European Union News - 2009

In order to reinforce and upgrade cooperation with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the European Commission has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to cover issues such as reinforced cooperation through joint activities to consolidate and further develop ERA and implement and follow up the European Strategy for Particle Physics, as well as consultations and exchange of information on issues of mutual interest. The text has been published in the OJEU on June 24th.

The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, has welcomed the agreement on the legal guarantees for Ireland between the 27 Member States which paves the way for a second referendum in Ireland and the full ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

The Official Journal of the European Union has published the 23.6.2009 a Call for proposals - EAC/26/2009 for the evidence based-policy and practice: call for proposals to develop networks of knowledge brokerage initiatives (2009/C 142/04).

Farmers and pet owners will soon get better information on the feed they buy, a step that will further strengthen food safety in the EU, after the Council of Agriculture Ministers adopted a regulation replacing the current legislation on marketing and the use of feed. The new legislation, based on a Commission proposal from 2008, considerably simplifies the existing procedures and it will help promote innovation and competitiveness in the European feed sector. It is also expected to lead to a more integrated single market for feed by reducing the administrative burden for feed operators. The regulation was endorsed by the European Parliament on February 5 and is expected to enter into force later this year.

The European Commission has launched on June 22nd, a public consultation to determine whether International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) should be adopted in the EU. This public consultation follows the results of an independent study published on the same day, which show that the benefits of adopting such standards would outweigh the costs. The Commission invites interested parties to respond to the consultation by September 15th 2009.

As proposed by CoR president Luc Van den Brande and first vice-president and Mayor of Dunkirk Michel Delebarre, the White Paper on multilevel governance calls on the EU institutions and Member States to step up the involvement of local and regional authorities in the preparation and implementation of EU policies. By adopting a White Paper for the first time in its history, the CoR has given a political signal shortly after the European elections and just before the renewal of the European Commission.

European Heads of State and Government, meeting at the European Council taking place in Brussels between June 18th and 19th 2009, reached an agreement intended to try to ensure Irish ratification of the Lisbon Treaty which would finally unlock the process. Moreover, it was agreed unanimously to nominate Durão Barroso as the candidate for European Commission Presidency for the period 2009-2014.

Following a recommendation from the jury of the 2008 Natali Prize, the European Commission has withdrawn the Natali Grand Prize and the Africa Prize from last year's winner Mr. Larrisse Houssou from Benin. The 2008 runner-up, the Brazilian journalist Raphael Gomide, has been appointed the new winner of the Grand Prize on the recommendation of the jury.

The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Member States France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden (as lead nation) have signed a Project Arrangement on the MID-air Collision Avoidance System (MIDCAS) at the Paris Air Show on June 17th 2009. This project will also gather companies from different Member States within the  MIDCAS industry consortium.

The Directorate General for Information Society and Media of the European Commission has issued two calls for proposals on the MEDIA 2007 Programme, which finance, on the one hand, the promotion of European audiovisual works and professionals outside the Media countries, and on the other hand, the networking and mobility of students and trainers in Europe.

Council Directive 2009/50/EC of May 25th, on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly qualified employment, the so-called Blue Card Directive entered into force on June 19th, after its publication in the OJEU on June 18th. Member States will have until June 19th 2011 to adapt their legislations to comply with its provisions.

At its meeting in June, the European Council is expected to mainly focus on institutional issues, on the economic, financial and social situation as well as on climate change and sustainable development. It will also give its political blessing to Jose Manuel Barroso's bid for a new term as the European Commission