European Union News

The European Commission has launched on June 22nd, a public consultation to determine whether International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) should be adopted in the EU. This public consultation follows the results of an independent study published on the same day, which show that the benefits of adopting such standards would outweigh the costs. The Commission invites interested parties to respond to the consultation by September 15th 2009.

As proposed by CoR president Luc Van den Brande and first vice-president and Mayor of Dunkirk Michel Delebarre, the White Paper on multilevel governance calls on the EU institutions and Member States to step up the involvement of local and regional authorities in the preparation and implementation of EU policies. By adopting a White Paper for the first time in its history, the CoR has given a political signal shortly after the European elections and just before the renewal of the European Commission.

European Heads of State and Government, meeting at the European Council taking place in Brussels between June 18th and 19th 2009, reached an agreement intended to try to ensure Irish ratification of the Lisbon Treaty which would finally unlock the process. Moreover, it was agreed unanimously to nominate Durão Barroso as the candidate for European Commission Presidency for the period 2009-2014.

Following a recommendation from the jury of the 2008 Natali Prize, the European Commission has withdrawn the Natali Grand Prize and the Africa Prize from last year's winner Mr. Larrisse Houssou from Benin. The 2008 runner-up, the Brazilian journalist Raphael Gomide, has been appointed the new winner of the Grand Prize on the recommendation of the jury.

The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Member States France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden (as lead nation) have signed a Project Arrangement on the MID-air Collision Avoidance System (MIDCAS) at the Paris Air Show on June 17th 2009. This project will also gather companies from different Member States within the  MIDCAS industry consortium.

The Directorate General for Information Society and Media of the European Commission has issued two calls for proposals on the MEDIA 2007 Programme, which finance, on the one hand, the promotion of European audiovisual works and professionals outside the Media countries, and on the other hand, the networking and mobility of students and trainers in Europe.

Council Directive 2009/50/EC of May 25th, on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly qualified employment, the so-called Blue Card Directive entered into force on June 19th, after its publication in the OJEU on June 18th. Member States will have until June 19th 2011 to adapt their legislations to comply with its provisions.

At its meeting in June, the European Council is expected to mainly focus on institutional issues, on the economic, financial and social situation as well as on climate change and sustainable development. It will also give its political blessing to Jose Manuel Barroso's bid for a new term as the European Commission

The European Commission has called, in a strategic document, for more transparency and multilateral accountability in the governance of the internet. There are today 1.5 billion internet users worldwide, 300 million of which are in the European Union's 27 Member States. At present, a private US-based body, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ), is responsible for coordinating key elements of the Internet.

In the context of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (EYCI) 2009, the European Commission has just launched the "Imagine a new world" photo competition . Professional and amateur photographers of all ages from across the EU are invited to express their creativity. A prestigious jury will select the winners who will receive prizes in photographic equipment and trips to EU cities.

The European Union and West African countries agreed on June 17th 2009 to conclude a regional agreement on trade in goods and development cooperation by October 2009. In a meeting held in Brussels between EU Commissioners for Trade and for Development and Humanitarian, and President of  ECOWAS , UEMOA and  West African Ministers, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to moving forward the longer term process to build a lasting partnership between the EU and West Africa.

The European Commission has adopted on June 17th 2009 a Communication on the future of transport in order to promote a broad view to submitting concrete proposals for the adoption of the forthcoming White Paper on transport policy for 2010. This communication is the result of the reflection process launched in previous months involving all interested parties.