Policy highlights - April 2014

1.European Commission-ECFIN: The Second Economic Adjustment Programme for Greece-Fourth Review (April 2014)

2.European Commission-ECFIN: The Economic Adjustment Programme for Portugal - Eleventh Review (April 2014)

3.European Commission-ECFIN: Commission staff carry out fifth Post-Programme Surveillance mission to Latvia (10 April 2014)

4.Special Eurobarometer 413 – Future of Europe (March 2014)

“Towards 2020: priorities and preferences 

• To face major global challenges, nearly half of respondents (49%) think society should focus on social quality and solidarity, up from 43% who said this in 2012. 
• There is also strong support for emphasis on progress and innovation (34%) and protecting the environment (31%). 
• A majority of people still support more EU-level decision-making in a range of policy areas such as protecting the environment and tackling unemployment. 
• A narrow majority of people (47% vs. 43%) back the idea of a “two-speed Europe” that would enable some countries to intensify the development of a common European policy in certain important areas without having to wait for all the other Member States to be ready. 
• There is strong support (69% of respondents) for the President of the European Commission being elected directly by EU citizens.”

5.Spring Alliance: A better Europe now-Manifesto II (April 2014).

“The Spring Alliance brings together civil society stakeholders from environmental, social and development organizations and trade unions to present a positive vision for a Europe that puts people and planet first. Despite a prevailing sense of crisis, the Spring Alliance believes that there is still an opportunity to adopt a better way towards solving Europe’s problems. ¶ This however requires a radical departure by the new European Commission and European Parliament from current policies which have not succeeded in solving the crisis and have led to citizens increasingly losing their trust in their political leaders and in the European project. As a result Europe has gone backwards in a number of crucial areas in the last five years and has failed to make sufficient progress in others.”