European Union News - September 2011

A team of scientists of the ATPBone project, the largest European bone biology and osteoporosis research project, was able to demonstrate that physical activity and other stimuli to the bones induce the release of the biochemical compound ATP, which compound regulates bone turnover through action on the so-called purinergic receptors, which have been shown to be present on bone cells. Findings from EU-funded research have demonstrated how the exercise prevents osteoporosis and it could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis sufferers.

According to the latest data released by Eurostat, the euro area industrial new orders index fell by 2.1% and in the EU new orders decreased by 0.8% in July 2011 compared with June 2011. Excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders rose by 1.4% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU.

An additional €1bn will be allocated by the European Commission in order to improve supply of water and sanitation, support maternal health and contribute to fight against child mortality and hunger. These are part of the Millennium Development Goals to which the EU is fully commit to achieve. The European Commission is finalising the identification of the projects presented by African, Caribbean and Pacific countries themselves.

The European Commission published a communication in which it invites to public and private actors to join forces at European level to apply research and innovation solutions to major challenges facing society. Furthermore the Commission works in some proposals in this sense that will form part of the Commission's Horizon 2020 package later this year.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting concluded with the doubt to reach a further agreement on the distribution of food products for the most deprived in the UE. In addition, the ministers discussed the energy use of biomass of agricultural origin and were briefed on the crisis in the fruit and vegetables sector and on the complementary national direct payments in 2012.

Civil society organisations from the EU and Turkey have made a joint statement in which they call on both parties to move the accession process forward. They also call for the independence of the country's professional organisations following the forthcoming reform of Turkey's constitution.

The European Commission adopted a policy document to further improve the recognition and promotion of volunteering in the EU. In the Communication published, the Commission outlines ways for the EU and its Member States to start fully exploiting the great potential offered by volunteering activities, such as the creation of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps and the development of a 'European Skills Passport'.

The Commission presided the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which libraries, publishers, authors, and their collecting societies have agreed to a set of Key Principles that will give European libraries and similar cultural institutions the possibility to digitise and make available on line out-of-commerce books and learned journals which are part of their collections.

The EU's scientific and technical research committee (CREST) and the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) have published two reports on recommendations for enhancing research and innovation. The EU's scientific and technical research committee (CREST) has published a set of 14 recommendations to help Member States and Europe's regions to better exploit the synergies between the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and Structural Funds to boost research and development (R&D) performance. In addition, the EURAB has called for measures to increase the use of Structural Funds for enhancing research and innovation.

The European Commission presented its strategy to get a sustainable economy by 2050 based in a resource efficient growth. It proposes among other things tools and indicators to help guide action in Europe and internationally. It is an agenda for competitiveness and growth based on using fewer resources when the EU produces and consumes goods and creating business and job opportunities from activities such as recycling, better product design, materials substitution and eco-engineering.

The European Commission published a Communication in which sets out the strategy and principles it intends to apply when using EU criminal law to strengthen the enforcement of European policies and protect the interests of the citizens. The Commission highlighted that it is essential to design a clear European Criminal Policy enabling the Union to define if, when and how to use criminal law to better enforce a policy.

The European Commission presented its reform strategy to boost graduate numbers, improve teaching quality and maximise what higher education can do to help the EU economy emerge stronger from the crisis. It proposed, among the EU-level initiatives, including a multi-dimensional university ranking and an 'Erasmus for Masters' loan guarantee scheme for students taking a full degree course abroad.