European Union News - 18 January 2011

Negotiations have begun for the 44 projects that were shortlisted to receive a share of the nearly 58 million euro available under the 2010 call for project proposals of the Intelligent Energy - Europe programme. These new projects are set to contribute to the wider use of renewable energy sources and increased levels of energy efficiency across Europe.

By means of a series of new proposals adopted on 18 January 2011, the European Commission intends to take advantage at EU level of all the social, economic and organisational potential brought by sport. These initiatives, which are based on the results of consultations carried out by the European Commission, will mean the launch of twelve new projects in 2011.

The European Commission has requested from a certain number of pharmaceutical companies information about the patent settlement agreements concluded between originator and generic companies in 2010. This second monitoring exercise carried out by the Commission after the competition sector inquiry of 2009 which pointed to significant risks for European consumers stemming from certain types of patent settlements.

The new Hungarian media law which has created important controversy over the first weeks of Hungary's EU Presidency, was the object of a heated debate at the Civil Liberties and Culture Committees in Strasbourg on 17 January. While some MEPs urged for the immediate withdrawal of the law, some others defended the option to wait until the Commission releases the results of its legal assesment.