Bridging the EU's jobs gap - EUbusiness Week newsletter 731 - EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 731 top stories: Cameron optimistic of February EU deal; ECB chief seeks to placate markets with stimulus promise; ‘Huge fallout’ if no data protection deal by January 31; Europe ‘big five’ airlines launch new alliance; WTO faults EU in nuts and bolts dispute with China; Wroclaw at crossroads of central Europe history

Publisher’s Note

The EU’s annual review of employment and social developments reflects a generally more positive jobs outlook in Europe. Unemployment continues to come down as the economy slowly recovers, with more women and more over-fifties working.

Less good news are widening disparities between Member States in terms of economic growth, employment and other key social and labour market indicators. The Commission promises to move forward on a number of fronts, including proposals on labour mobility, a European Pillar of Social Rights and a New Skills Agenda for Europe.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Cameron optimistic of February EU deal

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday he was optimistic of securing a deal in February to reform the European Union after France warned that his demands could not be met at any price.
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UK Labour MPs launch third referendum campaign to leave EU
Goldman Sachs funded campaign to keep Britain in EU: source

2. ECB chief seeks to placate markets with stimulus promise

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi sought Thursday to assuage financial market disappointment at the perceived timidity of recent efforts to kick-start inflation in the euro area, promising to revisit its policy stance in March.
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Eurozone bank sector on mend, ECB survey shows

3. ‘Huge fallout’ if no data protection deal by January 31

The top US and European trade groups have warned their leaders of enormous fallout for businesses and customers if the two sides fail to reach a new deal on data transfers by end January.
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4. Europe ‘big five’ airlines launch new alliance

In an unprecedented step, Europe’s five largest airline groups including budget carriers EasyJet and Ryanair have launched a new alliance to combat rising airport charges amid a fierce battle with Gulf rivals.
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5. WTO faults EU in nuts and bolts dispute with China

The World Trade Organization has ruled against the European Union in a dispute that has been raging since 2009 between the bloc and China over import duties on nuts and bolts.
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6. Wroclaw at crossroads of central Europe history

Long a symbol of Polish-German reconciliation, Poland’s western city of Wroclaw will become a European culture capital this year highlighting its history at the crossroads of political upheaval in central Europe.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Kosovo war crimes: a new EU-backed court to try war crimes allegedly committed by ethnic Albanian guerrillas during the bitter Kosovo conflict will open this year in The Hague.
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Sanction Chinese state media: advocacy group
Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU law firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Migrants: the EU has just two months to tackle its migration crisis before a new spike in numbers this spring, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, said Wednesday.
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EU agrees Israel-Palestinians statement
Serbia PM calls for snap elections
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Commission Watch

Migrants: Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker says Member States have “failed to deliver” on the migrant crisis and warns that restoring borders in response to the problem could kill off the internal market.
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Rouhani reschedules Euro trip cancelled by Paris attacks
EU ambassadors concerned over closure of NGO’s Sudan offices
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Parliament Watch

Defence: France’s decision to invoke the EU’s mutual defence clause after the Paris attacks should serve as an incentive to step up security ties across the bloc, say MEPs.
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Also this week, Parliament appointed members of a committee of inquiry into car makers’ breaches of EU rules on car emission tests; ratified the EU-Kosovo Association Agreement; and vetoed draft EU rules that would allow baby foods to continue to contain up to three times more sugar than recommended by the World Health Organisation.
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EU diary

25 Jan: Agriculture and Fisheries Council
25-26 Jan: Launch of EU strategy for the Alpine Region
28 Jan: European Parliament Committee Meetings
28 Jan: Multiannual Financial Framework Conference
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary