European Union News - May 2008

The Industry Committee is insisting that the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators - proposed as part of the energy package - should have regulatory powers, contrary to the Commission's original plan. On Wednesday 28th May 2008, Committee voted on three related first-reading reports, overwhelming majorities on the committee backed a strong decision-making role for the Agency.

This month the European Commission published online new information on its progress in implementing the The Trans-European Transport Networks, "TEN-T". The The TEN-T initiative comprises 30 priority projects which should be completed by 2020 and of these 30 priority projects, 18 are railway projects, 3 are mixed rail-road projects, 2 are inland waterways transport projects and one refers to motorways of the sea.

The European Commission has published an independent study on the ‘home-grown players’ rule adopted by UEFA. This rule requires clubs participating in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup to have a minimum number of ‘home-grown players’ in their squads. Compared with the '6+5' plan proposed by FIFA, which is incompatible with EU law, the Commission considers that UEFA has opted for an approach which seems to comply with the principle of free movement of workers while promoting the training of young European players. The Commission also notes that the measures are designed to support the promotion and protection of quality training for young footballers in the EU.

From 25 to 30 May 2008, the JRC Institute of Energy (IE) is hosting the 13th International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry.

MEPs in the Environment Committee raised strong concerns on Wednesday 28th May 2008 about moves within the European Commission to lift the EU-import ban on poultry treated with chlorinated water. This ban, in place since 1997, has effectively stopped all imports of United States poultry meat which is generally treated by this process. MEPs speaking in the committee said the chlorination of chicken intended for human consumption is not acceptable for the EU.

Scientific ties between Russia and the European Union look set to become much tighter in the years to come, according to a joint statement of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council and Research, which met for the first time on 26 May. On the cards are a set of coordinated calls for co-funded projects in the area of health, and nanotechnologies and new materials.

Europe has almost 22 million overweight children, and a further 1.3 million will be overweight or obese by 2010, says the Environment Committee in a report, adopted on Tuesday, that calls for an earlier start to measures to prevent obesity. Remedies include clearer food labelling, better food in schools and kindergartens, restrictions on advertising unhealthy food to children, and VAT reductions for fruit and vegetables.

On the 27th May 2008, the DG Economic and Financial Affairs published in the Official Journal of the European Union a Publication of a vacancy for a Director of Financial operations, programme management and liaison with the EIB group.

Millions of Europeans face an increased risk of social exclusion through lack of access to basic financial services, according to a new study presented by the European Commission on the 28th May 2008. The results of the study will be discussed at a high level conference in Brussels on the 28th. The conference will bring together over 400 participants from all over Europe and the world from the financial sector, consumer groups, public authorities and NGOs to propose a series of potential policy responses. The initiative follows the Single Market Review of November 2007, where the Commission announced its intention to ensure that, by a certain date, nobody is denied access to a basic bank account.

The European Commission has published, on the 28th of May 2008, two adverts to fill to job vacancies for Executive Director of the Artemis Joint Undertaking and Executive Director of the ENIAC Joint Undertaking.

Lifelong learning works as a catalyst to competitiveness, prosperity and social cohesion and yet no country has attempted to measure lifelong learning within its population. The Canadian Council on Learning have developed a way to sudy how thier population is "lerning" which come to the attention of European authorities.

The EP Environment Committee voted on Tuesday 27th May 2008, to reintroduce most of the Parliament's first-reading amendments (previously rejected by the Council) to a proposal to include airline traffic in the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The two institutions have been battling  to have thier proposals put forward this week.