European Union News - 2009

The Official Journal of the European Union 2.7.2009 has published the Council Directive 2009/71/EURATOM of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations.

 The Commission has launched an award which aims to promote innovation in ICT that will contribute to substantial and measurable improvements in energy efficiency, and that have the potential to provide visible and convincing showcases for investment by business, citizens or both.

The Official Journal of the European Union C 150/17 has published on the 2nd July the prior notification of a concentration Fiat/Chrysler (Case COMP/M.5518).

The European Commission will allocate a maximum of 0.4 million euros for a study on access to justice in cases of discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

The European Commission has just awarded almost 10,000 new grants to be funded by the Erasmus Mundus programme in the academic year 2009-2010. 8,385 students and academics will come to study or teach in Europe, and 1,561 Europeans will spend periods at partner institutions in countries outside Europe.

The Official Journal has published the Council Decisión of 19 January 2009 related to the “Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Government of New Zealand” and the “Agreement renewing the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of India”

The Directorate General for External Relations, Unit F2 published in the Supplement of Official Journal of the European Union of July 1, 2009 a tender for the creation of a network of clean energy.

The European Commission adopted today, after extensive consultation, a proposal for a Council Recommendation calling on all Member States to bring in laws to protect their citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke by 2012. Tobacco remains the largest single cause of premature death and disease in the European Union. According to conservative estimates, 79,000 adults, including 19,000 non-smokers, died in the EU-25 in 2002 due to exposure to tobacco smoke at home (72,000) and in their workplace (7,300).

European Union rules governing the size and shape of many fruit and vegetables will cease to exist since 1st July, when specific marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetables are repealed. The Commission's initiative to get rid of these standards is a major element in its ongoing efforts to streamline and simplify EU rules and cut red tape. For 10 types of fruit and vegetables, including apples, strawberries and tomatoes, marketing standards will remain in place with some consessions.

The European Commission has published a new call for proposals under the Erasmus Mundus programme of action for improving the quality of higher education and the promotion of intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries. The total budget of 12.7 million euros.

Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major inconvenience for users and also leads to unnecessary waste.

The main conclusion of the Electricity Supply Outlook Report is that there is no reason to expect electricity disturbances this Summer under usual weather conditions.