European Union News

The European Parliament has voted favourably to a resolution on the adoption of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). In this resolution, however, the Parliament asks the Commission to confirm that ACTA’s implementation will have no impact on fundamental rights and data protection, on the ongoing EU efforts to harmonise intellectual property rights enforcement measures, or on e-commerce.

Negotiators of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission reached on 24 November a political consensus on the text of the Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protection of victims. This legal provision constitutes the first agreement between the Council and the European Parliament on an equal footing in the area of substantive criminal law after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

Slumbering volcanoes keep scientists on their toes, as questions about if and when they will erupt never cease. Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano that threw European aviation into a tailspin last spring, is a prime example of how volcanologists were aware that something was brewing inside the mountain that had lain dormant for two centuries. New research suggests that the culprit responsible for waking Eyjafjallajökull from its sleep was the magma flowing beneath it.

The European Parliament awarded on 24 November in a special ceremony this year's LUX Cinema Prize to "Die Fremde", by German woman director Feo Aladağ. The film highlights the problem of "honour killings" by depicting the drama of a Turkish family living in Germany.

The European Commission has acted against all 27 Member States in its monthly package of infringement decisions. The Commission has taken 317 decisions regarding a full range of sectors and having, in some cases, financial penalties. With these reports, Commission seeks to ensure that Member States apply EU law properly and in due time, for the benefit of citizens.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 24 November the Commission Decision of 22 November 2010 establishing the European Union Ecolabelling Board. This document establishes the representation that different consumer and business organizations as well as ONGs will hold within this body.

The European Parliament's plenary session housed on November 23 a debate with the European Commission and the Belgian presidency of the Union, where its position on the deadlock of EU budget for 2011 remained unchanged. In his speech before the debate, the president of the Commission, Durao Barroso announced that the College of Commissioners is preparing a new draft budget to be submitted on 1 December which is expected to be approved within next 15 days.

FP7 is on course and is clearly making a significant contribution to European science and the development of the European Research Area. This is one of the key messages to emerge from the interim evaluation of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which includes some recommendations aimed at solving some of the problems identified such as simplification or coordination with other programmes.

Trying to bridge the gap between education, training and employment is one of the fundamental objectives of the agenda for new skills and jobs submitted by the European Commission on 23 November. While some 23 million citizens are unemployed, employers still express certain difficulties in recruiting. For that reason, the Agenda proposes a set of 13 actions to reform labour markets and improve skills and employability of European workers.

Following the mandate if the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Commission has adopted on 23 November a Communication aiming to establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps. By this means, the Commission intends to enhance existing voluntary schemes through selection, training and deployment of volunteers.

The European Parliament has voted on Plenary session in favour of extending the deadline proposed by the European Commission for granting aid to non-competitive coal mines. MEPs considered that the deadline should be extended until 31 December 2018, given the serious consequences especially for some EU regions of implementing these new rules.

A new scientific facility to develop measurement standards in challenging areas such as life sciences was inaugurated on 23 November at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Geel (Belgium). These research facilities will enable the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) to remain at the forefront of measurement science, by developing internationally-recognised measurement standards.