Optionen Trading Epub

Reise-Accessoires Taschen Für stilvolle Männer Frauen Urbane Traveller wurde im Jahr 2013 aus unserem Wunsch nach Stil, Leistung und Komfort während der Reise gegründet. Wir Quelle schön gemacht stilvolle Reise-Accessoires Reisetaschen für Stil-bewussten Männer Frauen aus der ganzen Welt. Entdecken Sie stilvolle Reise-Accessoires Outdoor-Getriebe Reise-Essentials Reisetaschen Verpackungs-Lösungen Verpackungs-Würfel Reise-Geschenke Reise-Schuhe Die perfekte Reise-Ausrüstung für Ihren Urlaub, Urlaub, Städtereise, Geschäftsreise, Aktivität Abenteuer Urlaub, Safari, Kreuzfahrt, Karriere Pause, Lücke Jahr oder um die Weltreise. UK International Versandoptionen möglich. Kostenlose Lieferung auf UK Europe Lieferungen, wenn Sie über 50, 200 250 ausgeben. Nächste Werktag Lieferung ist auch auf UK Bestellungen erhältlich, wenn Sie Ihre Last Minute Reise Zubehör Einkaufen in Eile benötigen Urbane Traveller Limited ist in England registriert Wales (registrierte Nummer 8560175). MwSt. Registrierung 168379166. Urbane ist ein Warenzeichen und Urbane Traveller der Urbane Traveller Logo sind eingetragene Warenzeichen von Urbane Traveller Limited. Sicher kaufen. Diese Website verwendet ein Industriestandard Comodo SSL Zertifikat, um Ihre persönlichen Daten zu verschlüsseln. Zahlungen werden sicher von Sage Pay oder PayPal abhängig von Ihrer gewählten Zahlungsmethode behandelt. Software fr QM amp Dokumentation Software fr QM amp Unternehmens - dokumentation Warum unsere Kunden orgavision lieben Seitdem Start von orgavision wurden uns Preise, Auszeichnungen und Siegel verliehen. Jngst wurde von der Initiative Mittelstand als 8222Best-of-Lsung8220 in den Bereichen Qualittsmanagement und Wissensmanagement ausgezeichnet. Durch unser Engagement und die Mitarbeit in verschiedenen Verbnden sind wir am Puls der Zeit, wenn es um aktuelle Marktanforderungen geht. Jean-Claude Juncker, Präsident der Europäischen Kommission, gibt seinen Staat der Union Adresse für 2015 im Europäischen Parlament, Straßburg, 9. September 2015. Zu Beginn meines Mandats im November 2014 versprach ich einen Neuanfang für Europa, und diese Kommission würde sich auf 10 politische Prioritäten konzentrieren, um die wichtigsten Herausforderungen unserer Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft zu bewältigen. Wie sich herausstellte, war das erste Jahr unseres Mandats, 2015, ein Jahr, als die Welt die EU genau beobachtete und wie es sich mit einer Reihe von Krisen befasste. Schreckliche Terroranschläge fanden im Januar und November in Paris statt. Gemeinsam mit den Mitgliedstaaten mussten wir das Risiko reduzieren, dass solche brutalen Angriffe ein wiederkehrendes Phänomen werden. Die Europäische Agenda für Sicherheit, die im April verabschiedet wurde, legt dar, wie die EU zu einem effektiveren und koordinierten Ansatz zur Bekämpfung des Terrorismus, der organisierten Kriminalität und der Internetkriminalität beiträgt. Im Rahmen der Tagesordnung hat die Europäische Kommission im Dezember eine Reihe von Maßnahmen vorgelegt, um den Kampf gegen den Terrorismus und den illegalen Handel mit Schusswaffen und Sprengstoffen zu intensivieren. Die Mitgliedstaaten haben auch eine Einigung über den Vorschlag der Kommission für ein EU-Fahrgastschreibensystem gefunden. Damit wird sichergestellt, dass die Luftfahrtunternehmen den EU-Mitgliedstaaten Daten über Fluggäste zur Verfügung stellen, die von der EU einen wichtigen Teil der EU-Sicherheitspolitik ein - oder ausreisen. Parallel dazu zeigte unser Kontinent im Jahr 2015 die größte Massenbewegung der Menschen, die seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg gesehen wurden, da Hunderte von Tausenden von Flüchtlingen aus Konfliktzonen in Europa ankamen. Über 1 Million Menschen nahmen die lange und gefährliche Reise, die große Mehrheit, die vor Krieg und Terror in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libyen und Syrien flieht. Weniger Detail Weitere Informationen Anfang dieses Jahres hat die Kommission eine umfassende Migrationspolitik vorgelegt und hat sofort Maßnahmen ergriffen, um die Krise zu bewältigen. Wir verdreifachen unsere Anwesenheit im Mittelmeer und helfen, Leben zu retten. Wir kämpften gegen die kriminellen Netzwerke von Schmugglern und Menschenhändlern. Im Rahmen der Kommissionsleitung haben die Mitgliedstaaten die Regeln für die Umsiedlung und Umsiedlung von Hunderten von Tausenden von Menschen, die einen internationalen Schutz benötigen, vereinbart. Die EU-Agenturen helfen weiterhin den oft überlasteten nationalen Behörden in den am stärksten betroffenen Mitgliedstaaten, die eingehenden Migranten zu identifizieren, zu screenen und zu fangen, die Bearbeitung von Asylsuchenden zu beschleunigen und die Rückkehr derjenigen zu koordinieren, die nicht zum Schutz kommen. Die EU mobilisierte auch Milliarden Euro, um den Flüchtlingen, die bereits an unseren Küsten angekommen waren, sowie in den Nachbarländern zu helfen, während die Bemühungen um die Schmuggler und die Demontage von Menschenhandelsgruppen verdoppelt wurden. Im Oktober in Brüssel vereinbarten 11 Länder einen 17-Punkte-Plan, um die allmähliche, kontrollierte und geordnete Bewegung von Personen auf dem westlichen Balkanweg zu erreichen, während im November in Valletta ein EU-Notfallfonds für Afrika ins Leben gerufen wurde, um die Ursachen von Unregelmäßigen zu lösen Migration, die die Menschen dazu zwingt, zu entkommen und zu wandern: Armut, Kriege, Verfolgungen, Menschenrechtsverletzungen und Naturkatastrophen. Es ist klar, dass die Flüchtlingskrise nicht einfach weggehen wird. Während die Krise auf die unmittelbaren Bedürfnisse gerichtet war, zeigte sich auch viel über die Grenzen der EU-Migrationspolitik und die dazugehörigen Instrumente. Trotzdem müssen wir und wir werden unsere Bemühungen fortsetzen, die Krise anzugehen. Wir Europäer sollten sich gut daran erinnern, dass Europa ein Kontinent ist, in dem fast jeder zu einem Zeitpunkt ein Flüchtling war. Unsere gemeinsame Geschichte ist geprägt von Millionen von Europäern, die vor religiöser oder politischer Verfolgung fliehen, aus Krieg, Diktatur oder Unterdrückung. Anfang dieses Jahres erlebten wir eine schwierige Zeit, in der Greeces die Mitgliedschaft in der Eurozone fortsetzte. Nach monatelangen Gesprächen und vielen schwierigen Momenten wurde im August endlich ein neues Stabilitätsstudienprogramm für Griechenland vereinbart. Ich habe nie gezweifelt, dass wir eine Lösung finden würden, die den Euro anwendet, ist eine unwiderrufliche Entscheidung, und alle Mitglieder stehen zusammen, um es zu arbeiten. Da die Auswirkungen der griechischen Krise im Euroraum und in der gesamten europäischen Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft weiterhin spürbar sind, würde ich das Programm, das wir von jeder griechischen Regierung, Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft respektiert haben, gerne sehen. Die Krise wird vorbei sein, wenn die Vollbeschäftigung nach Europa zurückkehrt. Heute sind über 23 Millionen Menschen in der Europäischen Union arbeitslos. Das ist eine unannehmbar hohe Zahl. Es besteht ein klares Bedürfnis, in Europas Quellen von Arbeitsplätzen und Wachstum zu investieren, vor allem in unserem Binnenmarkt, und unsere Wirtschafts - und Währungsunion zu vervollständigen, um die Voraussetzungen für eine dauerhafte Erholung zu schaffen. Wir haben an beiden Fronten gehandelt. Zum Beispiel ist der 315 Milliarden Investitionsplan nun in Betrieb und sollte mehr als 2 Millionen Arbeitsplätze generieren. Die ersten Projekte wurden bereits gestartet und es werden noch viele weitere folgen. Gleichzeitig modernisieren wir unseren Binnenmarkt, um in allen 28 Mitgliedstaaten mehr Möglichkeiten für Menschen und Unternehmen zu schaffen. Dank von Projekten wie dem digitalen Binnenmarkt, der Kapitalmärkte und der Gewerkschaft der Gewerkschaften reduzieren wir Hindernisse für grenzüberschreitende Aktivitäten, indem wir Innovationen anregen, Talente verbinden und eine breitere Auswahl an Produkten und Dienstleistungen anbieten. Im Juni habe ich zusammen mit den Präsidenten anderer wichtiger EU-Institutionen einen Bericht über die Vollendung unserer Wirtschafts - und Währungsunion vorgelegt. Die fünf betroffenen Präsidenten vereinbarten einen Fahrplan, der uns erlaubte, das Euro-Gebiet bis Anfang 2017 zu stabilisieren und dann auf der Grundlage einer erneuten Konvergenz unserer Volkswirtschaften von der Krisenresistenz zu neuen Wachstumsperspektiven zu wechseln. Das war eine kühne politische Entscheidung, inmitten der griechischen Krise zu schauen. Die Europäische Union und ihre Mitgliedstaaten waren bei der Vermittlung des historischen Abkommens in Paris im Dezember, wo 195 Länder das erste universelle, rechtlich bindende globale Klimaabkommen verabschiedeten. Die Vereinbarung legt einen globalen Aktionsplan fest, um einen gefährlichen Klimawandel zu vermeiden, indem die globale Erwärmung auf weit unter 2 ° C begrenzt wird. Sie wird die Welt zu einem globalen Übergang der sauberen Energie steuern und ist ein Erfolg für die Europäische Union. Europa ist seit langem weltweit führend im Klimawandel. Das Pariser Abkommen spiegelt nun unseren Ehrgeiz weltweit wider. Es gibt viel mehr zu sagen, und mehr Details werden in dem Bericht vorgelegt, aber bei der Berührung der wichtigsten Herausforderungen, die uns in den letzten zwölf Monaten konfrontiert haben, bin ich von einem unausweichlichen Schluss geprägt, und das ist das, wenn ich mit dem Flüchtling konfrontiert bin Krise, Wirtschaftskrise oder außenpolitische Herausforderungen gibt es nur einen Weg zum Erfolg: Solidarität. Wir können nur als Union gelingen. Gemeinsam sind wir stärker als die Herausforderungen, die uns begegnen. Es ist an der Zeit, dass wir ein wenig mehr Vertrauen in die Fähigkeit Europas hatten, kollektive Lösungen für Probleme bereitzustellen, die von jedem Mitgliedstaat akut und unabhängig voneinander betroffen sind. Am Ende eines schwierigen Jahres, in dem die Natur der Europäischen Union in Frage gestellt wurde, ist es wichtig, dass wir Europäer daran erinnern, dass es Europa ist, das eine Oase der Stabilität in den Augen der Menschen im Nahen Osten darstellt, In Afrika und anderswo auf der Welt. Worauf ist stolz zu sein Weniger Detail Mehr Details Ein neuer Schub für Arbeitsplätze, Wachstum und Investitionen Ein integrierter Konzeptsatz der Wirtschaftspolitik basiert auf drei Säulen: Investitionsförderung, Beschleunigung der Strukturreformen und Verfolgung der fiskalischen Verantwortung. Alle drei müssen gemeinsam für die EU zusammenarbeiten, um wieder auf Wachstum zu gehen. Im Jahr 2015 hat die EU an allen drei Fronten Fortschritte gemacht. Der Investitionsplan besteht aus drei sich gegenseitig verstärkenden Strängen, wie nachfolgend beschrieben. Mobilisierung von mindestens 315 Milliarden an zusätzlichen Investitionen in den nächsten 3 Jahren, die Maximierung der Auswirkungen der öffentlichen Ressourcen und die Erschließung privater Investitionen. Das wichtigste Instrument zur Erreichung dieses Ziels ist der Europäische Fonds für strategische Investitionen. Sicherstellen, dass diese zusätzliche Investition die Realwirtschaft erreicht. Die wichtigsten Instrumente dafür sind der European Investment Advisory Hub und das European Investment Project Portal. Verbesserung des Investitionsumfelds sowohl auf EU-Ebene als auch auf Ebene einzelner Mitgliedstaaten. Die Arbeit ist im Gange, um Barrieren mit einer EU - und Binnenmarktdimension zu bewältigen, sowie auf regulatorische und nicht regulatorische Investitionsherausforderungen auf nationaler Ebene. Kommissarin Carlos Moedas, Kommission Vizepräsidentin Kristalina Georgieva und Kommission Vizepräsidentin Jyrki Katainen kündigen den erfolgreichen Abschluss der Verhandlungen über die Schaffung eines Europäischen Fonds für strategische Investitionen in Brüssel am 28. Mai 2015 an. Im November 2014 gab die Kommission die Gründung eines neuen Europas bekannt Fonds für strategische Investitionen. Das Parlament arbeitete intensiv in den ersten Monaten des Jahres 2015, um die Vorschläge der Kommission zu analysieren und Verbesserungen vorzuschlagen. In einer Trilog-Sitzung Ende Mai haben das Parlament und der Rat eine Kompromissvereinbarung über die vorgeschlagene Verordnung erzielt. Die Trilog-Verhandlungen wurden in Rekordzeit abgeschlossen und ermöglichten es dem Fonds, im Juni bereits Geld für Projekte zu vergeben. Der Europäische Fonds für strategische Investitionen bietet Garantien zur Unterstützung von Projekten, die von der Europäischen Investitionsbankgruppe finanziert werden. Es hat zwei Schwerpunkte: Infrastruktur und Innovation (verwaltet von der Europäischen Investitionsbank) und kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (verwaltet von der Europäischen Investitionsbank und dem Europäischen Investitionsfonds). Darlehen können auch an Regionen angelegt werden. Der Fonds wird von einem European Inve Stment Advisory Hub und einem European Investment Project Portal begleitet. Die Drehscheibe unterstützt die Entwicklung und Finanzierung von Investitionsprojekten und bietet einen einzigen Ansprechpartner für Beratung und Beratung und bietet eine Plattform zum Austausch von Know-how. Es begann seine Aktivitäten zur Unterstützung der Projektträger im September. Das Portal ist ein sicheres, öffentlich zugängliches Webportal, in dem sich EU-basierte Projekte für potenzielle Investoren einsetzen können. Es wird im Jahr 2016 gestartet. Im Laufe des Jahres hat die Kommissionsvizepräsidentin Jyrki Katainen eine EU-weite Roadshow gestartet, um den Investitionsplan für Europa zu fördern und die neuen Chancen für alle wichtigen Akteure (Regierungen, Investoren, Unternehmen, regionale Behörden, Handel) zu erläutern Gewerkschaften und Gemeinden). Alle 28 Mitgliedstaaten haben den Europäischen Fonds für strategische Investitionen gebilligt. Im Jahr 2015 verpflichteten sich neun Mitgliedstaaten, mehr als 40 Milliarden an den Fonds zu leisten, und China zeigte auch seine Absicht, einen Beitrag zu leisten. Investitionen, die durch den Fonds unterstützt werden, zielen auf die Entwicklung von Infrastruktur (Breitband, Energienetze und Verkehr) Bildung, Forschung und Innovation erneuerbare Energien und Energieeffizienz der Umwelt und Ressourceneffizienz soziale Infrastruktur und Gesundheit und die Unterstützung von kleinen Unternehmen. Werner Hoyer, Präsident der Europäischen Investitionsbank, Jean-Claude Juncker, Präsident der Europäischen Kommission und Kommissionsvizepräsident Jyrki Katainen bei der Unterzeichnung des Europäischen Fonds für Strategische Investitionen, Brüssel, 22. Juli 2015. Im Rahmen der Dritter Pfeiler des Investitionsplans hat die Kommission begonnen, eine Reihe von Hindernisse für Investitionen mit einer EU - und Binnenmarktdimension anzugehen. Dies geschieht durch mehrere Arbeitsströme: Im Rahmen der laufenden Arbeit an der Kapitalmarktunion (zB die Änderung der Solvabilitäts-II-Richtlinie) der Binnenmarktstrategie (z. B. öffentliches Beschaffungswesen) der digitalen Binnenmarkt-Gewerkschaft die bessere Regulierungsagenda und andere Politik Initiativen. Die Bewältigung regulatorischer und nichtregulatorischer Investitionsaufgaben auf nationaler Ebene wird auch eine Priorität des europäischen Semesters 2016 sein. Im Rahmen des Europäischen Semesters hat die Kommission einen Dialog mit den Mitgliedstaaten über die Identifizierung von Engpässen und die vorrangigen Maßnahmen zur Beseitigung dieser Maßnahmen eingeleitet. Um die ehrgeizigen Ziele der dritten Säule zu verwirklichen, konkrete Reformen für die Mitgliedstaaten vorzuschlagen und die Umsetzung zu begleiten, werden alle Dienststellen der Kommission (einschließlich des Strukturreform-Unterstützungsdienstes) in die Arbeit mit den Mitgliedstaaten einbezogen. Im Januar 2016 hatte der Fonds bereits 2,8 Milliarden an der Finanzierung über insgesamt 21 Projekte in der Infrastruktur - und Innovationskategorie ermöglicht, von denen erwartet wird, dass er rund 13,3 Milliarden Gesamtinvestitionen auslöst. In der Gruppe der kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen förderte der Fonds 1,5 Milliarden an Finanzierungen in insgesamt 66 Projekten, von denen erwartet wird, dass er rund 21 Milliarden Gesamtinvestitionen auslöst. Kommissionsvizepräsident Jyrki Katainen erläutert den neuen strategischen Investitionsplan der EU. Wirtschafts - und Fiskalpolitik Neben den Investitionen erfordern die EU-Volkswirtschaften ein solides Finanzmanagement und strukturelle Reformen, um wieder auf Kurs zu kommen. Die wirtschaftspolitische Koordinierung in der EU wird jährlich in einem Zyklus organisiert, der als Europäisches Semester bekannt ist. Beginnend mit der jährlichen Wachstumsstudie für 2015, die Ende 2014 veröffentlicht wurde, hat die Kommission politische Prioritäten für die EU und ihre Mitgliedstaaten festgelegt. Das Semester folgte drei gegenseitig verstärkenden Themen: Investitionsförderung, Beschleunigung der Strukturreformen und Verfolgung der fiskalischen Verantwortung. Im Jahr 2015 vereinfachten die Erweiterungen des europäischen Semesterwirtschaftspolitischen Zyklus die Ergebnisse der Kommission und reduzierten die Berichterstattungspflichten für die Mitgliedstaaten. Die Erweiterungen machten den Prozess auch offener und multilateraler. Die Flexibilität innerhalb der Regeln des Stabilitäts - und Wachstumspakts wurde geklärt, um die positive Verbindung zwischen Strukturreformen, Investitionen und fiskalischer Verantwortung zu stärken. Länderspezifische Empfehlungen für jeden Mitgliedstaat sowie für das Euro-Währungsgebiet als Ganzes wurden von der Kommission im Mai vorgeschlagen und vom Europäischen Rat von Juni gebilligt. Im Juli verabschiedete der Rat die endgültige Reihe von länderspezifischen Empfehlungen. Im Februar stellte die Kommission im Rahmen des Europäischen Semesters eingehende Überprüfungen zur Beurteilung makroökonomischer Ungleichgewichte und übermäßiger Ungleichgewichte in 16 Mitgliedstaaten vor. In einigen Mitgliedstaaten blieben noch einige Risiken bestehen. Die Kommission hat daher ihren Aufruf zur Bewältigung von Wachstumsschranken durch verstärkte Strukturreformen und Investitionen in die Modernisierung und Entwicklung der Infrastruktur erneuert. Diese sollten mit einer angemessenen Mischung von Politiken im Euro-Währungsgebiet gekoppelt werden, um das Vertrauen zu stärken, dazu beitragen, das Ausgleich auszugleichen und die Erholung stabiler zu gestalten. Unterstützung der Mitgliedstaaten Im Jahr 2015 unterstützte die Kommission zusammen mit der Europäischen Zentralbank und dem Internationalen Währungsfonds weiterhin die Mitgliedstaaten, die vor kurzem Finanzhilfeprogramme (Irland, Spanien und Portugal) abgeschlossen hatten. Es führte post-Programmüberwachung Bewertungen für alle drei. Diese Mitgliedstaaten wachsen jetzt wieder und konsolidieren ihre Volkswirtschaften. Darüber hinaus setzte die Kommission ihr Förderprogramm für Zypern fort, um die finanziellen, steuerlichen und strukturellen Herausforderungen für die Wirtschaft anzugehen. Damit kann Zypern auf einen nachhaltigen Wachstumspfad zurückkehren. Die anhaltende wirtschaftliche und finanzielle Situation in Griechenland hat im Jahr 2015 weltweit viele Aufmerksamkeit erregt. Die EU veranstaltete im Laufe des Sommers eine Reihe von Notfallversammlungen, in denen Griechenland sowohl im Devisenstand als auch im Euroraum nicht anhalten konnte. (Rechtsanwalt von unten links) Franois Hollande, Präsident von Frankreich, Angela Merkel, Bundeskanzler von Deutschland, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Präsident der Eurogruppe, Jean-Claude Juncker, Präsident der Europäischen Kommission, Alexis Tsipras, Ministerpräsident von Griechenland, Donald Tusk, Präsident des Europäischen Rates, Uwe Corsepius, Generalsekretär des Rates der Europäischen Union, und Mario Draghi, Präsident der Europäischen Zentralbank, diskutieren die Staatsfinanzen Griechenlands, Brüssel, 19. März 2015. Im August wurde endlich ein Abkommen erzielt , Die es der Kommission ermöglicht, im Auftrag des Europäischen Stabilitätsmechanismus ein drittes wirtschaftliches