European Union News

The Official Journal has published last 4 april 2009 a tender for identifying and aggregating elasticities for spill-over effects due to linkages and externalities in the main sectors of investment co-financed by the EU cohesion policy.

To mark World Health Day, European Commissioner for Health, Androulla Vassiliou will visit several community health projects in Kenya on 6 and 7 April. These projects promote social and economic development through poverty alleviation and strengthening health and education. Improving health conditions and strengthening access to healthcare are important objectives for the European Union, both for its own citizens and within the EU's external cooperation.

The European Parliament has adopted a first reading agreement on the voluntary EU Ecolabel ("EU flower") system for environment-friendly products to become less costly and bureaucratic to use. This label guarantees a high level of product quality, and respect for environment and human health. Among the criteria for awarding the eco-label will be the reduction of animal testing, as well as other environmental criteria. Furthermore, EC and Member states will set the objective to promote the inclusion of eco-label in the award of public contracts.

In its 9th review of the European Union's trade policy, the World Trade Organisation has praised the EU for its instrumental role in strengthening the multilateral trading system and its leadership in the Doha Round of world trade talks. The WTO report highlights the EU's efforts to help integrate developing countries into the international trading system. The report recognises the progress made over the last two years in consolidating EU's Internal Market, and notes the benefits of EU's reformed Common Agricultural Policy. The WTO meeting takes place in Geneva on 6 and 8 April 2009. The revision has been done according to more than 800 advance written questions.

The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (AECI) has launched a call for proposals for the work program 2009 "Intelligent Energy for Europe". The budget of the call is EUR 65 million.

EU Heads of State and Government and US President Barack Obama met in Prague on April 5th 2009 immediately after the G-20 Summit which took place in London on April 2nd, where issues of global financial architecture and the consequences of the financial crisis were addressed,  and after the NATO Summit held in Strasbourg and Baden-Baden and Kehl between April 3rd and 4thApril, focused on safety and military cooperation. At the Agenda in Prague, the position on climate change facing the Kioto protocol review, as well as some major issues on regional policy, such as  Afghanistan or peace process in the Middle East.

For the three years of its launch, the Internet domain level ".eu" is still a success. There are now more than three million Internet domains within the top level domain of Europe itself. Even the financial crisis has stalled growth: the number of domains ".eu" has increased by 2% during the first quarter of 2009, and the code ".eu" is firmly established as the fifth top-level domain country code in order of popularity around the world.

The Commission announced in DOUE that  updated texts of the calls for proposals for joint actions, projects and operating grants under the 2nd Community Action Programme in Health (2008-2013) are now available.

Drawing from the China Climate Change Framework Loan (CCCFL), signed with the People’s Republic of China in November 2007, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a total of EUR 220 million in three operations that will contribute to the mitigation of climate change. All projects will seek CDM registration for carbon credit generation.

Notice has been published in the OJEU on April 2nd 2009, of the launch of a call for proposals for Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). KICs will be highly integrated, creative partnerships including education, technology, research, business and entrepreneurship that will produce new innovations and new innovation models and inspire others to emulate them.

One year after the European Commission put in place common rules for safe use of mobile phones on aircrafts and for simple and non-bureaucratic authorisations of this essentially cross border service, 27 European aircraft have been equipped to allow the secure use of standard GSM handsets onboard aircraft while flying in European airspace. The number of aircrafts enabled for in-flight use of mobile phones is expected to double by the end of the year.

The Council of the European Union has decided to extend for five years over the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed between the EU and United States in 1998. This is the second renewal of this agreement, which will continue in force until 2013.