€65 million of EU financing for 430 social enterprises in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and France

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Triodos Bank have signed the first Social Entrepreneurship guarantee agreement in The Netherlands under the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). This new financing agreement was made possible by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the core of theInvestment Plan for Europe. This new guarantee agreement allows Triodos Bank to provide a total of €65 million to 430 social entrepreneurs over the next 5 years in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and France. Social entrepreneurs will be able to benefit from loans at a reduced interest rate with lower collateral requirements under the EU supported programme.Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen, said: “Thanks to EU funding, Triodos Bank will launch a new lending activity worth €65 million to support 430 social entrepreneurs, many of whom face difficulties in accessing credit from traditional banking sources. This new guarantee agreement will allow social entrepreneurs from theNetherlands, Belgium, Spain and France, working in sectors such as the organic food supply chain, sustainable fashion and labour inclusion, to benefit from loans at a reduced interest rate to start-up or develop their businesses. The Commission remains committed to foster sustainable employment for the most vulnerable people in the labour market.” The EaSI Guarantee scheme was launched in June 2015 and is funded by the European Commission and managed by the European Investment Fund. More information is available in this press release. (For more information:Christian Wigand– Tel.: +32 229 62253; Sara Soumillion – Tel.: + 32 229 67094)

Investment Plan: €24 million for new medical centre at Medical University of Warsaw

The Medical University of Warsaw is receiving a PLN 100 million (€24 million) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to modernise key elements of its main Warsaw campus. The project consists of the design, construction and implementation of a state-of-the-art new medical simulations centre on the university’s main campus in Warsaw that will be used for training and research.The loan is guaranteed under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which is the financial pillar of the Juncker Plan. The project also received technical assistance from the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH). Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, said: “We need to invest more in education. This is crucial to build resilient, cohesive, fair societies, and to ensure that the European economy remains competitive and innovative. I am therefore pleased to see the European Investment Bank and the Medical University of Warsaw join forces, backed by the Investment Plan for Europe, to improve teaching and learning facilities for students and staff.” (Full press release is found here. For all the latest EFSI results see the Investment Plan website or contact Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Siobhán Millbright – Tel.: +32 229 57361)

100 organisations helping to upgrade digital skills of European citizens

Since the launch of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition in December 2016, a first 100 European organisations, among them governments and businesses, have provided over 3.7 million IT training sessions, more than one million certifications for improved digital skills and 9,000 job placements and internship offers in the digital sector. The number of active organisations is expected to increase rapidly, as the Coalition now has more than 360 members from all sectors of the economy who have pledged to reduce the digital skills gap. Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, said: “Europe’s education and training systems need to give people from all backgrounds the right digital skills to progress professionally, but also to enable them to find their place in society as engaged citizens. This needs to involve partners from all sides. That is why the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition is important in enabling Europeans to prosper in increasingly digital societies.” Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, said: “The Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition is a collective effort to tackle one of Europe’s biggest challenges: filling IT vacancies. 100 concrete commitments in just over a year is a sign of the support from stakeholders across Europe who recognise the importance of digital skills for all, no matter the age, gender or job profile.” The majority of pledges aim either to bring more digital skills into education by transforming teaching methods or to offer trainings to upskill the European workforce. Trainings include basic digital skills and coding, as well as specialised skills such as data analytics and cybersecurity. In order to boost digital skills of young people and to help ensure that education systems make the most of new technologies, the European Commission launched the Digital Education Action Plan beginning of this year. Further details are available here. (For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel.: +32 229 56172; Inga Höglund Tel.: +32 229 55040)

State aid: Commission approves Italian scheme facilitating the market exit of failing small banks

