European Union News - December 2012

The Council conclusions on renewable energy adopted on 3 December set out a set of priorities among which included the internal electricity market opening, a better market integration of renewable energy sources, more cooperation and trade between member states, and the adoption of the energy infrastructure package as soon as possible.

P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, the European Ombudsman, reported that the overall rate of compliance by the EU institutions with his suggestions was 82% in 2011. The best performers were the EU Agencies with a 100% compliance rate.

The European Commission's proposal for a Directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites that would introduce mandatory EU standardised accessibility features, from the end of 2015, for 12 types of websites, was presented on the International Day of People with Disability.

Ana from Spain, Elena from Italy, Ilona from Poland and Larkin from Malta, will join EU leaders in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. These four young Europeans won the drawing and writing contest organised by the EU institutions, in partnership with the European Youth Forum.

The Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council endorsed the agreement reached with the European Parliament on 27 November 2012 on the regulation on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure. To enter into force it still needs formal approval in the Parliament (early 2013) and in the Council (after the plenary vote in the Parliament).

The Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER), which is composed of the ambassadors of the 27 EU member states, endorsed on the 30 November a "draft package" agreement on the 2013 EU budget and draft amending budget nº 6 for 2012. However, the European President Martin Schulz, stressed that there can be no talk with the Council of an agreement on the EU budget 2013 at this stage.