European Union News - 2008

This report presents the findings from a research study that set out to review the range of career guidance provision that supports workforce development across the EU-25 Member States and to identify innovative or ‘best practice’ provision. The report includes 35 case studies and these provide accounts of practice by employers, trade unions and the public sector as well as other intermediary organisations, such as outplacement consultancies, professional associations and industry sector bodies.

The EU27 population is projected to increase from 495 million on 1 January 2008 to 521 million in 2035, and thereafter gradually decline to 506 million in 2060. The annual number of births is projected to fall over the period 2008-2060, while at the same time the annual number of deaths is projected to continue rising. From 2015 onwards deaths would outnumber births, and hence population growth due to natural increase would cease. From this point onwards, positive net migration would be the only population growth factor. However, from 2035 this positive net migration would no longer counterbalance the negative natural change, and the population is projected to begin to fall.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will participate in the investigation of the Spanair plane crash JK 5022 in Madrid (20/08/2008) as it has been invited to participate as experts.

The EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) has awarded EUR 14 million to a 4-year project, euHeart, for the improvement of the diagnosis, therapy and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The consortium comprises public and private partners from 16 research, academic, industrial and medical organisations from 6 European countries.

The EIB has committed support to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic. Three local banking institutions, Banco ADEMI, Banco ADOPEM and FONDESA will benefit from EIB lines of credit totalling EUR 20 million and up to EUR 2 million in equity participations. EIB funds will be used to finance the banks’ portfolio of loans to the MSME sector.

The Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Directorate Lifelong Learning: Education and Training, Programmes and Actions, Unit B05 Professional training; 'Leonardo da Vinci' has awarded a tender in order to develop a new tool for the reporting of mobility projects.

The European Commission has published (23/08/2008) in the Official Journal of the European Union an announcement of a new call for proposal in the framework of the MEDIA 2007 Programme, the EU's support programme for the European audiovisual industry.

The European Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), has allocated (22/08/2008) €5 million in humanitarian aid for vulnerable people affected by the conflict between Georgia and the Russian Federation. The new aid package comes on top of the €1 million fast-track humanitarian aid released by the Commission on 10 August, shortly after the conflict started[1]. ECHO experts remain in the region, evaluating needs, coordinating activities with relief partner organisations and monitoring the use of Commission funds.

European Commission's Legal Certainty Group (LCG) has put forward solutions to legal barriers related to the cross-border holding and settlement of securities.

The European Commsision has published a the report on the first year of implementation of the Black Sea Synery related to 2007 (COM(2008) 391 final). This strategy is needed as on 1 January 2007, two Black Sea littoral states, Bulgaria and Romania, joined the European Union. More than ever before, the prosperity, stability and security of our neighbours around the Black Sea are of immediate concern to the EU.

The European Commission has published (22/08/2008) in the Official Journal of the European Union an announcement of a new call for proposal in the framework of the Media 2007 programme.

First estimates, released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities indicate that in the construction sector, seasonally adjusted production decreased by 0.6% in the euro area (EA15) and by 1.5% in the EU27 in June 2008, compared with the previous month. In May, production increased by 0.1% and 0.7% respectively. Compared with June 2007, output in June 2008 dropped by 2.4% in the euro area and by 1.8% in the EU27.