European Union News - April 2008

On the 14th April 2008 the European Commission published its official decision concerning a technical specification for interoperability relating to the ‘energy’ sub-system of the trans-European high-speed rail system (notified under document number C(2008) 807). The Decision shall apply from 1st October 2008.

In recent years, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) have developed in many fields. The hallmark of this form of cooperation, which is generally geared to the longer term, is the role of the private partner, who is involved in the various phases of the project (planning, implementation and operation), who is intended to bear risks that are traditionally borne by the public sector and who often contributes to financing the project.

The European Commision has launched a public consultation related to Marco Polo Programme in order to improve certain aspects to make the programme more attractive for participants, leading to more and better projects for more sustainable freight transport in Europe. Feedback must be sent by 30 May at the latest so the EC services will be able to take it into account.

Two years after the establishment of the first Community list of airlines subject to an operating ban in the European Union, the European Commission today adopted the seventh update of the "blacklist". The Commission is imposing a ban on all operations of an additional Ukrainian airline (Ukraine Cargo Airways) as well as on all operations of the Congolese carrier Hewa Bora Airways.

Details of the new Operational Programme 2007-13  Competitiveness and Employment Programme taking palce various regions of the Unikted Kingdom. The Programmes are under the Competitiveness and Employment Objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Parliament adopted two reports on cultural industries, the first calls for a new task force on culture and the creative economy, a programme to support the culture industries the second calls more should be done to ensure that EU programmes reflect Europe's common cultural heritage.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank today are presenting the results of a study on potential investments addressing pollution hotspots in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. The study, undertaken as part of the Commission's Horizon 2020 Initiative designed to tackle the major sources of Mediterranean pollution by the year 2020, recognises the need for a programme to help the countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean reduce the pollution they release into the sea.

A report by Janusz Lewandowski (EPP-ED, PL) deals with the guidelines that MEPs would like to establish for the expenditure of the EU institutions other than the Commission in 2009, including the EP. This report refers to the issue of the ceiling of 20% of total EU administrative expenditure (under heading 5 - Administration) voluntarily imposed on itself by the European Parliament, given that the EP's powers and legislative activity will expand if the Lisbon Treaty enters into force.

On 11 April 2008 the Official Journal of the European Union has published the Commission repection of a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation 139/2004 by which the undertakings EADS NV (‘EADS’, the Netherlands) and Sita France SA acquire the joint control of the undertaking T.A.R.M.A.C. Aerosave  SAS (‘T.A.R.M.A.C. Aerosave’, France) by way of purchase of shares.

Next Marco Polo Conference will take place in Venice on 10/11 June 2008. The conference will give the latest information aobut the freight transport in Europe, present ongoing Marco Polo projects and the ingredients of their success and tell you how to apply for Marco Polo funding under future calls for project proposals.

European Parliament (EP) President Hans-Gert Pöttering announced the adoption of written declarations on the subtitling of all public-service television programmes in the European Union (EU) and on the murder of the human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

The authorities of Brussels-Capital Region, in close partnership with the European Commission and the City of Brussels, are launching a major competition aimed at defining a new urban design for the European Quarter. The area devoted to the competition includes the zone around the rue de la Loi, between the circular ring and the chaussée d’Etterbeek.