The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a confirmation hearing for Treasury Secretary nominee Jacob Lew on February 13, 2013.

President Barack Obama, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso gave this joint statement on February 13, 2013. It announced the launch of negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, at the recommendation of a report from the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth.

"Nowhere is this more heartfelt than in Italy. The euro is more than a currency: It is the strongest symbol of belonging to Europe, a relationship that many Italians hope can teach them better governance."

Led by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Unites States Trade Representative Ron Kirk, the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth presented its final report on February 11, 2013. It recommended the launch of trade and investment negotiations between the United States and the European Union, which leaders announced they would do.

Moving away from fossil fuels could be devastating for some of the world's poorest countries, says Michael A. Levi.

Germany's Bundesbank remains an influential actor in eurozone policymaking, and its recent disagreements with the ECB raise concerns about managing the zone's debt crisis. This Backgrounder explains.

Michael A. Levi and Daniel P. Ahn say, "If lawmakers decide to go ahead with further deficit reduction, they would be remiss not to take a hard look at higher oil taxes as part of the deal."

Timothy F. Geithner, the 75^th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, will join the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) as a distinguished fellow. Geithner, who was previously a senior fellow at CFR in 2001, will be based at the organization's headquarters in New York.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its yearly Budget and Economic Outlook report on "'baseline' budget projections spanning the next 10 years. Those projections are not a forecast of future events; rather, they are intended to provide a benchmark against which potential policy changes can be measured." The report covers 2013-2023.

In a review of Al Gore's The Future, Jagdish N. Bhagwati says the former vice president mispredicts our future by misunderstanding our present.

Benn Steil's Wall Street Journal Europe op-ed, co-authored with Dinah Walker, argues that the Bank of England is getting "Libored"—that is, misled and manipulated—by the banks benefiting from its Funding for Lending Scheme. The Fed, which has shown interest in the scheme, should beware.

Because a financial crisis can inflict lasting damage to productivity growth, Peter Orszag argues that the failure of U.S. policymakers to enact a "barbell" fiscal policy now could yield more economic troubles down the road.

Benn Steil's column in Dow Jones' Financial News, co-authored with Dinah Walker, shows why last March's Greek debt restructuring left Greece in poor shape to avoid financial collapse

Experts analyze the current state of the global economic system.

Gender inequality remains widespread in India. Women could combat it by asserting their rights, says Jagdish N. Bhagwati.

British Prime Minister Cameron gave these remarks at Bloomberg in London on January 23, 2013. He discussed his view of the future of the European Union and his plans to hold a referendum on the United Kingdom's membership.

The UN Security Council passed this resolution regarding North Korea and ballistic missile technology on January 22, 2013.

Peter Orszag outlines the obstacles that China faces on the road to becoming a high-income country and explains why other nations should take note.

Richard N. Haass argues that many of the same issues that we faced in 2012 will continue to be problematic in 2013.

President Obama held this press conference at the White House on January 14, 2013, to discuss the debt ceiling.