Anpassungsprogramm für Griechenland einzuführen. Mit Zustimmung der Eurogruppe und des Gouverneursrats des Europäischen Stabilitätsmechanismus hat das Programm zur Stabilisierung der wirtschaftlichen und finanziellen Situation in Griechenland beigetragen. Die Soziale Folgenabschätzung der Kommission ergab, dass das Programm, wenn es vollständig und rechtzeitig umgesetzt wird, dem Mitgliedstaat helfen wird, auf Stabilität und Wachstum in finanzieller und sozial nachhaltiger Weise zurückzukehren. Die Vereinbarung ebnete den Weg für die Mobilisierung von bis zu 86 Milliarden in finanzielle Unterstützung für Griechenland bis 2018. Im Juli startete die Kommission einen Arbeitsplatz und Wachstumsplan für Griechenland und mobilisierte bis zu 35 Milliarden zusätzliche Unterstützung bis 2020. Alexis Tsipras, Ministerpräsident Von Griechenland, im Gespräch mit Mario Draghi, Präsident der Europäischen Zentralbank, auf dem Euro-Gipfel, Brüssel, 7. Juli 2015. Die Kommission hat auch Maßnahmen vorgeschlagen, um sicherzustellen, dass die Finanzierung der Kohäsionspolitik effektiv für Investitionen genutzt werden kann und dass sie rasch die Begünstigten erreicht . Dies führte zu einer sofortigen zusätzlichen Finanzierung für Griechenland von rund 500 Millionen und Einsparungen für den griechischen Haushalt von rund 2 Milliarden. Weitere 1 Mrd. Vorfinanzierung für die Programme 2014-2020 können für die Einführung neuer Projekte genutzt werden und die Belastung des öffentlichen Haushaltes von Greeces erleichtern. Alexis Tsipras, Ministerpräsident von Griechenland, Jean-Claude Juncker, Präsident der Europäischen Kommission, Franois Hollande, Präsident von Frankreich, und Charles Michel, Ministerpräsident von Belgien, auf dem Euro-Gipfel, Brüssel, 12. Juli 2015. Investieren in Menschen zu Halten ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit in einer globalen Wirtschaft die EU braucht eine hoch qualifizierte und anpassungsfähige worforce. Dies erfordert kontinuierliche Investitionen in die allgemeine und berufliche Bildung, die ihr Wachstum und ihre Innovationen langfristig fördern, die Beschäftigung fördern und die soziale Ausgrenzung verhindern werden. Reformen zur Verbesserung der Aus - und Weiterbildung wurden im europäischen Semester vorgestellt und in 13 Mitgliedstaaten als hohe Priorität bezeichnet. Der Europäische Sozialfonds ist das wichtigste EU-Instrument für Investitionen in Menschen. Bis Ende 2015 hatte die Kommission alle operationellen Programme mit insgesamt 86,4 Mrd. Euro verabschiedet. Die Kommission hat den Vorfinanzierungssatz für die Finanzierung aus der Jugendarbeitsinitiative deutlich erhöht. Bereitstellung von rund 1 Milliarde an die nationalen und regionalen Behörden. Dies wird bis zu 650 000 Jugendliche unterstützen, die nicht in Beschäftigung, Ausbildung oder Ausbildung sind. Für 2014-2020 werden mindestens 10 Millionen Arbeitslose erwartet, ihre Chancen auf Beschäftigung zu verbessern und 395 000 kleine und mittlere Unternehmen werden erwartet, um Mittel zu erhalten, um in Menschen zu investieren. Über 25 des verfügbaren Geldes werden der Förderung der sozialen Eingliederung und der Bekämpfung von Armut und Diskriminierung zugewiesen. Erasmus ist das EU-Programm für Bildung, Ausbildung, Jugend und Sport. Im Jahr 2015 konnten rund 520 000 Jugendliche studieren, ausbilden, freiwillig arbeiten und an Jugendaustausch im Ausland teilnehmen. Darüber hinaus ermöglichten es rund 165 000 Mitarbeitern von Bildungseinrichtungen und Jugendorganisationen, ihre Kompetenzen durch Lehre und Ausbildung im Ausland zu verbessern. Angesichts der hohen Langzeitarbeitslosigkeit, die schätzungsweise 12 Millionen EU-Bürger im erwerbsfähigen Alter betrifft, hat die Kommission im Jahr 2015 eine Politikberatung vorgeschlagen. Dies wird dazu beitragen, die Übergänge in die Beschäftigung zu erhöhen und sicherzustellen, dass alle Arbeitsuchenden eine Arbeitsintegrationsvereinbarung erhalten, bevor sie 18 erreichen Monate der Arbeitslosigkeit. Die Empfehlung der Kommission wurde vom Rat im Dezember verabschiedet. Regionalpolitik zur Unterstützung von Arbeitsplätzen, Wachstum und Investitionen Die Regionalpolitik zielt auf alle Regionen und Städte der EU ab. Es unterstützt die Schaffung von Arbeitsplätzen, die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Unternehmens, das Wirtschaftswachstum, die nachhaltige Entwicklung und die Verbesserung der Lebensqualität der Bürger. Um diese Ziele zu erreichen und den vielfältigen Entwicklungsbedürfnissen in allen EU-Regionen zu begegnen, ist für die Kohäsionspolitik für 2014-2020 fast ein Drittel des gesamten EU-Budgets vorgesehen. Die Regionalpolitik ist nach wie vor die größte Quelle für EU-Mittel für Regionen, Gemeinden und Unternehmen. Kommissarin Corina Creu besucht eine Baustelle in Prag, Tschechische Republik, 31. März 2015. Ein verbundener digitaler Binnenmarkt Wir müssen die großen Möglichkeiten der digitalen Technologien, die keine Grenzen kennen, besser nutzen. Um dies zu tun, müssen wir den Mut haben, nationale Silos in der Telekommunikationsregulierung, in der Urheberrechts - und Datenschutzgesetzgebung, bei der Verwaltung von Funkwellen und bei der Anwendung des Wettbewerbsrechts zu brechen. Jean-Claude Juncker, politische Leitlinien, 15. Juli 2014 Im Jahr 2015 begann die Kommission ihre Strategie zur Anbindung des digitalen Binnenmarktes umzusetzen. Die Strategie zielt darauf ab, Online-Barrieren zu beseitigen, die zu EU-Bürgern führen, die auf Waren und Dienstleistungen verzichten. Die Barrieren bedeuten auch, dass Internet-Unternehmen und Start-ups die Wachstumschancen nicht online nutzen können. Im Mai hat die Kommission die ersten Schritte zur Umsetzung der Strategie unternommen, um die EU von 28 nationalen Märkten in einen digitalen Binnenmarkt umzuwandeln. Schaffen Hunderte von Tausenden von neuen Arbeitsplätzen und tragen 415 Milliarden pro Jahr zur EU-Wirtschaft bei. Die EU-Institutionen haben im Dezember eine grenzüberschreitende Vereinbarung getroffen, um im Juni 2017 endgültig die Roaming-Gebühren zu beenden, sofern bestimmte Rechtsakte verabschiedet wurden. Ab diesem Zeitpunkt können die Bürger in der ganzen EU reisen, ohne zusätzliche Gebühren für die Nutzung ihres Mobiltelefons, Smartphones oder Tablets zu zahlen. Sie haben auch vereinbart, ein offenes Internet für alle zu garantieren. Die ersten Legislativvorschläge der digitalen Binnenmarktstrategie wurden im Dezember vorgelegt. Sie enthielten neue Regeln, um EU-Einwohnern das Recht zu geben, die Filme, Sportübertragungen, Musik, E-Bücher und Spiele zu genießen, die sie in ihrem Heimatmitgliedstaat bezahlt haben, wenn sie in der EU reisen. Die Kommission hat auch neue grenzüberschreitende Vertragsregeln vorgeschlagen, um die Verbraucher, die online in der EU einkaufen, besser zu schützen und Unternehmen dabei zu helfen, ihre Online-Verkäufe zu erweitern. Es wurde eine politische Einigung über eine neue EU-Datenschutzregelung erzielt. Und auf neue Regeln, um eine hohe gemeinsame Ebene der Netzwerk - und Informationssicherheit in der gesamten EU zu gewährleisten. Weniger Detail Mehr Details Erleichterung des E-Commerce Die meisten Bürger, die versucht haben, Produkte online über Grenzen hinweg zu kaufen, haben Probleme in Bezug auf unterschiedliche Preise oder die Nichtverfügbarkeit von Produkten. Die Kommission verfolgt eine Aktualisierung der EU-Vorschriften, die den grenzüberschreitenden Online-Handel regeln. Ihr Ziel ist es, den Kauf und Verkauf über Grenzen hinweg zu erleichtern und den Verbrauchern ein breiteres Spektrum an Rechten und Angeboten zu bieten und Unternehmen dabei zu helfen, leichter an andere Mitgliedstaaten zu verkaufen. Im Jahr 2015 begann die Kommission mit der Ausarbeitung von Regeln, um die Verbraucher, die digital über die Grenzen hinweg kaufen, besser zu schützen. Es wird auch die potenziellen Barrieren, die von Unternehmen zum grenzüberschreitenden Online-Handel mit Waren und Dienstleistungen errichtet wurden, Es wird sich vor allem auf Sektoren konzentrieren, in denen der E-Commerce am weitesten verbreitet ist, wie Elektronik, Kleidung und Schuhe sowie digitale Inhalte. Der Prozess begann mit der Einführung einer kartellrechtlichen Konkurrenzuntersuchung im E-Commerce-Bereich im Mai. Im Laufe des Jahres setzte die Kommission ihre Unterstützung für die Verbraucherrechte auf dem digitalen Markt fort. Im Dezember skizzierte es harmonisierte Regeln für bestimmte Aspekte von Verträgen über die Bereitstellung von digitalen Inhalten (z. B. Streaming-Musik) und über bestimmte Aspekte von Verträgen für Online - und andere Fernabsatz von Waren (z. B. Kauf von Kleidung online). Die beiden Vorschläge werden dazu beitragen, die rechtliche Zersplitterung im Bereich des Verbrauchervertragsrechts und die daraus resultierenden hohen Kosten für Unternehmen, insbesondere kleine und mittlere Unternehmen, zu überwinden. Sie werden auch dazu beitragen, das Verbrauchervertrauen beim Kauf aus einem anderen Mitgliedstaat zu verbessern. Die Verbraucher profitieren von einem höheren Verbraucherschutz und einer breiteren Auswahl von Produkten zu wettbewerbsfähigeren Preisen. Unternehmen werden in der Lage sein, digitale Inhalte zu liefern und Waren an die Verbraucher in der gesamten EU zu verkaufen, und zwar auf der Grundlage derselben Vertragsregeln. Vereinfachung der Mehrwertsteuerregelung für grenzüberschreitenden E-Commerce Wie es heute der Fall ist, kann der grenzüberschreitende Verkauf in der EU für jedes Unternehmen mehr als 5 000 Mehrwertsteuer-Compliance-Kosten pro Extra-Mitgliedstaat pro Jahr bedeuten. Die Kommission will für die EU-Unternehmen gleiche Wettbewerbsbedingungen schaffen und sicherstellen, dass die Mehrwertsteuereinnahmen in den Mitgliedstaat, in dem der Verbraucher ihren Sitz hat, fließen. Im September startete die Kommission eine öffentliche Konsultation, um zu helfen, Möglichkeiten zur Vereinfachung der Zahlungen für grenzüberschreitende E-Commerce-Transaktionen in der EU zu ermitteln. Verbesserung der grenzüberschreitenden Paketlieferung Paketversandkosten sind nicht nur ein Problem für Verbraucher, die online kaufen. Unternehmen, die ihre Produkte digital verkaufen, beschweren auch, dass die Lieferkosten ein Problem darstellen. Die Kommission fördert durch die digitale Binnenmarktstrategie erschwingliche, qualitativ hochwertige und grenzüberschreitende Zustelldienste, so dass Unternehmen ihre Produkte an die Verbraucher bringen können, so dass alle, die an der Transaktion beteiligt sind, profitieren. Um herauszufinden, was die Bürger und die Unternehmen brauchen und wollen, dass die Kommission im Mai eine Konsultation zu diesem Thema eingeleitet hat. Bekämpfung von Geo-Blocking Viele Bürger, die online einkaufen, sind Opfer der Geo-Blocking geworden, die kommerzielle Praxis, bei der Online-Verkäufer den Verbrauchern entweder den Zugang zu einer Website auf der Grundlage ihres Standortes verweigern oder sie zu einem lokalen Speicher mit unterschiedlichen Preisen umleiten. Zum Beispiel kann ein Autovermieter in einem Mitgliedstaat am Ende mehr für eine identische Autovermietung bezahlen als Kunden aus einem anderen Mitgliedstaat. Im September startete die Kommission eine öffentliche Konsultation, um die Bedürfnisse der Verbraucher zu verstehen, um ihnen bei der Ausarbeitung von Legislativvorschlägen zu helfen, diese Praxis zu beenden, wenn sie nicht gerechtfertigt ist. Modernisierung des Urheberrechts Heute können EU-Bürger, die in der Europäischen Union reisen, von Online-Diensten abgeschnitten werden, die Filme, Sportübertragungen, Musik, E-Books und Spiele bereitstellen, die sie in ihrem Herkunftsmitgliedstaat bezahlt haben. Zum Beispiel, wenn ein niederländischer Abonnent zu einem beliebten Online-Anbieter von Film - und Fernsehsendungen nach Deutschland reist, können sie nur die Filme ansehen, die das Unternehmen seinen deutschen Verbrauchern anbietet. Wenn sie Polen besuchen, können sie Filme von diesem Anbieter überhaupt nicht sehen, da der Anbieter derzeit nicht in Polen tätig ist. Im Dezember schlug die Kommission neue Regeln vor, um es den EU-Bewohnern zu ermöglichen, mit den digitalen Inhalten zu reisen, die sie zu Hause gekauft oder abonniert haben. Die grenzüberschreitende Mobilität, ein neues EU-Recht für die Verbraucher, wird voraussichtlich im Jahr 2017 Realität sein. Dies ist der erste Teil der Kommission, um die EU-Urheberrechtsregeln zu modernisieren, um auf neue Technologien, das Verbraucherverhalten und die Marktbedingungen zu reagieren. Die Kommission hat auch einen Aktionsplan vorgelegt, in dem Legislativvorschläge und politische Initiativen dargelegt werden, die im ersten Halbjahr 2016 folgen werden. Die Kommission möchte sicherstellen, dass EU-Bürger ein breites rechtliches Angebot an Inhalten erhalten können, während sie sicherstellen, dass Autoren und andere Rechteinhaber besser sind Geschützt und fair bezahlt Überprüfung der Satelliten - und Kabelrichtlinie Terrestrische Fernsehsender sind seit langem von Satelliten - und Kabelanbietern überholt worden, von denen viele mehr Inhalte für die Verbraucher anbieten können. Aber die Bürger, die das Beste aus diesen Anbietern herausholen, verhindern, dass Barrieren im Zusammenhang mit veralteten Urheberrechtsgesetzen den Bürgern immer noch den Zugang zu neuen und kreativen digitalen Inhalten vermitteln. In einem Versuch zu definieren, wo und wie Satelliten - und Kabelfernsehanbieter das Urheberrecht löschen und damit eine breitere Palette an EU-weiten Inhalt hat die Kommission eine förmliche Überprüfung der EU-Vorschriften eingeleitet. Eine Konsultation über die Satelliten - und Kabelrichtlinie. Startete im August, fragte, ob die Regeln auf dem Laufenden sind und was die Auswirkungen wäre, sie zu erweitern, um TV und Radio über das Internet zu decken. Ziel ist es, den grenzüberschreitenden Zugang zu Rundfunk und damit verbundenen Online-Diensten in der gesamten EU zu verbessern. Die Beseitigung von Barrieren im digitalen Binnenmarkt wird die Schöpfer und Kreativität belohnen und den EU-Rundfunksektor stärken, während der Verbraucher Zugang zu einer breiteren Vielfalt von Inhalten über die Grenzen hinweg ermöglicht. Schaffung der richtigen Bedingungen Stärkung des Vertrauens in Online-Diensten Da die Konsumenten mehr von ihrem Leben auf digitale Kanäle verlagern, sind sie immer noch nicht zuversichtlich, wie Unternehmen ihre persönlichen Daten behandeln. Dies ist ein Anliegen für 72 von Internetnutzern in der EU. Angesichts der Sorgen der EU-Bürger und der Arbeit, um mehr Sicherheit und Vertrauen online zu bieten, haben das Parlament und der Rat neue EU-Datenschutzbestimmungen gebilligt. Die erstmals von der Kommission im Jahr 2012 vorgeschlagen wurden. Die Regeln, die Ende 2015 vereinbart wurden, beinhalten: ein einziges Regelwerk für den Datenschutz, das in der gesamten EU gültig ist und die Unternehmen um rund 2,3 Milliarden jährlich gestärkt und zusätzliche Rechte, wie das Recht, einspart Um zu vergessen, dass die EU-Vorschriften für EU-Bodenunternehmen, die außerhalb der Europäischen Union ansässig sind, die EU-Vorschriften anwenden müssen, wenn sie in der EU mehr Befugnisse an unabhängige nationale Datenschutzbehörden anbieten, die in der Lage sind, effektiv feine Unternehmen zu verletzen, die gegen die EU-Datenschutzregeln verstoßen Ein One-Stop-Shop für Unternehmen und Bürgerunternehmen muss sich nur mit einer einzigen Aufsichtsbehörde befassen, nicht 28. Das Parlament und der Rat haben sich auch auf neue Regeln geeinigt, um ein hohes gemeinsames Niveau an Netzwerk - und Informationssicherheit in der gesamten EU zu gewährleisten. Dies ist ein wichtiges Element der EU-Cyber-Sicherheitsstrategie. Alle Mitgliedstaaten werden verpflichtet sein, eine nationale Cyber-Sicherheitsstrategie zu verabschieden. Besondere Verpflichtungen gelten für Anbieter von wesentlichen Dienstleistungen in Bereichen wie Energie, Transport, Banken und Gesundheitswesen sowie für Unternehmen, die digitale Dienste wie Suchmaschinen, Cloud Computing und Online-Marktplätze anbieten. Sie sind verpflichtet, geeignete Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu ergreifen und Cyber-Vorfälle zu melden, die einen großen Einfluss auf die nationalen Behörden haben. Die Ankündigung des digitalen Binnenmarktes der EU Im Rahmen der digitalen Binnenmarktstrategie arbeitet die Kommission auch in Partnerschaft mit der Industrie an Technologien und Lösungen für die Online-Netzwerksicherheit. Commissioner Gnther Oettinger at Startup Europe Comes to Silicon Valley, bringing the best new EU tech start-ups and scale-ups to meet Silicon Valley stakeholders, San Francisco, United States, 23 September 2015. Ending roaming in 2017 In October the Parliament and the Council agreed to end roaming charges in the EU and approved rules protecting the right of every EU citizen to access internet content without discrimination. It is planned that roaming charges will come to an end in June 2017, provided that certain legal acts are adopted, allowing users of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets, when travelling in the EU, to pay the same price as at home, with no extra charges. In the meantime the maximum surcharge that users will pay will be capped, from 30 April 2016, at 0.05 per minute for voice calls made, 0.02 for each SMS sent and 0.05 per megabyte of data. Since 2007 the EU has already achieved roaming price reductions of over 80 across calls, SMSs and data. The rules agreed in October will also enshrine the principle of net neutrality into EU law. Users will be free to access the content of their choice and will no longer be unfairly blocked or slowed down, and paid prioritisation will not be allowed. These new rules will enter into force across all Member States on 30 April 2016. A media and telecoms framework for the 21st century The audiovisual sector is changing with new technologies, new business models, on-demand services and new ways to watch, such as on a smartphone. In July the Commission launched a public consultation on how to make the EUs audiovisual media landscape fit for purpose in the digital age. Based on the results of the consultation the Commission will examine, in 2016, whether the audiovisual media services directive should be adapted and updated. Feedback from two other public consultations held in 2015 will also help the Commission to update the EU telecoms rulebook and identify the internet speeds and quality that respondents believe will be needed beyond 2020. The Commissions strategy for the digital single market aims to improve digital connectivity in the EU, especially in rural areas. Only 18 of rural areas are covered by high-speed, fibre-based broadband networks, compared to 62 of urban areas. During the 2014-2020 period the Commission will invest 2 billion from rural development programmes to improve information and communication technologies services for nearly 18 million rural inhabitants. Under this broad theme the European Regional Development Fund will invest 13.3 billion to enhance access to digital technologies and networks throughout the EU. In addition the Connecting Europe Facility has 150 million allocated to broadband infrastructure, through which the Commission and the European Investment Bank can finance loans, project bonds and guarantees for project financing in the area of telecoms. Overall the broadband part of the Connecting Europe Facility is expected to mobilise around 1 billion in investment. Online platforms Online platforms (search engines, social media, knowledge - and video-sharing websites, app stores, etc.) are an important part of a thriving digital economy. They benefit both consumers and suppliers by allowing market participants to exploit the advantages of digitisation and e-commerce. They have also changed the way in which cultural content is distributed. The results of a consultation. launched in September, will feed into an assessment of the role of platforms and intermediaries, including on how to tackle illegal content on the internet. Maximising growth potential Unlocking the benefits of e-services and advancing digital skills The Commissions digital single market strategy supports an inclusive digital society in which citizens have the right skills to seize the opportunities provided by the internet and boost their chances of getting a job. In 2015 four new national coalitions for digital skills and jobs were launched, in Belgium, Cyprus, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. There are now 13 national partnerships inspired by the EUs Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs. launched in 2013 to overcome the digital skills deficit in the EU. E-government uses digital tools and systems to provide better public services to citizens and businesses. It enables citizens, enterprises and organisations to carry out their business with government more easily, more quickly and at lower cost. If introduced across the EU annual savings could exceed 50 billion. In December the Parliament and the Council approved the Commissions plans for the ISA 2 programme. ISA 2 will provide 131 million to develop interoperable digital solutions to ensure seamless electronic cross-border or cross-sector interaction between EU public administrations. Digital technologies touch all parts of our daily lives. All new cars will be equipped with eCall technology from April 2018 thanks to legislation adopted by the Parliament and the Council in April. In the event of a serious accident eCall automatically dials 112, Europes single emergency number. It communicates the vehicles exact location, the time of the incident and the direction of travel (most important on motorways) to emergency services, even if the driver is unconscious or unable to make a phone call. The Commission estimates that, once the system is fully implemented, eCall could save hundreds of lives every year and help injured people more quickly. Developing standards Standards are important tools for making different systems work together. They can boost innovation and reinforce the competitiveness of EU industry. In September the Commission asked for views on priorities for standards in areas like cloud computing, cybersecurity, e-health, intelligent transport, smart cities and 5G communications. 