Plenary and Committee Speeches

Dr Sant’s intervention in the ECON meeting with the Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis

Innovation-lagging and economically weak countries in the European Union cut their public research and innovation (R&I) budgets during the crisis, while innovation leading and fiscally stronger countries forged ahead with public R&I spending. There is therefore an increasing research and innovation divide in Europe. The European Commission monitors the progress of member states towards their

Plenary and Committee Speeches

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 17 and 18 March 2016 and outcome of the EU-Turkey summit

My hope and wish are that the heads of agreement reached by the European Council and Turkey will develop into a fully operative agreement. However beyond wishes, one must also acknowledge realities. Turkey and the EU have different — asymetric — sometimes mutually exclusive — interests regarding the relationship between them, over the refugee crisis

Plenary and Committee Speeches

Annual Growth Survey Debate

The real problem of current economic performance in Europe is investment. There is not enough of it. So growth is limited. The improvement, indeed the preservation, of social conditions for workers in employment, young people looking for a job, working families and pensioners is not in sight. These people claim that Europe is failing them.