European Union News - October 2008

Improved safety and price transparency. These are the key features of the new Regulation on the single market for air transport, which enters into force on November 1st, 2008. The Regulation lays down rules for the granting of licences, control of airlines and market access, thereby ensuring more competition in the air transport field and better quality for the public.

The European Commission has put forward on October 31st, a proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EC) Nº 808/2004 concerning Community statistics on the information society – (COM (2008) 677 final).

The European Commission will fund with 600,000 €, European associations which are active at EU level in the field of education and training. This funding opportunity is based in a Call for Proposals under the Jean Monnet Lifelong sub-programme, which has been published in the OJEU on October 31st.

The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union on October 31st, 2008, Regulation (EC) Nº 1031/2008, amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) Nº 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. These amendments aim to modernise the Combined Nomenclature and adapt its structures to legislative interests and simplification.

The European Commission meets with the music industry at the World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Sevilla, Spain, on October 31st,2008, to discuss modalities to strengthen the capacities of the music sector in developing countries.

Under the current financial crisis situation,  Mr Guido Ravoet, Secretary General of the European Banking Federation, presented, on October 21st, the European banking sector's strategies for restoring business confidence to the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

By Decision of October 22nd, 2008, the Commission has set up the European Cluster Policy Group (ECPG), whose scope and objective is to share intelligence about cluster policies in view to further explore how to better assist Member States in supporting the emergence of world-class clusters in the EU. Following this Decision, the Commission also published a call for applications with a view to listing candidates to make up the ECPG.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on October 22nd, 2008, Decision 1065/2008/EC, adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the Council, repealing Council Decision 85/368/EEC on the comparability of vocational training qualifications between the Member States of the European Community.

French Minister Michel Barnier chaired the third Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the French Presidency, which was held between October 27th and 28th, in Luxembourg. Major issues such as milk quotas, market intervention or some political agreements on fishing opportunities were at stake.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on October 29th, a Decision of the European Parliament and the Council of October 22nd, on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGAF), in accordance with the Interinstitutional Agreement of May 17th, 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management.

The European Commission has presented on the 27 october 2008 a proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on a Critical Infrastructure Warning Information Network (CIWIN) (COM(2008) 676 final)

The European Commission has presented the annual report of the Instrument for Structural Policy for Pre-Accession (ISPA) 2007 [SEC(2008)2681] COM(2008)671 final (27/10/2008)