European Union News

The proposed regulations presented by the European Commission lay down the terms and conditions for obtaining unitary patent protection, its legal effects and the applicable translation arrangements. According to the Commission, this will radically reduce the cost of patents in Europe by up to 80%. EC also hopes that Spain and Italy, who are not yet among the participants, will join the enhanced cooperation.

European Commission presented twelve instruments for the 2012 European Single Market with the theme 'together for new growth'.  The Single Market Act adopted by the European Commission aims to deliver twelve projects on which to relaunch the Single Market for 2012 in order to “make life easier for businesses, citizens, consumers and workers”.

The European Commission has presented its proposal to overhaul -today outdated- rules on the taxation of energy products in the European Union. The revised Energy Taxation Directive will allow Member States to make the best possible use of taxation and support "sustainable growth".    Besides, it will favour renewable energy sources and encourage the consumption of energy sources emitting less CO2.

Raising $100 billion per year by 2020 in developing countries “will be challenging but it can be done” according to a European Commission staff working document on "Scaling up international climate finance after 2012". The staff working report also states that it is possible if the right balance is struck between public funding, funding raised from international carbon markets, as well as private funds, partly leveraged by development banks.

European Parliament president, Jerzy Buzek, said that the crisis which is suffering in Ivory Coast could have been avoided if Mr Gbagbo had accepted the democratic will of the people. After the arrest of defeated Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo on 11 April, Buzek called on incoming President Alassane Ouattara to foster national reconciliation but to ensure that crimes against civilians are punished.

25 winners from 14 countries across the three categories have been awarded this year's edition of the energy efficiency awards which is managed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission's in-house science arm.

Running from 11 to 15 April, the EU Sustainable Energy Week will feature this year nearly 150 events in Brussels and over 450 Energy Days throughout 43 countries in Europe and around the Mediterranean, with more than 30,000 participants. This includes presentations of new projects, debates and conferences. The core event will take place in Brussels in order to debate on the best use of energy efficiency and renewable energy across Europe.

The information and communication technologies (ICT) applied to the heathcare sector (so-called 'eHealth')- can help to deliver widespread benefits to the quality and efficiency. European Commission has launched a public consultation in order to know citizens' and other interested parties' views on this topic.

The European Union has adopted a series of rules in order to tighten the controls over fishing activities, from those carried out by fishermen operating illegally, to the marketing of these products in the Union. These new rules will allow Member states to step up efforts against overfishing in their waters, strengthening the traceability in the food chain and contributing to a more sustainable fisheries sector as a whole.

In the framework of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme, researchers from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany have developed a new space surveillance system to keep abreast of the increasing quantities of space debris floating around the orbital highway.

European arrest warrant provides an efficient tool for extraditing people suspected of an offence from one EU country to another. The Commission's report assesses how Member States have implemented the European arrest warrant since 2007 and concludes that even if it fights cross-border crime, EU Member States can improve how the system operates.

According to a Eurobarometer study, less than 50% of EU consumers surveyed felt confident, knowledgeable and protected as consumers. Results show that consumer awareness and skills are worryingly low. Empowered consumers find it easy to identify the best offer, know better their rights and seek redress when things go wrong.