European Union News

The Official Journal of the European Union of December 29 publishes a Council recomendation on seasonal influeza vaccination, which calls member states to develop action plan or policies to boost vaccination against influenza among all the risk groups.

2010 will be the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion - a one-year programme aimed at raising awareness on poverty and social exclusion. It will be implemented in all EU Member States as well as in Iceland and Norway, with a total budget of €17 million (to be complemented by national co-financing), covering activities at European as well at national level.

Immediate action must be taken to address the critical challenges facing maritime transport; otherwise European shipping may for ever lose its position as the world leader, warns the EESC in its opinion on the future of the maritime sector.

There is growing concern that combined exposure to chemicals from different sources used for example in agriculture and industry may have adverse effects on human health, even if each individual substance is below its own risk limit. The Environment Council has adopted conclusions on these combination effects.

EU-funded researchers have released a set of tools designed to help policymakers ensure that their decisions are informed by the best research evidence available.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) based in Lisbon, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Co-operation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) based in Warsaw and the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA), based in Vigo, Spain, have concluded an agreement to cooperate, in accordance with their respective mandates, in the field of maritime surveillance in a way that will be mutually beneficial for the three agencies

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the EU Member States, have launched a grant aid initiative to help local and regional authorities make investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The global fight against climate change is a top priority for the European Union and it is acknowledged that local actors will play a significant role in meeting this challenge. The ELENA facility is designed to help cities and regions, through the provision of technical assistance, structure and implement projects in the most efficient way so they can attract outside finance.

Commission president José Manuel Barroso expressed disappointment with the 11th-hour accord eked out at the Copenhagen climate conference, saying it fell “far short” of the EU’s expectations. The pact lacks elements the EU considers crucial, including collective targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Not only does it fail to set a 2010 deadline for concluding a treaty, it does not even mention the need for a legally binding agreement.

The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union a call for proposals based on Decision Nº 1719/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006, establishing the Youth in Action programme for the period 2007 to 2013. The total budget of the call is over 115 million euros.
 

Yesterday afternoon Serbia submitted a formal application for membership of the EU. Serbian President Boris Tadić handed his country’s application for EU membership to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm.

Last December 20th was the last day granted by the Commission to Member states to transpose to their respective national laws Directive/2007/66/EC. The text, issued on December 11th 2007 and published in the OJEU on 20th that same month, aimed at improving the effectiveness of review procedures concerning the award of public contracts, by introducing the so-called “standstill period” while the review procedure can be initiated before the signature of the contract.

Transport Council issues a series of EU-wide minumum standards to cover rights for bus and coach passengers and their luggage.