The European Equal Pay Day took place on 3 November; from a statistical point of view, from this day, women in the EU are working without payment. The average hourly wage of women is 16.3 % lower than that of their male colleagues. In general, the recently published Gender Equality Index for 2017 shows that hardly any noticeable progress has been made towards more gender equality in the EU.

Using the phrase “Better Regulation”, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced his intention to improve European law making. Greater transparency, improved involvement of the public and a focus on the big questions, Europe is concerned with. Hence, the European Commission wants to improve the acceptance of the EU. However, in the past, “Better Regulation” programmes have too often - under the guise of reducing red tape - ¬led to deregulation measures at the expense of employees.

Household appliances, which record every step we take plus the permanent analysis of all our data, with the objective to maximise the profits of Internet companies. What sounds like a nightmare scenario of the future, could be in our grasp faster than we think. The AK represents the interests of Austrian customers also in Brussels and campaigns for strengthening Internet privacy.

It is no secret that corporate and banking lobbyists exercise great influence in European institutions. Nor does the EU distinguish itself by excessive transparency or suitable direct-democratic instruments. This makes the continuing steps towards clean lobbying, greater transparency and an improved European Citizens' Initiative even more important.

This week, the Luxembourg Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his annual “State of the Union Address” before the European Parliaments in Strasbourg. The address had been eagerly awaited by Brussels circles and beyond, not least also by the European trade union movement.

On June 28, 2017 the Commission presented the fifth reflection paper, thereby opening the debate on the future of EU finances. This week, it is the turn of the European Parliament to deal with the issue. The majority of MEPs welcomed the discussion. The Commission also announced that it would publish the multiannual financial framework only in spring next year and not already by the end of this year in order to take into account the debates on the reflection paper and progress in the Brexit negotiations.

Transparency – an important keystone of the Juncker Commission – aims at becoming European reality. However, in particular with respect to the taxation of companies and profits there is a huge gap between claim and reality; there is much more to be done. This week, two committees of the European Parliament voted on two significant Directive proposals. The preliminary voting results indeed seem to bring more transparency; unfortunately, however, only at a corporate level and not for everyone of us.

Erasmus is the oldest education programme of the European Union and a unique European success story. Initiated in 1987, it celebrated, together with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, its 30th anniversary on 13 June 2017.

On May 31, the Commission presented the third of overall five reflection papers. This time focus is on deepening and completing the Economic and Monetary Union. However, there is not much, which is new: the rather technical paper makes a number of concrete suggestions, some of which are already being discussed by the European Parliament. Still, the Commission’s long-term vision until 2025 remains vague.

Where is the EU is heading to – on 10th May the Commission presented a reflection paper on that topic, which was discussed by the European Parliament this week in Strasbourg. It discusses how the EU can harness globalisation. For the first time, the Commission openly acknowledges growing inequality and social polarization being the negative consequences of globalisation.