European Union

June 15, 2007 -- Washington, D.C.--The Treasury Department today announced that on June 7, 2007 the United States delivered to the Government of Sweden a notice of termination of the tax treaty between the two countries with respect to estates, inheritances, and gifts.

In accordance with the provisions of the treaty, the notice of termination provides that the treaty will cease to have effect as of January 1, 2008.

At the time the treaty was signed, Sweden maintained a tax on inheritances and gifts.    » read more »

June 15, 2007 -- At the request of the Minister of Economy and Finance of Italy, a team from the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF visited Rome during March 21-April 3, 2007, to advise on reforms of the budget system aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of public spending. The team met with a number of institutions involved in the budget process, and its report Italy: Budget System Reforms was published by the Italian authorities on June 15, 2007 on their website.    » read more »

June 7, 2007 -- Mr. John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), made the following statement today in Sofia:    » read more »

June 5, 2007 -- Mr. John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), made the following statement today in Budapest:

"I would like to thank Prime Minister Gyurcsány, Minister Veres and Governor Simor for a productive and constructive dialog on Hungary's economic performance and prospects.

"The favorable international economic and financial environment, and especially the strengthening European expansion, create a moment of unusual opportunity for Hungary to secure new advances toward sustained strong growth and structural improvement.    » read more »

04 June 2007 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will aim its rockets at European targets if the United States goes ahead with plans to build a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

In an interview before his trip to the Group of Eight summit this week in Germany, Mr. Putin says Russia is not responsible for what he calls the "new arms race [that] is undoubtedly brewing in Europe." He brushed aside assurances that U.S. interceptor missiles will not be aimed at or intended to threaten Russia.    » read more »

World Bank report also reviews implementation of Common Agricultural Policy

WARSAW, May 31, 2007―Output growth gained further pace across the 10 new European Union member states in 2006, but is likely to slow down in 2007, according to the latest World Bank EU8+2 Regular Economic Report. Growth accelerated in Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania, while it remained largely unchanged in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Bulgaria. Only Hungary experienced a slowdown on the back of its fiscal austerity program.    » read more »

29 May 2007 -- Ministers from around 60 nations, meeting at two separate conferences, have failed to make progress toward an agreement on combating climate change.

EU and Asian diplomats are discussing climate change for a second day Tuesday in Hamburg, Germany, ahead of the G8 (Group of Eight industrialized nations) summit in Germany next week.

The EU has been unable to convince China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to commit to reductions in greenhouse gases after the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.    » read more »

16 May 2007 -- The European Union has agreed to grant duty-free and quota-free market access to some 80 countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) areas. There is still much debate on both sides of the accord, but EU leaders are hailing it as important progress.

With the new market access offer, the European Union and the ACP - African, Caribbean and Pacific - group have reached one step closer to a trade deal before the current accord expires at year's end.    » read more »

May 14, 2007 -- USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC/JCC 20), at sea — Mauritania Charge d’ Affairs Steve Koustis embarked USS Mount Whitney May 11 meeting with Navy Vice Adm. John “Boomer” Stufflebeem, commander of Joint Forces Maritime Component Command Europe (JFMCC-EUR) while the ship participated in Exercise Flexible Leader 2007.    » read more »

The Commission on Sustainable Development “was in dangerous waters”, with little progress achieved, and negotiations continuing for a draft negotiating text for its current two-week session, which concludes tomorrow, correspondents were told at a Headquarters press conference this morning.    » read more »

Projects address citizenship and employment issues of youth in Europe and Central Asia

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 — The World Bank has selected 20 finalists who will compete for small grants for innovative youth projects in Europe and Central Asia (ECA). The grants, which range from EUR 5,000 to EUR 10,000, will finance projects addressing pertinent issues faced by youth in the ECA region, such as youth citizenship and employment. The winners of the ECA Youth Conference Innovation Grants Competition and Showcase will be announced at a major youth conference in Rome on May 24, 2007.    » read more »

07 May 2007 -- Specialists from the International Energy Agency and Oxford University Monday told a Washington forum that despite European Union efforts to diversify sources, Russia's Gazprom is likely to retain its dominant position in supplying gas to Western Europe. VOA's Barry Wood reports.

Nicholas Van Agt from the Paris-based IEA says Gazprom is opposed to a European Union backed plan to build a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea that would bring Turkman and Kazakh gas to Turkey and Western Europe.    » read more »

April 30, 2007 -- SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hi. I'd like to just cover three topics that were discussed by the leaders and on which there's been a lot of work leading up to the summit.    » read more »

April 26, 2007 -- PARTICIPANTS:

Dana Perino, Deputy White House Press Secretary
Judy Ansley, NSC Senior Director for European Affairs
Rod Hunter, NSC Senior Director for International Trade, Energy and the Environment    » read more »