The European Commission has authorised under EU State aid rules an Italian liquidation scheme for small banks with total assets of less than €3 billion. The scheme facilitates the work of the Italian authorities in case of urgent need for action, such as when a bank is found to be failing by the competent national authorities. Under the scheme, the recognised deposit guarantee schemes (DGS) in Italy can support the transfer of a failing bank’s assets and liabilities to another bank under national insolvency proceedings. The Commission found such support by the mandatory arms of the Italian DGS to be compatible state aid, in line with the Commission’s 2013 Banking Communication and related EU law, including theEU Directive on Deposit Guarantee Schemes, in particular Article 11(6). Any aid would be limited to the minimum necessary to enable an orderly exit of a failing bank from the market. Therefore, contributions from shareholders and subordinated debt holders will be required in line with the 2013 Banking Communication requirements. The DGS funds would be used to preserve the access of depositors to covered deposits, and the funding costs would not exceed the net amount needed to compensate covered depositors at the failing bank. The authorisation of aid under the scheme is granted for twelve months from today. The Banking Communication sets out a number of conditions under which Member States have the possibility to set up schemes to support the orderly exit of small failing banks, adapted to the conditions in each market. The Commission has already approved such schemes for Croatia, Denmark, Ireland and Poland. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.50640 in the State Aid Register on the DG Competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Sarantopoulou – Tel.: +32 229 13740; Yizhou Ren – Tel.: +32 229 94889)

Mergers: Commission clears the acquisition of Cunningham Lindsey by Sedgwick

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control over Cunningham Lindsey by Sedgwick, both based in the US. Cunningham Lindsey is a global provider of insurance-related services to insurers and reinsurance companies, insurance brokers, insurance syndicates, major self-insured corporations, and government authorities. Sedgwick, currently indirectly solely controlled by private equity fund KKR (USA), is a global provider of risk management solutions. Sedgwick (trading as Vericlaim) and Cunningham Lindsey are both active in claims management and in inspection services related to claims management (“loss adjusting services”) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. After its market investigation, the Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns, in particular in view of the alternative suppliers that will remain on these markets. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.8764. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100; Maria Sarantopoulou – Tel.: +32 229 13740)

Eurobarometer on integration: Majority of Europeans believe that integration measures are a necessary investment in the long-run

According to a Eurobarometer survey published today, 69% of Europeans believe that integration measures are a necessary investment in the long-run and a similar proportion view integration as a two-way process for both migrants and host societies. Europeans tend to agree on the main factors that may facilitate or prevent integration as well as on policy measures that support it, such as offering language courses upon arrival, mandatory integration programmes and measures facilitating access to the labour market. According to the survey, around 60% of respondents interact daily with migrants, while 40% have either friends or family members who are migrants. A majority of respondents in all Member States say that the EU plays an important role when it comes to integration, with a particular added value for sharing best practices, promoting cooperation between all actors involved, and financial support. At the same time, the survey finds that only a minority of Europeans think they are well informed about migration and integration. Europeans also tend to overestimate the number of non-EU migrants in their countries: In 19 Member States, the actual proportion of non–EU migrants is half or less than half of their estimated share. You can find the full survey here. (For more information:  Natasha Bertaud – Tel.: +32 2 296 74 56; Tove Ernst – Tel.: +32 229 86764; Markus Lammert – Tel.: +32 229 80423)

L’UE s’engage à hauteur de 77 millions d’euros pour la crise en République démocratique du Congo lors de la conférence des donateurs à Genève

