European Union News - 2009

Directive 2009/12/EC of March 11th 2009 on airport charges, was published by the Official Journal of the European Union on Marcha 15th 2009, with the objective to set common principles for the levying of airport charges at Community airports. Following this objective a common framework regulating the essential features of airport charges and the way they are set will be established for EC airports whose annual traffic is over five million passenger movements.

On Monday the European Commission will officially launch a guide on the hunting of wild birds to ensure the activity is carried out in accordance with EU nature legislation. It aims to clarify the hunting requirements of the EU's oldest nature law, the Wild Birds Directive, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on the 2nd of April 2009. This is one of the key tools in helping achieve the EU's objective of halting biodiversity loss. The guide on sustainable hunting be launched at an official ceremony in Paris by the French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo and the Director General of the Commission's Directorate General for Environment, Karl Falkenberg.

Making Europe the world leader in ICT is the goal of the new strategy proposed on March 13th 2009 by the European Commission. In its Communication, the Commission proposes a strategy to establish Europe's industrial and technology leadership in information and communication technologies (ICT), to make Europe more attractive for ICT investments and skills, and to ensure that its economy and society benefit fully from ICT developments.

MEPs adopted a resolution on the occasion of the V World Water Forum to be held in Istanbul from 16 to March 22. MEPs call for the removal of global subsidies to the distribution of water, because they are leading to artificially low prices and to overexploitation of resources. Moreover, MEPs want the problem of water management and water resources to included in the agenda of the conference on climate change in Copenhagen.

The Official Journal of the European Union of March 13th 2009 has issued a Corrigendum to Call for Proposals EACEA/33/08, under EU-Canada Programme for cooperation in higher  education, training and youth. According to this publication, application deadline is extended until May 8th 2009.

MEPs adopted on March 12th 2009 a report warning about the growing use of online gaming and mobile devices, which make it difficult to control content entering the minors. To resolve this, the EP suggests including a "red button" on computers and consoles, with the parents to block violent games or control access to video games at certain times. The text also encourages the industry to further develop mechanisms of self-contained.

The European Commission's cooperation office, EuropeAid, will hold its first ever "Auction Floor" conference in Brussels on March 13th 2009. A total of 86 projects aiming at protecting biodiversity, conserving forests and promoting sustainable energy as well as fighting climate change, desertification in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe will be presented.

The Official Journal of the European Union, DOUE of March 12, 2009 has published Regulation (EC) No 192/2009 of 11 March 2009 on implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 177/2008 of the European Parliament and Council, which establishes a common framework for business registers for statistical purposes, as regards the exchange of confidential information between the Commission (Eurostat) and Member States.

The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Regulation (EC) Nº 193/2009 and Regulation (EC) Nº 194/2009 imposing respectively, a provisional anti-dumping duty and a provisional countervailing duty, on imports of biodiesel originating in the United States of America. This decisions close the anti-dumping and  anti-subsidy proceedings, initiated by the European Commission on June 2008.

The "Erika III" package, aimed at protecting Europe's coasts from maritime disasters and improving passenger and crew safety, was adopted by the European Parliament on March 11th 2009. The eight regulations and directives will tighten safety requirements for ships flying an EU Member State flag or navigating in European waters and thus help prevent disasters such as the Erika and Prestige shipwrecks from spoiling European coasts.

The European Commission adopted on March 10th 2009, a proposal for an amendment to the 'slots' Regulation which it is submitting to the European Parliament and the Council for urgent adoption. This temporary measure aiming at reducing the effects of economic crisis over the air transport sector, would allow airlines to keep their rights over slots while reducing their activity to meet the current loss of passengers.

The Council of Economics and Finance Ministers, ECOFIN, met in Brussels between March 9th and 10th 2009. During this meeting, which was focused on discussions over the economic situation and outlook in the euro area, in light of the recent economic and financial developments, the Council reached a political agreement on the use of reduced rates of value-added tax (VAT) in certain sectors. Council also endorsed terms of reference for the EU's participation in the meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors on March 14th that will prepare the April London G-20 summit.