European Union News - 15 November 2010

The European Commission has adopted the EU Disability Strategy aiming to eradicate the existing barriers which prevent millions of EU citizens from having access to many services and are major obstacles which put many activities out of reach. This strategy includes specific measures to be developed in the coming years in order to increase the accessibility and public awareness in this area.

Spain's biggest ever operation against counterfeit tobacco has led to the seizure of 90 million fake cigarettes and the arrest of six men. The investigation saw the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) working closely with Spanish Customs to break up one of the largest tobacco rackets in Europe and prevent the loss of 10 million euros in tax revenue.

Following on from the success of the 2009 edition of the event, the Employers’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a training seminar on 11-12 November 2010 for young entrepreneurs and potential future business leaders on the culture of entrepreneurship.

A team of engineers from the University of Almería (UAL) in Spain has developed a methodology to help meet the EU's ambitious target to significantly reduce the number of road deaths in the bloc. The EU's White Paper on Transport, adopted in 2001, calls for the number of deaths in road accidents to be halved by the end of 2010. The study was presented in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 12 November 2010 Regulation (EU) Nº 996/2010 of 20 October 2010, on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation. This Regulation, which repeals Directive 94/56/EC, will enter into force twenty days after its publication taking full and immediate effect on that date.