European Union News - 2008

A Spanish student wanted to start her university studies in Belgium, but was refused because the original certified diploma of her secondary education had not been issued yet by the Spanish authorities. SOLVIT persuaded the university to accept other evidence so that she would not miss an entire academic year. A British manufacturer of marine radio equipment was asked by the German authorities to retest its products in Germany even though they had already been tested and placed on the market in other EU Member States. SOLVIT intervened to ensure that the products could be sold in Germany without costly retesting.

Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities has released its most current figures from the EA 15 adn EU27.

Long-term economic progress and employment remain firmly at the top of European Union spending, taking the biggest share – nearly 45% - of the proposed 2009 budget - a 3% rise on 2008.

Leading stakeholders from across the EU met, on the 6th May 2008, with Consumer Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, and Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, to reinforce and promote the rights of EU energy consumers. Stakeholders gave their support to the process launched by the Commission to better implement these rights and better inform consumers. The basis for this process will be the Citizens' Energy Forum, building on the measures proposed in the "Third Energy Package".

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of TietoEnator, a Finnish provider of information technology services by Jersey-based investment fund Nordic Capital. The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area ("EEA") or any substantial part of it.

The European Commission through the European Environment Agency (EEA), have organised a Call for Expressions of Interest 2008 for experts to be appointed members of the Scientific Committee of the EEA (2008/C 111/15). The experts who meet best the above criteria will be appointed for a term of four years which is renewable once for a maximum of another four-year period. Expressions of interest shall be sent via the specific on-line application form (12.00 Central European Time)
or by post not later than 30 June 2008.

The European Commission published, in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ), on the 6th May 2008 a new Calls for Proposals under the ‘Capacities’ work programme of the 7th EC Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities. The budget for the calls for proposals is 20 million euros.

On 3 April 2008, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration between Heineken and some Scottish & Newcastle assets. The Ec also declared the merger to be compatible with the common market.

The second session of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat), held in Lima, adopted three resolutions and a message to Heads of State and the EU-Latin American summit on 13-17 May. The two Eurolat co-Presidents, MEP José Ignacio Salafranca and Chilean Senator Jorge Pizarro, were satisfied with the outcome, stressing the importance of the parliamentary dimension in EU-Latin American relations.

Under Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is not obligatory, the European Commission published, on the 6th of May, its Commission Decision of 11 December 2007 on State Aid C 47/06 (ex N 648/05) Tax credit introduced by France for the creation of video games (notified under document number C(2007) 6070)

The European Commission published, on the 30th April 2008, a proposal for a Council descision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified LLCotton25 (ACS-GHØØ1-3).

On the initiative of the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, an informal dialogue took place on 5 May in the headquarters of the European Commission, bringing together around twenty high-level representatives of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Europe. The meeting was co-chaired by European Commission President Barroso, Slovenian Prime Minister and current President of the European Council, Janez Janša, and the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering. This year's meeting focused on two major challenges facing the European Union: Climate Change and Reconciliation.