L’Union européenne a coorganisé aujourd’hui à Genève la conférence humanitaire sur la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) au cours de laquelle le commissaire européen chargé de l’aide humanitaire et de la gestion des crises, Christos Stylianides, a réitéré le soutien de l’UE en réponse à l’aggravation de la situation humanitaire dans la région, au moyen de contributions d’un montant de 77 millions d’euros d’aide d’urgence et au développement pour la crise en RDC. «Aujourd’hui, nous sommes unis avec la population de RDC. Les besoins humanitaires persistent depuis trop longtemps dans le pays, et la situation continue de s’aggraver. Nous sommes déterminés à aider les populations les plus vulnérables de RDC et à leur donner de l’espoir. Pour remplir notre mission humanitaire et sauver des vies sur le terrain, nous avons besoin d’un accès humanitaire continu et sans entrave à toutes les régions, ainsi que d’une protection des travailleurs humanitaires», a affirmé le commissaire Stylianides. Sur le montant annoncé aujourd’hui, 49,5 millions d’euros – qui ont été annoncés par le commissaire Stylianides au cours de sa récente visite en RDC – seront destinés à faire face à l’aggravation de la crise humanitaire en RDC et à financer les services de vols humanitaires vers les zones les plus reculées du pays. 27,6 millions d’euros seront également consacrés à la santé, la sécurité alimentaire, l’éducation et au renforcement de la résilience en RDC. En plus du montant promis, l’Union européenne a également affecté 6 millions d’euros au soutien des réfugiés de RDC et des populations d’accueil dans les pays voisins que sont le Burundi, le Rwanda, la Tanzanie et l’Ouganda. Le communiqué de presse complet est disponible ici. (Pour plus d’informations: Maja Kocijancic – Tel.: +32 229 86570; Christina Wunder – Tel.: +32 229 92256)

Eurostat: Euro area international trade in goods surplus €18.9 billion

The first estimate for euro area (EA19) exports of goods to the rest of the world in February 2018 was €177.5 billion, an increase of 3.0% compared with February 2017 (€172.3 billion). Imports from the rest of the world stood at €158.6 billion, a rise of 1.5% compared with February 2017 (€156.2 billion). As a result, the euro area recorded a €18.9 billion surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world in February 2018, compared with +€16.1 billion in February 2017. Intra-euro area trade rose to €153.7 billion in February 2018, up by 3.9% compared with February 2017. A Eurostat press release is available here. (For more information: Daniel Rosario – Tel.: +32 229 56185; Kinga Malinowska – Tel.: +32 229 51383)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini travels to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for the 29^th League of Arab States Summit

On 15 April, High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini will travel to Dhahran (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia), where she has been invited to address the opening of the 29^th League of Arab States (LAS) Summit. It is the second time High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini is invited to attend a LAS summit, after last year’s gathering in Jordan. The summit will be the opportunity for the High Representative/Vice-President to discuss with leaders of the Arab States and members of the international community the latest developments in the region and the challenges to its stability. The European Union and the League of Arab States have a strong relationship based on growing political dialogue and cooperation. The invitation to the High Representative/Vice-President Mogheriniillustrates the willingness of the two organisations to further strengthen their bonds. In the margins of the Summit, High Representative/Vice-President Mogheriniwill also have a number of bilateral meetings. Audio-visual coverage will be available on EbS. (For more information: Maja Kocijančič – Tel.: +32 229 86570; Lauranne Devillé – Tel.: +32 229 80833)

Vice-President Šefčovič in Germany for second Energy Union Tour

Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič will be in Germany on 16-17 April for the second Energy Union Tour. He will meet Federal Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU), Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas (SPD), and Cem Özdemir (Green Party), Chair of the Transport Committee of the Bundestag. Their discussions will focus on Germany’s progress towards Energy Union targets, the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ legislative package and the post-2020 national energy and climate strategy, and the possibility of using EU funding to invest in projects that will contribute to the clean energy transition. Vice-President Šefčovič will participate in an energy dialogue in the Bundestag, the German Parliament, and hold exchanges with members of its Committee for Economic Affairs and Energy. He will then give a keynote speech at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, as well as participate in the Global Summit on Blockchain Technology in the Energy Sector. Ahead of his visit, Vice-President Šefčovič said: “I am impressed that Germany is already close to achieving its 2020 renewables target. However, it will need to do more to meet its emissions reduction objective. As for energy efficiency, good efforts are underway, and the EU is investing €1.3 billion in energy efficiency improvements in the country. Furthermore, German energy infrastructure projects have already benefited from the European Fund for Strategic Investments, but there is potential for more, and I also encourage project promoters to make full use of the EU’s European Investment Advisory Hub and European Investment Project Portal.” (For more information: Anca Paduraru – Tel.: +32 229 91269; Nicole Bockstaller – Tel.: +32 229 52589)

Commissioner Gabriel in Switzerland to discuss digital investments and development at the UN eCommerce Week

On Monday, Commissioner Gabriel will attend “eCommerce Week” organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva to talk about investment in digital technologies as a tool for economic growth and development. At 12:00 CET, she will deliver a keynote speech at Digital Economy for Development panel, highlighting the progress of the Digital Single Market in Europe as well as the necessity to aid others with their digital transformation. Later in the afternoon, Commissioner Gabriel will meet with Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission, and Isabelle Durant, Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to speak about facilitating digital trade with the African continent. Afterwards, the Commissioner will attend a bilateral meeting with Derek O’Halloran, Head of the Digital Economy and Society of the World Economic Forum to discuss potential cooperation on digital economy issues. (For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel.: +32 229 56172; Inga Höglund Tel.: +32 229 55040)

Vice-President Dombrovskis in Germany to discuss the future of the Economic and Monetary Union

Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, is in Berlin today to meet the Federal Minister for Finance, Olaf Scholz, and the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Peter Altmaier. They will discuss the future and deepening of the European Economic and Monetary Union and the European Semester, EU’s cycle of economic policy coordination. (For more information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615;  Annikky Lamp– Tel.: +32 229 56151; Letizia Lupini – Tel.: +32 229 51958)

Calendar

The Commissioners’ weekly activities

Upcoming events of the European Commission (ex-Top News)

• The annual EIB Survey on Investment and Investment Finance (EIBIS) finds that after 25 years of weak investment performance, Polish corporates are now increasing their capital stock
• Nevertheless, investment activities at corporate level are still below EU average and the lack of a labour force with adequate skills is currently the most important barrier to increased investment
• Maintaining the growth momentum requires a new focus on productivity and innovation, and strong public and private sector involvement is needed to create a knowledge-based economy
• Municipalities are also stepping up their investment plans and are set to prioritise infrastructure modernisation over maintenance

In Poland, the macroeconomic outlook remains stable and promising. Robust economic growth is likely to continue in 2018, thanks to strong private consumption and a recovery in investment after a lull induced by the cyclicality of EU funds. Nevertheless, important structural issues have to be overcome to secure the country’s long-term convergence towards the EU and the sustainability of its growth model.

The main findings of the Annual EIB Survey on Investment and Investment Finance (EIBIS) were discussed today at a conference in Warsaw organised jointly by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the National Bank of Poland (NBP). The latest edition of the traditional EIB corporate survey was complemented by a one-off municipal survey, providing additional, valuable information about local authorities’ investment needs and capital accumulation barriers at the local level.  

“Poland’s robust growth performance over the past 25 years went along with very low investment, and significant gaps in the capital stock remain”, said Debora Revoltella, Director of the Economic Department at the European Investment Bank (EIB). “To maintain its economic momentum, Poland needs to shift its growth model. This will require a focus on productivity, with strong private and public investment into the foundations of a knowledge-based economy. In parallel, the financing side has to be supportive and EU financial instruments can play a role here”.

“Despite the obvious and large improvements in the investment activity of the corporate sector, the business investment rate in Poland appears to be among the lowest in the EU”, commented Vazil Hudak, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank. “Investment in intangible assets is particularly low, even in comparison to other EU Member States that are in the catching-up process. The EIB is ready to step up and provide the necessary financing, so that Poland can shift its growth model through high-quality investment, and continue its successful economic convergence towards the EU.”

Link to the publication: http://www.eib.org/attachments/efs/eibis_2017_poland_en.pdf   

Main findings of the EIBIS in a nutshell:

At the corporate level, more Polish firms increased than decreased investment activity in the last financial year. This positive outlook continues into the current year, with all sectors expecting, on balance, to expand investment activity. However, around one-quarter of Polish firms (24%) feel they invested too little over the last three years, which is higher than the EU average (15%). While replacement is named as the main priority of firms’ investment, companies are shifting towards building new capacities and developing new products. The top two perceived barriers to investment are skills shortages (89%) and general uncertainty about the future (87%). Both are more commonly cited in Poland than the EU average.

