European Union News

According to the findings put forward by the comprehensive report on the functioning of the Guarantee Fund, the new provisioning mechanism has delivered the promised improvement in the budgetary process with a provisioning based on the observed net-disbursements. This, as shown by the report, has resulted in an improved budgetary process for provisioning the Fund.

The Official Journal of the European Union publishes on 6 August 2010, Directive 2010/45/EU of 7 July 2010 on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation. In addition to its main concern, the security and quality of human organs, the Directive also contributes indirectly to combating organ trafficking by introducing a series of mechanisms aiming to it.

The Commission adopted a Communication to the European Parliament and to the Council on medical applications of ionizing radiation. It proposes a way forward to resolve the urgent issue of shortage of supply of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. The Communication also identifies key issues to improve radiation protection of patients and medical staff, to avoid a rise in population exposure associated with treatments and an increase of accidental or unintended exposures in radiotherapy.

As established in the Agreement signed on 1 December 2008, the Official Journal of the EU has announced the entry into force of the Agreement between the European Community and Australia on trade in wine, for next 1 September 2010. This Agreement aims to facilitate and promote wine trade between the Community and Australia.

Compiled by the European Commission, the aim of the 'World and European Sustainable Cities' report is to encourage a shift towards a culture of economic, social and environmental sustainability.The publication examines how continuous urbanisation can be reconciled with sustainable and inclusive growth.

Member States are using the enhanced cooperation procedure to push forward with rules allowing international couples to select which country's law would apply to their divorce. The Regulation which applies this mechanism for the first time must now be approved by the participating 14 countries during an upcoming Council meeting before it can definitely enter into force.

According to the analysis put forward by the Commission's in-house scientific service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), European total cereal production in 2010 should be close to the average from the last five years, despite extreme weather suffered by most EU countries this year. This forecast, published periodically by the JRC, is based on the analysis made by the Centre using an advanced crop yield forecasting system.

In response to the worsening food crisis affecting the Sahel and Sudan, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Kristalina Georgieva announced that the European Commission has proposed an additional 40 million Euro package in humanitarian funding to be drawn from the EU budget's Emergency Aid Reserve.

On 4 August 2010, Directive 2010/41/EU on self-employed workers and assisting spouses has definitely entered into force. This legal provision will grant self-employed workers and their partners better social protection, including the right to maternity leave for the first time. Member states will have two years to transpose these new provisions to their respective national legal systems.

During the summer season Europe hosts numerous cultural events in many different cities all around its geography. In those festivals, European citizens have the opportunity to enjoy a full range of cultural programmes of theatre, music or dance, in the most varied styles and many different places.

A joint mission to Romania from the European Commission services, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank concluded that conditions for the third disbursement of the EU Balance of Payments assistance programme were met. Although important efforts are made by Romanian authorities some measures are still to be put in place in order to meet all EU requirements.

The Commission has welcomed the Municipality of Lloret de Vistalegre on the island of Majorca as the 5.000th authority to sign up for the Internal Market Information (IMI) system. The system is currently being used for administrative cooperation in the context of the recognition of professional qualifications and the provision of cross-border services under the Services Directive, providing service for those modules to 870 and more than 4.800 authorities respectively. 400 authorities and IMI coordinators have access to the system for both legislative areas.