When a pharmaceutical company wants to market a new molecule, it applies for a patent. The patented drug, known as the "originator" drug, is generally protected for between 10 and 15 years. After the patent expires, the pharmaceutical company no longer has the monopoly on manufacturing the drug, and can face competition from generic pharmaceutical firms. In France, whether they are made by generic... Lire la suite
Between 2013 and 2016, inflation, within the meaning of the consumer price index (CPI), was almost one percentage point lower than budget bill (PLF) projections. This can either be put down to an increased difficulty in forecasting inflation in an extraordinary economic environment (very low inflation, European Central Bank key interest rates constrained by the zero lower bound, rollout of new ins... Lire la suite
Over the last two decades, the electricity sector has changed significantly. Its deregulation, aimed at boosting efficiency and competitiveness, has led to a reshaping of the incumbent monopolies and the opening up of certain activities, such as electricity supply, to competition. Electricity markets and interconnections between countries have been gradually introduced to exchange electricity.In a... Lire la suite
Creation of Banking Union was spearheaded by the European Council, which opted for this approach on principle in 2012, in response to the financial and sovereign debt crisis, while also bolstering prudential requirements for banks at the same time. Its establishment reflects an in-depth change to the supervision and structure of the European banking system, aiming at better financing the euro area... Lire la suite
Commodity prices plummeted between 2014 and 2016. Oil prices fell by half, mineral prices were down by approximately one-third and agricultural raw materials prices tumbled by 20%. Despite the recent upturn in prices, low prices have done considerable damage to exporting countries' current account balances, especially countries without diversified economies.Commodity-exporting countries adjusted i... Lire la suite
After a two-year slowdown, world economic activity should quicken in 2017, continuing at a milder pace in 2018. This acceleration will likely be driven both by the advanced economies–particularly the United States-and the emerging economies, as conditions in Russia and Brazil improve.In the United States, after a slack in 2016, economic growth should gain momentum in 2017 and 2018 thanks to the ne... Lire la suite
Patent systems were developed to spur innovation. Patents grant their owner a temporary monopoly on the use of the patented technology. Without a patent system (or other means of stimulating innovation), the inventor cannot fully capture the profits resulting from the innovation, and the devoted effort is insufficient. Consequently, patents encourage innovation in exchange for a temporary restrict... Lire la suite
The Group of Twenty (G20) was created to deal with international economic and financial challenges that require coordination that extends beyond the group of developed countries. After the 2007-2009 crisis, the G20 became the leading forum for multilateral economic and financial cooperation. The G20 initiated coordinated fiscal and monetary stimulus plans on a very large scale. It also decided to... Lire la suite
France has achieved four of the six objectives in the European Union's strategic framework for Education and Training 2020 (ET2020), namely: reducing the school dropout rate to below 10%, ensuring that over 40% of persons aged 30-34 have a tertiary degree, enrolling over 95% of children aged 4 to 6 in early childhood education, and providing lifelong learning for over 15% of adults.However, in eac... Lire la suite
The euro is an economic and political project like no other. Today, 340 million people across 19 Member States use on a daily basis a stable and credible currency. The euro is the second most commonly held reserve currency, accounting for one-quarter of all holdings worldwide. The economic and financial crisis triggered a raft of reforms that sought to make the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) mo... Lire la suite