European Union News - 2009

The European Commission today launched the eYouGuide, a new online tool giving practical advice on the "digital rights" consumers have under EU law. This guide, which responds to a call from the European Parliament in 2007, addresses consumer issues like the rights towards your broadband provider, shopping on the web, downloading music and protecting your personal data online and on social networking sites.

The first European SME Week, which will take place all around Europe between May 6th to 14th 2009, is a campaign to promote entrepreneurship across Europe and to inform entrepreneurs about support available for them at European, national and local level. Under the slogan, “Small business, big ideas” more than 1000 events will take place in 35 countries. EU SME Week will allow SMEs to discover an array of information, advice, support and ideas to help them develop their activities.

This model proposed by the Commission includes a fully private and accountable Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), accompanied by an independent judicial body, as well as a "G12 for Internet Governance" – a multilateral forum for governments to discuss general internet governance policy and security issues. This proposal aims to provide an alternative to the impending expiry of the agreement under which ICANN currently manages the governance issues on the Internet.

EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering, has commemorated the fifth anniversary of the expansion that joined 10 new countries to the EU. Pöttering stressed during the opening plenary session in Strasbourg, the importance of this historic moment as the "culmination of the reunification of Europe" and stressed that enlargement has strengthened the stability, democracy and the role of the EU in the world. The president also defended the role of the Treaty of Lisbon to meet the challenges of the future.

The Official Journal of the European Union, OJEU, has published on May 5th 2009 the notice of prior notification of a concentration between the Air France KLM Group and Royal Air Maroc (RAM), and Aerotechnic Industries S.A., controlled by RAM. Interested parties may submit their observations to the Commission within ten days after this publication.

The European Ombudsman, has launched a public consultation inviting all interested third-parties to take part in his Own Initiative Inquiry on the European Commission's "Early Warning System" (EWS). The EWS is a computerised information system containing details of certain third parties who are deemed to represent a threat to the Communities' financial interests and reputation.

In the Commission's spring forecast, GDP in the European Union is projected to fall by 4% this year and to broadly stabilise in 2010. The main factors behind the recession are the worsening of the global financial crisis, a sharp contraction in world trade and ongoing housing market corrections in some economies. However, with the impact of fiscal and monetary stimulus measures kicking in, growth is expected to regain some momentum in the course of 2010. Labour markets will be severely affected, with the unemployment rate expected to increase to 11% in the EU in 2010. The public deficit is also projected to rise sharply, to 7¼% of GDP in 2010, reflecting both the slowdown and the discretionary measures taken to support the economy, in line with the European Recovery Plan proposed by the Commission.

 The European Commission has launched the seventeenth edition of the Lorenzo Natali Prize. This prize rewards the journalists who write on topics relating to human rights, democracy and development stories in print and digital press, radio and television.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) willing to participate in the cooperation activities embodied within the Erasmus Programme as part of the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), can already apply for their Erasmus University Charter. According to the Specific Call for Proposals published in the OJEU on May 1st 2009, those institutions must submit their proposals by June 30th 2009.

The European Commission has put forward a report assessing the progress made in implementing FP7, also pointing put what still remains to be done to fully reach its original objectives. This report provides a basis for the 2010 Interim Evaluation of the programme, for which the Commission will seek advice from an independent expert group, and for further political discussions in the Council, the Parliament and with stakeholders.

The Commission is leading EU Member States' coordination efforts to exchange information on surveillance, case definition and measures taken by EU countries to respond to this novel flu virus. The situation is changing rapidly and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is monitoring the situations on a continuous basis. The Commission holds daily audio meetings with the EU's Health Security Committee and national contact points of the Early Warning Rapid Alert System (EWRS) with the aim of adopting a common guidance document on managing the novel flu virus. This will include information on the case definition, advice to travellers and management of cases.

Five years ago, this central-european country started being part of the European Union. Now, the city of Kosice hosts the  "Five years of reaching to the stars".