European Union News - Industry

The European Commission adopted a new strategy with regard to the air quality in the EU and has declared 2013 as the year of air, with new proposals on improving air quality across Europe.

Three EU regions will be awarded with the label 'Entrepreneurial Region of the Year 2014'. The Committee of the Regions announced that the period for submitting application to this label competition is now open until the 28 February 2013.

The roadmap for the continuation of the Eurostars Programme published by the European Commission shows the support of this European institution to the continuation of the Programme. However, this document is published just for information and is subject to change.

Eurostat announced that in November 2012 compared with October 2012, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 0.3% in both the euro area and the EU. The largest decreases were registered in Slovenia, Portugal and Spain, and the highest increases in Estonia, Latvia and the Netherlands.

On 9 of January, it entered into service the high speed section between Barcelona and Figueres, which represents the completion of a project, the high speed line Madrid-Barcelona-French border. This section has had a significant involvement and support of the European Union.

European Commission Vice-President responsible for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes underlinded that the top priorities for 2013 are to increase broadband investment and to maximise the digital sector's contribution to Europe's recovery. Cloud computing is also expected to accelerate through public sector buying power.

The European Commission published a survey results which show that a majority (56%) of Europeans believe that air quality has deteriorated in the last 10 years. With regard to the EU air quality standards and national emission ceilings, more than half of the respondents were of the view that these instruments should be strengthened.

On the 31 December 2012, the new European legislation called the Euro VI norm entered into force, enabling the lowering of nitrogen oxides and dust emitted from new types of trucks and buses. The legislation also introduces world-wide harmonised test procedures and standards which should help boost European automotive industry exports. In addition, EU automotive legislation will be simpler and will become effective more quickly.

According to data published by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), the index of industrial producers prices for November 2012 fell by two tenths of percentage point compared to previous month in both the euro area and the whole Union. By contrast, in annual terms the index recorded an increase of 2.1% in the euro area and 1.9% in the EU as a whole.

The entry into force on December 31st 2012 of the rules establishing when glass cullet is no longer considered as waste, comes as a clarification about some of the main aspects for its recycling. Along with this regulation, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a set of specifications that will enable the glass cullet to be directly used to make new products.

"Destination Europe" is an initiative which includes a series of events held in different countries within and outside Europe aimed at highlighting the most attractive areas of research and innovation in the EU. It is a joint initiative between the European Union and its Member States in which they showcase their strengths in the field of research and technology transfer.