European Union News

An international ministerial conference on the topic of 'Religious Freedom in Democratic Societies' is being held in Cordoba, Spain in the context of the UN Alliance of Civilisations National Plan. The conference will be jointly hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior.

More than 500 European mayors will commit to cut CO2 emissions by more than 20% by 2020. By signing the Covenant of Mayors, they pledge to save energy, foster renewable energy and raise awareness among their citizens. They will sign the declaration in the presence of EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain.

The European Commission encourages the creation of a joint program between the member states to promote research and prevention of diet-related diseases.It will identify the needs and objectives in this field through a strategic agenda.

On World Press Freedom Day on 3 May the Commission officially launches the Lorenzo Natali Prize for 2010. The international prize is awarded in partnership with Reporters Without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers to the best journalism on development, democracy and human rights.

Speaking at the European Patent Forum on Thursday, Spain's Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Miguel Sebastián, announced that the processing time for renewable energy patents will be cut from the current 33-month period to no more than 12 months.

The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency are organising a major Stakeholder Conference on the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in La Coruña, Spain. Representatives from European institutions, national administrations, the fisheries sector, the scientific community and non-governmental organisations will attend and the conference is open to the press.

The European Commission has published a Eurobarometer survey showing that an overwhelming majority of Europeans would find it useful to have European legislation on radioactive waste management. The concern for the safety risk related to radioactive waste is shared both in countries with nuclear power plants and those with no nuclear energy.

The European Commission has unveiled a plan to simplify the procedures for taking part in EU-funded research projects. The overall aim is to make participation transparent and attractive to the best researchers and innovative companies in Europe and beyond.

A network of international, world-class web researchers has created an alliance to support research and education programmes into web science. The Web Science Trust Network of Laboratories (WSTNet) will count some of the leading academic researchers in web science among its members and will help enhance the growing influence of the Web.

The European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commission have honoured the five prizewinners from Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Canada at a gala ceremony in Madrid under the presence of Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias.

The Justice and Home Affairs Council agreed on a mandate to open new negotiations on an EU-US agreement on bank data transfers under the US Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP).

This strategy is laid down in a Communication, tabled by the European Commission today. It delivers on the consensus between Member States and European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani's commitment to move on from short-term recovery measures to a medium-term orientation that strengthens the competitiveness of the European automotive industry by linking it to clean technologies. The strategy also contributes to the Europe 2020 objectives of smart and sustainable growth. It contains an Action Plan composed of concrete and ambitious measures to be implemented by the Commission.