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The annual growth rate of the outstanding amount of debt securities issued by euro area residents was 9.1% in September 2007, compared with 9.2% in August. For the outstanding amount of quoted shares issued by euro area residents, the annual growth rate was 1.4% in September 2007, the same as in August.

The past two years have seen a renewed acceleration of productivity growth in the European Union, narrowing the transatlantic productivity gap that emerged in the mid-1990s. However, a large part of the pick-up in productivity reflects the cyclical upswing which the EU has enjoyed in this period. To secure a sustained increase in productivity and compete for economic leadership, the EU must tackle the root causes of slow productivity growth. This is the main message from the EU Economy 2007 Review, which provides an in-depth analysis of productivity developments and policies to push Europe's productivity frontier forward.

UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers’ organisation, was left with mixed feelings by the "Single Market for 21st Century Europe" package presented by the European Commission.

A workshop on the implementation of the EU's roaming regulation took place on Tuesday in the European Parliament. Hosted jointly by the Internal Market and Industry Committees, experts and MEPs made a largely positive assessment of the regulation's effects during the first months since its entry into force.

If it is serious about achieving the sort of climate change objectives it has set out for itself at this spring's European Council, the EU must hammer out concrete policy options and binding targets - not least concerning renewable energies - as soon as possible. This was the key message of Monday's hearing on "Innovation and Technology for Climate Protection", attended by experts, MEPs and industry representatives.

Eurogroup chair Jean-Claude Juncker told MEPs on Tuesday of his concerns at rising inflation. He also warned against adopting a stance of "benign neglect" in the face of rapid changes in currency markets. Later, Economics Commissioner Joaquin Almunia also warned of risks ahead on growth and inflation when he spoke to MEPs.

The Conference Board announced that the leading index for Germany declined 1.0 percent and the coincident index increased 0.2 percent in September.

The European Commission has set out a package of initiatives to modernise the European single market and to bring more benefits to Europeans, building on past successes. The single market has already helped create competitive companies, reduced prices, more choice for consumers and a Europe attractive for investors.

ESBA once again voiced the serious concerns of its members regarding the European Commission's proposal for a Regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations in civil and commercial matters (Rome I).

Due to the vast end-user base, the Central and Eastern European (CEE) information and communication technology (ICT) industry has not managed to keep pace with customer demand despite its rapid development since 2002.