5G is the next generation of communication networks. It will not only be faster, it will also be the backbone of our digital future and the foundation of a trillion-euro EU market in the internet of things. The internet of things is a term used to describe new functionalities and applications ranging from connected cars to smart homes. By 2020 there will be more than 30 times as much mobile internet traffic as there was in 2010. 5G will be the technology best equipped to deal with this new reality. In 2015 the EU signed landmark agreements with China and Japan to work together in the global race to develop 5G networks. Making the most of the data economy and cloud computing Huge amounts of data are created by people or generated mechanically. Big data can be a catalyst for growth, innovation and digitisation. Before taking steps in this field the Commission launched a public consultation in September to seek input for initiatives to promote the free movement of data in the EU and to tackle restrictions on data access and where data is located. The consultation also addresses how best to facilitate the certification of cloud services, the switching of cloud service providers and the creation of a research cloud. These technologies will be at the heart of the EU industry of the future. The EU institutions themselves are also committed to using cloud computing. In December the Commission selected a number of companies that will provide a range of cloud-based IT services for all EU institutions in 2016. Less detail More detail A resilient energy union with a forward-looking climate change policy Current geopolitical events have forcefully reminded us that Europe relies too heavily on fuel and gas imports. I therefore want to reform and reorganise Europes energy policy into a new European energy union. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 The EU headed into 2015 with a commitment to deliver secure and affordable energy to its citizens and businesses, while also fighting the causes of climate change. It launched the energy union in February to help consumers save money and energy, help the environment and ensure security of supply. A number of related proposals were launched in July that covered revising the EU emissions trading system, making energy-efficiency labels clearer and delivering a better deal for consumers. The Commission also launched a public consultation regarding the new design of the electricity market. In February the Commission presented a communication on how to achieve a 10 electricity interconnection target in all Member States by 2020. By the end of 2015 several interconnection projects had already been unveiled, linking the Baltic states in the north, the Iberian peninsula in the south and Malta with the rest of the EU. In September the Commission adopted the new strategic energy technology plan. Its aim is to accelerate the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies. In November the Commission issued the state of the energy union report. which showed the progress made since the adoption of the energy union framework strategy. Its implementation will require further efforts, however, and 2016 will be a crucial year for the delivery of energy union. In addition the EU played a central role in brokering the worlds first universal, legally binding climate deal, which was adopted by 195 countries in December in Paris. The agreement set out a global action plan to enable the world to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2 C. It also sent a clear signal to investors, businesses and policymakers that the global transition to clean energy is here to stay and that resources have to shift away from polluting fossil fuels. Less detail More detail Energy union: secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy for every EU resident In February the Commission adopted its energy union strategy. This builds on the European energy security strategy and on the EUs 2030 framework for climate and energy. In October 2014 the EU Heads of State or Government had agreed targets on decreasing domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, an EU-wide binding target for renewable energy of at least 27 and an energy-efficiency target of at least a 27 improvement compared to projections. The efficiency target will be reviewed by 2020, having in mind an EU level of 30 . Given the fundamental importance of a fully functioning and connected internal energy market, EU leaders also agreed to a minimum 10 target for electricity interconnections between Member States by 2020. The aim will then be to increase this target to 15 by 2030. The fundamental goal of energy union is to provide EU consumers and businesses with secure, sustainable and competitive energy. Consumers should be offered affordable prices, and more competition and choice, in order to save money and energy. Energy union also aims at tackling climate change through the transition to a low-carbon, climate-friendly economy. In February the Commission published a communication setting out a vision for a global climate agreement in Paris in December. The EU imports 53 of the energy it consumes, and some of its Member States depend on one supplier for their gas imports. Diversifying energy sources and suppliers is a key means of both improving the EUs energy security and preserving its competitiveness. In order to achieve the diversification needed the EU is exploring the procurement of fuel supplies from other parts of the world, exploring new technologies, further developing domestic resources (including biomass, as set out in the EU forest strategy ) and improving infrastructure to access new sources of supply. Persistent obstacles to real market integration, uncoordinated national policies and the absence of a common stance towards non-EU countries have impeded progress in delivering energy union. The energy union strategy is therefore based on five dimensions: energy security, solidarity and trust a fully integrated European energy market energy efficiency contributing to moderation of demand decarbonising the economy research, innovation and competitiveness. Making energy union a success in all Member States will require a range of initiatives at the EU and national levels over the coming years. EU cohesion policy contributes to the energy union objectives on the ground. More than 110 billion has been made available through the European Structural and Investment Funds. Part of this has been allocated to finance the low-carbon economy across the EU, including investments in sustainable energy and multimodal urban transport. In addition, substantial support is available for investments related to energy-efficient and decarbonised transport, as well as some support for larger-scale smart energy infrastructure. Following the adoption of the energy union strategy Commission Vice-President Maro efovi set out in 2015 to visit all Member States to bring the ideas of energy union closer to the Member States and stakeholders. The energy union tour enabled discussions with governments, national parliaments, the energy sector and other industries, as well as social partners, consumers and students. The first state of the energy union report, issued by the Commission in November, looked at progress made over the previous 9 months, identified key action areas for 2016 and provided policy conclusions at EU, Member State and regional levels. The report showed that, in addition to decarbonisation (including through renewable energy) and energy security, the energy union strategy was delivering on energy efficiency, the internal energy market, and research, innovation and competitiveness. It also acknowledged that much remains to be done to fully deliver on the objectives of energy union. A key instrument for the implementation of energy union is a reliable and transparent governance mechanism. The report included guidance to Member States on the development of integrated national energy and climate plans for the period from 2021 to 2030. Transforming the EUs energy system In July the Commission presented initiatives to deliver a new deal for energy consumers, redesign the EU electricity market, revise the EU emissions trading system and update energy-efficiency labelling. Empowering energy consumers The Commissions proposals are based on a three-pillar strategy: helping consumers to save money and play an active part in the market through better information and a wide choice of actions increasing consumer trust and protection, in terms of energy rights as well as data management, protection, privacy and security facilitating the active role of consumers by making full use of interoperable smart technologies. New electricity market design A fundamental transformation of the EUs electricity system is required to achieve the goals of the energy union strategy. The Commissions communication on the redesign of the EU electricity market launched a public consultation on what the new electricity market design should look like. The results of the consultation will be used to strengthen energy security, meet consumers expectations and deliver real benefits from new technology. They will also help identify ways to facilitate investments, notably in renewables. An EU emissions trading system fit for the future In July the Commission proposed a revision of the EU emissions trading system for the period after 2020 to ensure that the system could play a full part in achieving cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in the decade to come. The proposal was the first legislative step towards implementing the EUs commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 domestically by 2030. It sent a powerful signal to the international community in the run-up to the Paris climate conference. The proposal contains three key elements: an increase in the pace of emissions cuts after 2020 more targeted rules for the free allocation of emissions allowances to industry to safeguard international competitiveness and a funding boost for low-carbon innovation and energy-sector modernisation. Energy-efficiency label revision for greater clarity Since its introduction 20 years ago EU energy labelling has encouraged the development of ever more energy-efficient products. This has resulted in the current energy-efficiency label becoming too complex. In 2015 the Commission proposed a return to the original A to G energy label scale. which is simpler and well understood by consumers. The strategic energy technology plan In September the Commission adopted the new strategic energy technology plan. with a projected budget of up to 71.5 billion. It seeks to improve low-carbon and new technologies and bring down costs by coordinating research and helping to finance projects. As the technology dimension of the EUs energy and climate policy the upgraded plan proposes 10 focused research and innovation actions. These will help accelerate the energy systems transformation while creating new jobs and growth. A more efficient and simpler governance structure will be put in place to increase coordination between national governments, industry and research institutions. Greater access to risk financing will be facilitated to support new innovations and bring new technologies to market. An interconnected energy market In February, as part of the energy union strategy, the Commission presented a communication on how to achieve a 10 electricity interconnection target in all Member States by 2020. This means that each Member State should have in place electricity cables that allow at least 10 of the electricity produced by their power plants to be transported across its borders to neighbouring Member States. A total of 22 Member States are already on track to meet the target, but more interconnections are still needed in specific regions. In March the Commission President joined the Prime Ministers of Spain and Portugal and the President of France for the signature of the Madrid Declaration. The declaration paves the way for better connection of the Iberian peninsula with the rest of the EU energy market. A new regional High Level Group for South-West Europe will ensure regular monitoring of the progress of the key infrastructure projects identified in the Madrid Declaration, as well as providing adequate support to facilitate the construction. In April the Prime Ministers of Malta and Italy officially inaugurated the electricity interconnector linking the two Member States. As a result Malta is now connected to the European energy grid. (Seated, from left to right) Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, Franois Hollande, President of France, Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister of Spain, and Pedro Passos Coelho, Prime Minister of Portugal, sign the Madrid Declaration to better connect the Iberian peninsula with the rest of the EU energy market, Madrid, Spain, 4 March 2015. In July the Member States agreed to invest in 20 key trans-European energy infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility. The facility has a budget of 5.35 billion for supporting energy infrastructure for the 2014-2020 period. A second call for proposals was published in June with an indicative budget of 550 million. In October a grant agreement was signed to build a gas interconnector between Poland and Lithuania, bringing to an end the isolation of the Baltic Sea region. Taavi Rivas, Prime Minister of Estonia, Dalia Grybauskait, President of Lithuania, Laimdota Straujuma, Prime Minister of Latvia, Ewa Kopacz, Prime Minister of Poland, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, announce the gas interconnector project to link Poland and Lithuania, Brussels, 15 October 2015. In November the Commission adopted a list of 195 key energy infrastructure projects. These are known as projects of common interest and will help deliver the EUs energy and climate objectives. The projects benefit from accelerated permit procedures and improved regulatory conditions. They may be eligible for financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility. Two new electricity interconnections connecting Lithuania to Poland and Sweden were officially inaugurated in December. The LitPol Link connects Alytus in Lithuania with Ek in Poland, while the NordBalt links up Nybro in Sweden with Klaipeda in Lithuania. For the first time the electricity markets of the Baltic states will be connected to the Swedish and Polish electricity networks, enabling the Baltic states and Poland to meet the 10 interconnection target. Climate change and the Paris agreement In December 195 countries adopted the worlds first universal, legally binding agreement to tackle climate change. The deal, signed thanks to the efforts of the EU, commits all countries to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change. The adoption of a new global climate agreement to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon global economy marks the culmination of years of efforts by the international community to bring about a universal, multilateral agreement on climate change. Carole Dieschbourg, Minister for the Environment of Luxembourg representing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (third from left), and Commissioner Miguel Arias Caete (fourth from right) lead representatives of the High Ambition Coalition at the climate change conference in Paris, France, 12 December 2015. Following limited participation in the Kyoto Protocol, and the lack of agreement in Copenhagen in 2009, the EU built a broad coalition of developed and developing countries in favour of high ambition. The coalition shaped the successful outcome of the Paris conference. The emissions-reduction pledges made by countries, known as intended nationally determined contributions, were a major breakthrough development. The flow of pledges started slowly in March, with the EU becoming the first major economy to present its contribution. The EU committed itself to a binding, economy-wide emissions reduction target of at least 40 by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. By the end of the Paris conference almost all of the countries in the world had put forward comprehensive plans to reduce their emissions, many doing so for the first time. This was an unprecedented demonstration of political will, marking a clear shift away from action by few to action by all. The following key elements were agreed by governments in Paris. A long-term goal to keep the global average temperature increase to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 C. To aim to peak global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and to undertake rapid reductions thereafter, in accordance with best available science, to achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century. To come together every 5 years to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets as required by science. To report to each other and the public on how well they are doing in implementing their targets, in order to ensure transparency and oversight. Developed countries will continue their existing collective goal to mobilise 100 billion per year by 2020 to support climate action in developing countries and extend this goal until 2025, when a new collective target will be set. The EU is committed to boosting climate assistance for developing countries The EU and its Member States provided 14.5 billion in funding in 2014 to help developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the consequences of climate change. This is a significant increase, showing the EUs determination to contribute its fair share to the 100 billion goal set in 2009 for annual finance flows from developed to developing countries by 2020. In the 2014-2020 period at least 20 of the EU budget will be spent on projects relating to climate action. An average of 2 billion per year of public grants will support activities in developing countries between 2014 and 2020. EU financing for climate action. EU citizens support collective global action on climate change The special Eurobarometer opinion poll on climate change. published just a few days before the start of the climate summit in Paris, showed that climate change remains a key concern for the public in the European Union, with 91 considering it a serious problem. More than 9 out of 10 people in the EU (93 ) believe that fighting climate change will only be effective if all countries in the world act together. Climate change what the EU is doing. A deeper and fairer internal market with a strengthened industrial base Our internal market is Europes best asset in times of increasing globalisation. I therefore want the next Commission to build on the strength of our single market and to fully exploit its potential in all its dimensions. