European Union News - August 2011

According to the data released by Eurostat referred to June 2011, seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector fell by -1.8% in the Euro area compared to the previous month. Figures for the same month in the European Union as a whole show a slight less decrease of -1.3%.

The Council of the European Union adopted in June 2011 a recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving which seeks to promote progress towards the Europe 2020 headline target of reducing school drop-out rates to less than 10% by 2020. Reducing early school leaving is essential for achieving a number of key objectives in the Europe 2020 strategy and will help to achieve the objectives of smart and inclusive growth.

Further to European Commission's approval, 1.4 million Euro from the EU Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) will be allocated to provide assistance to Portugal in order to help 680 redundant workers in shoe manufacturing to find new jobs. This decision will help Portugal's manufacturing industry severely affected by global changing patterns.

An international team of astronomers has made the first detection of oxygen molecules in space. Until now no searches had turned up oxygen in its molecular form - two atoms of oxygen bonded together, but the team from Herschel Oxygen Project believes that this study would explain where some of the oxygen might be hiding.

The financial support agreed by the Commission will help to improve living conditions for the most disadvantaged groups in Cairo. Actions to be put in place will also involve economic measures aimed to create jobs as well as actions to improve environmental conditions in the area.

Further to a working meeting held in Brussels, European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, and Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Olli Rehn, expressed Commission's satisfaction about the proposals made by President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel, as a step forward in the common efforts to strengthen the governance of the Euro area.

The European Union has decided to request the World Trade Organization (WTO) to initiate consultation with Canada regarding the policy put in place by one of its provinces, Ontario, in support of the local industry. As the negotiated solution initially sought by the EU did not succeed, the Commission has decided to move for a dispute settlement procedure within the WTO.

A consortium of researchers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Finland and the United Kingdom set out to redesign engines, so that they could adapt to non-conventional fuels. They tackled the challenge by rethinking each component's finishing, as opposed to modifying their traditional structures. With this idea the team has come up with a solution that could eliminate the corrosive effect of biofuel and restore faith in biofuels.

Flash estimate for the second quarter of 2011 showed an increase of Gross Domestic Product both in the Euro are and the European Union as a whole of 0.2% and 1.7% respectively, compared to same data of the previous quarter. These figures are also higher that those released for the first quarter of the year when GDP increase registered 0.8%.

As part of the objectives set by the EU Internal Security Strategy in Action, the European Commission is to establish the European radicalisation-awareness (RAN-TAS) to pool experiences, knowledge and good practices. In order to put it in place, the Commission has issued a call for tenders for the framework contract for technical assistance and support to the management of the RAN-TAS Network.

As revealed by the European Commission, 6,361 requests for access to documents have been filed before its services in 2009. This figure, which is far higher that the very few 450 documents requested only one decade ago, shows the growing interest of citizens about the activities of European institutions.

British scientists say that plastic solar cells can be printed to create cling-film-like substances that can be 'spread' to make 'ultra-cheap solar energy panels for domestic and industrial use'. The cheap and efficient polymer solar cells that can cover huge areas could help move us into a new age of renewable energy, according the scientists.