and ...

The adoption of the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the period from 2028 will be one of the second von der Leyen Commission's defining projects. Striking a delicate balance between the EU's growing financial needs and many Member States' reluctance to shoulder higher payments to the EU has always been a challenging task. However, never before have the EU's many financial needs been greater – and, at the same time, Member States' budgets are under heavy constraints. On the expenditure ...

European Union leaders met in Brussels on 3 February 2025, for their first-ever meeting dedicated solely to defence issues. In the current challenging geopolitical context, the purpose of this first meeting of EU Heads of State or Government in 2025 - described as an 'informal retreat' - was to make 'progress in discussions on building the Europe of defence'. The 'frank, open, and free discussion' covered three main issues: i) defence capabilities, ii) financing EU defence priorities, and iii) strengthening ...

Poverty has many dimensions. Following recent crises, not least the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, some of poverty's known dimensions have evolved while new forms have emerged. Addressing poverty remains mainly the responsibility of EU countries' governments acting in complex national social settings. The EU meanwhile seeks to coordinate Member States' efforts and offers support in the form of funding and data. The new European Commission is stepping up efforts to meet the EU's ...

The 2019 Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive sought to address imbalances in bargaining power between suppliers and buyers of agricultural products. The directive was primarily aimed at protecting farmers, as a weaker party, selling their products to big supermarkets and food processing companies. However, experience has shown that the directive does not always provide a sufficient legal basis for mutual assistance in cross-border investigations. The Commission's proposal for a new regulation ...

The Black Sea's natural characteristics, its isolated position and the high percentage of waters where no life is possible, make it a unique and vulnerable place. Fisheries in the region face a number of challenges, including environmental issues such as pollution, over-exploitation, eutrophication, invasive species and climate change, that are linked directly to the sector's sustainability. The EU fleet comprises Bulgarian and Romanian vessels and is small compared with the other fleets in the region ...

This paper presents the latest findings and developments related to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), with a particular focus on stakeholder assessments of its structure, implementation and the economic impact. It summarises the perspectives of stakeholders at the EU, national, regional, and local levels concerning the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs). Notably, the paper compiles recent opinions and evaluations from EU stakeholders, as well as relevant institutions and bodies ...

On the first day in office of his second term, US President Donald Trump signed a number of executive orders (EOs), including EOs withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Council and the Commission will make statements on the withdrawals during Parliament's February plenary session.