EU News - 17 February 2012

The Court of Justice clears that a social network cannot be obliged to install a filtering system to protect copyrights

A Court of Justice judgment clears that the owner of an online social network cannot be obliged to install a general filtering system in order to prevent the unlawful use of musical and audio-visual work. Such an obligation would not be respecting the prohibition to impose on that provider a general obligation to monitor nor the requirement that a fair balance be struck between the protection of copyright and the freedom to conduct business, the right to protection of personal data and the freedom to receive or impart information.

Read more …

New rules approved by MEPs seek that dairy farmers get fair prices for their raw milk

The European Parliament approved a new regulation that boosts dairy farmers' bargaining power to get fair prices for their raw milk and help them prepare for the end of milk quotas in 2015. To enter into force, the new regulation still needs to be formally endorsed by the Council. It will apply until the end of June 2020.

Read more …

Member States will have an environmental impact assessment more user friendly

The European Commission as brought together all existing EU legislation governing environmental impact assessments in order to create a more compact, clearly translated and user-friendly version which comes into force on 17 February 2012. Thus, the administrative burden is reduced and also it helps Member States' authorities and developers to carry out the assessments.

Read more …

MEPs ask for an exception to copyright rules to ensure blind people's access to books

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it calls on the Council and Commission to support a binding international treaty to make possible the access to books and other published works in special formats to blind people. The resolution says that to make it possible it is required a targeted exception to copyright rules.

Read more …

Eurobonds and unblocking the directive on bank deposit guarantee schemes are MEPs priorities

MEPs at the plenary session voted to require riskier banks to contribute more to the schemes than others and say that funding for each scheme should equal 1.5% of the deposits that it covers. In addition, bank deposit guarantee schemes must return €5,000 of a depositor's money within a week of being asked, wherever a struggling bank is unable to do so. They also consider that it are needed shorter-term solutions and Eurobonds for Eurozone stability.

Read more …

Regions and cities want to play a major role in the exercise of European governance

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) wants to ensure that cities and regions are more involved in framing, implementing and evaluating EU policies with a territorial impact, and will lay the necessary foundations for the success of those policies. The opinion adopted within its plenary session recommends new measures to consolidate the exercise of European governance.

Read more …