At the local authority level, over the last five years, slightly less than 60% of municipalities in Poland report an increase in investment activities in their jurisdictions and only 9% report a decrease. Yet, 38% of Polish municipalities believe investment activities in their jurisdiction have been below needs. The main obstacles to infrastructure investment activities for Polish municipalities is the length of the approval process. Access to external finance follows, weighing more than at the EU level. Municipalities mainly resort to their own resources and EU programmes to finance infrastructure.

The European Committee of the Regions has shared the preliminary results of its “Reflecting on Europe” campaign, in the presence of Valérie Gomez-Bassac, member of the French National Assembly and supporter of the citizens’ consultations initiative launched by the French President. Results from the 150 citizens dialogues and 15 000 replies to the online survey collected by the Committee so far have shown that political issues, whether global, European or national, are always seen through a local frame of view. A majority of respondents also call for more solidary between EU countries, whilst stressing the need for more direct and permanent channels of dialogue with the EU.

Prompted by Brexit and the crisis of confidence in Europe, EU political leaders have engaged in a broad debate on the future of Europe. The EU’s initiatives to engage with citizens were recently given a strong boost with President Macron’s proposal to launch “citizens’ consultations” throughout the EU. The CoR is actively contributing to the process, in particular through a wide-ranging consultation campaign branded ” Reflecting on Europe “, mainly in the form of citizens’ dialogues organised at local level. Results of this bottom-up exercise will feed into a report by the C oR’s President Lambertz and First Vice-President Markkula, following a request by European Council President to put forward the “the voice of local and regional authorities to rebuild trust in the EU”.

Speaking on 11 April at the meeting of the CoR’s Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs about the preparation of the CoR report, President Lambertz said: ” I want to ensure we report back as faithfully as possible about what citizens and local and regional authorities have said during our dialogues. We need to underline that cities and regions are a key part of the chain to strengthen European democracy. Finally, and something of crucial importance, we should end with some concrete suggestions and recommendations for the future of Europe and how to reconnect it to its citizens “.

Valérie Gomez-Bassac , member of the French National Assembly’s Commission for European Affairs, and rapporteur for the Report on the democratic conventions for re-building Europe (Conventions démocratiques de refondation de l’Europe) presented the motivation behind the initiative, stressing that too often people have the impression that decisions are take in Brussels in a distanced away and disconnected from their daily life. She insisted that citizens’ consultations will need to “go beyond the usual suspects” as citizens often feel that the European debate is “confiscated by Eurosceptics and Euro-enthusiasts“. She further pointed out that this “should not be seen as a partisan effort“, but that the aim was to determine “how to implement the EU that citizens want“. All Member States have accepted to participate in the initiative which will be carried out between April and October 2018.

The main findings of the consultation include the following:

• There is a certain level of discontent and disconnection towards the EU, a feeling that does not only concern their perception of the EU but politics in general;

• Citizens have in general little knowledge about what the EU is and what it is doing.

• Positive signals however emerge, in particular from the younger generation who appreciate the benefits of the EU, especially free movement, education, mobility opportunities and environment policies;

• People demand higher levels of transparency and more active ways to become involved with the EU;

• Local and regional politicians enjoy higher level of trust than EU or national representatives;

• Solidarity is a recurring theme. About 80% of the respondents say that they expect more solidarity between rich and poor member states and regions. This points to the crucial role inherited in policies with a strong territorial dimension such as cohesion policy;

• In addition to freedom, prosperity and mobility, people ask a more active Europe in education, environment and security.

The CoR draft opinion on the future of Europe is due to be adopted by the CIVEX commission on 10 July, before final adoption in CoR plenary session on 9 October 2018.

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