In recent months, Cyprus has faced an unprecedented and deepening crisis that has necessitated drastic measures to resolve it. To address the short- and medium-term financial, fiscal and structural challenges, the country has agreed to an ambitious reform programme, backed by substantial financing from international organisations, aimed at restoring financial stability and achieving sustainable public finances to support the recovery of economic activity.

In politics, gridlock refers to the difficulty of passing laws fulfilling a party's political agenda in a legislature that is nearly evenly divided, or in which two legislative houses, or the executive branch and the legislature are controlled by different political parties. In United States politics, gridlock frequently refers to occasions when the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate are controlled by different parties, or by a different party than the party of the president.

On 14 May 2013 the European Parliament passed a resolution on EU trade and investments negotiations with the EU.

This the last week of official meetings at the European Parliament until the end of August but work will continue behind the scenes. MEPs will meet their constituents and members of the Economic and Environment Committees will travel to the United States to discuss with their U.S. counterparts the global crisis and how trade talks might affect environmental rules on carbon trading, air transport and food safety.

The next European Parliament Elections are approaching quickly. During 22-25 May 2014 citizens of the 28 EU member states will get the chance to elect their representatives to the European Parliament during 2014-2019.  
 

Lithuania is holding  the Presidency of the Council of the European Union since 1 July 2013 for the first time. This presidency will be the last full-term tenure of the current legislative cycle before the European Parliament elections in May 2014.

AALEP supports the goals of the Lithuanian Presidency, which is 'a Credible, Growing and Open European Union'.  The presidency has a demanding policy programme in the next 6 months ahead.

CREDIBLE EUROPE

Major destinations of US. exports  (over $ 1 billion) in 2012 to EU countries were: United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal.

In 2012 the U.S. exported $ 265.3 billion of goods to the EU.  

All members of the planned free trade area would benefit from the deal, with the US emerging as the biggest winner. But European Union member states stand to make large gains as well. Gross Domestic product per capita would rise by 13.4% in the U.S. and would result in more than a million new jobs in America.

In Europe the largest income winners would be:

Based on AALEP’s research, there are close to 100 multinational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic that seek to directly influence and/or shape the transatlantic economic negotiations agenda, through active participation and support to organizations such as the Trans-Atlantic Business Council (TABC), the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN) or the recently created Business Coalition for Transatlantic Trade (BCTT).

The 15 companies here below belong to and/or sponsor at least two or more entities concerned with transatlantic economic integration (Transatlantic Business Council (TABC); Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN) or Business Coalition for Transatlantic Trade (BCTT)