Rising current account deficits in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania reflect booming domestic demand, not a crisis of competitiveness, Fitch says today in a new report, "Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania: How Sustainable are External Imbalances?"
Business telephony is evolving beyond the simple private branch exchange (PBX). Currently, it encompasses a suite of new capabilities which include conferencing, collaboration, messaging and mobility. 'Software-as-a-service' and network-based communication capabilities are gaining significant mind-traction. The entry of Microsoft into this arena is set to revolutionise the European enterprise telephony markets.
The European Commission published a report on the performance of Europe Union Member States in implementing the Water Framework Directive. The aim of the directive is to achieve a good level of water quality for all rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater in the European Union by 2015.
In a report published on the key European consumer lending markets, Fitch Ratings said that the sector has become a strategic growth area for banks and specialist lenders.
EU consumers are willing to make an extra effort to buy animal welfare friendly products, even if this means changing where they shop or paying more for goods, according to a Eurobarometer survey on attitudes to animal welfare. The report shows, however, that citizens feel they lack the necessary information to distinguish between products on animal welfare grounds.
The stated objective of the European Commission to create a single European energy market continues to be frustrated by the widely divergent nature of EU 25 markets.
The Conference Board announced today that the leading index for Germany increased 0.2 percent and the coincident index decreased 0.1 percent in January.
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation in the EU (ALTER-EU) welcomes the European Commission’s second Communication on the European Transparency Initiative as an important step in the right direction. But given the global relevance of the EU and the influence of organised lobby groups on EU policies, the voluntary approach favoured by the Commission is too weak and too limited.
The euro area (EA13) industrial new orders index decreased by 0.2% in January 2007 compared to December 2006. The index grew by 1.8% in December 2006 and by 0.8% in November. EU27 new orders fell by 1.5% in January 2007, after increases of 2.7% in December 2006 and 0.7% in November. Excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment industrial new orders remained stable in the euro area and decreased by 0.1% in the EU27 in January 2007.
