European Union News

As from 1st March 2010, European mobile phone operators are obliged under EU roaming rules to offer their customers a cut-off limit facility to protect them from 'bill shocks' for surfing the Internet with their mobile phones and laptops while travelling in other EU countries.

To achieve quicker de facto gender equality, Commission and Member States should adopt and implement specific gender equality policies, Parliament said in a resolution adopted on its last plenary session. Improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women also belongs to the women's right agenda, including enabling fathers to share family responsibilities by taking paternity leave.

Spain, as the Presidency in Office of the European Union, has activated the co-ordination mechanisms existing in the heart of the EU for catastrophes such as the one which occurred this Saturday in Chile, with a view to sending immediate aid to this country, once the damages have been assessed and such aid is requested by the Chilean authorities.

The first ever European e-Skills Week will take place between 1 st and 5 th of March 2010. European e-Skills Week highlights the growing demand for skilled ICT users and professionals to drive a competitive and innovative Europe. This campaign aims to inform students, young professionals and SMEs about the vast range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present.

The European Commission Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment Services to public Administrations, Businesses and Citizens (IADBC) has announced the opening of a public consultation on the European Interoperability Strategy (EIS). The consultation opened on the 23rd February 2010 and closes on the 6th April 2010.

Funding for 150 new posts in the European Parliament and an increase in the budget provision for hiring MEPs' assistants was approved by Parliament on Thursday. Due to Parliament's vastly increased powers and tasks under the Lisbon Treaty, extra staff are needed in Parliament's political groups, its administration, and to work with MEPs.

Commission expects GDP in the EU to gradually return to pre-recession levels. But the economy still faces headwinds. The longest and deepest recession in EU history came to an end in the third quarter of 2009 as real GDP started to grow again. But as was expected, growth slowed in the last quarter of the year.

Within the multi-year programme on child protection in the use of Internet and other communication technologies, Safer Internet, the Commission has launched a call for proposals calling to suggest actions that could fund the programme. Interested parties may submit their proposals until May 27th, 2010.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has adopted an opinion on current EU objective of adopting a new multilateral agreement to strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights and to combat counterfeiting and piracy (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement - ACTA).


 

Austrian social scientist Professor Helga Nowotny has been named as the new President of the European Research Council (ERC) and Chair of the ERC Scientific Council. Professor Nowotny will take up her new role on 1 March.

The European Commission has recently notified Google about the complaints received from three companies, the UK site Foundem, the French legal search engine ejustice.fr, as well as Microsoft's ciao! from Bing. Following these complaints the Commission has risen a preliminary antitrust inquiry on Google about eventual anti-competitive practices.

The EU should start formal talks with Iceland on its application to join the bloc, says a commission report on the country's suitability for membership. The report also stresses the efforts that the country should make before joinning the EU.