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 The Commission presented plans in 2015 to build on the strength of the EU single market and fully exploit its potential. The single market already offers easier access to many products and services, lower prices, greater commercial opportunities and higher standards of safety and environmental protection. The Commission is further developing the single market to enable EU companies and industry to thrive in the global economy. In October it launched the single market strategy to help create new opportunities for consumers and businesses. In the autumn the Commission launched the capital markets union. together with an action plan of 33 measures. These will make it easier for smaller businesses to tap into capital markets and find the funding they need. This access to funds is an essential part of the EUs financial stability. The EU also needs a framework for the fair and efficient taxation of corporate profits. This would help distribute the tax burden equitably and promote sustainable growth and investment. It would also diversify funding sources and strengthen economic competitiveness. In March the Commission proposed a package of measures to create more transparency in corporate taxation. This was followed in June by an action plan to achieve a comprehensive approach to ensuring fair and efficient corporate taxation. During the year the Commission launched investigations under State aid rules into whether certain Member States had granted tax advantages to selected companies. Less detail More detail The single market strategy The single market allows goods, services, capital and people to move more freely. It offers opportunities for professionals and businesses, as well as greater choice and lower prices for consumers. It enables people to travel, live, work and study wherever they wish. These opportunities do not always materialise, however, because single market rules are not known, not implemented or simply jeopardised by unjustified barriers. In October the Commission adopted the single market strategy. which proposed a number of actions in this regard. These will be created by enabling the balanced development of the collaborative economy, helping small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to grow, making the market without borders for services a practical reality, addressing restrictions in the retail sector and preventing discrimination against consumers and entrepreneurs. The strategy will also enable the modernisation of the EUs standards system, the increased transparency, efficiency and accountability of public procurement and the consolidation of the EUs intellectual-property framework. All of this is intended to bring practical benefits for people in their daily lives. The single market strategy. The strategy focuses on services and product markets. It complements the Commissions efforts to boost investment. improve competitiveness and access to finance. ensure a properly functioning internal market for energy and reap the opportunities of the digital single market . Single market integration The 2015 report on single market integration and competitiveness. issued by the Commission in October, provided in-depth analysis of the state of economic integration and competitiveness in the EU. Even though the EU saw clear signs of economic recovery during the year, targeted reforms are needed to restore sustainable economic growth. The report shows that structural, behavioural and regulatory barriers still hinder the overall performance of the single market. Much can be achieved simply by improving the implementation and enforcement of existing rules, especially in the services markets. Capital markets union In 2015 the Commission proposed a capital markets union to improve the ability of financial markets to serve the real economy. This initiative involves reducing fragmentation in financial markets, diversifying financing sources, strengthening cross-border capital flows and improving access to finance for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. Capital markets union aims to put peoples money to work to bolster the EU economy and benefit EU consumers. The Commission Green Paper on building a capital markets union was published in February. It was followed by an action plan on capital markets union in September, which seeks to achieve progress in three main policy areas. The first policy area focuses on improving access to financing for all businesses across the EU and, in particular, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises and infrastructure projects. The second concentrates on increasing and diversifying the sources of funding from investors in the EU and around the world. The third involves making the markets work better so that the connections between investors and those who need funding are more efficient and effective, both within Member States and across borders. Unlocking funding for Europes growth. The Commission also made securitisation proposals to free up banks capital for new lending. It presented new rules for the treatment of infrastructure projects to promote investment, launched consultations on venture capital. covered bonds and retail financial services and published a call for evidence on the cumulative impact of financial legislation. A proposal to modernise the prospectus regime was put forward by the Commission in November. It aims to make it easier for companies to grow by raising capital throughout the EU while ensuring effective investor protection. A Council general approach on the securitisation proposals was agreed in December. Commissioner Jonathan Hill (fifth from the right in the first row) chairs the opening ceremony of the London Stock Exchange, London, 2 October 2015. Rendering public procurement more transparent and competitive With public expenditure on goods, works and services representing approximately 18 of EU gross domestic product, public procurement is critical to the EUs economic recovery. Transparent and competitive public procurement across the single market creates business opportunities for EU enterprises and contributes to job creation. In September the Commission gave guidance to national, regional and local authorities on applicable EU procurement rules. These are designed to allow authorities to react quickly in times of crisis and to satisfy the most immediate needs for housing, supplies and help when needed. The Commission continued to support and promote the transition to e-procurement and e-invoicing in Member States. This includes direct support in the form of grants, from the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Structural and Investment Funds, for developing IT systems and enhancing interoperability across the EU. Facilitating workers mobility Despite the fact that more than 8 million EU citizens work in another Member State, finding a job abroad and getting professional qualifications recognised is not always an easy task. In 2015 the Commission worked on improving the EU labour market and making it easier for professionals to work in an EU Member State other than their home state. Effective and speedy matching of skills with vacancies is a priority. It will help people and companies across the EU make the most of the economic potential of national and cross-border labour mobility. The EURES portal allows workers to easily access a database of job vacancies from the public employment services of all Member States and match them with their job applications online. During the year the Parliament and the Council approved the Commissions proposal to strengthen cooperation in this area. Thanks to the new European Professional Card it will be easier for professions such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and estate agents to work in Member States other than their home state. In 2016 professionals will be able to use the card as a proof that they have passed administrative checks and that their professional qualifications have been recognised by the host Member State. At the same time the Commission will introduce an alert mechanism to protect people from unqualified professionals. To make this happen the Commission adopted an implementing regulation in June and worked with all the Member States to have the card ready for use in January 2016. The European Accessibility Act proposed by the Commission in December aims to improve the single market for key accessible products and services and contribute to the socioeconomic participation of disabled persons. The EU-wide accessibility requirements would be beneficial both for the approximately 80 million EU citizens faced with disabilities and for companies that want to reach out across borders. They would lead to a wider choice of accessible products and services with more competitive prices. Protecting intellectual property In developing knowledge-based economies, the protection of intellectual property is important not only for promoting innovation and creativity but also for expanding employment and competitiveness. The EU made progress in three important areas in 2015: the unitary patent, the reform of trade marks and the protection of trade secrets. The unitary patent will be particularly important for the EUs innovative start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises, aiming to operate across borders. It will enter into force as soon as it has been ratified by the Member States required. The objective of the unitary patent is simple and affordable patent protection across the EU. It will introduce a single procedure for registering patents for all participating Member States and reduce the cost of patent protection in the EU compared with Japan, the United States and other countries. Trade mark registration is essential to building and defending a brand. During the year the Parliament and the Council adopted the Commissions trade mark reform package to make trade mark registration systems across the EU more accessible and efficient for businesses. The reform will also improve conditions for innovative businesses and provide more effective protection of trade marks against counterfeits. The package consists of a regulation that comes into force in March 2016 and a directive that is applicable from January 2016. EU companies are increasingly exposed to the misappropriation of trade secrets. In November 2013 the Commission proposed a set of common rules to facilitate access to civil action across the EU in case of trade secret misappropriation. The Parliament, the Council and the Commission reached a preliminary agreement on the proposal in December 2015. Once the proposal becomes law the EU will be an even better place in which to innovate and do business. The new rules will be important in promoting competition, improving conditions for companies to invest in research and innovation and encouraging the sharing of know-how across the EU. Fairer competition Competition enforcement is one of the main tools for making the single market work. Ensuring fair competition benefits both citizens and businesses as it prevents companies from abusing their dominant positions. It also deters them from entering into cartel agreements, including price fixing, and sanctions them if they do. It helps prevent any possible anticompetitive outcome of company mergers and ensures that public aid granted to companies does not unduly distort the market. Cartels shield participants from competition, allowing them to charge higher prices. They remove the pressure on the companies involved to improve products or find more efficient ways in which to produce them. As a result customers foot the bill in terms of paying higher prices for lower quality and narrower choice. This has an adverse effect on the competitiveness of the economy as a whole. Competitiveness and innovation were fostered in 2015 by the close monitoring of State aid, notably to prevent public money being granted to ailing companies while at the same time creating a level playing field that facilitates the development of more innovative companies. A total of 6.1 million in illegal State aid was recovered during the year. State aid enforcement also focused on single market priorities, including the energy, digital and financial sectors. The aviation strategy The Commission worked to increase the competitiveness of the EU aviation sector, while maintaining high safety, security and environmental standards and fostering innovation. It notably recommended the negotiation of new international agreements with a view to offering citizens more routes at better prices and creating business opportunities for EU companies. The EU aviation strategy. announced by the Commission in December, identifies the innovation and digital technologies needed to manage our skies more efficiently and to develop the full market potential of drones. Commissioner Violeta Bulc visits Zaventem Airport, Belgium, 2 July 2015. A deeper and fairer economic and monetary union Over the next 5 years, I want to continue with the reform of our economic and monetary union to preserve the stability of our single currency and to enhance the convergence of economic, fiscal and labour market policies between the Member States that share the single currency. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 Throughout the year the EU continued to prioritise the completion of economic and monetary union. By doing so it aims to create a better and fairer life for all citizens and prepare for future global challenges. The EUs future prosperity depends on the euro achieving its potential in delivering jobs, growth, social fairness and financial stability. The euro is, however, a political project, requiring political supervision and democratic accountability. The Parliament played a leading role in ensuring that accountability in 2015. The EU moved forward in building the solid architecture needed for the euro area, the worlds second largest economy. Despite progress in recent years divergence across the euro area remains significant, and the recent crisis further highlighted existing shortcomings, with 18 million unemployed in the euro area and many people exposed to the risk of social exclusion. The five presidents report on how to complete economic and monetary union was launched in June. The report was the result of joint reflections by the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Council, the Eurogroup, the European Central Bank and the European Parliament. In the short term the report proposes using existing instruments and the current treaties to boost competitiveness and structural convergence, to achieve responsible fiscal policies at national and euro-area levels and to complete financial union. In the longer term the convergence process must be more binding, for example through agreed benchmarks for convergence and a euro-area treasury. In October the Commission adopted a first package of measures to start implementing the plan . Less detail More detail The development of economic and monetary union With its adoption by Lithuania in January 2015 the euro is now shared by 19 Member States and more than 330 million citizens. It has provided its members with price stability and shielded them against external volatility. It is the worlds second most important currency, representing almost a quarter of global foreign exchange reserves. Almost 60 countries and territories around the world either directly or indirectly peg their currency to it. Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Algirdas Butkeviius, Prime Minister of Lithuania, commemorate Lithuanias entry into the euro area, Vilnius, Lithuania, 14 January 2015. Following the outbreak of the economic and financial crisis the EU took unprecedented measures to improve the economic governance framework of economic and monetary union. It strengthened the Stability and Growth Pact and adopted new mechanisms to prevent economic imbalances and better coordinate economic policies. However, these emergency measures need to be consolidated and completed to maximise the resilience of economic and monetary union to any future crisis. Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, unveils the new 20 banknote, Frankfurt, Germany, 24 February 2015. There is now significant divergence across the euro area. In some Member States unemployment is at record lows, while in others it is at record highs. In some Member States fiscal policy can be used counter-cyclically, in others fiscal space will take years of consolidation to recover. The EU is focused on correcting this fragility. As Commission President Juncker underlined in his address to the Parliament in December, the euro is a political project that requires both political responsibility and political accountability. He emphasised that the European Parliament is not only the parliament of the European Union but also the parliament of the euro. Throughout 2015 the Parliament was closely involved in the strengthening of economic and monetary union. The President of the Parliament, Martin Schulz, played a key role in the preparation of the five presidents report. Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis held discussions with the Parliament during the preparation of the annual growth survey. And President Juncker appeared several times before the Parliament in 2015 to discuss the progress made in delivering on the key priorities in this area. Commissioner Pierre Moscovici addresses a conference on Charting a Course for Better Economic Policy in the EU, Brussels, 4 June 2015. The five presidents report In June the five presidents launched their report on how to deepen economic and monetary union from July 2015 and how to complete it by 2025 at the latest. The five presidents are European Parliament President Martin Schulz, European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi and Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem. They put forward measures to be implemented in three stages. In stage 1 the EU institutions and euro-area Member States would build on existing instruments and make the best use of the existing treaties. This means boosting competitiveness and structural convergence, completing financial union, achieving and maintaining responsible fiscal policies at national and euro-area levels and enhancing democratic accountability. In stage 2 more far-reaching measures would be agreed to complete the economic and institutional architecture of economic and monetary union. During this stage the convergence process would be made more binding through a set of commonly agreed benchmarks that could be given a legal nature. In order to be allowed to participate in a shock absorption mechanism during this second stage, each euro-area Member State would have to make significant progress towards these standards and continue to adhere to them once they are reached. At the end of stage 2, and once all the steps are fully in place, economic and monetary union would provide stability and prosperity for all citizens in the euro area. The report recognised the importance of ensuring that every citizen has access to adequate education and an effective social protection system, including a social protection floor. While there is no one-size-fits-all template to follow, the challenges are often similar across Member States. These include getting more people of all ages into work, striking the right balance between flexible and secure labour contracts, shifting taxes away from labour, delivering tailored support for the unemployed to re-enter the labour market and improving education and lifelong learning. To secure the long-term success of economic and monetary union a deeper integration of national labour markets is needed. This will involve making geographic and professional mobility easier, including through better recognition of qualifications, easier access to public-sector jobs for non-nationals and better coordination of social security systems. The report also recommended the establishment of an EU-wide system of independent competitiveness authorities to help coordinate economic and competitiveness policies. While euro-area governance is well established for the coordination and surveillance of fiscal policies, it needs to be improved in the broader field of competitiveness. The European semester and the macroeconomic imbalances procedure are first steps towards correcting this shortcoming. All Member States need, however, to improve their competitiveness as part of the same momentum. Each euro-area Member State should create a national body in charge of tracking competitiveness performance and policies. This would help to prevent economic divergence and would increase ownership of the necessary reforms at the national level. These competitiveness authorities should be independent, with a mandate to assess whether wages are evolving in line with productivity. They should compare developments in other euro-area Member States and in the main comparable trading partners. In addition they could be mandated to assess progress with reforms to enhance competitiveness more generally. In October the Commission adopted a first package of measures to start implementing the reports recommendations. The package entailed a revised approach to the European semester that encompasses enhanced democratic dialogue and further improvements to economic governance. It proposed the introduction of national competitiveness boards and an advisory European fiscal board. A more unified euro-area representation in international financial institutions, in particular the International Monetary Fund, was also proposed. The package specified the steps needed to complete the banking union. These included a European Deposit Insurance Guarantee Scheme and measures to further reduce risk in the banking system. The European Political Strategy Centre provides professional and targeted policy advice to the Commission President and the College of Commissioners. It published a series of strategic notes throughout 2015. Three of the notes presented proposals for implementing the five presidents report. Banking union Significant progress was made in implementing the banking union. This is one of the key areas required for the EU to deepen economic and monetary union. The European Central Bank assumed its role as the banking supervisor for the banking union. The Single Supervisory Mechanism, located at the Bank, had its first full working year in 2015. Through a supervisory review and evaluation process all 123 centrally supervised banks received advice regarding their capital and governance structures. In addition a number of supervisory practices and policies were harmonised. In November the Commission proposed a European deposit insurance scheme for bank deposits and set out further measures to reduce risks remaining in the banking sector. These measures had been set out in the five presidents report. The banking union was established to underpin confidence in participating banks. The European deposit insurance scheme will strengthen the banking union, increase bank depositor protection, reinforce financial stability and further reduce the link between banks and their sovereigns. The proposal for the scheme builds on national deposit insurance schemes and would be accessible only on the condition that agreed rules have been implemented. The scheme would develop over time, in three stages. In the first phase it would consist of the reinsurance of national deposit guarantee schemes. After 3 years it would become a co-insurance scheme in which the contribution of the European deposit insurance scheme would progressively increase over time. The final stage would comprise a full European deposit insurance scheme and is envisaged in 2024. Individual depositors would continue to enjoy the same level of protection (100 000). The European deposit insurance scheme would be mandatory for euro-area Member States whose banks are covered by the Single Supervisory Mechanism. It would also be open to other Member States who want to join the banking union. In December the intergovernmental agreement on the Single Resolution Mechanism was ratified by a sufficient number of Member States. As a result the Single Resolution Board became fully operational as of January 2016. The board was established in 2015 to deal with banks in difficulty in the euro area. The agreement also meant that the Single Resolution Fund will start being filled up from national resolution funds in the euro area. Prudential regulation of financial markets and institutions The Commission continued to monitor and analyse financial sector developments in Member States, the EU and around the world in order to identify potential sources of systemic risk and recommend mitigating actions. Huge efforts have been made to strengthen financial institutions in the EU in recent years. New regulatory and supervisory frameworks have been put in place. Financial institutions themselves have also done a lot to increase their resilience in order to comply with new regulatory standards and meet market expectations. Financial markets The rules governing trading in financial instruments have been strengthened, as have sanctions against market abuse. The protection of investors in collective investment funds, and of purchasers of insurance, has been enhanced. Securities financing markets have been made more transparent and progress has been made towards meeting the EUs G20 obligations on derivatives clearing. A stronger banking union. Controlling State aid and ensuring fair competition State aid control has an important role in ensuring a level playing field within the banking union. Since the beginning of the crisis 112 banks in the EU, representing around 30 of the EUs banking system by assets, have received State aid. Member States have supported the banks by injecting 671 billion of capital (5 of the EUs gross domestic product) and providing 1 288 billion, or 10 of gross domestic product, in guarantees and other liquidity support. Most banks that received aid during the crisis have bounced back after implementing a considerable part of their restructuring plans. The aid had been given to secure citizens savings, avoid bankruptcy and prevent the subsequent collapse of the banking system across the continent. The Commission remained particularly vigilant in the financial services market, in the areas of financial derivatives and payment services. In February the Commission fined the UK-based broker ICAP 14.96 million for having facilitated several cartels in the sector of yen interest rate derivatives. Markets working for consumers More than 40 of non-cash payments are made through payment cards. Multilateral interchange fees imposed when using cards may result in higher prices for consumers. In June the multilateral interchange fees regulation entered into force. It sets a cap on fees for the use of card payments and makes it easier for retailers to use banks in other Member States offering lower prices. In 2015 the Parliament and the Council also completed negotiations on the revised payment services directive. which will open up business opportunities for non-bank players, such as the companies that initiate online payments. In insurance, greater efficiency, safety and transparency for consumers was achieved due to a political agreement on the insurance distribution directive . The social dimension of economic and monetary union Social dialogue One of the key changes made to the 2015 European semester was to increase the role played by social partners in designing and implementing policies and reforms. This required, among other things, an increased focus on capacity building. The new approach was launched during a high-level conference in March attended by leaders of EU and national social partner organisations. It was also attended by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner Marianne Thyssen and Uldis Augulis, the Minister for Welfare of Latvia. The Commission is now discussing the analysis from its country reports directly with social partner organisations. Social partners also became more closely involved in policy - and lawmaking. They were consulted on major initiatives such as the investment plan and the energy union. Emma Marcegaglia, President of BusinessEurope, Commissioner Marianne Thyssen, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Valeria Ronzitti, General Secretary of the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services, at the high-level conference on A New Start for Social Dialogue, Brussels, 5 March 2015. Minimum income The five presidents report recognises the importance of ensuring that every citizen has access to adequate education and an effective social protection system, including a social protection floor. These issues are monitored within the framework of the European semester. The Commission works with Member States to promote adequate minimum-income schemes through its country-specific recommendations. During the year the Commission also worked on two pilot projects to help develop minimum-income schemes in the Member States. The European minimum income network is a 2-year project to build consensus on the steps needed to achieve minimum-income schemes. The European reference budgets network is an initiative of the Parliament to develop a common methodology and reference budgets for the capital regions of the Member States. The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived During 2015 the Commission adopted the last remaining national operational programmes for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived. The fund consists of 3.8 billion of EU financing, together with close to 0.7 billion of national co-financing, to assist the people most in need in the EU from 2014 to 2020. The fund supports Member States in their efforts to help the EUs most vulnerable people and those who have been worst affected by the economic and social crisis, and helps to alleviate the worst forms of material deprivation. It makes a significant contribution in the fight against poverty and social exclusion through the provision of food, material assistance and social-inclusion activities to the most deprived. Less detail More detail A reasonable and balanced free trade agreement with the United States Under my presidency, the Commission will negotiate a reasonable and balanced trade agreement with the United States of America, in a spirit of mutual and reciprocal benefits and transparency I will also be very clear that I will not sacrifice Europes safety, health, social and data protection standards or our cultural diversity on the altar of free trade. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 One of the EUs biggest challenges in 2015 remained the negotiations with the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Four rounds of negotiations were held during the year, with progress made across a range of areas. The Commission has been clear that any agreement needs to ensure that the EUs current high standards of protection are maintained. The EUUS economic relationship is the biggest in the world. Independent studies and existing EU trade agreements suggest that a new free trade agreement with the United States would help generate growth, cut prices and give consumers more choice of goods and services. To address civil-society concerns the Commission has ensured that the negotiations are more open and transparent than ever before. Throughout the year it engaged with stakeholders, published negotiating texts and provided detailed information about the negotiations. The EU continued to actively implement its trade policy during the year. It sought to maintain the global trading system and played an active role in the World Trade Organisation. In the autumn the Commission published its new trade and investment strategy . Opening up markets with key partner countries remained a central element of EU trade policy. The EU continued to negotiate free trade agreements with, among other countries, Japan and Vietnam. The agreement with Vietnam was concluded in 2015. The EU also participated in plurilateral negotiations, under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation, for a Trade in Services Agreement and an Environmental Goods Agreement . Less detail More detail The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as a motor for jobs and growth The European Union is one of the worlds most open economies. Open trade strengthens its economy, creates jobs, gives consumers more choice and buying power and helps firms compete abroad. In 2015 over 31 million jobs in the EU were supported by exports to non-EU countries. Trade clearly has to be a key component in the EUs strategy for jobs and growth. Some 5 million jobs in the Member States are supported by exports to the United States, which constitutes the EUs top export market. Tightening economic ties with the United States is, therefore, of key importance to the EU. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will not, however, be a deal at any price. The EU will safeguard regulators independence, the precautionary principle and governments right to regulate to protect their people and the environment. What the EU negotiated Throughout the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership the EU continued to work towards its aims to: cut tariffs across all sectors eliminate barriers to trade behind the customs border develop rules to make it easier and fairer to import, export and invest. Better access to the US market During the year the EU continued to negotiate better access for EU companies to the US market by removing customs duties and other barriers to trade, as well as by facilitating new trade and investment opportunities in new areas. This would apply to all EU companies, however small or large and whatever they sell. Through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership EU firms could export more to the United States and import more of the goods or services they need to make their final products. Services account for more than 70 of the economy, yet EU firms still face hurdles when they try to sell their services on the US market. The United States absorbs 13 of the EUs agricultural exports, especially high-value-added products. The EU would like to see the partnership make it possible for it to increase these exports further. Under the partnership the European Union also wants firms in the EU to be able to bid for US government contracts on equal terms with US companies. Regulatory cooperation cutting red tape and costs without cutting corners The European Union sought to break new ground for a trade deal by getting regulators in the EU and the United States to work together much more closely than they do now. To export to the United States EU firms must follow US rules and meet US standards. Often these rules and standards ensure the same level of safety or quality but differ in their technical details, such as the colour of wiring and the plugs and sockets used on either side of the Atlantic. In some cases checks on technical requirements unnecessarily repeat those already done on the other side of the Atlantic. These factors can be costly, especially for smaller firms and consumers. Working together on regulations could cut those costs while upholding the EUs strict levels of protection for people and the environment. There are many areas in which regulatory cooperation under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could bring benefits, such as working together better to approve, monitor and recall medical devices, including pacemakers, scanners and X-ray machines. The EU wants regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to work more closely together in their efforts to ensure that medicines available to consumers are safe and effective. To ensure the safety and quality of pharmaceutical products, EU and US authorities regularly inspect manufacturing sites. Mutual recognition of such inspections would decrease the burden on producers and make it possible to use EU inspection resources more efficiently. The EU continued negotiations to boost food exports, while protecting the EUs strict standards and respecting its choice on issues such as genetically modified organisms, the use of antimicrobial treatments and hormones in livestock production. The EU also continued negotiations with the United States on ways to promote international cooperation on regulatory issues. Trade rules for easier export, import and investment The EU continued its efforts to put in place new, or to further develop, trade rules to help all EU firms benefit fully from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Under the partnership the EU aims to: ensure that smaller companies can benefit fully promote free and fair competition, including rules to stop firms colluding to fix prices or abusing market power help firms save time and money on paperwork at customs enable firms to access the sustainable energy and raw materials resources they need protect EU firms intellectual property put sustainable development at the heart of the agreement. The EU wants firms to invest with confidence, knowing they have protection if things go wrong. The public consultation on the investorstate dispute settlement mechanism showed that there was a widespread lack of trust in the fairness and impartiality of the mechanism proposed. Based on substantial input received from the European Parliament, Member States, national parliaments and stakeholders, in September the Commission proposed a new Investment Court System to replace the investorstate dispute settlement mechanism in all ongoing and future EU investment negotiations, including the talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Built around the same key elements as domestic and international courts, the Investment Court System enshrines governments right to regulate and ensures transparency and accountability. How the negotiations were conducted The Commission negotiated the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the basis of a mandate agreed unanimously by the governments of all of the Member States and supported by the European Parliament. Negotiations began in June 2013. The Commission and the United States held four rounds of talks in 2015. They were held in February and July in Brussels, in April in New York and in October in Miami. The talks will continue in 2016. The negotiators made progress across a range of areas. Although the aim was to reach an agreement rapidly the EU always made it clear that getting a good agreement was more important than simply concluding negotiations as quickly as possible. On its dedicated website the Commission published its initial proposals for legal text. as well as position papers that set out and described the EUs approach on all the areas under negotiation. In addition the Commission published hundreds of documents about the partnership, explaining the aims and potential content of the agreement. These actions continued as negotiations progressed and, together, made the negotiations the most transparent ever undertaken for an EU trade agreement. Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrm presents the latest developments in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, European Parliament, Strasbourg, 7 July 2015. As is usual when negotiating a trade agreement, the Commission used the weekly meetings of the Councils Trade Policy Committee to keep the governments of the Member States informed of progress in the negotiations. The Commission also kept the Parliament, and in particular its International Trade Committee, abreast of the negotiations. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrm and the EUs negotiators appeared regularly before the Parliament and its committees. Member States and members of the European Parliament had access to the negotiating documents in line with the practices agreed with them. This provided democratic oversight throughout the negotiations. It ensured that both the governments of the 28 Member States and the directly elected members of the European Parliament were fully informed about the state of play of the negotiations, as well as about the EUs negotiating positions. The Parliament followed the talks closely, with 14 of its committees drafting reports on the negotiations. In July the Parliament approved a resolution reaffirming its support for the negotiations, together with a series of recommendations to the Commission. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations attracted considerable public and media interest. The Commission welcomed discussions about the proposed agreement. It was particularly active in publicising the talks and explaining what the EU sought to get out of them. It also addressed concerns about claimed negative impacts of the partnership. The Commission made a significant effort to ensure that any interested stakeholder could engage directly with negotiators. For example, within the resources available, it made its negotiating team and other staff available to accept invitations to public meetings and debates throughout the EU, organised by parliamentarians, national, regional and local authorities and interest groups. Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrm discusses the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership during a citizens dialogue in Warsaw, Poland, 18 September 2015. During each negotiating round EU and US negotiators convened joint meetings with hundreds of stakeholders. At these gatherings participants were able to engage in an exchange of views with negotiators and to put forward their positions. As part of its longstanding structured dialogue with civil society. following the rounds held in the United States in April and October the Commission held meetings in Brussels, in May and December respectively, with well over 100 representatives of a wide range of organisations. In May the Commission also held a civil-society dialogue meeting on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and health. attended by 133 representatives of a broad range of organisations. In the course of the negotiations the Commission drew on a 16-strong Advisory Group it had set up especially to provide additional expert input for EU negotiators. The group comprises men and women representing interests from environmental, health, consumer and workers groups to various business sectors. Once a final text has been agreed it will only enter into force if it is approved by the Parliament and the Council. World trade in general The EU is the largest exporter and importer of goods and services in the world. Small and medium-sized businesses play an important role, with over 600 000 of them accounting for one third of total EU exports. EU exports provide jobs for 31 million EU residents, 6 million of them in small and medium-sized enterprises. Overall, one in seven jobs in the EU depends on exports. EU trade policy aims to ensure an open international trading system based on rules and to open up new markets for exports. At the same time an open trading system helps to ensure access by EU firms to the raw materials, components and services they need. This is vital in todays world of global value chains, in which most finished goods incorporate value added in several countries. In the autumn the Commission published its new trade and investment strategy. The EU continued to be actively engaged in many ongoing multilateral or plurilateral trade initiatives. It remained committed to making progress in the negotiations in the World Trade Organisation, including at the Nairobi Ministerial Conference in December. In 2015 the EU agreed a 1 trillion trade deal with China, the United States and the vast majority of the World Trade Organisations members to eliminate customs duties on 201 high-tech products. The EU continued to be a leading participant in the ongoing plurilateral trade talks for a Trade in Services Agreement between 23 members of the World Trade Organisation. In July, together with 13 other World Trade Organisation members, the EU launched negotiations to remove barriers to trade and investment in green goods. services and technologies. At bilateral level, in August the EU reached political agreement with Vietnam on a free trade agreement. Negotiations progressed for a free trade agreement with Japan and for an investment agreement with China. In May the EU and Mexico agreed to prepare for the launch of negotiations to upgrade their free trade agreement from 2000. In December the EU launched negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Philippines. The EU, Russia and Ukraine continued to seek solutions to the concerns raised by Russia regarding the implementation of the EUUkraine Association AgreementDeep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. They identified a number of potential practical solutions and agreed to continue talks. Less detail More detail An area of justice and fundamental rights based on mutual trust I intend to make use of the prerogatives of the Commission to uphold, within our field of competence, our shared values, the rule of law and fundamental rights, while taking due account of the diversity of constitutional and cultural traditions of the 28 Member States. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 Throughout 2015 the EU continued to develop its justice, fundamental rights and citizenship policies. These are based on the EUs core values of democracy, freedom, tolerance and the rule of law. EU citizens must have full confidence that, wherever they are in the European Union, their freedom and security are well protected. In April the Commission presented a European agenda on security. The agenda focuses on areas where the EU can make a difference, such as better exchange of information and strengthened police and judicial cooperation. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris in January and November the Member States resolved to work together to defeat terrorism. They took steps to counter radicalisation, cut terrorist financing and enhance the cooperation between the EUs law enforcement agency, Europol, and its judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust. In the area of justice the Commission delivered on its commitment to finalise EU data protection reform. ensuring better protection of citizens personal data (see Chapter 2). The Commission also made progress towards the establishment of the European Public Prosecutors Office. which will investigate and prosecute EU fraud affecting the Unions financial interests. The Commission finalised negotiations on an EUUS data protection umbrella agreement. The agreement will protect personal data transferred between the European Union and the United States for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal offences, including terrorism. It will also enable EU citizens to benefit from the possibility of seeking judicial redress in the United States under US law. Less detail More detail A European agenda on security Since December 2014 police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters have fallen within the normal EU legal order. In April 2015 the Commission proposed a European agenda on security for the 2015-2020 period. The agenda will support Member States cooperation in tackling security threats and step up common efforts in the fight against terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime. The agenda sets out measures to ensure security and tackle pressing threats more effectively. One of the key priorities of the agenda is to set up a centre of excellence to collect and disseminate expertise on anti-radicalisation. This will build upon the work carried out by the Radicalisation Awareness Network. The centre will focus on strengthening the exchange of experience between practitioners engaged in preventing radicalisation and violent extremism at local level. In addition the agenda provides for the updating in 2016 of the framework decision on terrorism, in order to deal more effectively with the foreign-fighter phenomenon and to intensify cooperation with non-EU countries on this issue. In December, in line with the European agenda on security and in response to the Paris attacks in November, the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive on combating terrorism. Preventing the laundering of criminal proceeds and cutting off the financing of terrorist organisations are cornerstones of the European agenda on security. The Commission has proposed to expand the cooperation between authorities in the EU in order to cut off sources of finance to criminals. The anti-money laundering package, adopted in May, focuses on greater effectiveness and improved transparency to close loopholes and prevent criminals and terrorists from abusing the financial system. Countering terrorist propaganda on the internet is another priority of the European agenda on security. The Commission enhanced its dialogue with the information technology industry regarding hate speech and online incitement to violence and hatred. Identifying ways to overcome obstacles to criminal investigations online and reinforcing existing tools to fight cybercrime are other priorities of the agenda. Finally, the agenda proposes enhancing Europols capacities through the creation of a European Counter-Terrorism Centre. The centre will help the agency increase its support for actions by national law enforcement authorities to tackle foreign terrorist fighters, terrorist financing, violent extremist content online and the illicit trafficking of firearms. Criminal justice Setting up the European Public Prosecutors Office Every year more than 500 million is lost to fraud. The aim of the European Public Prosecutors Office is to investigate and prosecute, in the Member States courts, crimes affecting the EU budget. At the Justice and Home Affairs Councils held in 2015 Member States showed their support for the provisions governing the structure of the European Public Prosecutors Office, for its selection and appointment procedures, for the measures governing its investigations and for the offices sphere of competence. Reform of Eurojust In parallel with the proposed establishment of the European Public Prosecutors Office, the Commission proposed a reform of Eurojust. The proposal aims to further improve the agencys overall functioning and ensure that it remains focused on encouraging cooperation between national judicial authorities in the fight against serious crime. Strengthening the criminal justice response to radicalisation In October the Commission hosted a ministerial conference on the Criminal Justice Response to Radicalisation. The Commission will earmark funding for the implementation of the Council conclusions enacting the conference outcomes, focusing on such actions as setting up deradicalisation programmes and developing risk assessment tools. Commissioner Vra Jourov addresses the high-level ministerial conference on the Criminal Justice Response to Radicalisation, Brussels, 19 October 2015. More safeguards for citizens in criminal proceedings In 2013 the Commission presented a package of proposals to further strengthen procedural safeguards for citizens in criminal proceedings in order to guarantee fair trial rights for all citizens in the European Union. These proposals aim to ensure the presumption of innocence and the right to be present at trial. They provide for special safeguards for children facing criminal proceedings. They also guarantee the access of suspects and the accused to provisional legal aid, especially for people subject to a European Arrest Warrant . The Parliament, the Council and the Commission started negotiations on the three proposals in 2015. In November they reached agreement regarding the presumption of innocence. Better protection of victims rights The victims rights directive entered into force in November. It lays down the right to information, support, protection and participation in criminal proceedings and ensures that victims are treated in a respectful and non-discriminatory manner. The new rules will help change attitudes towards victims and place victims at the centre of criminal proceedings. Fundamental rights and judicial systems EU data protection In 2015 the Parliament and the Council intensified their work on reforming the data protection legislation. The discussions covered the general data protection regulation and the data protection directive for the police and criminal justice authorities. Agreement was reached on the entire reform package in December. Koen Lenaerts took office as President of the Court of Justice on 8 October 2015. In September the Commission finalised the negotiations on the so-called umbrella agreement with the United States on the protection of personal data when transferred for law enforcement purposes, including terrorism. For the umbrella agreement to become applicable the United States will first have to adopt its Judicial Redress Bill, after which the EU will be able to sign the agreement. Following the judgment by the Court of Justice declaring the Commissions US safe-harbour decision invalid. negotiations continued on a new data protection framework for business-to-business transfers of personal data, to replace the safe-harbour adequacy decision of 2000. Safe harbour is a specific framework put in place to simplify the transfer of personal data between the European Union and the United States. The Court of Justice declared in October that the safe-harbour framework violates the fundamental right to privacy and annulled the Commissions decision. The Commission immediately issued guidance on the possibilities of transatlantic data transfers following the ruling and committed itself to continuing its work towards a renewed and safe framework for the transfer of personal data across the Atlantic. The Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Romania and Bulgaria In January 2015 the Commission reported on progress achieved by Romania and Bulgaria in the areas of judicial reform and the fight against corruption and, for Bulgaria, organised crime. The January reports concluded that, although there had been progress in 2014, challenges remained. The reports were also discussed in the Parliament and in the Council, which concluded that the mechanism will stay in place until the expected results are achieved. Justice for growth The EU justice scoreboard Enhancing the quality, independence and efficiency of Member States justice systems is a prerequisite for a business-friendly environment. Making national justice systems more efficient is therefore a key part of the structural reforms provided for in the European semester. The 2015 EU justice scoreboard. together with the country-specific assessments. shows that certain Member States are still facing particular challenges in this area. Insolvency More and more companies and individuals are setting up businesses in other Member States. If they become insolvent this may affect the proper functioning of the internal market. In May the EU adopted the revised law on cross-border insolvencies. It clarifies the rules on insolvencies of groups of companies and pre-insolvency procedures. European small claims In December the proposal for the revision of the European small claims procedure was adopted at first reading. This revision will allow consumers and businesses in the EU, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, to recover claims of up to 5 000 across borders. Greater use of electronic means of communication will simplify proceedings and make them faster and cheaper. The amendment will enter into application in mid 2017. Shareholder rights The revision of the shareholder rights directive is currently being negotiated between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission. It tackles corporate governance shortcomings relating to listed companies and their boards, shareholders, intermediaries and proxy advisers. It standardises the creation of companies with a single shareholder and makes it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to operate across the EU. Single-member companies The proposal for a law on single-member private limited liability companies aims to standardise the creation of companies with a single shareholder. The proposal is currently being negotiated by the Parliament and the Council. Interconnection of business registers In June a framework was adopted to implement technical specifications and procedures for the system of interconnection of business registers. The interconnection will be implemented by June 2017 and will open up access, via the European e-Justice Portal. to information on companies registered across the EU. This will make it easier for businesses and citizens to retrieve such information. The free movement of persons The free movement of persons is a fundamental right guaranteed by the EU to its citizens and their family members. It entitles every EU citizen to travel, work and live in any Member State, without special formalities. In 2014 over 14 million EU citizens lived in a Member State other than their own. Although people frequently need to prove their civil status, getting official documents recognised in another Member State remains difficult. In October the Parliament and the Council agreed on simplifying the circulation of public documents between Member States. Formal adoption of the regulation is planned for the first half of 2016. Protecting fundamental rights and consumer rights Respecting and promoting fundamental rights In May the Commission adopted its 2014 annual report on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The report on the charter was accompanied by a document that illustrates how it was applied in 2014 at EU and national levels. In October the Commission hosted its first Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights. on the subject of Tolerance and Respect: Preventing and Combating Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred in Europe. Its conclusions set out actions such as preventing and combating anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hatred in the area of education and fighting hate crime and hate speech. In December the Commission appointed two coordinators one for combating anti-Semitism and one for combating anti-Muslim hatred. Enforcing consumer rights Thanks to a joint action between some national enforcement authorities, which was facilitated by the Commission in July, five major car rental companies pledged to change the way they deal with consumers. Insurance policies will be easier to understand, price transparency will be promoted and the process of handling damages will be fairer. Solving online disputes is becoming faster and less expensive During the year the Commission developed and tested the EU-wide online dispute resolution platform. This platform will, from early 2016 onwards, help EU consumers and traders solve their contractual disputes about goods and services bought online much more rapidly and cheaply than in court. Greater protection while travelling The new package travel directive was adopted in 2015 and will enter into force in 2018. The new rules will extend cover beyond traditional package holidays to also protect the 120 million consumers who book other forms of combined travel on a website, such as a self-chosen combination of a flight plus hotel or car rental. Passengers rights In March the Commission published a report that showed that only five Member States apply the regulation on rail passengers rights and obligations in full. The Commission adopted guidelines in July to clarify rules on rail passengers rights. It also called for the stricter enforcement of air passengers rights . Consular protection In April the Council adopted the directive on consular protection. It clarifies when and how EU citizens in distress in a country outside the EU have the right to call on other Member States embassies or consulates for help. Throughout 2015 EU citizens benefited from consular protection from a Member State other than their own, including during crisis situations such as in Nepal and Yemen. Assistance was also provided to EU citizens in cases of loss or theft of documents. Gender equality The proposed directive to improve gender balance on company boards progressed during 2015. Once adopted the directive will help break the glass ceiling by ensuring fair and transparent selection procedures to increase the share of the under-represented gender on boards. The annual report on equality between women and men for 2014 showed that, despite progress, gender gaps remain. In early 2015 the Commission issued policy orientations and a call for action to Member States and the EU institutions to reduce the current gender pension gap of 39 . Less detail More detail Towards a new policy on migration The recent terrible events in the Mediterranean have shown us that Europe needs to manage migration better, in all aspects. This is first of all a humanitarian imperative. I am convinced that we must work closely together in a spirit of solidarity. