European Union News - 23 September 2008

The European Commission has proposed to reduce the price of roaming text messages by 60% as of 1 July 2009. EU citizens travelling in other EU countries should pay no more than €0.11 per SMS compared to the current EU average of €0.29. The Commission also wants to improve transparency for surfing the web and downloading data on a mobile phone while abroad. The proposals will now be submitted to the European Parliament and Council, who must agree before they become law.

The European Commission presents on the 23rd September 2008 the results of its “health check” on 321 European cities developed during 2006-2007 in 362 cities.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a set of guidelines to assist Member States' courts in applying the EU state aid rules. The guidelines are aimed at supporting national courts and potential claimants in relation to domestic state aid challenges. Interested parties are invited to comment on the draft by October 23rd 2008.

The Commission has make a Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on an EU Drugs Action Plan for 2009-2012 (COM(2008) 567 final) on September 18, 2008. Drugs are a major concern for the citizens of Europe and a major threat to the security and health of European society.