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Women in Europe earn on average almost 16% less than men doing similar jobs, according to new data published by Eurofound’s European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO).

In June 2008 the working day and seasonally adjusted current account of the euro area recorded a deficit of EUR 8.2 billion. In the financial account, combined direct and portfolio investment showed net inflows of EUR 32 billion.

The average real wage increase for European workers fell from 2.7% in 2006 to 2.3% in 2007, according to new data published by Eurofound’s European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO).

The Norwegian economy has been flourishing of late, enjoying substantial real income growth with low inflation and very low unemployment. Benefiting from rising world energy prices and favourable supply shocks in the wake of globalisation, this good performance also reflects fiscal restraint, broadly successful monetary policy and the economy’s capacity to attract foreign labour. Macroeconomic policy is nevertheless facing a number of difficult challenges, both in the short and medium terms.

Stockholm is the 6th most competitive knowledge economy in the world according to World Knowledge Competitiveness Index 2008. Stockholm is also the only European region among the top ten, otherwise Dominated by North America.

In June 2008 compared with May 2008, the euro area (EA15) industrial new orders index fell by 0.3%. In May the index dropped by 5.4%. In the EU27 new orders decreased by 0.1% in June 2008, after falling by 5.4% in May. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment industrial new orders grew by 0.6% in the euro area and by 1.8% in the EU27.

The European Commission's Legal Certainty Group (LCG) has put forward solutions to legal barriers related to the cross-border holding and settlement of securities. The solutions proposed in its report, entitled "Second Advice", are expected to lead to an improved and harmonised legal framework for holding and settlement of securities through intermediaries and for the processing of corporate actions. Furthermore, the report proposes to give issuers free choice between European Central Securities Depositories.

A revolution is set to occur in the world of European energy delivery. The ADDRESS European project, funded to the tune of EUR 9 million by the EU, aims to provide European citizens with the next evolution in energy delivery through the development of smart energy grids of the future. These grids will give consumers for the first time the ability to actively participate in energy delivery, choosing when they consume their energy as well as giving them the opportunity to supply energy into the energy grid.

The European Commission and the European Central Bank have welcomed a document published by the European Payments Council (EPC), the association of banks and banking associations which is setting up the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). Through this document, which takes the form of Questions & Answers, the EPC clarifies key aspects of compliance with the SEPA Cards Framework (SCF) for payment card schemes and banks, as well as the conditions for geographical coverage of card schemes within the SEPA. This should facilitate the transition from the existing fragmented and monopolistic national payments markets towards a competitive, SEPA-wide, payment cards market where economies of scale and increased competition can drive efficiency and innovation to the benefit of European consumers and companies.

Fast and reliable access to research results, especially via the Internet, can drive innovation, advance scientific discovery and support the development of a strong knowledge-based economy. The European Commission wants to ensure that the results of the research it funds under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) with more than € 50 billion from 2007 - 2013 are disseminated as widely and effectively as possible to guarantee maximum exploitation and impact in the world of researchers and beyond.