European Union News

Ahead of the entry into force of the treaty of Lisbon, European heads of state and government will  have a working dinner in Brussels on 19 November to appoint the new EU's key posts.

Vladimír Špidla, EU Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner, has travelled to Egypt to discuss cooperation with the EU on employment and social issues. The two sides have exchanged experiences on tackling the social impacts of the economic crisis and discuss progress towards social and employment objectives under the EU's neighbourhood policy.

The economic crisis has left many countries with budget deficits well over the 3% of Gross Domestic Product limit, a data that would have been unthinkable in most countries a year ago. The commission is proposing deadlines for reducing the gaps.

Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina must catch up on the reforms needed to qualify for a short-stay visa waiver like those of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, said MEPs on Thursday. The European Commission should report on the two countries' progress early in 2010, and also start a dialogue on visas with Kosovo, they added.

The European Union has presented to the World Trade Organization the trade facilitation projects it has financed between 2006 and 2008. The review shows that the EU has spent EUR 1.01 billion on 95 projects related to capacity building and technical assistance. The projects have helped simplify import and export procedures, boosting the ability of developing countries to benefit from trade and open global markets. The projects are part of an overall commitment to Aid for Trade by the European Union worth more than EUR 7 billion every year.

Parliament has given its annual verdict on the work done by the European Ombudsman over the previous year. In a report adopted on Thursday, MEPs call for more visibility for the Ombudsman's activities and point to the high number of complaints about a lack of transparency within the EU institutions.

Plans to coordinate research across Europe on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s received strong backing from the European Parliament in a resolution adopted on Thursday. The aim is to pool skills, knowledge and funding and thus maximise the benefits of work being done in the 27 EU countries.

The EU is on track to deliver on its Kyoto Protocol commitments for reducing or limiting emissions of greenhouse gases, the Commission's annual progress report on emissions shows. The latest projections indicate that the EU-15 will meet its 8% reduction target under Kyoto; 10 of the 12 remaining Member States of the EU have also individual commitments under the protocol. It is projected that they will reduce their emissions to 6 or 8% below base year levels.

Experts on reuse of public sector information will share their experiences on November 24 in a meeting in Stockholm (Sweden) unther the theme "Stimulating PSI Re-use: European Progress".

The "Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation in Europe" is one of the key outcomes of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. The document is the result of a collective work of the Ambassadors of the Year, who are leading European personalities from the fields of culture, science, business, education and design. With its 'Seven Commandments', the Manifesto will help shape the EU's strategy for promoting creativity and innovation for the next decade.

The European Commission is launching a wide public consultation to help to define the practical details of the Citizens' Initiative foreseen in the Lisbon Treaty. The Citizens' Initiative will enable one million citizens to request the Commission to bring forward a particular policy proposal.

At a conference in Brussels, Belgium on 6 November, European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, and Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik restated the EU's commitment to the reduction of animal testing.