European Union News - 26 May 2011

The Policy Challenges Committee at the European Parliament advocated new income sources for the budget, and call for an end to all rebates, exceptions, and corrective mechanisms. The committee also wants regional policy and agriculture funding to remain at current levels, but increases in investment in energy infrastructure. It also acknowledges that further savings could possibly be made on EU administration.

New online maps published by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, in close cooperation with the Joint Research Centre, give Europeans close-up picture of air pollution from diffuse sources, such as transport and aviation.

The measures proposed seek to protect taxpayers' money from fraud across the EU. The Commission plans to strengthen substantive criminal law by clarifying definitions of crime such as embezzlement or abuse of power and reinforce the capacities of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and Eurojust (the EU's judicial cooperation body).

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, issues data on trade in goods and services and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows between the EU and Japan, with the occasion of the 20th European Union - Japan summit. Between 2000 and 2010, EU27 exports of goods to Japan fell slightly in value from €45 billions to €44 billions, and EU27 imports from Japan decreased by 30%, from €92 billions to €65 billions.

Ms or Mr SME will advocate for the interests of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in each Member state. They will check the correct application of the EU law on SMEs and ensure that policies at national, regional and local level are enterprise friendly.

In order to face new challenges, such as food security and environmental protection, create new jobs and provide renewable energy, farmers should have a reasonable incentive which means that the EU agriculture budget must remain unchanged. The Agriculture Committee is seeking to influence the upcoming legislation on the reform and modernisation of the EU farming sector, a process which is running in parallel with discussions on the EU's multiannual budget.