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 In 2015 the world was shocked by the plight of thousands of refugees putting their lives at risk to enter the EU. Throughout the year Europe witnessed one of the biggest mass migrations of people since the Second World War. The EU stepped up its efforts to save lives, fight human trafficking and cooperate with countries of origin and transit. It also launched initiatives to tackle the root causes that force people to escape and migrate. These include poverty, wars, persecution, violations of human rights and natural disasters. In May the Commission presented the European agenda for migration. setting out a comprehensive approach to migration management. The agenda aims to reduce the incentives for irregular migration, save lives and secure the external borders of the EU. It provides for the development of a strong common asylum policy and a new policy on legal migration. In September the Commission mobilised an extra 1.8 billion to address migration and the refugee crisis. By doing so it increased the total EU budget for tackling the crisis to 9.3 billion for 2015-2016. Member States agreed to relocate 160 000 people in need of international protection from those Member States most affected to others. They also agreed to resettle 22 000 refugees from camps outside the EU. By tripling the funding for its maritime patrolling assets on the central and eastern Mediterranean migratory routes the EU contributed to saving over 252 000 lives. It also redoubled its efforts to tackle smugglers and dismantle human trafficking groups. The EU mobilised around 4 billion to help Syrian refugees both in Syria and in neighbouring countries. In October Commission President Juncker called a leaders meeting on refugee flows along the western Balkans route. Less detail More detail The European agenda on migration In May the Commission presented the new European agenda on migration. which outlined the immediate measures to be taken to respond to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean as well as a long-term and comprehensive approach to managing migration. The agenda built on a 10-point action plan on migration adopted in April. By the end of May the first proposals under the agenda were adopted. The Commission proposed to use the emergency response mechanism under Article 78(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to set up an emergency relocation scheme to assist Italy and Greece. As part of the common policy on asylum, Article 78(3) provides a specific legal basis to deal with emergency situations. Based on a proposal by the Commission, it enables the Council, after consulting the Parliament, to adopt provisional measures for the benefit of Member State(s) confronted with an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of nationals of non-EU countries into one or more Member States. The provisional measures envisaged by Article 78(3) are exceptional in nature. They can only be triggered when a certain threshold of urgency and severity is met. Under the proposed scheme people in need of international protection would be relocated to other Member States. The Commission also adopted a recommendation asking Member States to resettle 20 000 people from outside the EU who are in clear need of international protection, as identified by the United Nations Refugee Agency. Member States agreed to this resettlement in July and pledged to resettle over 22 500 people in clear need of international protection over the course of 2015-2017. The Commission proposed an EU action plan against migrant smuggling for 2015-2020. This plan set out actions to prevent and counter migrant smuggling along the entire migratory route, including setting up a list of suspicious vessels and enhancing cooperation and the exchange of information with financial institutions. It also put in place cooperation with internet service providers and social media to ensure that internet content used by smugglers to advertise their activities is swiftly detected and removed. For the common European asylum system to work effectively migrants need to be systematically fingerprinted upon arrival at the external borders of the EU. To this end the Commission published guidelines for Member States that set out best practices for fingerprinting. In addition migration management support teams from the European Asylum Support Office, Frontex (the EUs border agency) and Europol (the EUs law enforcement agency) work on the ground to identify, register and fingerprint incoming migrants in the so-called hotspot areas. In doing so they ensure that operations are conducted in full respect of fundamental rights and international refugee law standards. By the end of 2015 six hotspots had been identified in Italy and five in Greece, of which two had become operational in Italy (Lampedusa and Trapani) and one in Greece (LesvosMoria). The hotspot operations are part of the balanced management of migrant inflows. They are closely linked to the relocation process (distribution of asylum seekers to other Member States), as well as to the return process for migrants not entitled to international protection (travel back to their country of origin). One of the immediate responses included in the agenda on migration was the tripling of financial allocations to reinforce the capacities and assets of Frontexs Triton and Poseidon Joint Operations in 2015 and 2016. At the end of December the Poseidon Joint Operation was transformed into the Rapid Border Intervention. An additional 27.4 million was allocated to Frontex in 2015, and the Commission will provide an additional 129.9 million in 2016. New operational plans for the reinforced joint operations pursued the dual objectives of assisting Member States in search and rescue operations at sea while ensuring the effective control of the EUs external borders. The operational area of Triton was extended and the number of assets was reinforced, which resulted in a huge rise in the number of migrants rescued at sea. The number of migrants rescued through Triton and Poseidon Joint Operations was over 252 000 in 2015. In addition the new intelligence-led Joint Operational Team Mare was launched in March. Joint Operational Team Mare combats irregular migration in the Mediterranean by tackling organised criminal groups who facilitate migrants journeys to the EU by ship. The Triton Joint Operation was carried out throughout 2015, coordinated by the EUs border agency, Frontex. In light of the gravity of the situation, in September the Commission detailed a set of priority actions to be taken within the following 6 months to implement the European agenda on migration. The Commission presented a report on the progress made in implementing the priority actions 3 weeks later. Further Commission proposals as the refugee crisis evolved A second set of proposals was adopted by the European Council in September. This package included an additional activation of the emergency response mechanism for the benefit of Greece, Italy and Hungary. It was proposed that a further 120 000 asylum seekers in clear need of protection should be relocated from Greece, Italy and Hungary on the basis of a mandatory distribution key. During 2015 the European Council agreed to relocate a total of 160 000 people in clear need of international protection in the coming 2 years. The Commission and the EU agencies, together with the Member States, will organise the necessary coordination to implement the mechanism on the ground. The EU budget will provide dedicated funding of 780 million to support the scheme. Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos speaking with refugees in Lampedusa, Italy, 9 October 2015. The Commission also proposed the establishment of a structural crisis relocation mechanism. This is a temporary solidarity mechanism that could be triggered whenever necessary by the Commission to help any Member State experiencing extreme pressure on its asylum system as a result of a large and disproportionate inflow of non-EU nationals. The Commission further proposed a regulation aiming to establish an EU common list of safe countries of origin. Such a list will allow for the swifter processing of individual asylum applications from candidates originating from countries considered to be safe, and for faster returns if the individual assessments confirm no right of asylum. Based on the Copenhagen criteria the Commission proposed to put Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 12441999 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence), Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey on the EU list of safe countries of origin. In future other countries may be added to or removed from the list following a thorough assessment by the Commission. EU Heads of State or Government discuss the refugee crisis at the European Council, Brussels, 15 October 2015. With a view to increasing the return rates of irregular migrants to their home countries in the short and medium term, the Commission proposed an EU action plan on return. This seeks the full application of the EU return directive. The proposals will be applied by the Commission, the Member States and the relevant EU agencies. Together with the European External Action Service the Commission will also step up efforts to ensure that countries of origin follow up on their commitments to readmit their nationals under existing readmission agreements. The action plan was endorsed by the Council in October. A joint action plan was agreed with Turkey in October and activated by the EUTurkey Summit in November. The action plan is part of a comprehensive cooperation agenda based on shared responsibility, mutual commitments and delivery. The Commission proposed a Refugee Facility for Turkey to coordinate a total EU contribution of 3 billion to provide support to Syrians under temporary protection and host communities in Turkey. In December the Commission proposed a voluntary humanitarian admission scheme with Turkey for persons displaced by the conflict in Syria. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, at the start of the leaders meeting on the western Balkans route, Brussels, 25 October 2015. In October President Juncker called a leaders meeting on refugee flows along the western Balkans route. Heads of State or Government from 11 Member States attended the meeting and adopted a plan of action. Immediately after the leaders meeting all participants appointed high-level contact points to coordinate the follow-up actions through weekly videoconferences organised by the Commission. A shared tool to provide information on daily migration flows was established and Member States on the route improved their coordination. In December the Commission published a progress report on measures taken to tackle the refugee and migration crisis along the western Balkans route. Addressing the root causes of migration During summer 2015 the EU reached out to countries of transit and origin of migrants in an unprecedented way. Migration has become a specific component of ongoing common security and defence policy missions already deployed in countries like Mali and Niger, where more focus was put on border management. A new dialogue with Sahel countries began, focusing on issues such as the control of borders, the fight against international crime networks and development. The Commission allocated 1.8 billion to set up an Emergency Trust Fund for Africa to help address the root causes of migration throughout the continent. The fund pools money from different financial instruments under the EU budget and will also rely on contributions from Member States. The EU mobilised around 4 billion to help Syrian refugees both in Syria and in neighbouring countries. At the same time the Commission supported United Nations-led diplomatic efforts to move towards a political transition for Syria and stop the conflict there. The same goes for Libya, where the EU has worked with the United Nations to promote the formation of a government of national accord. Legal migration Legal channels for immigration and transparent, easy and fair procedures for regular migrants contribute to the prevention of irregular migration and migrant smuggling. The European agenda on migration aims to improve the management of legal migration at EU level in order to better address labour and skills shortages, particularly in sectors such as science, technology and engineering. It also aims to make the EU more attractive for highly skilled migrants. The Commission launched a public consultation in May with a view to revising the existing EU Blue card scheme, which is currently underused. The scheme facilitates the recruitment of highly qualified non-EU nationals through a harmonised fast-track procedure for issuing a special residence and work permit. The results of the consultation will feed into the revision of the Blue card scheme in 2016 as part of a comprehensive package on legal migration. The EU has entered into a dialogue with the private sector, trade unions and other social partners to better understand the varying needs of Europes economy and labour markets. The dialogue also provides for the exchange of best practices for attracting skills from abroad, as well as better developing and employing the skills of those who have already arrived. Borders and visas In 2015 the first Schengen acquis implementation evaluations were carried out in accordance with the new evaluation and monitoring mechanism. In June the Commission adopted a proposal for a new European visa sticker. the uniform format and technical specifications of which will help fight fraud, which has been on the rise in recent years. It will replace the current uniform visa format, which Member States use when issuing the so-called Schengen visa (short-stay visa). The current format has been in use since 1995. The worldwide roll-out of the visa information system was completed in November 2015. The visa information system database now contains all data related to visa applications by non-EU nationals who require a visa to enter the Schengen area, including biometric data (fingerprints and a digital facial image). The system prevents irregular border crossings and the forgery of Schengen visas, and also allows for visa applications to be processed more rapidly thanks to the use of biometrics. During 2015 the EU signed visa waiver agreements with 12 non-EU countries (Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Palau, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu). These agreements are now being applied on a provisional basis, pending their ratification. This means that nationals from these 12 countries can already travel without a visa to the EU and that EU citizens do not need a visa to visit these countries. In July the Commission launched a public consultation on the smart borders package. The aim of this package is to facilitate the border crossing of legitimate travellers entering the Schengen area for a short stay while increasing the possibility of identifying overstayers and irregular migrants and implementing return decisions. It will also ensure better identification of non-EU nationals and allow the detection of people using several identities. In October the European Council set out further orientations, including work towards the gradual establishment of an integrated management system for external borders. In December the Commission adopted the border package, containing, among other items, a proposal establishing the European Border and Coast Guard, thus reinforcing Frontexs mandate to ensure the strong and shared management of the external borders. A new European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be created from Frontex and the Member State authorities responsible for border control in order to exercise day-to-day management of the external border. The package also contains a proposal for a regulation on a European travel document for the return of illegally staying non-EU nationals, the Eurosur handbook and the eighth biannual report on the functioning of the Schengen area. Furthermore, to increase security in the Schengen area, the package includes an amendment to the Schengen Borders Code allowing for systematic checks at external borders on all travellers, including EU citizens and their family members. Fighting smugglers at sea: Operation Eunavfor Med In June Operation Eunavfor Med was launched to disrupt the business model of human smuggling in the Mediterranean and to help prevent the further loss of lives at sea. Its first phase gathered intelligence on the smugglers strategies, routes and assets. Phase two, Operation Sophia, with a mandate to intercept and arrest suspected smugglers vessels on the high seas, began in October. Some 22 Member States contributed to Eunavfor Med with assets, personnel and resources. Less detail More detail A stronger global actor United States Cooperation between the European Union and the United States in 2015 focused on strengthening the bilateral relationship through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, and also on data protection and privacy negotiations (see Chapter 6). Close cooperation continued on addressing global challenges such as climate change, energy security, nuclear non-proliferation and the nexus between security and development. 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of EUChina relations. In June the EU hosted the 17th EUChina Summit. