European Union News

€113 million is the total quantity allocated for the 2012 programme for the supply of food for the most deprived persons in the European Union. In recent years, €500 million was granted but a ruling by the Court of Justice in April stating that the current regulation requires the food covered by this scheme to come from EU public stocks. This is the reason why the 2012 scheme is exclusively based on all the available existing intervention stocks.

Ministers agreed that the required additional funding has to be financed through both official and private sources and welcomed the pursuit of voluntary private sector involvement in the form of informal and voluntary roll-overs of existing Greek debt. They also underlined the prerequisite of national unity for success given the length, magnitude and nature of required reforms in Greece.

A large majority of Europeans agree that using natural resources more efficiently and protecting the environment can boost economic growth in the EU. 90% of respondents in every single Member State to the latest survey by the European Commission shows that the environment is an important personal concern. They also believe that despite the economic crisis, almost nine in ten Europeans think EU funding should be allocated to support environmentally friendly activities.

After a discussion in the Council on 17 June showed diverging views between ministers, with some even proposing to stop trying to reach a deal, the MEP responsible on maternity leave report, Edite Estrela, criticised the lack of progress by Member States on plans to modernise existing legislation on the subject.

The awards to the creators of the best online content, intelligent games, interactive online magazines or websites aimed at under 12 year olds, were given by Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda. In total, the Commission, together with Safer Internet Centres from 14 countries, received 780 projects in response to the "Best children's online content" competition, designed to encourage the creation of quality content and to highlight the existing potential for kids online.

EP Foreign Affairs Committee welcomed Serbia's arrest of Ratko Mladić but warned that its path to the EU is still long, stressing that another Serb leader indicted for war crimes, Goran Hadžić, was still on the run. Also, MEPs praised the Hungarian Presidency's efforts to complete EU enlargement negotiations with Croatia by end of June.

The pilot phase of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid, the European Volunteers Corp was launched in Budapest, at a conference organised by the European Commission and the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union. The European Commission is now starting the practical implementation of the initiative by selecting, training and deploying the first team of European humanitarian volunteers.

The EASO, the European Asylum Support Office, is from now fully operational. The EASO is established with the aim of enhancing practical cooperation on asylum matters, and helping Member States fulfil their European and international obligations to give protection to people in need.

On 16 June, the Internal Market Committee voted in a deal with the Council and the Commission on rules to protect consumers better and ensure clear common conditions for firms competing in the single market.

In a meeting held in Brussels between the presidents of associations representing local and regional authorities, the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, local and regional leaders asked Barroso to put forward ambitious EU budget proposals in order to stimulate the economy. In addition, they called to consider their role in Europe 2020 strategy.

A new Eurobarometer survey on attitudes towards data protection and electronic identity released by the European Commission shows that three out of four Europeans accept that revealing personal data is part of everyday life, but they are also worried about how companies, including search engines and social networks, use their information.

European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes awarded prizes to the winners of the Open Data Challenge and Hack4Europe! competitions at the Digital Agenda Assembly. European public bodies produce thousands of datasets every year - from how our tax money is spent to the quality of the air we breathe. This data can be reused in products such as car navigation systems, weather forecasts, and travel information apps.