If the world is worried, we should be seriously scared...

World leaders gathering in Japan have warned that a vote by the UK to leave the European Union would pose a "serious threat to global growth", reports EUobserver. In their final statement, G7 leaders have said that "a UK exit from the EU would reverse the trend towards greater global trade and investment, and the jobs they create, and is a further serious risk to growth." The also said that "escalated geopolitical conflicts, terrorism and refugee flows, are complicating factors in the global economic environment": https://euobserver.com/political/133575

The European Commission must convince people and businesses that the era of meddlesome EU regulation is over, Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans admitted today (26 May), before warning that would take "some time", reports EurActiv. Timmermans, in charge of the European Commission's "better regulation" strategy, said the executive was embarking on a "sea change" in the way it approached legislation, as he launched an initiative to help SMEs negotiate red tape: http://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/timmermans-we-must-convince-europe-the-era-of-meddlesome-eu-rules-is-over/?nl_ref=13734003

The EU's competitiveness council will today decide that from 2020, all scientific publications on the results of publicly funded research must be freely available, reports Politico: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmRR9NDMgj5hG42gAkgYitMA2&fid=flinbox

EU countries struck a deal on a draft bill that would allow subscribers to use digital media like Netflix when they travel to other member states, reports EurActiv: http://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/member-states-agree-to-let-subscribers-use-netflix-when-they-travel-in-the-eu/?nl_ref=13734003

The Council on Thursday (26 May) endorsed the European Commission's proposal to liberate the 700 MHz frequency for broadband internet - but postponed to 2022 a final deadline to reorganise the bands, reports EurActiv. As consumers' usage of mobile internet keeps growing exponentially, the importance of maximising the limited radio spectrum has increased in recent years: http://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/member-states-support-spectrum-shake-up-for-mobile-internet/?nl_ref=13734003

Economy ministers are expected to adopt this morning the final version of the trade-secrets directive, reports Politico Morning Trade. The new law, which is aiming to tackle industrial espionage, was voted and amended by the European Parliament last April to include protections for whistleblowers and journalists if they reveal wrongdoing activities like corruption or tax evasion: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmxhnXbcgj5hG6qwAhWte7aA2&fid=flinbox

The European Parliament has asked the Commission to reopen negotiations with the United States and shore up gaps in the Privacy Shield agreement, reports EurActiv. A vast majority of MEPs approved a resolution today (26 May) that said the executive still needs to fix the data transfer deal, which allows US authorities to collect EU citizens' data in bulk in some cases: http://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/parliament-asks-commission-to-renegotiate-privacy-shield/?nl_ref=13734003

The European Parliament approved a resolution 470 to 131 that calls on the Commission to produce a comprehensive overview of non-tariff barriers in the European single market and an analysis of how to tackle them by later this year, reports Politico. While most tariffs have been removed in the single market - which aims to provide the free movement of goods and services - non-tariffs barriers such as administrative requirements and burdensome procedures still obstruct intra-European trade, according to the resolution, and are often motivated by protectionism: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmNRmyUC4j5hGZ5AAjfeSndA2&fid=flinbox

Leaders of the EU, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. issued a joint statement "to instruct their respective negotiators to accelerate the negotiations on the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)/Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and reaffirm our strong commitment to reach agreement in principle as early as possible in 2016", reports Politico: https://dub129.mail.live.com/?tid=cmwgQaYi8j5hGkQAAhWtll0A2&fid=flinbox

The European Union said Thursday (26 May) it has launched a probe into charges that Hungary extensively discriminates against Roma children in the country's schools, reports EurActiv: http://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/eu-warns-hungary-over-discrimination-of-roma-schoolchildren/?nl_ref=13734003

Courtesy of Peter Morris, European Movement in North east