European Union News - 2008

The European Union has provided an additional €40 million to the Palestinian Authority to help meet its recurrent expenditures and ensure the continued delivery of public services. The funds will be used to help pay for salaries and pensions, social allowances to vulnerable Palestinian families and fuel for the power plant to provide electricity to the people of Gaza. This amount comes on top of the €440 million that the European Commission pledged last December in Paris to assist the Palestinians in 2008.

The European Commission wants to ensure that the results of the research funded under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) are disseminated as widely and effectively as possible to guarantee maximum exploitation and impact in the world of researchers and beyond. Fast and reliable access to research results, especially via the Internet, can drive innovation, advance scientific discovery and support the development of a strong knowledge-based economy.

The European Commission has published its annual Report on research and technological development activities of the European Union in 2007 with the main resultos of the implementation of the FP7 in Europe during 2007.

The Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security (Directorate D: Internal Security) has launched on the 20th August two tenders to study  the ICT Critical infrastructures and to analyse how to improve European emergency preparedness in the field of fixed and mobile telecommunications and Internet.

The European Commission has approved the application from Lithuania for assistance under the European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGAF). The application will now be sent to the European Parliament and the Council for decision. The funding will help the 600 most affected of the redundant workers in the textiles sector back into employment. The application – for €298,994 – was submitted after 1,089 employees were made redundant from Alytaus Tekstilė in Alytus, in southern Lithuania.

Final evaluation report on the Community framework strategy and Community action programme relating to the Community strategy on gender equality [SEC(2008) 2365].

The Official Journal of the European Union has published on the 18th August 2008 the iInformation regarding the authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty in the cases where the Commission raises no objections. A tax relief of 30% has been agreed  in the Environmental protection for the period 1.4.2008-1.4.2015.

The Official Journal of the European Union has published on the 18th August 2008 the iInformation regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products related to livestock aid in Shetland Islands (Scotland).

The European Commisison has published the Communication about Europe’s cultural heritage at the click of a mouse Progress on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation across the EU ([SEC(08) 2372]).

The EC has published the 12.8.2008 the COM(2008) 511 final related to the first monitoring report on steel restructuring in Bulgaria and Romania which describes the progress in restructuring made by Bulgarian and Romanian steel companies that are subject to the requirements set out in the specific chapters of the Europe Agreement and the Treaty of Accession respectively.

According to the lastest data published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), the annual inflation rate for the Euro zone remained stable during the month of July with a value of 4%. The same indicator for the whole EU zone showed an increase of 0.1% as against 4.3% in June.

The Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol adopted in 2001 are mixed agreements falling partly under exclusive Community competence. In 2003, an agreement was reached within the EU for the adoption, but given that the situation has changed substantially after the enlargements and the Convention and Protocol are no longer open for signature, an amended proposal is necessary.