European Union News

Groningen hosted yesterday the award ceremony of European Border Breakers Music Awards (EBBA). Ten groups and singers from all over Europe received their awards, and Milow, the belgian singer, also won the first time ever public choice award.

The Spanish Presidency's strategy to combat the economic crisis and promote new policies, in a coordinated fashion, which consolidate recovery and begin the path towards sustainable growth and job creation today received the support of its European partners and the EU institutions.

The Presidency, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, the Commission and ECHO are working together to give an urgent, coordinated and effective help to Haiti after the hearthquake that has devastated Port-au-Prince. 3 million euros have already been sent to the caribbean country.

The EU has published the results of a report which studies how well-equipped are European companies to meet the challenges of global competition and the recent recession.

The Spanish State Secretary for European Affairs, Diego López Garrido, stated at the close of the first day of the informal meeting of ministers for European Affairs, currently taking place in La Granja, that the Spanish presidency has received the “full support” of the 27 Member States for the promotion of the citizens’ legislative initiative. The ministers’ backing also extends to the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and the development of the solidarity clause.

The winners of the 2010 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBAs) will receive their awards in a show to be presented by British TV personality Jools Holland in Groningen. The show will be covered on television throughout Europe. For the first time ever, a new category of winner, the 'Public Choice EBBA', has been selected by the European public by voting online

Monitoring the results of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference and international environmental governance are “the two main fields” of focus for the working sessions of the informal environment ministers' meeting, held on Saturday 16 January in Seville.

On 14 January 2010, the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Commission's Seville-based Institute for Prospective Technological Studies will be holding a public hearing on the key aspects of the EU innovation policy and its concrete implementation in the region of Andalucía, Spain.

In its first meeting in 2010, the Gas Coordination Group, under the chairmanship of the Commission, has focused on the assessment of the situation on security of gas supply in the EU-27 and countries of the Energy Community and discussed priorities for the work of the Group in 2010.

Spain wants the alternative proposal to improve the rights of EU citizens without assuming the cost to the Public Health System. According to the Spanish Minister of Health, Trinidad Jimenez, "should begin to work again" on an EU directive

Committee of the Regions President Luc Van den Brande is to voice grassroots concerns about the future of EU regional aid at the parliamentary hearing of Johannes Hahn, Commissioner-designate for Regional Policy, on Thursday 14 January in Brussels.

The Commission has called for citizen's opinions on Progress, EU's employment and social solidarity programme. The cuestionaire can be filled on line at the website of the Directorate General of Employment, Social Affairs and Public Opportunities.