European Union News

With view to lay down general rules governing the agreements with third countries concerning the exchange of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, the European Commission adopted on 21 September a series of measures which define EU external strategy, as well as recommendations for the negotiation of agreements with third countries.

The European Commission has adopted on 21 September a five-year strategy for promoting equality between women and men in Europe. With this strategy, based in five top priorities, the Commission aims for a better use of women's potential, contributing to the EU's overall economic and social goals.

The European Parliament has backed a set of proposals aiming to encourage cross-border e-trading and build consumer confidence. In this proposal, MEPs call to put in place measures in order to increase transparency and foster cross-border payment systems.

The European Commission has announced the launch of the contest “Young Reporters Against Poverty”, inviting all journalism students in EU Member States to send in a report on development issues to be selected to cover the European Development Days in Brussels in December. Works can be submitted by 29 October.

President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, announced in his statement at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in New York on 20 September 2010, that the European Union will be contributing to the most committed and needy countries an MDG initiative amounting to 1 billion Euro to make progress on those goals.

The European Commission has been tackling the urbanisatios issue head-on. It recently published the 'World and European Sustainable Cities' report, which highlights European research activities designed to reconcile urbanisation with the need for sustainable and inclusive growth.

During the second day of the Conference on Energy challenges facing European Industry, several experts and speakers stressed that the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 is technically and financially achievable.

The European Commission has presented three complementary measures adopted in order to facilitate the roll out and take up of fast and ultra-fast broadband in the Union. The package adopted comprises a Commission Recommendation on regulated access to Next Generation Access (NGA), a proposal for a Decision to establish a Radio Spectrum Policy Programme and a Broadband Communication outlining how best to encourage public and private investment in high and ultra-high speed networks.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 18 September 2010 EC Regulation Nº 821/2010 implementing Regulation Nº 808/2004 concerning Community statistics on the information society. This Regulation establishes the rules concerning a common framework for the systematic production of European statistics on the information society.

The fight against prejudice and hostile attitudes towards the Roma is at the heart of a draft Committee of the Regions (CoR) opinion proposing practical measures to improve the integration of the Roma population. Supporting the Commission's position on this matter, the EU's Assembly of Regional and Local Representatives calls on Member States, regions and local authorities to apply with vigour the fundamental rights enshrined in the European treaties and to combat all forms of discrimination directed against the Roma people.

The European Commission completed on 17 September the launch of the CO2 capture and storage (CCS) Project Network, the EU tool that supports early large-scale demonstration of technologies, which will accelerate learning and ensure that the Commission can assist CCS to safely fulfil its potential and become a commercially viable technology. The CCS is the world's first network of CCS demonstration projects to foster knowledge sharing and raise public understanding of the role of CCS in cutting CO2 emissions.

The European Commission adopted on 17 September a proposal to provide better rail services for passenger and freight users by increasing competition on the railway market, strengthening the power of national regulators and improving the framework for investment in rail.