European Union News

The meeting of European Justice and Home Affairs ministers ended without achieving an agreement on the question of Schengen accession of Bulgaria and Romania. On the other hand, they adopted a decision on the signature of the EU-Australia PNR agreement and discussed the stated of play regarding the Common European Asylum System.

On the opinion adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee members during its plenary session underlined that the Single European Sky II package must be implemented quickly, otherwise the air traffic management system in the EU risks falling behind in the global market.

The draft agreement reached between the EP and the Council on the European Protection Order will make possible that Crime victims who have been granted protection in one EU Member State will be able to get similar protection if they move to another. This protection would cover, for instance, victims of gender violence, harassment, abduction, stalking or attempted murder.

EESC members approved on 21 September two opinions to enforce the fundamental rights of EU citizens and combat the exclusion of people with disabilities. The EESC believes that the legally-binding obligation to promote fundamental rights must lead to concrete activities. Furthermore, the EESC warns against any cuts in social expenditure due to austerity measures in times of crisis.

A team of scientists of the ATPBone project, the largest European bone biology and osteoporosis research project, was able to demonstrate that physical activity and other stimuli to the bones induce the release of the biochemical compound ATP, which compound regulates bone turnover through action on the so-called purinergic receptors, which have been shown to be present on bone cells. Findings from EU-funded research have demonstrated how the exercise prevents osteoporosis and it could lead to new treatments for osteoporosis sufferers.

According to the latest data released by Eurostat, the euro area industrial new orders index fell by 2.1% and in the EU new orders decreased by 0.8% in July 2011 compared with June 2011. Excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders rose by 1.4% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU.

An additional €1bn will be allocated by the European Commission in order to improve supply of water and sanitation, support maternal health and contribute to fight against child mortality and hunger. These are part of the Millennium Development Goals to which the EU is fully commit to achieve. The European Commission is finalising the identification of the projects presented by African, Caribbean and Pacific countries themselves.

The European Commission published a communication in which it invites to public and private actors to join forces at European level to apply research and innovation solutions to major challenges facing society. Furthermore the Commission works in some proposals in this sense that will form part of the Commission's Horizon 2020 package later this year.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting concluded with the doubt to reach a further agreement on the distribution of food products for the most deprived in the UE. In addition, the ministers discussed the energy use of biomass of agricultural origin and were briefed on the crisis in the fruit and vegetables sector and on the complementary national direct payments in 2012.

Civil society organisations from the EU and Turkey have made a joint statement in which they call on both parties to move the accession process forward. They also call for the independence of the country's professional organisations following the forthcoming reform of Turkey's constitution.

The European Commission adopted a policy document to further improve the recognition and promotion of volunteering in the EU. In the Communication published, the Commission outlines ways for the EU and its Member States to start fully exploiting the great potential offered by volunteering activities, such as the creation of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps and the development of a 'European Skills Passport'.

The Commission presided the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which libraries, publishers, authors, and their collecting societies have agreed to a set of Key Principles that will give European libraries and similar cultural institutions the possibility to digitise and make available on line out-of-commerce books and learned journals which are part of their collections.