European Union News - 16 January 2012

The European Defence Agency presented the European Defence Standards Reference system (EDSTAR) portal which replaces the European Handbook for Defence Procurement (EHDP). The new portal contains references to “Best practice” standards and "standard-like" specifications. EDSTAR is to be used by governmental organisations and defence industry for the procurement of defence materiel (including development and production).

The Eurobarometer presented by the European Parliament shows that 49% of Europeans interviewed felt that Parliament should focus first on the fight against poverty and social inclusion. The survey also found that 40% of Europeans would like to receive more information from the European Parliament on possible ways to tackle the crisis.

According to a study published by Science and co-authored by the Joint Research Centre, a limited number of air quality measures can substantially mitigate global warming and have significant benefits for human health and agriculture. In particular, the scientists identified 14 emission control measures that, according to the study, can best help to limit global warming and improve health and food security in the coming decades.

According to the results of a Commission's study, 85% of net new jobs1 in the EU between 2002 and 2010 were created by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Overall, the employment growth for SMEs (with 1% annually) was higher than for large enterprises with 0.5%. A clear exception is the trade sector, in which employment in SMEs increased by 0.7% annually, compared to 2.2% in large enterprises.
 

The biannual information on euro banknote counterfeiting shows that the overall quantity of counterfeits withdrawn from circulation in 2011 was 19.3% lower compared with the figures for 2010. In addition, the European Central Bank also announced that the number of monetary financial institutions in the euro area and in the EU decreased further in 2011.

The European Commission presented a new Eurobarometer survey in which it assures that Europeans are ready for 'active ageing'. In particular, over 60% believe that we should be allowed to continue working after retirement age and one third says that they would like to work longer themselves. For most citizens, people aged 55 years and older play a major role in key areas of society.