European Union News

The Council adopted the regulations establishing general fishing opportunities for 2013. These regulations establish the total allowable catches (TACs) and member states' fishing quotas for 2013 in the areas covered by the regulations.

The European Commission will help respond to the escalating crisis in Mali with €20 million. The new emergency funding will be used to help severely malnourished children, to assist about 100,000 refugees from Mali in neighboring countries, and to provide up to 150,000 people in Mali affected by the ongoing fighting with food and basic services.

According to Eurostat, the EU held Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stocks of €4,983 billion in the rest of the world at the end of 2011, while stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU amounted to €3,807 billion, meaning that the EU is a net investor in the rest of the world.

The 3,000th scientist to receive EU funding to pursue essential research across Europe was reached. The European Research Council (ERC) has marked the occasion, with a symbolic awarding of a grant to Professor Christian Keysers to further his research in the field of empathy and the brain.

The Memorandum of Understanding milestones for January, agreed between Greece and the Troika, have been achieved. The Eurogroup in particular welcomed the adoption of an income tax reform by the Greek authorities. Mr Jeroen Dijsselbloem has been appointed new president.

The European Commission reported that since 2007, €4 billion has been invested on education and literacy in 48 partner countries, enabling more than 9 million pupils to enrol in school and more than 720,000 primary teachers to receive training.

The European Commission welcomed the successful conclusion of the multilateral negotiations to tackle mercury. According to Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, the new Treaty will bring benefits to all populations around the world, including the citizens of the EU given the long distances that mercury can travel in the air.

The Council announced the creation of a Common Security and Defence Policy mission to support the training and reorganisation of the Malian Armed Forces. Brigadier General François Lecointre from France was appointed as the EU mission commander.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) published his 2013 work programme in the area of legislative consultation, including his strategic planning document, which is so-called the Inventory. This document identifies issues of strategic importance that will form the cornerstone of his consultation work for 2013.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an opinion which calls for a speedy implementation of the measures proposed in the Communication on the Governance of the Single Market published by the European Commission and for swift and high-quality legislative responses to improve the overall implementation of EU rules.

The European Parliament endorsed the EU's first economic partnership with an African region deal that grants Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zimbabwe duty- and quota-free access to the EU market.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested €8.7 billion in its traditional area of operations in 2012, financing an unprecedented 388 individual projects. According to its preliminary estimates, that compared with an investment volume of €9 billion in 2011 in 380 projects.