Reacting to comments from German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, today that Europe needs more convergence in economic policy and competitiveness rather than a market in Eurobonds, Guy Verhofstadt responded:

Brussels, 15 December 2010: Glass for Europe is delighted of the European Parliament’s overwhelming support to the report of MEP Bend Bendtsen on the revision of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan. In particular Glass for Europe welcomes the call for EU binding targets on energy-efficiency and for support mechanisms for building refurbishment.

On the eve of the European Council meeting in Brussels, the pressure to take a clear decision on Eurobonds is building.

A concerted campaign by European Socialist leaders has put pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She is now forced to seriously consider the promotion of Eurobonds as the most sustainable way to insulate individual Member States from speculative attacks.

Book launch of “Will Europe keep its farmers? Putting the reform of the CAP into perspective”

15 December 2010, Brussels – The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is due to be reformed by 2013, together with a review of the EU-budget. In this new essay, Henri Nallet, former Minister of Agriculture of France, President of the Scientific Council of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and Vice-President of the Jean Jaurès Foundation, addresses the question of how tomorrow’s European agriculture should look like by putting the CAP into historical perspective.

Reacting to Parliament's voting through of a new supervisory system for credit rating agencies, German GUE/NGL MEP Jürgen Klute regretted that serious monitoring of the agencies and provisions for the consistent prevention of conflicts of interests were not foreseen.

The original draft proposed to exert pressure on rating agencies so that they provide ratings independently. There should be valuations available for complex securities beyond those valuations commissioned by the issuer of the securities.