European Union News

This Thursday, the Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, opened the Science against Poverty International Conference in La Granja (Segovia); the event, which forms part of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, is intended to highlight 'research and technology's enormous potential' for promoting human development.

EU-funded researchers in Germany have discovered that three factors need to coincide for the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease to develop. The findings, which are published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology, are an important step forward in our understanding of what causes the debilitating condition.

Legislation to regulate the use of animals for scientific experiments has moved a step closer after Parliament and Council representatives reached on Wednesday an agreement on the final details of draft legislation in the pipeline. The key point is to improve animal welfare without hampering the fight against diseases.

Roma communities, the European Union’s largest ethnic minority, continue to face persistent discrimination and segregation. The European Commission urged Member States in a report today to use EU funds for the social and economic integration of Roma. A separate report evaluated the progress achieved in integration over the past two years. Participants at the second Europe-wide Roma Summit, to be held in Córdoba, Spain on 8-9 April, will review these reports.

The Constitutional Affairs Committee has given its support to a modification of the Lisbon Treaty that would allow 18 new Members of the European Parliament to take their seats during the ongoing legislature. They did not consider it necessary to call a Convention to discuss the treaty change

Barcelona will host a conference on "New skills and new jobs for a more competitive Europe" as part of the Spanish Presidency of the EU. It will be chaired by the Spanish Minister of Employment and Inmigration, Celestino Corbacho.

A delegation of MEPs will be in Sudan from 8 to 15 April to observe the Sudanese elections at all levels of government. The elections are due to take place from 11 to 13 April.

The Official Journal of the European Union of April 7th has published the Decision that establishes the European Progress Microfinance Facility for employment and social inclusion.

The Conference “The European Framework Programmes: From Economic Recovery to Sustainability” will be the key public event in a series of new Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as cornerstone of the smart investments of the European Economic Recovery Plan

Forests are crucial to maintaining climate change below 2ºC. Forests also provide jobs, revenue and raw material for industries and renewable energy. They also protect the soil, regulate freshwater supplies and conserve biodiversity. So we risk a lot if we don't look after them.

€93 billion of EU funding has been allocated to projects for investment in jobs and growth in Europe over the last three years, according to a report today into the EU's cohesion programmes for the 2007-2013 funding period. Presented by Commissioners Johannes Hahn (Regional Policy) and László Andor (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion), the report assesses, for the first time, the rate of progress of each country towards delivering agreed objectives against the EU average.

Representatives from the European Union institutions, Member States, international organisations and Roma civil society will meet on 8 and 9 April 2010 in Córdoba (Spain) to examine the progress on Roma community inclusion in Europe. The event is jointly organised by the Commission and the Spanish Presidency