COMMUNITY PLANT VARIETY OFFICE (CPVO)

The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) is an agency of the European Union, located in Angers, France. It was established in 1994. Its task is to administer a system of plant variety rights, also known as plant breeders’ rights, a form of intellectual property right relating to plants. The CPVO works rather like the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market: it grants intellectual property protection for new plant varieties The right has validity in the European Union in a similar manner that OHIM registers Community Trademarks and the Community Design.

BODY OF EUROPEAN REGULATORS FOR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS (BEREC)

Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) contributes to the development and better functioning of the internal market for electronic communications networks and services. It does so, by aiming to ensure a consistent application of the EU regulatory framework and by aiming to promote an effective internal market in telecoms sector, in order to bring even greater benefits to consumers and businesses alike.

AGENCY FOR THE COOPERATION OF ENERGY REGULATORS (ACER)

The Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) was created by the Third Energy Package to further progress the completion of the internal energy market both for electricity and natural gas. ACER was officially launched in March 2011, and has its seat in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As an independent European structure which fosters cooperation among European energy regulators, ACER ensures that market integration and the harmonisation of regulatory frameworks are achieved within the framework of the EU’s energy policy objectives. The latter aim to create:

UPDATE ON THE TTIP AND MANDATE TO THE EC TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS

The European Parliament finally voted on 8 July on one of the most important dossiers it deals with in this term, the Trade Agreement with the US (TTIP). A comfortable majority of Members have endorsed the continuation of negotiations conducted by the EU Executive (the Commission) with its American counterpart. The pro-TTIP camp was formed of the People’s Party (EPP), the majority of the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), Conservatives & Reformists (ECR) and Liberal-democrats (ALDE), which gathered 436 votes (61%).

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION

To be effective political leadership in the EU requires:

GREECE AND THE THREE BIG MISTAKES OF THE EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP

Fundamentally, the Greek economy eventually faced reality. The debt-financed growth bubble that occurred upon joining the euro eventually burst. The adjustment, however, was harsher and more painful than necessary. Fiscal consolidation was too tight and too front-loaded, and debt restructuring was too little and too late. The sequence of structural reforms was plainly wrong.

GREECE: A Case of Massive Flaws in EU Governance

The real issue about the new situation in Greece is that it is a microcosm of massive flaws in the way European political economy has moved in the last two decades at both the level of the European Union and the Member States. Neither in Brussels nor in Athens does anyone yet seem to understand that.

In what is being seen as a capitulation, Greece negotiators agreed to a list of measures even stricter than those rejected by the country's voters in the referendum. In return, Greece will receive up to EUR 86 bn in new bailout aid, on condition that measures are implemented.

GREEK DEBT RELIEF NOT IN THE CARDS

  • Comprehensive debt operation is required to return Greece to economic health.
  • Greece needs either a debt write-down  by 30% but even with debt relief, Greece’s debt ratio would still be at 142% GDP through 2022
  • Greece needs maturity extensions to 40 years from 20 years currently
  • Greece’s additional financing needs through 2018 total above € 60 billion
  • Greece’s year-ahead financing needs alone total € 29 billion
  • Imperative Eurozone covers at least € 36 billion in finance under highly concessional terms

PARTIAL OR FULL BREAKUP OF THE EUROZONE SCENARIOS

Several scenarios for partial or full breakup of the euro-zone are possible.

Scenario 1: Economic and political strains force some combination of Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain (for which PIIGS is an acronym) out of the eurozone. If, on the heels of some or all of the PIIGS, France also leaves, then the euro-zone becomes in effect if not in name an enlarged Deutsche-mark zone.

WHAT ARE THE SCENARIOS FOR GREECE ?

  1. Greek mandate (as a result of the referendum) persuades eurozone leaders to agree to a revised deal.
  2. Greek banks collapse leading either to a eurozone rescue deal or to Grexit
  3. Grexit after attempted eurozone negotiations fall apart
  4. Greece joins the BRICS Bank and begins the transition back to the drachma with the backing of the East.
  5. Greece fails to join the BRICS Bank and falls into economic and social disarray.

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