A comprehensive report shows all activities of the European Union in the past year. In 2013, according to Commission President Barroso, "we see that our efforts have started to pay off. For Europe, recovery is within sight."
The past five years have been a challenging time for the European Union. In the "General Report on the Activities of the European Union in 2013", Commissioner President Jose Manuel Barroso states an optimistic point of view. "I am proud of the European Commission’s contribution to the crisis response. We met the crisis head-on," he writes in the foreword of the report.
Wide range of topics
In the General Report, economic activities take an important role. Unemployment, internal market and specific country reports (Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain) are just some examples of the wide range of topics in this area. The report also states a forecast on the European economy in 2020.
Furthermore, the General report deals with fundamental rights of European citizens, humanitarian assistance and bilateral partnerships. In this context, the reaction of the EU to the tragedy of Lampedusa, where over 300 refugees died in a boat accident in October, is documented. Other topics, like the ongoing nuclear dispute with Iran, show the relations to countries, which are not Members of the EU.
Chapters of the General Report
- Towards political union
- Towards economic, fiscal and banking union
- Towards economic recovery, growth and jobs
- Towards a Europe of citizens, rights, justice and security
- Towards a stronger role for the EU in the world
- The European insititutions and bodies at work
To conclude, there is a briefly summarized chronology of the year 2013. With a view to the upcoming elections of the European Parliament at the end of May, the General Report gives an easy-to-read overview of the activities of the EU and its institutions.
