European Union News

New approaches for measuring biomarkers for diagnostics and a sophisticated system for integrating the information analytically are the achievements of a team of EU-funded researchers. This team has developed a new system, which offers researchers an objective method for measuring the patient's state of Alzheimer's disease.

The task force set up by the European Commission on the future of the European Research Council (ERC) has recommended a number of changes designed to reinforce the ERC's flexibility, efficiency and autonomy and to make it easier for researchers to apply for and manage ERC grants. Among the changes, the task force recommends from 2014 a quasi-full time role for the President of the ERC, who chairs its Scientific Council, which sets the organisation's scientific and research policy.

A report from the Commission reveals the need of a tougher action across the European Union to tackle the growing problem of new synthetic drugs entering the market. The EU indentified a record number of 41 such psychoactive substances, which imitate the effects of dangerous drugs like ecstasy or cocaine and are sold legally, in 2010, up from 24 the previous year. 

Finance Ministers from the Euro area countries met on 11 July in order to discussed the issues related to the implementation of the decision of the European Council on a new programme for Greece and we also exchanged views on recent developments in the euro-area. Ministers commit to continue negotiating with the European Parliament the legislative proposals to reinforce economic governance in the European Union in order to agree on an ambitious reform as soon as possible.

The European Commission has foreseen to increase from 400,000 recipients per year now to almost 800,000 in future, the number of young people, teachers and researchers who get EU grants for study and training abroad. In addition, among their plans as part of the Commission's proposal, a new programme for education, training and youth would allocate €15.2 billion (+73%) over seven years. The Commission will present detailed proposals for the new programmes in the autumn.

A new study published by the European Commission reveals that while most European countries have made progress in developing literacy policies, they often lack focus on the groups most at risk, such as boys, children from disadvantaged households and migrant children. By 2020, the EU has set a target to reduce the share of poor readers from 20% to less than 15%. Only Belgium (Flemish Community), Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Poland have already achieved this target so far.

The renewal of European Union's development policy, Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations and the participation of non-state actors in their implementation, support to farmers as a key aspect of food security strategies, and participatory democracy were the main topics discussed at the 26th meeting of ACP-EU economic and social interest groups.

European Defence Agency (EDA), based on a new task granted to this agency from the Lisbon Treaty, seeks to find Effective Procurement Methods which focuses on the development of innovative ways to consolidate the demand side of the European Defence Equipment Market. The main focus for the EDA in this initiative is the consolidation of demand for European defence equipment, and indeed the identification of current common demand.

According to the conclusions of the Advocate General, Verica Trstenjak, following to the case-law of the Court of Justice, the workers right to annual leave is inviolable even in cases of long-term illness. In addition, a limit of 18 months, on expiry of which entitlement to leave or to the allowance in lieu of leave is extinguished, is sufficient.

GREEN EMOTION is an initiative which has as main goal to get electric vehicles onto the roads in all over Europe. This is a pan-European research effort that it is funded in part with €24 million from the European Commission.

The latest International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) report provides major insight into how the burden of this physical ailment across the continent has been highly underestimated. It reveals that in 2010 some 2.5 million new fragility fractures emerged in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom alone. The European Union' report investigates two key components of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in Europe: epidemiology and health economics.

The Commission is reviewing the current EU laws on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) disease, the so-called mad cow disease and MEPs wants that any change to BSE safety rules must maintain high animal and public health standards. However, the Parliament considers that the ban on feeding animal protein to non-ruminants, such as pigs, lift if further safeguards are put in place.