European Union News - April 2012

The European Commission presented a new initiative to help achieve energy access for an additional 500 million people in developing countries by 2030. The proposal includes a new EU Technical Assistance Facility worth €50 million over the next two years, which will support those developing partners that "opt in" to the initiative by providing EU expertise in the field.

According to a report from the European Commission, improving equality between women and men is essential to the EU's response to the current economic crisis. The report highlights that one of the way's of improving Europe's competitiveness is to obtain better balance between women and men in economic decision-making positions.

According to a report published by the European Commission, six Member States combine virtually zero landfilling and high recycling rates. They achieved it by making prevention, reuse and recycling more economically attractive through a selection of economic instruments. The report shows that the best performers did it by combining economic instruments to get resources.

The organisers of the MEDEA Awards have just launched 2012’s call for entries which will be opened until 17 of September. The MEDEA Awards recognise and promote innovation and good practice in the use of digital moving images and sound in education,
as well as excellence in the production and pedagogical design of media-rich learning resources.

The course from CEPOL, the European Police College on identifying and fighting counterfeit medicine and pharmaceutical crime and organised by the Central Office for Coordinating Environment and Health Crime in France on 26-30 March, attracted fourteen participants from eleven different Member States. Participants enjoyed of a comprehensive overview of the different aspects of this kind of organised crime.

A new report examining the capital needs of small business in developing countries highlights that international finance institutions, such as the European Investment Bank (EIB), stimulates small business lending by effective and cost-efficient cooperation with local partner banks, applying strict lending standards and using expertise from similar situations in other markets.

A team of researchers from the UK and France have identified a link between a chromosomal abnormality and a greater risk of dying in children suffering from a deadly form of brain cancer. The European scientists states that their research results could develop a new diagnostic test more precisely.

According to a Commission's report, half of European countries are engaged in a process of educational reforms which include the strengthening of entrepreneurship education. The report also highlights that entrepreneurship education is being increasingly promoted in most European countries.

Bristol, Copenhagen and Frankfurt are the cities proposed by an independent panel of experts to become the Europe's Green Capital for 2014. In 2012, the current holder is Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, and Nantes, who will hold the title in 2013.

The Danish Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament's negotiating team agreed on giving more and powers to the European Agency for Maritime Safety (EMSA) to step up cooperation against piracy, prevent maritime pollution, improve training for seafarers and help establish an EU maritime space without barriers. The informal deal needs to be formally approved by the Council and the Parliament.

Europeana, which is a single access point to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe, will now count with Films about World War 1 that have never been seen outside a cinema or on television. These films are going to be available on the internet for the first time ever.

According to the EU High Representative, Catherine Asthon, the EU wants to go beyond its traditional donor-recipient relationship with Pacific islands, and develop a more comprehensive partnership which can successfully address issues of global importance such as climate change. The EU therefore proposes to renew its EU-Pacific development partnership so that economic growth goes hand in hand with good governance, sustainability and shared responsibilities for common goods.