EU pensions plans outlined – EUbusiness Week newsletter 562 – EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 562 top stories: Greece struggles to clinch rescue; EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers; EU, US ink organic food deal; Euro-Parliament approves disputed Morocco farm trade deal; Hungary readies response on controversial laws; Gazprom plans increased supplies to Europe in 2012

This Week’s Top Stories

1. Greece struggles to clinch rescue
2. EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers
3. EU, US ink organic food deal
4. Euro-Parliament approves disputed Morocco farm trade deal
5. Hungary readies response on controversial laws
6. Gazprom plans increased supplies to Europe in 2012

Publisher’s Note

Pensions was the theme for this week, as the European Commission put forward a White Paper setting out its agenda for adequate, safe and sustainable pensions in the EU. Its roadmap outlines 20 proposals to secure the financial sustainability and adequacy of pensions for the longer term. They aim to raise the average age at which people retire and to encourage complementary private retirement savings.

Against a background of an ageing population and a difficult macroeconomic context aggravated by the crisis and high unemployment, there is a need now to work longer by creating a better balance between time spent in work and retirement. A key concern for small business, however, is how to avoid raising the cost of occupational pensions, both for employers and workers.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Greece struggles to clinch rescue

Greece grappled Thursday with the notion of direct fiscal control from Brussels as it struggled to fulfil conditions of a eurozone debt rescue and overcome EU scepticism to avert bankruptcy.
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Moody’s puts Europe’s top banks on rate cut watch

2. EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers

The EU says it will double its investment in supercomputers, high-performance machines the size of a mansion that can cost more than 100 million euros each to build.
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3. EU, US ink organic food deal

Food products classified as organic in the EU or the United States can be sold as such in either region after a deal struck on Wednesday between the two major trading blocs.
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4. Euro-Parliament approves disputed Morocco farm trade deal

The European Parliament on Thursday approved a controversial agricultural and fisheries trade agreement with Morocco that has angered French and Spanish farmers.
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5. Hungary readies response on controversial laws

Hungary’s response to a series of legal challenges from the Commission to a raft of controversial laws passed late last year was to be sent by Friday, Prime Minster Viktor Orban said in a radio interview.
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6. Gazprom plans increased supplies to Europe in 2012

Russian gas giant Gazprom says it intends to increase gas exports to Europe in 2012 compared with last year, even though it declined to pump extra gas this winter.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Social networks: social networking websites cannot be forced to instal filters preventing users from illegally sharing music and videos protected by copyright, the European Court of Justice said on Thursday.
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Commission defends contested online piracy pact
Latest Court of Justice judgements
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Greece: the Dutch finance minister said Thursday the Greek crisis was “back to square one” as the country’s economy was much worse than had been expected at the beginning of the crisis.
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EU may tone down new Syria sanctions
Van Rompuy calls special euro summit March 2
Council …

Commission Watch

Economic imbalances: the Commission has issued its first report on EU economic imbalances, warning Britain and France of declining export performance but steering clear of criticising Germany.
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Trade chief pressures China over procurements
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Euro-Parliament Watch

Anti-migrant website: MEPs called on the Dutch prime minister on Thursday to come and explain his “deafening silence” on a far right website allowing people to complain against east European immigrants.
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In plenary session this week, MEPs called for binding rules to ensure blind people’s access to books; said the EP budget should be frozen, in real terms, for 2013; and urged Russia to reform electoral law and halt arms sales to Syria.
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EU diary

17 Feb, Employment, Social, Health, Consumer Council
20 Feb, Eurogroup
20-21 Feb, Competitiveness Council
21 Feb, Economic & Financial Affairs Council
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary