June

• 29.06.2007
  Agreement achieved on the use of SWIFT data. The dispute over the disclosure of data from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) to US authorities has been resolved today, marking a further success while Germany holds the presidency of the EU. The Federal Ministry of Finance releases the following statement: Within the framework of the German presidency of the Council of the European Union, the country’s Federal Ministry of Finance has been intensively involved in the negotiations between the European Commission and the US Treasury (UST) regarding the use of SWIFT data in full compliance with data protection laws.
• 20.06.2007
  Glos welcomes the adoption of the new EU market access strategy. The European Council under its German chair yesterday approved the European Union's new market access strategy. The goal is to improve market access for European and German companies in third countries. German Minister of Economics and Technology Michael Glos welcomes the new market access strategy: "The point is for the European Union, the Member States, and the firms operating in third countries to combine their strengths and improve market access for companies from Europe. It is the multitude of different and continually new non-tariff trade barriers that make life hard for our export sector. With the new market access strategy, we can effectively deal with these trade barriers."
• 18.06.2007
  Good prospects for European shipbuilding. The two-day European Shipbuilding Conference was officially opened in Nuremberg yesterday by Michael Glos, Federal Minister of Economics, and by Dagmar G. Wöhrl who, in addition to serving as Parliamentary State Secretary in the Economics Ministry, is also the Federal Government's Maritime Coordinator. In his speech before 150 leading representatives from business, trade unions, and government (including Vice President of the EU Commission Günter Verheugen) from 15 European countries, Minister Glos pointed to the shipbuilding industry's dynamic trend and excellent market prospects.
• 05.06.2007
  Conference on the European Charter for Small Enterprises: Making life easier for small firms!. Member States throughout Europe are in the process of making life easier for small businesses. Thirty good examples that have proven to be particularly successful in reducing administrative and financial burdens on small companies will be discussed at the Charter Conference in Berlin on June 4/5, 2007. Among the cases outlined are initiatives for tax exemptions on re-invested profits and e-government services that let SME s provide single-step reports of similar information content to various public institutions via a central contact point. Business associations and government policymakers from more than 40 countries will contribute their experience by describing how the growth of SMEs may be supported as efficiently as possible.

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May

• 23.05.2007
  Competitiveness Council makes progress on reduction of administrative burdens and industrial policy. At today's meeting of the Competitiveness Council under the chairmanship of the German Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Mr. Michael Glos, considerable progress could be made to strengthen the internal market and to lay down the main features of the future economic policy. First immediate measures to reduce administrative burdens were adopted by the Competitiveness Council at today's meeting: Comprehensive information obligations in the case of company mergers and restructuring should be abolished. The need for reporting obligations for small food traders is planned to be reviewed. The fields of statistics, transport and agriculture will also be examined.
• 11.05.2007
  1st session of the energy security correspondents of the EU. Today saw the first meeting of the energy security correspondents of the EU in Brussels, chaired by the European Commission and the German EU Council Presidency. The “network of energy security correspondents” consists of representatives of the EU commissioners for energy and external relationships, of the Council Secretariat, and of the energy and foreign affairs ministries of the member states. Michael Glos, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, welcomed this strengthening of the EU’s early warning capacity: “The European Commission and the member states need to work together more closely on safeguarding our energy supply. It is important to have collated information about potential supply crises available at an early stage so that potential disruptions to supply can be countered without delay."
• 10.05.2007
  Parliamentary State Secretary Peter Hintze: Safeguard GALILEO’s future as a leading European high-tech product. Peter Hintze, the Federal Government’s Co-ordinator of Aerospace Policy and Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, commented on the future of Europe’s GALILEO satellite navigation system: “I regret that today saw the failure of months of negotiations within the European consortium on their participation in the building of the European satellite navigation system. It is now important to take the right decisions so that GALILEO can succeed as a driver of high technology in Europe. Europe needs an independent navigation signal which can be used reliably even in times of crisis."
• 10.05.2007
  Federal Minister of Economics, Michael Glos, has launched new promotional period in EU structural policy – EUR 26 billion will go to the German regions in the next seven years. The Federal Minister of Economics, Michael Glos, has launched the new promotional period in the European Structural Funds Programmes as the President of the Council of the European Union in the Franconian city of Hof in Germany yesterday. In the coming seven years, a total of EUR 346 billion will be spent on EU structural policy, a good 50 percent of which will go the new Member States. Germany will receive around EUR 26.3 billion, of which around EUR 15 billion will go to new Federal States which belong to the biggest recipients. The focus of funding will be innovation, R&D, increasing the competitiveness of companies (especially SMEs), infrastructure, vocational training and advanced training. Delegations from all 27 EU Member States and numerous representatives of the Federal Government and the Federal States celebrated the event under the motto: “Strong Regions - Building Bridges for Europe”.
• 09.05.2007
  Agreement on the creation of a Europe-wide standardised paperless environment for customs and trade. At the meeting of the Council of Economics and Finance Ministers of the European Union (ECOFIN) in Brussels on 8 May political agreement was achieved on the so-called e-Customs Decision. This lays the foundation for the introduction of Europe-wide interoperable and easily accessible electronic customs systems. The next step – after the common position is adopted – will be for the European Parliament to deal with the draft in a second reading. The e-Customs Decision must be viewed in close connection with the Modernised Customs Code, about which the Member States and the EU Commission are still negotiating. While the Modernised Customs Code is supposed to create the legal prerequisites for e-Customs, the e-Customs Decision is aimed at the practical implementation.
• 08.05.2007
  Common European position on hedge funds adopted. At its meeting today the ECOFIN Council in Brussels adopted conclusions on the topic of hedge funds with which it expresses to the European Commission its shared assessments and expectations of action. The Federal Minister of Finance, Peer Steinbrück, remarks on this: “ I am pleased that in the wake of the consultations of the Informal ECOFIN in Berlin a few weeks ago we have today succeeded in adopting unanimous conclusions of the Council on hedge funds. They provide a good foundation for further deliberations on this important topic both at European and at G 7 / G 8 level. At the coming G 8 finance ministers’ meeting in Potsdam this unified European position will lend support to Germany's desire to make more progress with the process for more transparency on the hedge fund market.”

