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BackAt the two-day meeting of the EU heads of state and government in Brussels, which is probably brought to a close this lunchtime, the focus has been on the 315 billion investment package as well as on further action against Russia and respective sanctions. In the run-up to the meeting, the AK had supported the idea that Austria would use the summit to increase her effort to drive forward concepts of public investments and to promote domestic demand.
For the first time, the summit of the EU heads of state and government took place under the leadership of the new Polish President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. At the centre was the € 315 billion investment package of EU Commission President Juncker, who hopes that the investment plans will find the agreement of the 28 heads of government. If everything is going according to plan, first investments from the programme could be available mid-June 2015. Apart from that, the EU heads of state and government want to instruct the Commission to provide a proposal for a European energy union by March 2015 and a proposal for a Digital Single Market by June 2015.
The AK supports the idea that concepts of public investment or the promotion of domestic demand are not only increasingly driven forward at the EU summit but that they also linked with the Europe 2020 targets. Furthermore, with regard to Austrian projects, the area of social infrastructure, i.e. the housing offensive, has to be readjusted. In respect of the Annual Growth Survey 2015, Austria must increase her efforts towards interference in social security systems.
The second largest topic apart from the investment programme concerns the situation in the Ukraine and the EU sanctions against Moscow associated with it. The imposed sanctions expire in March 2015 and therefore a possible extension should be contemplated. It is almost certain that new formal decisions in respect of sanctions will not take place. The plan is to impose a ban on trading against the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, by 19 December. The sanctions, which are above all aimed at tourism, would come into effect on Saturday at the latest.
The AK supports the idea that concepts of public investment or the promotion of domestic demand are not only increasingly driven forward at the EU summit but that they also linked with the Europe 2020 targets. Furthermore, with regard to Austrian projects, the area of social infrastructure, i.e. the housing offensive, has to be readjusted. In respect of the Annual Growth Survey 2015, Austria must increase her efforts towards interference in social security systems.
The second largest topic apart from the investment programme concerns the situation in the Ukraine and the EU sanctions against Moscow associated with it. The imposed sanctions expire in March 2015 and therefore a possible extension should be contemplated. It is almost certain that new formal decisions in respect of sanctions will not take place. The plan is to impose a ban on trading against the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, by 19 December. The sanctions, which are above all aimed at tourism, would come into effect on Saturday at the latest.