European Commission : Daily News of 2014-01-08

MEx 14 /0801

DAILY NEWS

08 / 01 / 14

Commission in Athens for start of Greek EU presidency

The college of commissioners is in Athens today to inaugurate the Greek presidency of the Council of Ministers, which got underway on 1 January 2014. The two sides are expected to discuss Greece's presidency priorities, which include: growth, jobs and social cohesion; further integration of the EU and the euro area; migration, borders and mobility; and maritime policy. The day begins with a working lunch, followed by a plenary meeting of the college of commissioners and the Greek government. Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will then hold a bilateral meeting, where they will discuss Greece's presidency and touch upon economic developments in Greece. At the same time, the commissioners will meet with their Greek counterparts, after which the college will attend the official opening ceremony of the Greek Presidency, in the presence of Karolos Papoulias, the President of the Hellenic Republic. A press point with President Barroso and Prime Minister Samaras is scheduled for 16:15 CET (17:15 Athens) and will be broadcast live on EbS. President Barroso's speaking pointswill be available afterwards.

Other news

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Everis Participaciones by NTT Data Corporation

The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Everis Participaciones of Spain by NTT Data Corporation of Japan. Both Everis Participaciones and NTT Data Corporation provide IT services in Europe. The parties' activities overlap in the markets for the supply of IT services in Spain, Italy, the UK and Belgium. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns, given the limited combined market share of the parties. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.competitionwebsite, in the public case registerunder the case number M.7105.  

November 2013 - Euro area unemployment rate at 12.1% - EU28 at 10.9%

The euro area (EA17) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 12.1% in November 2013, stable since April. The EU28 unemployment rate was 10.9%, stable since May. In both zones, the rates increased compared with November 2012, when they were 11.8% and 10.8% respectively. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Eurostat estimates that 26.553 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 19.241 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in November 2013. Compared with October 2013, the number of persons unemployed increased by 19 000 in the EU28 and by 4 000 in the euro area. Compared with November 2012, unemployment rose by 278 000 in the EU28 and by 452 000 in the euro area.

November 2013 compared with October 2013 - Volume of retail trade up by 1.4% in euro area - Up by 1.2% in EU28

In November 2013 compared with October 2013, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade rose by 1.4% in the euro area (EA17) and by 1.2% in the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In October retail trade decreased by 0.4% and 0.5% respectively. In November 2013 compared with November 2014 the retail sales index increased by 1.6% in the euro area and by 2.0% in the EU28.