EU web links

A collection of links to web sites of the European Union institutions and other European business web sites.

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Non-performing loans (NPLs) — 02 November 2018, 00:32 CET

EU and national authorities are joining forces to address the risks related to high stocks of NPLs in Europe. Non-performing loans, or “NPLs”, are bank loans that are subject to late repayment or are unlikely to be repaid by the borrower.

Access to bank accounts — 30 October 2018, 18:08 CET

EU rules allow consumers to open and change bank accounts anywhere in the EU. The directive on payment accounts gives people in the EU the right to a basic payment account regardless of a person's place of residence or financial situation. The directive also improves the transparency of bank account fees and makes it easier to switch banks.

SELFIE — 25 October 2018, 22:57 CET

Is your school making the most of digital technologies for teaching and learning? SELFIE is a free, easy-to-use, customisable tool to help schools assess where they stand with learning in the digital age.

Ending unjustified Geoblocking: a short guide for online traders — 25 October 2018, 18:23 CET

On 3 December 2018, new rules on geoblocking will enter into force. These measures part of a wider packet of measures under the Digital Single Market Strategy, aimed at boosting cross-border e-commerce in the European Union. These rules will ensure better access to goods and services offered online, create greater certainty for business and build trust amongst consumers and reduce transaction costs and the administrative burden for businesses.

E-commerce in the EU: How you can make the most out of it as a consumer — 25 October 2018, 18:19 CET

The Internet has transformed the way we shop. However, persistent online barriers prevent us from enjoying the full access to the goods and services being offered by businesses in the EU. Since the launch of the Digital Single Market Strategy in May 2015, the European Union has been working to break down these barriers. This factsheet summarises what the EU has been doing to boost e-commerce and to create new opportunities for consumers, turning the Digital Single Market into a reality.

European Battery Alliance — 10 October 2018, 22:41 CET

For Europe, battery production is a strategic imperative for clean energy transition and the competitiveness of its automotive sector. Moreover, the Commission's 'New Industrial Policy Strategy' goal is to make the EU the world leader in innovation, digitisation and decarbonisation.

European Health Insurance card — 10 October 2018, 18:07 CET

The European Health Insurance Card is a free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country.

Air Quality Directive — 11 September 2018, 18:30 CET

Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe including the following elements: - The merging of most of existing legislation into a single directive (except for the Fourth Daughter Directive) with no change to existing air quality objectives - New air quality objectives for PM2.5 (fine particles) including the limit value and exposure related objectives - The possibility to discount natural sources of pollution when assessing compliance against limit values - The possibility for time extensions of three years (PM10) or up to five years (NO2, benzene) for complying with limit values.

European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) — 20 July 2018, 11:26 CET

EFSI is an initiative launched jointly by the EIB Group – the European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund – and the European Commission to help overcome the current investment gap in the EU. EFSI is one of the three pillars of the Investment Plan for Europe that aims to revive investment in strategic projects around the continent to ensure that money reaches the real economy.

Brexit preparedness — 19 July 2018, 16:03 CET

Information on the European Commission's work to prepare for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, including notices to stakeholders, legislative initiatives and other preparedness activities.

EU Water Framework Directive — 03 July 2018, 23:10 CET

The EU Water Framework Directive covers all waters, including inland waters (surface water and groundwater) and transitional and coastal waters. Article 8 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets out the requirements for the monitoring of surface water status, groundwater status and protected areas: "Monitoring programmes are required to establish a coherent and comprehensive overview of water status within each river basin district." The objective of monitoring is to establish an overview within each River Basin District. It should also permit the classification of all surface water bodies into one of five classes and groundwater into one of two classes.

50 years of the EU Customs Union — 03 July 2018, 00:25 CET

In 2018 the European Union celebrates the 50th anniversary of the EU Customs Union. Since 1968, the Customs Union has been protecting the safety and security of citizens of its member countries and collecting customs duties that represent an important source of revenue in the EU, whilst transforming customs into a modern and responsive partner to trade. Events are organised all over the European Union to mark the anniversary.

Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan — 28 June 2018, 23:38 CET

The primary objective of the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) initiative is to achieve an open and integrated regional electricity and gas market between EU countries in the Baltic Sea region, ending energy isolation. The initiative's members are the European Commission and Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and Sweden. Norway participates as an observer.