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April

• 23.04.2007
  Federal Minister Michael Glos welcomes the green light for negotiating free-trade agreements with emerging Asian economies. The Council of the European Union issued mandates to the European Commission today for the negotiation of free-trade agreements with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN ), India and South Korea. In addition to this, mandates for the negotiation of Association Agreements with Central America and the Andes Community were adopted.
• 21.04.2007
  Outcomes of the Informal ECOFIN Meeting in Berlin on 20/21 April 2007. The finance ministers of the EU Member States and central bank governors gathered at an informal meeting in Berlin on 20/21 April 2007. Chaired by Peer Steinbrück, the Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany, participants exchanged views about various aspects of sustainable public finances, the reverse-charge model as an instrument for combating VAT fraud and issues relating to financial markets.
• 20.04.2007
  Europe’s finance ministers make heartfelt gesture. In amongst the business of politics, Europe’s finance ministers also find time to send out a positive message about increasing support for voluntary activities. On the occasion of the Informal ECOFIN taking place in Berlin today and tomorrow, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, who is chairing the meeting, and his European colleagues personally signed a Buddy Bear bearing the flags of Europe. The bear designed by artist Andre Bitter was then presented to the Stiftung KinderHerz Deutschland, a charity for children suffering from heart conditions. The organisation will auction the bear to support its charitable work. Sylvia Paul, the director of Stiftung KinderHerz, accepted the Buddy Bear on behalf of the charity. To show her organisation’s appreciation, Ms Paul presented Minister Steinbrück, in his capacity as chair of the ECOFIN Council, with a terracotta heart.
• 10.04.2007
  Informal meeting of economics and finance ministers in Berlin on 20/21 April 2007. Chaired by German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, the informal meeting of economics and finance ministers (ECOFIN) will take place in Berlin on 20/21 April 2007. As practice has it, the president of the ECB and the governors of the national central banks will also be attending. The Informal will focus on such issues as how to finance future tasks as well as the further development and stability of financial markets. The first set of topics for discussion covers the structure of public spending and how effectively and efficiently public funds are deployed. This will be complemented by an exchange of experiences gained using results-based budgeting. In this context, the ministers will also examine the extent to which modern fiscal and economic policy can have an activating effect and can build “social bridges” to better employment prospects and social inclusion.
• 04.04.2007
  Glos welcomes compromise on aluminium. On the basis of a balanced proposal for a compromise by the German EU Presidency, it proved possible at a special session of the Council’s working group on the Customs Union on 3 April 2007 to attain the agreement by all member states to a proposed regulation reducing the tariff on non-alloyed raw aluminium from the current level of 6 % down to 3 %. Michael Glos, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, said: “This compromise, which has been evolved with a lot of effort and prudence, strikes a good balance between the various interests of the producers and the processors in the member states.

