European Union News - 2009

The special characteristics of the defence equipment market and its demands for security and confidentiality of the proceedings determine the need for specific rules governing the award of works, services and supplies related to that sector. According to these requirements, the OJEU has published on August 20th 2009, Directive 2009/81/EC on the coordination of procedures for the award of certain works contracts, supply contracts and service contracts by contracting authorities or entities in the fields of defence and security, and amending Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC.

During the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, informal ministerial meetings will be held at seven different locations, from Malmö in the south to Umeå in the north. These meetings already started on July 6th with the informal ministerial meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, and will end up with ministerial eGovernment meeting and conference on November 18th to 20th.

As of January 1st 2010, the EU will invest 18 M€ into research that will underpin next generation 4G mobile networks. The European Commission just decided to start the process of funding research on Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced technology, that will offer mobile internet speeds up to a hundred times faster than current 3G networks. LTE is becoming the industry's first choice for next generation mobile networks, also thanks to substantial EU research funding since 2004.

The Commission has published in the OJEU on August 19th 2009, its Communication on the return to viability and the assessment of restructuring measures in the financial sector in the current crisis under the State aid rules. The Commissions explains how it will examine aid for the restructuring of banks in the current crisis, taking into account the need to modulate past practice in the light of the nature and the global scale of the crisis, the systemic role of the banking sector for the whole economy, and the systemic effects which may arise from the need of a number of banks to restructure within the same period.

Afghanistan is set to hold presidential and provincial council polls on August 20th 2009 and National Assembly and district elections in 2010. These elections present a formidable challenge because of the recent history of the country, the youth of the democratic institutions and the deteriorating security situation and the fractured political scene in the country, being the first ever Afghan-led elections in the country. This time the elections will be conducted under the sole stewardship of the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) with the UN acting only in support.

The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) published on August 18th  2009 the notice of prior notification of concentration concerning French pharmaceutical Sanofi-Aventis, which would acquire control over Merial. Interested parties may submit their observations to the Commission within ten days of this publication.

Following the mandate set out in Regulation (EC) Nº 450/2009 of May 29th 2009 on active and intelligent materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, the  European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the Guidelines on submission of a dossier for safety evaluation. Industry may submit their applications within 18 months from publication of these Guidelines.

In reaction to the verdict against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and given the gravity of the violation of her fundamental rights, the Council adopted on August 13th 2009 a Common Position imposing a new set of targeted measures against Burma/Myanmar. These measures, published in the OJEU on August 15th 2009, where announced by Swedish presidency on August 11th, after the verdict was published.

The implementation of the proposed organ donation and transplantation scheme requires the processing of personal data relating to health of the organs’ donors and receivers by the authorised organisations and healthcare professionals of the different Member States, which are deemed as sensitive and fall under the stricter rules of data protection. In his report, published in the OJEU on August 21st 2009, the ESPD sets some recommendations in order to ensure confidentiality and security in organ processing.

The European Commission has launched a photo contest within the framework of the project EDEN (European Destinations of Excellence). EDEN supports models of sustainable tourism development in the European Union. The project is based on national competitions that take place every year during which "destinations of excellence" are chosen by each participating country tour

The Official Journal of the European Union of 14 August 2009 contains the Regulation on the European Parliament and the Council  establishing an Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.

The European Commission has allocated €9 million to safeguard access to food for vulnerable people affected by the breakdown of essential services in Zimbabwe. The funds will be channelled through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department under the direct responsibility of the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid