European Union News - 10 June 2008

Interoperability, flexibility, security, reliability and end-user friendliness were main features pointed-out by participants of SeBoCom Workshop held last week in Ispra (Italy).

ENISA, the EU Agency for European Network and Information Security, launches its report on “Secure Printing’ with recommendations to business on secure printing and copying of confidential data. Printing/copying devices can be penetrated and hijacked for fraud so that sensitive data or identity is easily stolen. But 350 surveyed European organisations have little awareness of the costs and risks of uncontrolled printing, the Agency report shows.

The 3rd World Forum on Human Rights took place at the International Convention Center of Nantes Métropole between the 30th of June and the 3rd of July 2008. It was organised by the permanent international Secretariat Human Rights and Local Governments, association by French Law (Law 1901).

It is widely recognised that enterprise spirit is a strong driving force for any economy, yet Europeans are still reluctant to embrace the entrepreneurial culture. Recent EU-funded studies have looked at the potential role of the audiovisual media, especially television, in promoting a more positive attitude to entrepreneurship in Europe.

The European Commission's responses to the climate change challenge and agricultural market instability are inadequate, whereas new support models for farmers have yet to be defined, said MEPs and experts at a hearing on the CAP "health check" held by the EP Agriculture Committee on Monday.

The European Commission adopted today a proposal that will facilitate the efficient management of animal by-products, while preserving at the same time the current high levels of protection against risks to public and animal health and the environment. Thousands of slaughterhouses, farms and dairy plants across the EU produce more than 15 million tonnes of animal by-products every year.

Europe and the United States of America are two super powers in terms of business and economics. Working together there is potential for growth and development seen from both sides of the Atlantic. Here are some facts and figures concerning trade and investment between the two continents.

The Commission strongly welcomes the agreement that Member States reached in the early hours of this morning (10 June) on the longstanding issues of the Working Time Directive and the Temporary Agency Work Directive at the Employment and Social Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

The Commission is currently exploring the benefits of adding to the EU's MEDIA programme – created in 1991 to promote the development and the distribution of European films across borders – a new MEDIA MUNDUS programme to strengthen cultural and commercial relations between Europe's film industry and film-makers of third countries.

At the occasion of AUTOMATICA 2008, one of the leading international trade fairs in robotics and automation held this year in Munich/Germany, the European Commission has announced a policy to boost European robotics. The European Union will double its investments between 2007 and 2010 with almost € 400 million to support European robotics research. This ambitious programme aims to forge stronger links between academia and industry, and plans to fund a widespread experimentation by academic researchers and industry. The European Commission also calls on the industry to intensify its efforts in producing critical components in Europe, such as gears, in order to face competition from Asia and avoid strategic dependencies on other regions of the world.

On 13th December 2007, the European Commission adopted the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Operational Programme for Gibraltar in the United Kingdom for the period 2007-2013. The Programme falls within the framework laid out for the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective and has a total budget of around €11.6 million. Community funding through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) amounts to some €5.8 million, which represents approximately 1.1% of the total EU investment earmarked for the United Kingdom under the Cohesion Policy 2007-2013

On the 10th June 2008, the European Commission released notification of non-opposition to a concentration between ArcelorMittal and Borusan. Dating back to the 3rd June 2008 when the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market.