Media advisory – Video conference of the Eurogroup, 16 December 2020

Indicative programme

14.00 – Video conference of the Eurogroup in regular format

  • Exchange of views on the macroeconomic situation
  • Assessment of euro area Member States’ Draft Budgetary Plans and of the Euro area budgetary situation and prospects
  • Euro area surveillance – 2021 Euro area recommendations
  • Miscellaneous

At +/- 16.30 – press conference in live streaming

Arrangements for the press conference

Please note that there will be no physical press conference. EU accredited journalists will be able to ask questions remotely, using this link.

If you had registered for one of the previous virtual Eurogroup press conferences, you don’t need to register again.

  • Deadline: Wednesday, 16 December 2020, 15:00

Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants after the deadline.



Announcement n◦ 5/2020 of the Community Plant Variety Office. Decision of the Administrative Council of the Community Plant Variety Office on test guidelines 26/10/2020

Technical examinations which are initiated or are to be approved by the Community Plant Variety Office must be performed in accordance with the test guidelines which have been adopted by the Administrative Council. Technical examinations started prior to the decision are not affected unless otherwise announced. The plant species concerned as well as the date of the decision are accordingly published in the Official Gazette of the Office. The technical protocol can be consulted through the website of the Office, or upon request can be transmitted by the Office. Technical questionnaires for the plant species called in question were amended accordingly. The technical questionnaires can be downloaded from the website, or upon request can be sent by the Office.

Decisions were taken in respect of the following plant species:

Weigela Thunb.



Announcement n◦ 6/2020 on Holidays of the Community Variety Plant Office in 2021

Privacy Statement


Official Publication 6.2020

Privacy Statement


KROLL BOND RATING AGENCY LLC’s CERTIFICATION STATUS WITHDRAWN

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has withdrawn Kroll Bond Rating Agency LLC’s (Kroll LLC) ability to certify its credit ratings for use in the European Union (EU). 

The withdrawal decision follows the official notification sent to ESMA by Kroll LLC on 23 July 2020 of its intention to renounce its ability to certify credit ratings for use in the EU under the conditions set out in Article 20(1)(a) of the CRA Regulation. Following the removal of Kroll LLC’s certification status, Kroll Bond Rating Agency EU will continue to issue credit ratings and will endorse some of the credit ratings of Kroll LLC for use in the EU.

Point (a) of Article 20(1) of the CRA Regulation provides that without prejudice to Article 24, ESMA shall withdraw the registration of a credit rating agency (CRA) where the CRA “expressly renounces the registration or has provided no credit ratings for the preceding six months”. Article 5(8) of the CRA Regulation explains that Article 20 also applies to certified CRAs.