European Union News

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik is participating in a high level seminar in Brussels to help member states that are lagging behind in sustainable waste management practices. The aim is to help optimise their waste policies through tailored Roadmaps with practical recommendations, focusing on the effective implementation of EU waste legislation.

MEPs at the Budgetary Control Committee in the European Parliament approved the European Commission's management of EU spending under the 2011 budget. MEPs also underlined that spending by member states' administrations under the "shared management" regime - accounting for 80% of the EU budget - had not improved.

Following a teleconference held by the Eurogroup on the evening of the 18 March with regard to the economic situation in Cyprus, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup, stressed that the Eurogroup continues to be of the view that small depositors should be treated differently from large depositors and reaffirms the importance of fully guaranteeing deposits below €100.000.

The European Commission announced that it is working with 27 of the world's leading tech companies and associations to measure their carbon footprint arising from the production, transport and sales of ICT goods, networks and services. The next step in this European Commission initiative is to get the ICT and relevant industries to put these methods into everyday use.

The European Commission announced the allocation of €200 million to the Neighbourhood Investment Facility with the objective of leveraging investments from EU development banks. The planned investments will target energy and transport projects establishing infrastructure interconnections between the EU and neighbouring countries.

Commission's Vice Presidents Olli Rehn and Antonio Tajani have made a joint statement in which remains the Late Payments Directive, that must have been transposed and applied as of 16 March 2013, does not necessarily apply to the outstanding stock of commercial debt. In particular, in the case of Italy, the authorities have decided that the new rules will apply only to contracts signed since 1 January 2013.

Eurofound’s report finds that the destruction of employment during the crisis has been sharpest in mid-paying jobs, while sparing in large part jobs at either end of the wage distribution. Higher paid jobs in service sectors in particular have proved most resilient.

Euro zone leaders welcomed in a statement the political agreement reached with the Cypriot authorities on the cornerstones of the policy conditionality underlying a future macroeconomic adjustment programme. The measures agreed include the introduction of an upfront one-off stability levy applicable to resident and non-resident depositors.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) stressed at the European Consumer Day celebrated on 14 March 2013, that increased consumer confidence and empowerment can help boost the Single Market. It also underlined that there can be no compromise on consumer product safety.

The European Commission published three calls for proposals that inviting bids for the final tranche of Marie Curie fellowship grants, and to support the mobility of researchers within and beyond Europe - as well as helping to attract the best foreign researchers to work in the EU. The application process runs until 14 August 2013.

The European Commission announced the creation of a new High Level Group (HLG) to examine the challenges facing the business services sector and the obstacles to a well-functioning single market in this field.

How to better involve workers' and employers' representatives in the governance of the EU and in particular, the Economic Monetary Union (EMU), was at the centre of the debate held with the occasion of the Tripartite Social Summit celebrated ahead of the European Council meeting.