European Union News - July 2012

Scientists from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom and the University of Vigo in Spain has made a technological breakthrough with its development of an ultra-sensitive test with the capacity to detect signs of a disease in its earliest stages.

In addition to the presentation given by the Cyprus Presidency on its work programme in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting also held two public debates on the proposals for regulations on rural development and the common organisation of the markets in agricultural products within the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform.

The European Commission invites comments on use of state aid rules for supporting risk capital investments. The review of the risk capital guidelines starts with this public consultation, seeking stakeholders' views on the functioning of the guidelines since their adoption in 2006 and in particular on market developments concerning the supply of equity and debt finance to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Submissions can be made until 5 October 2012.

European Ministers approved the launch of a new civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission, EUCAP Nestor, to support regional maritime capacity-building in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean states. The Council also approved a new CSDP mission to support the fight against organised crime and terrorism in the Sahel region: EUCAP SAHEL Niger.

The European Central Bank published its biannual report on euro banknote counterfeiting which shows that the overall quantity of counterfeits withdrawn from circulation from January to June 2012 was 15.2% lower compared with the figures for the same period in 2011.

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) welcomed the favourable vote on the draft report on General Structural Funds Regulation from the Regional Committee at the European Parliament which reflects the CoR's position on cohesion policy. Mercedes Bresso, President of the CoR, reiterated the willingness of Europe's local and regional authorities to support the EP team involved in the negotiations with the European Council.

The European Economic and Social Committee reached a compromise solution to adopt two opinions on sensitive topics that are at the heart of the debate across Europe: the future of the pension systems and employment for young people. The EESC deplores the lack of attention given to public pension systems, which need to be strengthened as an important component of the social security net.

The European Commission launched a public consultation on the application of procedural rules in state aid investigations. In the context of the State Aid Modernisation (SAM) initiative, the Commission invites to comment to clarify and simplify the current regime. Replies to the public consultation can be submitted by 5 October 2012.

The new rules presented by the European Commission has as main objective to save more than 1,200 lives a year and to avoid more than 36,000 traffic accidents linked to technical failure. For this, the Commission proposes to set common EU wide minimum standards for vehicle checks, with Member States free to go further if appropriate.

The Instrument of Accession of the European Union to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) has been signed by Catherine Ashton on behalf of the EU. Simultaneously the ten ASEAN Foreign Ministers signed the Instrument of Extension to agree to the EU's accession from the ASEAN side.

The Permanent Representatives Committee endorsed on 11 of July the draft Council's position on the 2013 EU draft budget, limiting the increase in payments to 2.79% compared to 2012. This decision paves the way for the formal adoption of the Council's position scheduled on 24 July. However, MEPs assured that this decision led to confusion. According to them, Member States made several declarations that MEPs described as inconsistent and irresponsible, although the proposed budget cuts were approved without any changes.

Following several votes, Regional Development Committee are set to start talks with Member States on the EU's post-2013 cohesion policy. Among the conclusions reached by MEPs ahead the negotiations with the Council, they stressed that regional policy funding should not depend on Member States' budget discipline.