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on foreign policy, security and global issues. Summit leaders adopted a joint statement prioritising a number of actions implementing the EUChina 2020 strategic agenda for cooperation, as well as a specific joint statement on climate change. China committed itself to stepping up investment in the EU in support of the investment plan for Europe. EUChina investment agreement negotiations continued to progress, and the EU took the opportunity to raise human rights concerns, with both sides agreeing on the importance of continuing dialogue in this regard. Throughout 2015 the EUs relations with Russia continued to be dominated by Russias interference in Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea and direct destabilisation of the country. In the course of the year the EU prolonged the restrictive measures that had been imposed in 2014 (visa bans on individuals and entities, economic sanctions and measures related to the annexation of Crimea). At the same time the EU and Russia maintained open lines of communication on global issues and on international crises, most notably regarding Iran. The EU engaged in trilateral talks with Russia and Ukraine as regards gas supply issues, successfully brokering an agreement in September on the winter package of gas deliveries to Ukraine. The EU viewed with unease the internal developments in Russia relating to a deterioration in the human rights situation and further restrictions imposed on civil society. Commission Vice-President Maro efovi (centre), Alexander Novak, Russian Minister for Energy (left), and Volodymyr Demchyshyn, Ukrainian Minister for Energy and Coal Industry (right) after reaching agreement on the winter package of gas deliveries to Ukraine, Brussels, 25 September 2015. A Union of democratic change The proposal and election of the President of the European Commission in the light of the outcome of the European Parliament elections is certainly important, but only a first step in making the European Union as a whole more democratic. A European Commission under my leadership will be committed to filling the special partnership with the European Parliament I am also committed to enhanced transparency when it comes to contact with stakeholders and lobbyists I also intend to review the legislation applicable to the authorisation of genetically modified organisms. Jean-Claude Juncker, political guidelines, 15 July 2014 In 2015 the European Parliament provided significant input in debates ranging from the economic situation in Greece to the refugee crisis. In October it held discussions with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French President, Franois Hollande. It was the first time in over 30 years that the leaders of the EUs two largest Member States had addressed the Parliament together. Also in October the Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Saudi Arabian blogger and human rights activist Raif Badawi. Latvia and Luxembourg held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2015. The Councils agendas were driven by the years major developments, such as the tensions in Ukraine, terrorism, the refugee crisis and the situation in Greece. The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions focused their activities on the Commissions work programme for 2015. Georges Dassis was elected as the new President of the European Economic and Social Committee, while Markku Markkula was elected as the new President of the Committee of the Regions. National parliaments continued to express their views on EU matters via the political dialogue with the European Commission and the Subsidiarity Control Mechanism. The mechanism allows national parliaments in the EU to issue opinions if they consider that EU draft legislation does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity. Members of the Commission made numerous visits to national parliaments to explain key priorities and major political initiatives. During 2015 the Commission organised 53 citizens dialogues throughout the EU, enabling citizens to make their voices heard by EU decision-makers. Less detail More detail The European Parliament at the centre of EU political life Throughout 2015 the Parliament debated and provided input on several policy issues. Many high-profile visitors addressed the Parliament during the year, including Laimdota Straujuma, Prime Minister of Latvia, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of Greece, Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, Franois Hollande, President of France, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy, and the heads of EU institutions. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain and Franois Hollande, President of France, at the European Parliament, Strasbourg, 7 October 2015. The European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Saudi Arabian blogger and human rights activist Raif Badawi. Better regulation In May the Commission took positive steps to increase openness and transparency in the EU decision-making process while improving the quality of new laws and promoting the systematic review of existing EU law when it adopted the better regulation agenda . This package of reforms introduced several new measures, including new consultations and possibilities for feedback that will provide more opportunities for enhanced stakeholder involvement and for more public consultation. In July the Commission launched a facility for stakeholders to provide feedback on roadmaps, inception impact assessments and adopted proposals. opening its policymaking process to further public scrutiny and input. This is the first step in implementing a better regulation portal, offering user-friendly access to the processes involved in EU lawmaking. In addition a new Regulatory Scrutiny Board came into being in July. It provides a reinforced central quality control and support function for Commission impact assessments and evaluations. Along with its chair the board will have six full-time members, three of whom will be recruited from outside the EU institutions. In December the Commission endorsed a new interinstitutional agreement on better lawmaking with the Parliament and the Council to improve the quality and the results of EU legislation. It will bring changes across the full policymaking cycle, from consultations and impact assessments to the adoption, implementation and evaluation of EU legislation. The text was negotiated with the Parliament and the Council and must be approved by all three institutions before entering into force. REFIT platform REFIT is the Commissions regulatory fitness and performance programme. It comprises high-level Member State experts and stakeholders from businesses and civil society. Its aim is to collect suggestions on the reduction of regulatory burdens in an open dialogue with stakeholders and Member States. About 200 REFIT initiatives have been taken since 2012. This has been achieved through evaluations, new simplification initiatives, withdrawals and repeals. Progress in implementing REFIT initiatives was reported in the annual scoreboard published in May. Work continues on making EU law simpler and reducing regulatory costs while maintaining policy benefits. Monitoring the application of EU law In July the Commission adopted its 32nd annual report on monitoring the application of EU law. which reviewed the Member States performance in the correct and timely implementation of EU law in 2014. The Commission launches infringement procedures when a Member State does not resolve an alleged breach of EU law or has not notified the measures transposing a directive into national law within the agreed deadline. Citizens and stakeholders can directly report suspected breaches of EU law through an online complaint form, which is accessible via the Your Rights portal. In 2014 the majority of complaints filed concerned employment, the internal market and justice. Overall trends showed that the number of formal infringement procedures has decreased in the last 5 years. As in the previous year the environment, transport, and the internal market and services remained the policy areas in which most infringement cases were opened. This decrease reflects the effectiveness of the structured dialogue with Member States via the EU Pilot mechanism before a formal infringement procedure is launched. Transparency and accountability A new transparency initiative and the Transparency Register 2.0 launched Transparency is important for the public legitimacy of the EU decision-making process and for gaining citizens trust. In January a new version of the joint European ParliamentEuropean Commission Transparency Register was launched. The register is a key tool for implementing the Commissions transparency policy. It sheds light on those seeking to influence policymaking in the EU institutions and lists the issues they follow, the clients or members they have, their membership of EU structures and the human and financial resources they invest. All organisations that join the register sign up to its code of conduct. which serves as a moral compass for their relations with the EU institutions. Control of the EU budget After a positive recommendation from the Council, in April the Parliament gave the final approval, known as discharge, to the way the Commission implemented the EU budget in 2013. The discharge is one of the instruments used by the Parliament and the Council to control the way the EU budget is spent. When granted it leads to the formal closure of the accounts of the institution for a given year. Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva (left) in discussion with Vtor Manuel da Silva Caldeira, President of the European Court of Auditors (centre), Brussels, 23 September 2015. When deciding whether to grant, postpone or refuse a discharge the Parliament takes into consideration the annual report of the European Court of Auditors. In November the Court presented its annual report on the implementation of the EU budget in 2014. The external auditor of the Commission gave the EU accounts a clean bill of health for the eighth year in a row, and also confirmed that both the revenue side and administrative expenditure were free from significant errors. Moreover, the Court estimated a decreased overall error rate in payments (4.4 ) for the second consecutive year. In this regard it is important to remember that for around 80 of the EUs annual budget, notably in the areas of agriculture and cohesion policy, the Commission has an important control function, but Member States are the ones primarily responsible for the daily management of the EU funds. When administrative errors are identified the Commission and the national authorities in Member States take measures to get back the money. Between 2009 and 2014 the average annual amount of such financial corrections and recoveries was 3.2 billion, or 2.4 of the payments made from the EU budget. This corrective capacity illustrates the multiannual nature of most programmes and the commitment of all public authorities to the protection of taxpayers money. Access to documents The right of public access to documents is an important tool in the field of transparency. The annual report on access to documents. adopted in August and covering the year 2014, describes how the Commission implemented the current rules and legislation on this matter. The annual report clearly illustrates the importance of the right of access to documents as part of the Commissions overall transparency policy. In 2014 the Commission received 6 227 requests for access to documents. The requested documents were fully or partially disclosed in 88 of cases at the initial stage. Following the services initial replies the applicants were able to ask the Commission to review its position by introducing a confirmatory application. The Commission reviewed 300 confirmatory applications in 2014. The number of confirmatory requests continued to increase for the seventh year in a row, with a significant 27 increase in 2014. Wider, additional, access was granted in 43 of cases at the confirmatory stage, bringing the total percentage of full or partial disclosure decisions to 90 . The volume of access requests and the high rate of disclosure of documents show that the right of access to documents is actively used by EU citizens and has resulted in a large number of documents being made available, in addition to the extensive documentation already available on the Commissions website. Citizens right to good administration In 2015 the European Ombudsman. Emily OReilly, continued to implement her Towards 2019 strategy, which aims to increase the relevance, impact and visibility of the Ombudsmans activities. Among the cases examined by the Ombudsman were own-initiative inquiries on the composition of Commission expert groups and on transparency in trilogues. as well as an inquiry into the transparency of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations . Emily OReilly, European Ombudsman, presents her annual report to Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, Brussels, 26 May 2015. Review of the decision-making process for the authorisation of genetically modified organisms in Member States In April the Commission delivered on a commitment in its political guidelines by completing a review of the decision-making process for the authorisation of genetically modified organisms. A new legislative proposal was submitted that would give Member States the capacity to restrict or prohibit the use of EU-authorised genetically modified organisms in food or feed in their territory, based on domestic reasons other than risks to health or the environment. The science-based authorisation of a genetically modified organism will still be assessed at EU level. The proposal was submitted for examination under the ordinary legislative procedure to the Parliament and the Council, which recently adopted a directive granting similar capacities to Member States in the field of genetically modified organism cultivation. The Parliament rejected the proposal in October. First-reading discussions continued in the Council. The European citizens initiative The European citizens initiative enables 1 million EU citizens from at least seven Member States to call on the Commission to propose legislation. To date three European citizens initiatives have been submitted after meeting the necessary requirements and thresholds Right2water, One of us and Stop vivisection and have been responded to by the Commission. In March the Commission published a report on the application of the citizens initiative. reviewing the application of this new instrument since its entry into force in April 2012. The report concluded that organisers faced difficulties in creating the online collection systems for signatures, particularly given the limited time available for collection. The Commission therefore continued to provide temporary hosting solutions to organisers free of charge and commissioned a study to analyse options to develop a sustainable solution for the online collection systems. The report also identified problems faced by organisers regarding, in particular, the divergences between the conditions and personal data required by the Member States in the collection process. The Commission called upon the Member States to harmonise and simplify these requirements. Citizens dialogues In January 2015 the Commission launched a new series of citizens dialogues, where citizens can make their voices heard in front of EU decision-makers, thus demonstrating that listening to and holding discussions with citizens is an important part of the EUs democratic policymaking process. Throughout the year the Commission reached out to thousands of citizens, with the Commission President, Vice-Presidents and Commissioners participating in 53 events throughout the EU. The President of the European Parliament, a number of members of the European Parliament and national politicians also participated in the dialogues. Less detail More detail Getting in touch with the EU Information in all the official languages of the European Union is available on the Europa website: All over Europe there are hundreds of local EU information centres. You can find the address of the centre nearest to you at: europa. eucontact ON THE PHONE OR BY MAIL Europe Direct is a service which answers your questions about the European Union. You can contact this service by freephone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00800 numbers or may charge for these calls), or by payphone from outside the EU: 32 22999696, or by e-mail via europa. eucontact READ ABOUT EUROPE Publications about the EU are only a click away on the EU Bookshop website: bookshop. europa. eu Less detail More detail You can also obtain information and booklets in English about the European Union from: EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATIONS European Commission Representation in Ireland 12-14 Lower Mount Street Tel. 353 16341111 European Commission Representation in Malta 254, Triq San Pawl Valletta VLT 1215 Tel. 356 23425000 European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom 32 Smith Square London, SW1P 3EU Tel. 44 2079731992 European Commission Office in Northern Ireland 74-76 Dublin Road Belfast, BT2 7HP Tel. 44 2890240708 European Commission Office in Scotland Edinburgh, EH2 4PH Tel. 44 1312252058 European Commission Office in Wales 2 Caspian Point, Caspian Way Cardiff, CF10 4QQ Tel. 44 2920895020 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT INFORMATION OFFICES Information Office in Ireland 12-14 Lower Mount Street Tel. 353 16057900 Information Office in Malta 254 St. Paul Street Valletta VLT 1215 Publications Office L-2985 Luxembourg The High RepresentativeCommission Vice-President and the Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs discuss Irans nuclear programme. ( European Union) The Competition Commissioner announces antitrust inquiries concerning Google. ( European Union) Hungarian soldiers build a fence at the border with Croatia. ( Associated Press) The Commission President at the opening of the climate change conference in Paris. ( European Union) The Financial Services Commissioner chairs the opening ceremony of the London Stock Exchange. ( European Union) Demonstrators outside the Greek parliament on the night of the referendum. ( Associated Press) EU, German, Greek and French leaders discuss the state finances of Greece. ( European Union) The Commission President and Spanish, French and Portuguese leaders announce improved connections between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of the EU energy market. ( European Union) EU, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish leaders announce the gas interconnector between Poland and Lithuania. ( European Union) A Triton search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea. ( Frontex) The UK Prime Minister discusses his proposals for renegotiating the United Kingdoms relationship with the EU. ( Associated Press) The European Council meets in Brussels. ( European Union) European dairy farmers protest in Brussels. ( Associated Press) EU, Greek, French and Belgian leaders in discussion at the Euro Summit. ( European Union) The Presidents of the Parliament and the Commission at the leaders meeting on the western Balkans route. ( European Union) Refugees arriving in Greece. ( European Union) World leaders at the G7 Summit. ( European Union) The Eurogroup President addresses the press. ( European Union) Emergency services evacuate the injured after shootings in the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France. ( Associated Press) The European Council President addresses the press. ( European Union) The signing of the European Fund for Strategic Investments agreement. ( European Union) A minutes silence in Place de la Rpublique, Paris, France, following the November terrorist attacks. ( AFP) Protestors demonstrate against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. ( Associated Press) EU and Ukrainian leaders at the 17th EUUkraine Summit. ( European Union) European Union, 2016 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of individual photos, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. All images and videos European Union, except: Less detail More detail