European Union News - August 2012

The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva paid solemn tribute to all humanitarian personnel who have worked in promotion of the humanitarian cause and lost their lives following that call, in a statement made on the World Humanitarian Day last 19 of August.

The awards which celebrates exemplary restorations and initiatives of the many facets of Europe’s cultural heritage in four categories each year, is now open to submissions until 1 October 2012. Therefore, it will be awarded outstanding achievements in the field of heritage conservation and enhancement in Europe.

The LEPAS collaborative project, which has tackled the urgent need to better understand how an ageing population is likely to influence the economy and whether or not those changes will be sustainable, found out that Europe’s population is ageing at an unprecedented rate, faster than any other continent, and is economically unsustainable.

The European Commission takes stock of the results achieved so far on the online consultation launched in May 2012 on the Future of Europe. Until 9 September, all Europeans can share their views to help set the policy agenda for the years to come and shape the future of Europe. The Commission's consultation 'Your rights, your future' also asks the public about the very practical obstacles citizens face in daily life.

The European Agency Eurofound published a study which shows that the actual working week for full time workers stood at 39.7 hours across the 27 EU Member States in 2011. This means an average of 1.6 hours more than the agreed working hours. In addition, the latest annual update of working time developments also shows that men continue to work longer hours than women on paid work, on average 2.1 hours more per week.

RegioStars' 2013 awards have already finalists. The most innovative projects which have received investment from EU Cohesion Policy are divided in five different categories. The Award ceremony will take place in Brussels on 7th February 2013.　

The joint proposal from the European social partners to extend the negotiating period on reviewing the Working Time Directive to 31 December 2012 has been agreed by the European Commission. The review of this legislation is aimed at updating EU working time rules to take account of profound changes in the world of work and to better meet the needs of employers and workers in the 21st century.

The European Commission announced that it will allocate €34 million for an environmental programme in Algeria. This programme will focus on protecting the Algiers coastal region, and aims to put the environment and efforts to tackle the impact of climate change at the heart of the country’s development policies.

Scientists at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre measured key air quality parameters in Mediterranean harbours. The measures show that sulphur dioxide emissions from shipping have sharply decreased in EU ports thanks to EU policies.

The European Commission has opened the submissions for the 3rd Access City Award, which recognises accessible and age-friendly urban environments. The Award is part of the EU's wider effort to create a barrier-free Europe. In 2010, the launching year, the Award went to Avila, in Spain. In 2011, the winner was Salzburg, in Austria.

The European Science Foundation (ESF) identifies new themes for social science research in and on the central and eastern Europe, to be promoted and endorsed by national and European funding institutions. The report also highlights that attention is needed on how these pan-European research agendas can blend with the specific dynamics of change occurring in various regions, and in particular, central and eastern Europe (CEE).

GDP fell by 0.2% in both the euro area and the EU during the second quarter of 2012, compared with the previous quarter. During the same period, GDP increased by 0.4% in the United States compared with the previous quarter and by 0.3% in Japan.