European Union News

Accesion negotiations among EU and Croatia have moved one great step forward thanks to a a provisional agreemet on free movement of goods

Deadline for applications for the 2011 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage is 1 October 2010. Each year, Europa Nostra and the European Union reward the best of cultural heritage achievements with these prizes.

The informal meeting of EU sports ministers, which ended on Wednesday, concluded with a "unanimous agreement" on the creation of a "structured dialogue" group between all levels of sport, according to the Spanish Secretary of State for Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky.

The European Commission has adopted an ambitious action plan for EU action to speed up progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2009, the EU aid level has slightly decreased and amounted €49bn. This corresponds to 0.42% of EU GNI, making the EU still far from meeting the intermediate collective target of 0,56% GNI by 2010, before reaching 0.7% EU GNI by 2015.

Consisting of 12 main proposals, the plan touches on areas as different as cybercrime, border control, asylum, and fair trials. It fleshes out the wide-ranging political objectives set out in the law-and-order agenda adopted by EU leaders in December.

The European Commission has adopted a Regulation block exempting agreements between manufacturers and distributors for the sale of products and services. The Regulation and accompanying Guidelines take into account the development, in the last 10 years, of the Internet as a force for online sales and for cross-border commerce, something that the Commission wants to promote as it increases consumer choice and price competition.

Brussels hosted last March a meeting of experts and stakeholders in public procurement and innovation in Europe. They have now been published on the website of DG Enterprise of the European Commission.

EU countries consider that measures should be adopted to meet the target of 100% coverage of basic broadband to all citizens by 2013 and promote wide take-up of high speed broadband by 2020. The need of digital public services that promote the reuse of public sector information, increase the efficiency of government and reduce administrative burdens on citizens and businesses. Competitiveness of Europe’s ICT sector must be strengthened through further research, development and innovation by means of better adapted programmes for sector firms, SMEs in particular

MEPs urge all Member States to introduce mammography to detect breast cancer earlier. In a written statement, signed by 381 deputies, Parliament points out that this type of cancer is the leading cause of death in european women among 35 and 59. Each year, more than 300,000 women are diagnosed with this disease.

The ministers of transport of the EU, who held an extraordinary meeting on Monday via videoconference, agreed on the need to provide a joint response to the air crisis caused by the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano that allows for a "progressive and coordinated" reopening of European airspace with full guarantees of safety.

The OJEU of April 2o, 2010, has published Commission's decision that allows it to become a partner of the Global Bioenergy Partnership, an organization that brings together public, private and civil society stakeholders in a joint commitment to promote bioenergy for sustainable development.

Because of Iceland volcanic ash, only four of the 27 european telecommunications ministers have been able to get to the informal meeting in Granada, where they aim to underline the role of TIC as a driving force for growth in Europe.