Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Center (CARTAC) in Saint Lucia held a workshop from October 20 – 23, 2014, to develop and implement customs and other border control reforms to facilitate deeper economic integration and free circulation of goods within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Economic Union.

Plans to prolong a largely duty-free access to the EU market for Ukraine’s exports until the end of 2015 were backed by the European Parliament on Thursday.

While water utilities around the world are able to provide water services to more people than previous years, the financial crises of 2008 and 2010 hampered utilities’ development and delivery of improved wastewater services, especially in poor urban areas, according to a report from the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), part of the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice

The World Bank group this week brought together trade and agriculture officials from Africa, Asia, and Latin America with experts and private sector representatives for an international dialogue on how to overcome key trade barriers along agribusiness supply chains.

Large imbalances accumulated prior to the global financial crisis culminated in the collapse of Cyprus’s banking system in early 2013. In response, the authorities took unprecedented measures upfront to resolve and recapitalize weak systemic banks at no fiscal cost and adopted a three-year economic-adjustment program aiming to secure financial stability and fiscal sustainability.

Timor-Leste has made good progress in building its economy since regaining independence in 2002. Achievements include the build-up of savings from oil wealth, greater political stability, access to international networks, and adhering to principles of fiscal transparency and good governance.

European Union member states must back their political pledges with money to revive growth, create jobs, encourage research and development, and enable the EU to do its foreign policy job, said MEPs as they reversed the Council's cuts in the draft EU budget for 2015 on Wednesday. An agreement on additional funds for 2014 is a prerequisite for Parliament to do a deal on next year's budget with Council, MEPs added.

Top (from left): Philippe De Backer and Benedetto Della Vedova. Second row: Jyrki Katainen, Dariusz Rosati. Third row: Tibor Szanyi, Sampo Terho. Fourth row: Sylvie Goulard, Marisa Matias. Bottom row: Bas Eickhout, Steven Woolfe.

José Manuel Barroso

About 2,800 former workers at firms producing various metals in Spain, steel in Belgium, and cars in France and Belgium will get EU aid to help them find new jobs after Parliament approved the applications on Tuesday. The requests for European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) aid, together amounting to €15.2 million, also need to be approved by the EU Council of Ministers.