European Union News

With its new Strategy on Equal Opportunities, the European Commission seeks to implement a series of measures aiming at achieving a balanced workforce, while promoting a more flexible working environment and ensuring its application at the highest level. Although the efforts put in place since 1995 have paid back, with this Strategy the Commission wants to increase the measures and actions put in place until 2014.

As President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy highlighted in the press conference following the meeting of Heads of State or Government held in Brussels between 16 and 17 December, Member States decided to give Montenegro the status of candidate country to join the European Union. This decision underlines the conviction of the Council that the countries of the Western Balkans have a European vocation.

The European Union's Marie Curie Actions programme, which provides funding for some of the world's best young researchers, is closing year 2010 with a very special milestone which is having funded its 50,000th beneficiary. This figure was at the centre of the Conference celebrated early December where presidents of the Commission and Parliament highlighted that this Programme allows to produce brilliant researchers, who are at the heart of the knowledge-based economy Europe is aiming for.

The Plenary of the European Parliament voted on 16 December in favour of introducing a European Heritage Label for monuments, archaeological sites and cultural or natural places which have played a significant role in history, culture and European integration. This vote supports Commission's proposal to relaunch this European initiative to which can voluntarily be adopted by any EU country.

The European Council meeting in Brussels in the evening of 16 December agreed on the limited Treaty amendment required for Member States to establish a permanent mechanism to safeguard the financial stability of the Eurozone. Heads of State or Government also confirmed the general features of that permanent mechanism and outlined the follow-up of the overall economic strategy which the European Council has been pursuing since the start of the year.

European countries have already set a concrete target to reduce poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million by 2020, and for that purpose the European Commission has put in place the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion putting forward the ways in which it will help Member states to achieve this objective. It is now Member states' turn to move up a gear in fighting social exclusion, for what they will count upon Commission's support mobilising policies like social protection, employment and education, as well as EU funding.

The European Commission has launched two online consultations in order to gather opinion over the future of funding instruments in the field of environment. The first consultation related to the next financial instrument for the environment, which will succeed the LIFE+ instrument after its expiry at the end of 2013. The second one seeks opinions over the financing of Natura 2000 Network. Interested parties may submit their opinions until 15 and 17 February respectively.

In the digital era, the transmission of data is made possible via diverse channels, including wireless communication, optical fibres and storage media. But as changes emerge, so do the needs in this field, and for that purpose the MODE-GAP ('Multi-mode capacity enhancement with PBG -photonic band gap- fibre') project is developing the next generation internet infrastructure to improve the capacity of broadband core networks, making bandwidth 100 times larger than the current capacity.

The key action lines regarding eGoverment put forward by the European Commission include forty specific measures to be implemented over the next five years to enable citizens and businesses to use online services for their interaction with administrations. This Action Plan highlights the benefits that promoting eGovernment can have in helping boost Europe's competitiveness and allow public authorities to offer improved services more cost-effectively at a time of budget constraints.

The European Parliament has adopted the 2011 EU budget at its Plenary Session in Strasbourg on 15 December. This final vote closes a process which was marked by the blockage of negotiations between the Parliament and the Council due to their differences over issues such as the future financial framework and own resources. This adoption avoids a “provisional twelfths” scenario and clarifies future funding for initiatives in areas such as lifelong learning, Daphne programme on violence against women and child, the ICP or the ITER initiative.

Traffickers in human beings are to face tougher penalties for their crime and victims will be entitled to better protection and assistance, under a new EU law approved by the European Parliament. The new rules will apply to trafficking in the sex industry or labour exploitation in, for example, construction work, farming or domestic service.

Following the debate held at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament on 14 December, MEPs rejected the draft Directive providing for the introduction of a single residence and work permit for legal immigrants. Commission must now decide whether to withdraw the proposal ans present a new one or to maintain it, in which case it would return to the Plenary in the coming months.