European Union News

As digital TV replaces old analogue TV, four-fifths of the airwaves that used to carry TV broadcasts to our homes will be freed up. This means that they can be used for new, innovative services that use radio spectrum, from wireless internet and more advanced mobile phones to new interactive and high-definition TV channels. Remote regions could be big winners from this as wireless broadband could use the new spectrum to deliver high-speed internet to areas not yet reached by landlines. The allocation of the newly freed airwaves – the "digital dividend" – to new services is coordinated across Europe it could give the economy a boost of €20 to €50 billion.

Less congested roads, better and more efficient energy delivery or state of the art medical treatment managed at home are typical examples made possible by the Internet of the Future. The European Commission has unveiled a strategy to put Europe at the forefront when it comes to the development of smart internet-powered infrastructures. It calls on Europe's governments and its ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) sector to take advantage of the increasing demand for innovative applications of the internet to make existing infrastructures like healthcare systems, energy grids or traffic management 'smart'.

The General Affairs Council, under the Swedish chairmanship, at its meeting in Luxemburg, has adopted the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Thus, one of the Swedish Presidency's top priorities is brought to a successful conclusion. The ministers also prepared for the summit between the EU heads of state and government on 29–30 October.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a USD 211 million loan to the two subsidiaries of the Gas de France-Suez Group holding the concession for the Dos Mares project, to develop three hydropower plants in western Panama.

 A European conference on “Poverty: Perceptions and Reality - The Communication Challenge” will take place in Brussels on 28-29 October to launch the 2010 European Year. The conference is targeted at journalists, policy-makers, NGOs and researchers from all over Europe.  

73% of Europeans consider poverty to be a widespread problem in their country while 89% want urgent action by their government to tackle the problem. Those are the key results from a new Eurobarometer survey on attitudes to poverty and social exclusion presented by the European Commission today. The survey is being presented ahead of the 2010 European Year Against Poverty.

Two new EU-funded projects to promote research between the EU and the US will help both continents to increase their research expertise, expand bilateral relations and create a greater global science and technology base in accordance with the goals of the Lisbon Agenda.

The Commission has renewed its efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries by adopting a strategy for the period 2009-2013. Effective HIV treatment exists but there is still no cure or vaccine against AIDS. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighbouring countries has increased from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2.2 million in 2007. Approximately 730,000 of these people live in the EU.

The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) is meeting on 26–27 October in Luxembourg. The ministers will make preparations for the upcoming EU Summit taking plance on 29–30 October and reach a decision on the EU's Baltic Sea Strategy. Points on the foreign policy agenda include an action plan for stronger EU actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the situation in Sri Lanka after the end of the war and the transition to a stronger EU presence in Bosnia.

In 2007 the commission gave itself until 2012 to reduce by 25% the annual administrative costs on business from EU legislation. Nowadays, with the deadline still two years away, the EU is well on the way to achieving that goal and may even exceed it, according to its latest progress report.

A new civil society platform for the promotion of multilingualism has held its constitutive meeting in Brussels. Its main objective is to promote a permanent dialogue between the Commission and civil society on the different aspects of the multilingualism policy.

The search has begun to find the cities that will become the next European Green Capitals. The prestigious European Green Capital Award recognises cities that are at the forefront of environmentally-friendly urban living. Earlier this year, Stockholm and Hamburg were named as the first winners of the title for 2010 and 2011, respectively. Now the race is on to find the cities that will claim the coveted title for 2012 and 2013. The annual award is intended to help European cities become more attractive and healthy places.