European Union News - March 2011

After 1000 days in business, the Enterprise Europe Network has helped more than 2.5 million companies to make the most of the Single Market. Europe’s largest business support network contributes to the competitiveness of SMEs by making it easier for them to internationalise, innovate and access EU finance and funding. Close to 600 major players in the business support community have linked up in the Network to offer a one-stop service to help companies reach their full potential.

The European Commission has announced its support to the cross-European electromobility initiative, Green eMotion, by collaborating with the other 42 partners from the industries, utilities, electric car manufacturers, municipalities, universities and technology and research institutions. The European Commission will make available 24.2 million euro from the 7th Framework Programme, in a total budget for the project estimated at 41.8 million euro.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation SAFRAN's proposed acquisition of the solid rocket propulsion business of French state-owned SNPE, composed of SNPE's subsidiary SNPE Matériaux Energétiques, SME and SNPE's participation in REGULUS, a joint venture between SNPE and the Italian company Avio. After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

The first roadshow of the Erster Weltkrieg Project taking place in Frankfurt am Main on 31 March represents the first milestione of this initiative launched by Europeana. The project, promoted by the European digital archive Europeana, has brought together the German National Library and Oxford University in order to collaborate and  roll out the Great War Archive initiated by the University of Oxford, bringing German stories online alongside their British counterparts in a 1914-18 archive.

The European Commission has open the registration period for the 3rd  EU Health Prize for Journalists. This prize aims to raise awareness on health issues by showcasing the talents of the best health journalists from across the 27 Member States. Under the same theme than the previous two prizes 'Europe for Patients', this year the Prize also includes the topic of pharmaceuticals.

About a half of Europe’s population lives in towns of between 2,000 and 50,000 inhabitants. For that reason it was absolutely necessary to give a united voice to carry their specific messages to the European institutions. This is the purpose behind the creation of the Confederation of Small Towns and Municipalities of the European Union (CTME), whose president will be the alternate member of the CoR and president of the Midi-Pyrenees Regional Council and of the French association of small towns (APVF), Martin Malvy.

In the occasion of the celebration of the 2011 Aeronautical Days held in Madrid on 30 March 2011, Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, presented a new long-term vision prepared by a high-level group on aviation and aeronautics research. Organised by the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and the Commission, the 2011 Aerodays provide an opportunity to present and disseminate information about EU-funded results of research and technological development activities.

Education Ministers discussed active citizenship education, and related educational policy objectives, at an informal meeting held in Gödöllő (Hungary) on 29 March 2011. Acting as the chair of the meeting, Hungarian Minister of State Rózsa Hoffmann, raised the question whether European educational systems prepare the youth appropriately to become active and responsible citizens.

As EU environment ministers met for an informal two-day council meeting in Hungary, Committee of the Regions' President Mercedes Bresso highlighted the vital importance of involving local and regional authorities within sustainable development programmes, proposing to enlarge the scope of the Covenant of Mayors from energy savings to the entire Resource efficient Europe agenda, in particular with regard to sustainable water management. President Bresso also suggested the use of EU Project Bonds in the sector of eco-infrastructures.

EU budget fir year 2012 should be one of the main tools for helping Europe's economy to recover after the crisis, by focusing on employment, economic governance and growth. This is the main idea put forward by the European Commission at its Plenary session held in Brussels on 24 March. In this session, MEPs voted on a Resolution setting out their recommendations to the Commission which is an early signal about their wishes and priorities for next year's budget.

According to the data released by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) in 2010, there were 257,800 asylum applicants registered in the whole European Union, which amounts to 515 applicants per million inhabitants. These figures show a slight decrease regarding application for asylum registered the previous year which amounted to 264,000 applicants.

A European Treasury, tax harmonisation, euro bonds and increased EU expenditure to finance investments in research and development, infrastructure and energy projects is needed to ensure the EU's future competitiveness and sustainable growth, suggests the first draft of what is to become the final report by Committee on Financial, Economic and Social Crisis.