This week, the EU Commission presented the Agenda for new skills and jobs. It is one of seven leading initiatives of the EU 2020 Strategy and shall contribute to achieving the envisaged EU employment rate of 75 % for women and men by 2020. According to the Commission, this requires reforming the labour markets, raising the standards of skills and matching them with market demand. The social partners are to play an important role in implementing the Agenda. But the EU Commission and the Member States are also called upon.

The Council and the European Parliament are currently deliberating on securing the quality of social services. The Council will adopt a relevant conclusion before the end of December; the European Parliament plans to set out its position in the middle of next year.

This week, during a discussion of the Brussels Think Tank European Policy Centre, European Council President Van Rompuy used dramatic words to describe the development of the European Union. The Member States of the EU were strongly dependent on each other, said Van Rompuy. This had been clearly demonstrated in spring 2010, when one had taken joint steps to combat the crisis of the public-sector budgets. As recently as at the G20 meeting in June, the EU had been regarded as a sick patent.

This week, the EU Economic and Finance Ministers met in Brussels to attend a regular meeting in tense economic times. The official agenda included among others the follow-up to the meeting of the heads of state and government in October and to the meeting of the G20 in Seoul last week.

This week, the European Commission has presented its annual report on those countries, which have already made an application for EU membership or which are potential candidates for an application. 9 states are interested in joining the EU, whereby most progress has been made concerning the negotiations with Croatia.

This week, the responsible committees in the European Parliament (EP) discussed the first draft reports in respect of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). Naturally, the rapporteurs did not quite adhere to the proposal of the EU Commission and suggested a number of changes. It was among others requested that the organisers of a citizens' initiative should join together in a citizens' committee.

A new Communication on the EU financial framework has now started the official discussion on a reform of the budget of the European Union. Behind the scenes, however, negotiations have been ongoing for months, who should benefit from the EU funds. What is particularly conspicuous is the fact that the Commission hardly mentions its Common agricultural policy in the 28-page strong work. It just devotes slightly more than a page to the area, which in 2009 alone, received € 50 billion or 45 percent from the total funds of the EU budget.

This week, the French Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier presented in Brussels the plans of the Commission on the future of the internal market. "The markets must benefit the economy and our citizens", said Barnier. Whether the 50 proposals, which the Commission has presented, have done anything to improve the somewhat damaged trust of workers in the EU remains to be seen.

The term “non road mobile machinery” applies to vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine, which are not intended to transport persons and goods on the road (e.g. tracked vehicles, wheel loaders, excavators) as well as locomotives and inland waterway vessels.

A connection between tax rate and economic growth cannot be established. This is the result of a new study under the heading "Do higher tax ratios result in lower economic growth?" which AK Vienna presented this week in Brussels. The results of the analysis were supported by Univ. Prof. Brigitte Unger and Gerhard Huemer, Director of UEAPME, European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The representative of the Commission, Jean-Pierre de Laet, also acknowledge the results of the study, but sees - even if differentiated - an influence of the tax ratio on economic growth.