European Union News - 2008

On the 17 of May 2005, the European Commission published its proposal for a decision on the signing and provisional application of a Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, on a framework Agreement between the
European Community and the State of Israel on the general principles governing the State of Israel’s participation in Community programmes.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Logix of France by the US-based company Arrow Electronics. The Commission's investigation has shown that the concentration would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

A committee from the European Parliment adopted the own-initiative on Turkey's progress towards accession. MEPs remained committed to accession as the goal of EU negotiations with Turkey, but said that both in Turkey and in the EU important reforms were needed in order to achieve this outcome.

The European Commission launched an initiative to help put the EU's flexicurity approach – balancing flexibility in the job market with employment security for workers – into practice at national level. This 'Mission for Flexicurity' aims to reach out to workers, employers and others through a series of country visits over the next two months. The initiative follows a decision by Member States at the Informal Employment Council in Brdo in January 2008. It will kick off in France on the 19th May 2008, followed by events in Sweden, Finland, Poland and Spain.

On the eve of the first European Maritime Day, the European Commission has invited a number of senior shipping professionals to discuss the strategic challenges and opportunities for European shipping and the maritime transport system over the next decade. The European Commission has initiated a strategic reflection into the best ways to ensure a prosperous future for European shipping. As well recognising the need to maintain a competitive European maritime cluster with highly qualified seafarers and maritime professionals, the commission aims to ensure that a European maritime system can accommodate the fast changes in the globalised world.

Statistics just published by the European Commission relating to counterfeit and piracy show a significant increase in customs activity last year. In 2007, customs registered over 43,000 cases of fake goods seized at the EU's external border, compared to 37,000 in 2006.

Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities released  its figures on EU27 Foreign Direct Investment for 2007. In 2007, EU27 FDI (foreign direct investment) in extra-EU27 countries (outflows) rose by 53%, from 275 billion euro in 2006 to 420 bn in 2007, while FDI into the EU27 from the rest of the world (inflows) increased by 89%, from 169 bn to 319 bn. In 2007, intra-EU27 FDI flows rose by 13% compared with 2006.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of World Duty Free Limited (WDF), a UK-based airport shop operator, by the Italian-based travel service provider Autogrill S.p.A.. After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

Around 200 Europeans on the front line of the battle against social exclusion are meeting with EU and national policy makers in Brussels for a direct dialogue on the 19th Mat 2008. They will discuss issues ranging from minimum income to housing, social services and services of general interest. The annual event aims to include marginal groups in the process of seeking solutions and building policies to improve their lives.

The European Commission is providing emergency relief funding of €2 million to help victims of the huge earthquake that struck Sichuan province in China on Monday 12 May 2008.

The European Commission has published is the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ),a decision to propose appropriate measures, which were subsequently accepted, for state aid to Ireland. The Decision was adopted on the 2nd of February 2008 will finance Radio Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and Teilifís na Gaeilge (TG4) with 220 meros.

Cohesion Policy programmes for 2007-2013 are set to boost jobs and growth throughout the EU's Member States and regions, thanks to intensive negotiations that have succeeded in formulating tailor-made solutions to challenges ahead. That is the message from Commissioners Danuta Hübner (Regional Policy) and Vladimír Špidla (Employment, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities), who presented the results of negotiations on the 16th May 2008.