We are thrilled to announce that the 2025 EBAN Annual Congress will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from June 3-5, 2025! This flagship event will gather over 500 angel investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from around the world to discuss the latest trends, opportunities, and challenges in the startup ecosystem. Attendees can look forward to insightful sessions, dynamic workshops, inspiring keynotes, and enriching cultural activities. Stay tuned for more details and be sure to save the date!

In May 2025, after two months of decline, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) improved in both the EU (+0.6 points to 95.2) and the euro area (+1.0 points to 94.8). The Employment Expectations Indicator (EEI) also picked up in both areas (EU: +0.6 points to 97.5, euro area: +0.5 points to 97.0). Despite the partial recovery of previous months’ losses, both indicators remain below their long-term average of 100.

This analysis is part of the recurrent review of the accuracy of the European Commission European Economic Forecasts.

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Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from this year’s exceptional line-up of speakers as they explore Europe’s role in navigating global shifts and a rapidly changing world order. Join the conversation at #EUBEF25 and help shape the debate!

The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission have reached a provisional agreement on the Commission's proposal for macro-financial assistance (MFA) for Egypt. This second MFA operation of €4 billion MFA is part of a €5 billion MFA package proposed by the Commission in March 2024. The Parliament and Council are now expected to follow their respective procedures in view of adoption the before the end of June. It will be disbursed in instalments and aims to help stabilise Egypt's macroeconomic and fiscal situation, supporting the country's efforts to meet its financing needs. The first part of the package, a €1 billion short-term MFA operation, was fully implemented and disbursed in 2024. This assistance forms a key part of the financial package underpinning the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership agreed between the EU and Egypt in March 2024, recognising the latter's role as a strategic partner for the EU and a key pillar of stability in the region.

Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, and Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, Valdis Dombrovskis, are taking part in the 2025 edition of the Brussels Economic Forum (BEF), which takes places today, 22 May, at the Square Convention Centre in Brussels.

“The EU economy is demonstrating resilience amid high trade tensions and a surge in global uncertainty. Underpinned by a robust labour market and rising wages, growth is expected to continue in 2025, albeit at a moderate pace. Inflation is declining faster than previously forecast and is on track to reach the 2% target this year. But we cannot be complacent. The risks to the outlook remain tilted to the downside, so the EU must take decisive action to boost our competitiveness.”

The Commission's Spring 2025 Economic Forecast projects real GDP to grow by 1.1% in 2025 in the EU and 0.9% in the euro area, broadly the same pace as recorded in 2024. In 2026, growth is expected to accelerate to 1.5% in the EU and 1.4% in the euro area. Headline inflation in the euro area is expected to slow down from 2.4% in 2024 to an average of 2.1% in 2025 and 1.7% in 2026. In the EU, inflation is set to follow similar dynamics from a slightly higher level in 2024, falling just below 2% in 2026.

This paper explores the EU’s exposure to global shocks, focusing on growth, price spillovers, and financial linkages. It quantifies cross-border impacts to support the EU’s economic surveillance.

These 10 in-depth reviews present the main findings of the assessment of macroeconomic vulnerabilities in the concerned Member States.

Please have a look at the ECFIN publications webpage and subscribe to the free email service to be updated on each new publication!

The Conference will showcase how EU support helps Member States deliver on their reform agendas and align national reforms with EU priorities. It will bring together high-level inspirational speakers and panelists from the Member States and the EU institutions to exchange on impactful reforms, their challenges and lessons learnt. The Conference will be open to the public upon registration, in situ in Brussels, and on-line, via a hybrid teleconference platform, allowing for Q&A and polling features, and providing a vibrant experience for the participants.

Empowering a Competitive Union: from InvestEU to the European Competitiveness Fund - The event will give an outlook on the future European Competitiveness Fund and how InvestEU can play a role therein. It will highlight InvestEU’s investments in innovation, decarbonisation and the social sector. The high-level event brings together InvestEU implementing partners, beneficiaries, private investors, policy makers and the wider stakeholder community.

The European Commission is calling for submissions of research papers for its upcoming conference on the impact of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The conference seeks both theoretical and empirical research that explores the RRF’s effects, with a focus on macroeconomic impacts, sectoral changes, governance, and lessons from performance-based budgeting. Researchers, including students and early-career scholars, are encouraged to contribute. Selected papers will be invited for presentation at the conference, which will be held in Brussels on 29 January 2026.

Join high-level speakers for a day of networking opportunities and insightful discussions on how Europe can secure its economy in a turbulent world. Please have a look at the programme and our speaker’s line-up. There is a limited number of seats available for in-person attendance. Register now via our website to ensure your place!

Europe Day is held annually on 9 May to celebrate peace and unity across Europe. For this reason, the EU Institutions will open their doors to the public for the EU Open Day on Saturday 10 May 2025. Come enjoy a day of learning and fun at the headquarters of the European Commission: the Berlaymont. Join us anytime between 10:00–18:00 on Saturday 10 May! The event is free to access and there is no need to register in advance.

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Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation programme for 2021-2027, is proving to be a major driver of economic and societal benefits. For every euro of costs to EU society, the programme is expected to generate up to six euros in benefits for EU citizens by 2045. In terms of economic growth, every euro of EU contribution is estimated to generate up to €11 in GDP gains by 2045, according to an evaluation of the Commission released today.

The Commission today made the fifth disbursement of the Greek recovery plan, amounting to 3.13 billion euros, consisting of 1.35 billion euros in grants and 1.78 billion euros in loans. It will cover 28 milestones and 4 targets. These include, notably, the improvement of the judicial system, the development of more affordable and energy-efficient housing, the strengthening of the electricity network's capacity, as well as support for reforestation and firefighting efforts.