European Union News

On the 3 November 2010 the European Commission organised in Luxembourg a technical workshop on the goals and requirements for a possible pan-European data portal. Experts with practical experience in their respective countries were invited to share their experiences and ideas and concluded that such a portal would add value to existing regional and national initiatives by improving transparency on issues of EU-wide interest.

The Committee of the Regions brought attention during the Plenary Session held at the beginning of December to the fact Europe's regions have a wealth of experience in developing and implementing health strategies that remains untapped at the European level. The Committee also highlighted that the failure to fully involve sub-national authorities as legitimate partners in the development of future initiatives will undermine the European Commission's efforts to improve the quality of healthcare and health services across the EU.

The European Parliament has voted in the Plenary session on 14 December and approved the European Protection Order which seeks to ensure that victims of crimes including violence, harassment, homophobia or white slavery receive the same level of protection against their aggressors in all EU countries. While an agreement with the Belgian Presidency has already been reached, it must still be confirmed by a qualified majority of Member States in the Council.

The European Commission is firmly committed to removing the obstacles faced by citizens who do not live in their country of origin. As part of its concern, the Commission has presented a policy paper with several options on easing the free circulation of documents that are relevant for citizens, such as birth certificates or property deeds, and has launched a consultation on this matter which will be opened until 30 April 2011.

The Council endorsed on 14 December the agreement reached within the EU trilogue with the European Parliament and the Commission on a draft regulation aimed at making it possible for EU citizens to call for legislative proposals to be made on a specific issue. The compromise is expected to be approved in first reading by European Parliament on 15 December.

The award ceremony of the Sahkarov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2010 will most likely take lace with an empty chair, on Wednesday 15 December, in Strasbourg. President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek has expressed his deep regrets that Mr Fariñas has not been given permission to leave Cuba in order to receive the prize in person.

Creative industries account for 3.3 % of total EU GDP and 3 % of employment, and are  among the most dynamic sectors in the EU. This is one of the main conclusions issued from the European Competitiveness Report 2010 which follows up on the elements proposed by the Communication on “An integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era”.

According to the data released by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), total workers' remittances sent to their country of origin amounted in 2009 to 30.3 billion Euro, representing a decrease of about 7% towards previous year. These figures show a shift in the positive trends this economic indicator showed over the last years.

The Official Journal of the European Union published in 11 December 2010, Decision C(2006) 1580 on the adoption of ERC Rules for the submission of proposals and the related evaluation, selection and award procedures for indirect actions under the Ideas Specific Programme of the Seventh Framework Programme. These amendments are based on the experience of the first ERC calls, EU legislative changes as well as observations requested by the ERC Scientific Council.

During a public session held at the Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry, Research and Space) Council, ministers exchanged views on the way forward for the future establishment of a single EU patent system and, in particular, the possibility to starting up an enhanced cooperation between several member states. Italian and Spanish delegations strongly opposed the idea of taking this path.

The European Union is satisfied, in general terms about the results of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico. The Conference ended on 11 December with the adoption of a balanced package of decisions that set all governments more firmly on the path towards a low-emissions future and support enhanced action on climate change in the developing world. However, the EU point out how this two weeks Conference has shown once again how slow and difficult the process to build a comprehensive and legally binding framework for climate action is.

The Council has adopted on 10 December its position on the new EU draft budget for the financial year 2011, approving the informal agreement reached between the Belgian Presidency and the European Parliament at the trilogue of 6 December and paving the way for the final adoption of next year's budget before the end of the year.