Meeting: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 15 January 2016

A meeting of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Council took place on 15 January 2016, in Brussels. The agenda included the following topics:

+ Presentation by the Dutch presidency of the Council of the European Union of its six-month work programme in the area of economic and financial affairs;

+ Approval of the draft recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area, adoption of conclusions on the annual growth survey and on the alert mechanism report, marking the start of the 2016 European Semester;

+ Briefing on the situation as regards the transposition of the banking union legal acts into the national law of the member states;

+ Exchange of views on the possible wider use of the VAT reverse change mechanism in the context of combating VAT fraud in the European Union;

+ Briefing on the state of play of legislative proposals concerning financial services;

+ Information on the steps to reinforce the European framework in the fight against the financing of terrorism.

EurActiv, 14.01.16: EU chills French push for new rules against terrorism financing http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/eu-chills-french-push-new-rules-against-terrorism-financing-320946

European Commission: DG Communication: RAPID: SPEECH/16/86, 15.01.16: Remarks by Vice-President Dombrovskis at the ECOFIN press conference http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-16-86_en.htm

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 15.01.16: Council Conclusions on Alert Mechanism Report 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-council-conclusions-on-alert-mechanism-report-2016/

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 15.01.16: Council conclusions on the Annual Growth Survey http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-council-conclusions-on-the-annual-growth-survey/

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