European Union News - May 2009

The Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union on May 15th, a Call for Proposals for the development of actions in conservation and environmental policy in the scope of the Programme LIFE+.

On May 15th 2009, the OJEU has publisehd Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles. This Directive aims to stimulate the market for clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles,  and to influence the market for standardised vehicles produced in larger quantities such as passenger cars, buses, coaches and trucks, by ensuring a level of demand for clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles which is sufficiently substantial to encourage manufacturers and the industry to invest in and further develop vehicles with low energy consumption, CO 2 emissions, and pollutant emissions.

The sea has always played a key role in Europe's prosperity. 20 May is a dedicated "European Maritime Day" in the EU. This year, in cooperation with the Italian government, the Commission is organising a 3-day conference in Rome from 18 to 20 May. This important event brings together stakeholders, administrations and other players from the European Union and this time also from a number of third countries, in particular from the Mediterranean region, to discuss the global challenges faced by maritime Europe today. European Maritime Day was set up as one of the key actions of the EU's Integrated Maritime Policy, launched in 2007.

Sport Unit of DG Education and Culture of the European Commission has issued a call for proposals for transnational projects proposed to be funded by public agencies and civil society organizations to identify and test appropriate networks and good practice in sport.

The Education Council, which met in Brussels, was informed of the key points of the reform of the European Schools system adopted by the Board of Governors of the European Schools in Stockholm at the end of April. Following the presentation given by the Swedish Presidency of the European Schools, the Commissioner responsible for administrative affairs, Siim Kallas, welcomed the positive outcome of the ambitious reform process begun in 2005 at the instigation of the Commission and Parliament, and urged the Member States to disseminate the curriculum and the European Baccalaureate as widely as possible in their national schools.

The European Commission has imposed a fine of €1,060,000,000 on Intel Corporation for violating EC Treaty antitrust rules on the abuse of a dominant market position by engaging in illegal anticompetitive practices to exclude competitors from the market for computer chips called x86 central processing units (CPUs). The Commission has also ordered Intel to cease the illegal practices immediately to the extent that they are still ongoing.

Scarborough Renaissance Partnership project was selected for its impressive results in brining down seasonal unemployment. Five other initiatives from local authorities in Finland, Germany, Hungary, Spain and Sweden received award, which was part of the events organized during the celebration of the first European SME Week.

The European Commission approved on May 13th 2009 a State aid for the high-speed rail link service between London and the Channel as well as the restructuring of Eurostar, for a total amount of £ 5.169 billion. The UK authorities notified the operation with the aim of establishing each of LCR's businesses on a sustainable commercial and financial basis and to bring these long-term guarantees and liabilities to an end. It is also intended to remove the need for ongoing public sector support and to encourage competition for international services in the light of the opening of the market in 2010.

The European Commission has published a report making a review on the implementation of Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive, which highlights the potential for reuse of this information in the digital age. European PSI market is estimated to represent about 27 billion Euro, although its potential has not been fully exploited since the implementation of the Directive has been uneven across Member States.

The European Charlemagne Youth Prize 2009 will be awarded in Aachen on May 19th The Prize is awarded to youth projects that encourage the development of a shared sense of European identity. The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, and the Chairman of the Charlemagne Prize Foundation, Michael Jansen, will participate in the ceremony.

The Council of the European Union has formally designated on May 12th 2009 Guimarães (Portugal) and Maribor (Slovenia) to be the European Capitals of Culture in 2012, followed by Marseille-Provence (France) and Košice (Slovakia) in 2013. This decision follows the recommendation made by the Commission following the steps of the selection committee of the cities that hold the European Capital of Culture.

The European Commission is promoting cycling as a healthy and safe way to travel in cities at the 15th Velo-City conference, organised by the Brussels Region and which opened today in the presence of Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for transport. The world's largest conference related to cycling takes place in Brussels, at Tour & Taxis until Friday 15 May and brings together one thousand participants from across the world to discuss the future of cycling in cities.