EU pensions plans outlined - EUbusiness Week newsletter 562
EUbusiness Week 562 top stories: Greece struggles to clinch rescue; EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers; EU, US ink organic food deal; Euro-Parliament approves disputed Morocco farm trade deal; Hungary readies response on controversial laws; Gazprom plans increased supplies to Europe in 2012
This Week's Top Stories
1. Greece struggles to clinch rescue
2. EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers
3. EU, US ink organic food deal
4. Euro-Parliament approves disputed Morocco farm trade deal
5. Hungary readies response on controversial laws
6. Gazprom plans increased supplies to Europe in 2012
Publisher's Note
Pensions was the theme for this week, as the European Commission put
forward a White Paper setting out its agenda for adequate, safe and
sustainable pensions in the EU. Its roadmap outlines 20 proposals to
secure the financial sustainability and adequacy of pensions for the
longer term. They aim to raise the average age at which people retire
and to encourage complementary private retirement savings.
Against a background of an ageing population and a difficult
macroeconomic context aggravated by the crisis and high unemployment,
there is a need now to work longer by creating a better balance between
time spent in work and retirement. A key concern for small business,
however, is how to avoid raising the cost of occupational pensions, both
for employers and workers.
More ...
Regards,
Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness
BRITISH GAS BUSINESS
Join more than 950,000 UK businesses that rely on British Gas Business for low prices and the best service available.
|
1. Greece struggles to clinch rescue
Greece grappled Thursday with the notion of direct fiscal control from
Brussels as it struggled to fulfil conditions of a eurozone debt rescue
and overcome EU scepticism to avert bankruptcy.
More ...
Moody's puts Europe's top banks on rate cut watch
2. EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers
The EU says it will double its investment in supercomputers,
high-performance machines the size of a mansion that can cost more than
100 million euros each to build.
More ...
3. EU, US ink organic food deal
Food products classified as organic in the EU or the United States can
be sold as such in either region after a deal struck on Wednesday
between the two major trading blocs.
More ...
4. Euro-Parliament approves disputed Morocco farm trade deal
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a controversial
agricultural and fisheries trade agreement with Morocco that has angered
French and Spanish farmers.
More ...
5. Hungary readies response on controversial laws
Hungary's response to a series of legal challenges from the Commission
to a raft of controversial laws passed late last year was to be sent by
Friday, Prime Minster Viktor Orban said in a radio interview.
More ...
6. Gazprom plans increased supplies to Europe in 2012
Russian gas giant Gazprom says it intends to increase gas exports to
Europe in 2012 compared with last year, even though it declined to pump
extra gas this winter.
More ...
EUROPEAN LAW
Social networks: social networking websites cannot be forced to instal
filters preventing users from illegally sharing music and videos
protected by copyright, the European Court of Justice said on Thursday.
More ...
Commission defends contested online piracy pact
Latest Court of Justice judgements
EU Law Firms
More ...
Inside the EU Institutions
Council Watch
Greece: the Dutch finance minister said Thursday the Greek crisis was
"back to square one" as the country's economy was much worse than had
been expected at the beginning of the crisis.
More ...
EU may tone down new Syria sanctions
Van Rompuy calls special euro summit March 2
Council ...
Commission Watch
Economic imbalances: the Commission has issued its first report on EU
economic imbalances, warning Britain and France of declining export
performance but steering clear of criticising Germany.
More ...
Trade chief pressures China over procurements
Commission ...
Euro-Parliament Watch
Anti-migrant website: MEPs called on the Dutch prime minister on
Thursday to come and explain his "deafening silence" on a far right
website allowing people to complain against east European immigrants.
More ...
In plenary session this week, MEPs called for binding rules to ensure
blind people's access to books; said the EP budget should be frozen, in
real terms, for 2013; and urged Russia to reform electoral law and halt
arms sales to Syria.
Parliament ...
EU diary
17 Feb, Employment, Social, Health, Consumer Council
20 Feb, Eurogroup
20-21 Feb, Competitiveness Council
21 Feb, Economic & Financial Affairs Council
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary
RESOURCES
EU Law Firms
Summaries of EU Legislation
EU Decision-Making
Treaties of the European Union
Key EU Legal Terms
Other news on EUbusiness this week
Serbia, Kosovo to resume EU-mediated talks next week 16-FebEU urged to maintain sanctions on Zimbabwe's Mugabe 16-Feb
Europe new car sales down 7.1% in January 16-Feb
Cisco appeals EU's Microsoft-Skype merger approval 15-Feb
India, China attack EU on airline carbon tax 14-Feb
Eurozone industrial output falls 1.1% in December 14-Feb
Brazil, Germany press for EU-Mercosur trade deal 14-Feb