The financial crisis in the US has an inevitable impact on Europe. Although the EU is primarily focusing on economic issues, it still seems difficult to react effectively to those challenges. How can the EU lead a consistent and independent financial policy to protect its economy?
The financial crisis in the US has an inevitable impact on Europe. Although the EU is primarily focusing on economic issues, it still seems difficult to react effectively to those challenges. How can the EU lead a consistent and independent financial policy to protect its economy?
The commission for economic and monetary affairs suggested the following:
A change in the bonus culture of the banking sector
An increase of the financial reserves of banks from 8% to 15%.
Transparent banking products, easier to understand.
More thorough, international debates on financial issues.
A European body focusing on control of the financial sector has to be set up.
Banks have to inform their stakeholders each half year about their activities.
Are those suggestions valid ?
Is your money well spent at EU level? Every year, in April, the EP concludes its examination of EU spending for the financial year closed 16 months previously. Its job is to make sure taxpayers’ money has been used well and to call for improvements where they are needed. On Tuesday, MEPs will debate in Strasbourg whether to grant discharge for the 2007 budget.
read more »The financial crisis in the US has an inevitable impact on Europe. Although EU is primarily focusing on economic issues, it seems still difficult react effectively to those challenges. How can the EU with great persistent and independency lead its own financial policy to protect its economics? I think we need this kind of European organization to act on important challenges in case of big crisis, as the financial crisis we are living now.
A key component of the EU’s internal market for goods and services is the possibility of buying and selling across Europe. To ensure safety, stimulate trade and ensure that no business has an unfair advantage, similar standards are often required. This can lead to a change of size or name in well-known products, which often arouses opposition.
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The future of Europe’s troubled car market and 12 million jobs was under scrutiny Tuesday. Sales are falling because of the economic crisis and more restricted access to credit. They are already down 8% on last year and are expected to fall a further 20% by the end of the year.
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The costs of fossil fuels are increasing and global warming is accelerating. With oil reserves shrinking and the environment becoming more polluted, Europe is looking away from fossil fuels and towards things such as biofuels, electricity or hydrogen. Recently, the MEPs maintained the 2020 target for renewables to account for at least 10% of energy use in road transport. Is this feasible?
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The US and Europe are in the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. With unemployment rising dramatically and businesses failing, fear is spreading. Against this background the excesses of the financial sector and the credit and prosperity bubble they helped create seem to be sheer recklessness.
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Pioneered by Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, micro-credits have become a way for poor and excluded people in parts of the developing world to access credit allowing them to start up mini-businesses. Now Hungarian MEP Zsolt Becsey wants to extend the scheme to the poorest people in Europe. At midday on Wednesday the European Parliament will vote on his report. We spoke to him about the issues involved.
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Monday evening sees MEPs consider the emotive subject of food prices in Europe. In particular the focus will be on the role of large supermarkets and the amount they pay farmers. At present shoppers can pay up to 5 times the cost of some items of food compared to the price at the farm gate.
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