European Union News - 02 June 2011

Led by the Spanish Civil Guard and coordinated by Europol, almost one tonne of cocaine and 160 kg of hashish have been seized in an international police operation. The huge consignment of cocaine was diluted in 13 tonnes of palm oil that had been shipped from Colombia, via Antwerp in Belgium, before being finally seized in Albania.

According to the data released by the European Statistical Office Eurostat, the average unemployment rate registered in the Euro area reached 9.9% rate in April 2011, exactly the same percentage reached in March 2011. With regard to the unemployment rate in the whole EU, the rate was slightly lower -from 9.5% reached in March to 9.4% April.

The foundation of the European Law Institute, according to Viviane Reding, the European Union’s Justice Commissioner has the potential to bring a significant added value to European legal research, improving the implementation of EU law and helping to put it to work for citizens and businesses.

From 1 June, baby bottles containing the substance Bisphenol A (BPA) have to be removed from the shelves in stores across the European Union, as a ban on the placing on the market and import into the EU of such products enters into force. The provisions on BPA are now included in Regulation (EU) Nº 10/2011 on plastic food contact materials amended by Regulation (EU) Nº 321/2011.

A EU-funded research studies to bring the Internet and everyday objects together. In this way, the IOT-A project is developing an architecture reference model that will enable all objects to connect to the Internet. Whatever the technology, everything will be connected, making interoperability issues a thing of the past. The advantages to such a model are many, ultimately leading to better healthcare, cuts in energy costs, securer supply chains and less traffic.