Find a company — 27 June 2018, 13:43 CET

The 'Find a company' section of the European e-Justice Portal allows you to search for and access company information from the national business registers. In accordance with Directive 2012/17/EU this service is to cover the business registers of all EU countries as well as Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway. Not all of the Member States are currently connected, but more will be on board soon. If you are looking to access information and/or documents from those registers which are not yet part of the 'Find a company' page, you can find links to the respective national registers on our "General information and terms and conditions" page.

EU product safety rules — 26 June 2018, 16:20 CET

EU rules on product safety are defined in the general product safety directive. Under the directive a product is safe if it meets all statutory safety requirements under European or national law. If there are no regulations or EU standards, the product's compliance is determined according to other reference documents such as national standards, Commission recommendations, codes of practice.

European Innovation Scoreboard — 25 June 2018, 13:56 CET

The European Innovation Scoreboard provides a comparative analysis of innovation performance in EU countries, other European countries, and regional neighbours. It assesses relative strengths and weaknesses of national innovation systems and helps countries identify areas they need to address. The European Innovation Scoreboard 2018 was released on 22 June 2018.

EU-New Zealand Trade Agreement — 21 June 2018, 17:42 CET

The European Union has launched negotiations for a comprehensive and ambitious trade agreement with New Zealand. Bilateral trade in goods between the two partners has risen steadily in recent years, reaching almost EUR 8.7bn in 2017. The EU is New Zealand's third-biggest trade partner. According to the impact assessment, trade between New Zealand and the EU could increase by 36%; trade in goods could increase by 47%, whereas the services trade could increase by 14%.

Directive on the conservation of wild birds — 21 June 2018, 13:32 CET

Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds, adopted in 2009, replaces Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979. It aims to protect all European wild birds and the habitats of listed species, in particular through the designation of Special Protection Areas (often known by the acronym SPA).

The Birds Directive — 21 June 2018, 13:26 CET

Europe is home to more than 500 wild bird species. But at least 32 % of the EU's bird species are currently not in a good conservation status. The Birds Directive aims to protect all of the 500 wild bird species naturally occurring in the European Union.

EU-Australia Trade Agreement — 18 June 2018, 14:09 CET

The European Union launched negotiations for a comprehensive and ambitious trade agreement with Australia on 18 June. The EU is Australia's second-biggest trade partner. Bilateral trade in goods between the two partners has risen steadily in recent years, reaching almost EUR 48bn in 2017. Bilateral trade in services added an additional EUR 27bn. According to an impact assessment, trade in goods and services between the two partners could increase by around a third.

European Peace Facility — 13 June 2018, 14:11 CET

To bolster the EU's ability to safeguard European security interests and prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security, EU High Representative Mogherini on 13 June proposed a new European Peace Facility worth EUR 10.5 billion for 2021-2027.

2018 Skills Forecast — 12 June 2018, 22:48 CET

The EU agency for the Development of Vocational Training has published its 2018 skills forecast, with insights in tomorrow's trends in skills demand and supply. The Forecast projections suggest that four in five new jobs will require a high level of skills. The Forecast also projects fast growth of high-skills occupations, with some growth in certain less-skilled jobs (for example, sales, security, cleaning, catering and caring occupations).

Annual reports on the implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights — 07 June 2018, 22:28 CET

The European Commission published its annual Report on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights on 6 June 2018. The report highlights that while 2017 was a year of challenges for fundamental rights, the structures and tools in place to make sure the rights of the Charter are a reality have been functioning. Further support to the respect and promotion of fundamental rights, the rule of law and democracy, including the support for a free and vibrant civil society, will remain central in 2018.

EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) — 31 May 2018, 20:59 CET

The CFP is a set of rules for managing European fishing fleets and for conserving fish stocks. Designed to manage a common resource, it gives all European fishing fleets equal access to EU waters and fishing grounds and allows fishermen to compete fairly.

European Plastics Strategy — 28 May 2018, 23:45 CET

The first-ever Europe-wide strategy on plastics, adopted on 16 January 2018, is a part of the transition towards a more circular economy.