European Union News

Spain has pledged to drive forward the realisation of the European Research Area (ERA) during its six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU, which started on 1 January. Innovation and equality are at the heart of the Spanish Presidency programme.

The Spanish Presidency and Ministry of Culture organize the official opening gala of the semester in which Spain will lead the EU with a dance show in Madrid's Teatro Real. The same day, Rodríguez Zapatero, Spanish prime minister, will meet Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Durão Barroso in the Palacio de la Moncloa, seat of the Spanish Government.

Between 11 and 19 January, the European Parliament will hold a series of public hearings with the 26 candidate Commissioners put forward by the Council and Commission President José-Manuel Barroso.

The total value of extra EU-27 trade in telecommunication, sound and video equipment rose by 33% over the period 2000-2008, according to latest Eurostat publication.

Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 0.9% in December 2009 according to a flash estimate issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union . It was 0.5% in November.

The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union of January 5th, 2010, a decision on the renewal of the mandate of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies. It will last until 2015.

Ten years ago, European leaders pledged to end poverty in the EU by 2010. As this deadline approaches, the goal is still some way off. That is why the European Union has decided to declare 2010 as European year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

The headquarters of the European Union Council, the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, will host from 5 January until the end of the Spanish presidency of the EU the latest creative project of Daniel Canogar, the video installation "Travesías".

As we enter the year 2010, the new European Capitals of Culture – Essen for the Ruhr in Germany, Pécs in Hungary and Istanbul in Turkey – will officially start a year of music, theatre, dance, film and literature events for local residents and visitors . Essen/Ruhr will hold its opening ceremony for the European Capital of Culture 2010 on the 9 and 10 January, Pécs on the 10th, and Istanbul on the 16th.

The European Commission has issued a call for proposals in the Official Journal of the European Union of December 31st, 2009, to fund actions for Transatlantic Links and Academic Networks in Training and Integrated Studies in the framework of Atlantis programme for EU-US Cooperation in Higher Education and Vocational Training.

The first estimate for the euro area (EA16) trade balance with the rest of the world in October 2009 gave a 8.8 bn euro surplus, compared with -1.2 bn in October 2008. The September 2009 balance was +0.9 bn, compared with -6.0 bn in September 2008. In October 2009 compared with September 2009, seasonally adjusted exports fell by 0.2% and imports by 2.2%.

On 30 December 2009 the European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the EU a call for proposals under the programme Europe for Citizens (2007-2013) for the implementation of Actions 1, 2 and 4 " Active citizens for Europe "," Active civil society in Europe "and" Active European Remembrance ". To accomplish this, the call has a budget of more than 20 million.