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March

• 30.03.2007
  Glos: standardisation produces innovation and offers market opportunities. Technical norms and standards play a crucial role in opening up markets, in facilitating technology transfer and in deregulating technical legislation. This was emphasised by the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Michael Glos, and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Günter Verheugen, at the European Conference “Innovation and Market Access through Standards”, which was held in Berlin on 27 March 2007. The conference, featuring high-ranking international speakers and around 350 participants from countries inside and outside Europe, was organised in cooperation with DIN, the German Institute for Standardisation, as part of Germany’s EU Council Presidency The main aim of the conference is to illustrate the important role that standardisation plays for Germany and Europe as locations for business and industry and to point out new prospects for the innovative standardisation of the future.
• 29.03.2007
  Directive on the supervisory assessment of acquisitions in the financial sector (“Acquisition Directive”). On 27 March 2007, under Germany's Council presidency, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the European Union reached a political agreement on the Directive on the supervisory assessment of acquisitions and increases in holdings in the financial sector. The EU Finance ministers approved the measure, which had been amended by the European Parliament in its first reading; the formal adoption of the Directive (without further debate) will take place at one of the next meetings of the Council. The Directive will streamline the criteria and timescale of the assessment procedure applied by European supervisory authorities in cases where qualifying holdings are acquired in the financial sector.
• 28.03.2007
  Payment Services Directive adopted. On Tuesday the 27 European finance ministers, meeting in Brussels, agreed on the text of the Payment Services Directive. Now nothing more stands in the way of the Directive being passed by the European Parliament (EP) in April. The adoption of the Payment Services Directive is a prerequisite for the creation of a Single Euro Payments Area and new pan-European payment products (standard European credit transfer, known as European direct debt, in short: SEPA products). The Directive creates equal legal conditions for payments in the European Union. The consequence is that every cross-border payment in the EU can be treated as a domestic payment. This brings benefits not only for the providers of payment services, but for the customer as well.
• 21.03.2007
  Fiscal Policy Challenges in Europe - Conference on 22 and 23 March 2007 in Berlin. The Federal Ministry of Finance and the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) are hosting a conference entitled “Fiscal Policy Challenges in Europe” on 22 and 23 March 2007. The conference will cover issues regarding the quality of public finances and the role played by fiscal policy in the context of the Lisbon Strategy. Taking place under the German presidency of the European Union, the conference provides a visible contribution to the discussion of practical and theoretical issues that are becoming increasingly important in the realm of European fiscal policy.
• 16.03.2007
  State Secretary Dr. Joachim Wuermeling: Intelligent climate protection. “We need to protect the climate in an intelligent way,” was the call today by Dr. Joachim Wuermeling, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, at the European Business Summit in Brussels. “Climate protection today is one of the central challenges as we shape globalisation.” State Secretary Dr. Wuermeling continued: “We want to tackle the challenges in the fields of energy and climate protection without losing sight of growth and jobs.” This is a challenge, he said, not just for government, but also for business: companies need to become even more innovative in order to adapt to new realities, for example as new markets for environmentally friendly technologies are established and expanded.

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February

• 15.02.2007
  Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology presents majority calculator for decisions by the Council of the European Union. On the occasion of Germany’s European Council Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has produced an online calculator that can be used to simulate all the Council members’ voting variants. The calculator is for delegates, Commission and Council members, but also for interested citizens, and it is available in three languages.
• 12.02.2007
  German Economics Minister Michael Glos Underlines the EU's Common Position on the Doha Round and Free Trade Agreements. Chaired by German Minister of Economics and Technology Michael Glos, the informal Meeting of EU Trade Ministers was held yesterday; the German delegation was headed by State Secretary Dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach. The EU Trade Ministers discussed the current status and future prospects for the Doha Round with the goal of bringing the world trade talks to a successful conclusion. There was agreement among the Trade Ministers on improving market access for European companies in third countries through free trade accords between the EU and Asia's emerging economies.
• 07.02.2007
  Wuermeling: Reliable Set of Rules Needed for Europe's Automotive Industry - not the "Carrot and the Stick". "Carrots and sticks" cannot be the instruments of a strategic policy for the automotive industry according to a statement today by Dr. Joachim Wuermeling, State Secretary in the German Ministry of Economics and Technology at an event held by the Forum for the Automobile and Society in Brussels. Dr. Wüermeling called for the systematic implementation of the results of the CARS 21 high-ranking working group. The branch shouldn't be sweet-talked by smooth sounding recommendations one day and then choked by drastic requirements the next. What we need is a predictable set of rules that ensures the international competitiveness of the European automotive industry into the 21st century. With a turnover of some 743 billion Euros in 2005 and 2.2 million jobs, the industry is a mainstay of prosperity in the EU.

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January

• 17.01.2007
  Chancellor Merkel attends euro celebration in Slovenia. Slovenia is the thirteenth EU country to adopt the euro as its currency, bringing the population of the eurozone up to nearly 317 million. Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the effort made by the Slovenian government. "It took the Slovenian government only six months from the time they acceded to the European Union to approve and implement the plan to introduce the euro," Merkel said. "It was an enormous effort. But this effort has paid off for Slovenia and, I might add, for the European Union as a whole."
• 12.01.2007
  The Spokesperson of the Federal Government, Ulrich Wilhelm, issued the following statement: Federal Chancellor Merkel to travel to Slovenia. The President of the European Council, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, will travel to Ljubljana on 15 January 2007 to participate in the celebration "A Welcome to the Euro" organized by the Slovene Government to mark the introduction of the euro. In her capacity as current President of the EU Council, the Federal Chancellor will open the event at 5.00 p.m.
• 01.01.2007
  German EU presidency welcomes Slovenia into the euro zone. Slovenia introduced the European single currency on 1 January 2007. Federal Minister of Finance Peer Steinbrück issues the following statement regarding the enlargement of the euro zone: “We extend a warm welcome to Slovenia as the 13th member of the euro zone. The work of the Slovenian government and its central bank has been excellent in preparing to adopt the euro in 2007..."

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