The year-on-year rate of increase in the CPI excluding fresh food and energy has remained on a decelerating trend after marking a peak of 1.2 percent at end-2015, and has been at around 0 percent lately. This is partly attributable to temporary factors such as a reduction in sales prices of and charges for mobile phones.
There is a need for a comprehensive strategy to support job creation and ensure that the unemployed are employable. In the global economy, the comparative advantages of European economies rest very much on human capital and skills.