European Union News

Between 4.5 and 8 million illegal immigrants work in the construction, farming, hotel and other sectors in the EU.  One of the factors encouraging illegal immigration into the EU is the possibility of finding work. This legislation aims to reduce that pull factor by targeting the employment of third-country nationals who are illegally staying in the EU.

According to the European Commission’s latest Internal Market Scoreboard, Member States continue to perform well in implementing agreed Internal Market rules into national law on time. On average only 1.0% of Internal Market Directives for which the implementation deadline has passed are not currently written into national law, which means that most Member States remain in line with the new 1.0% target agreed by Heads of State.

The European Parliament has adopted the report of the Commission to allow Member States to reduce VAT rates on a new series of goods and services, such as restaurants, children’s prams, audio books and beauty treatments.

The European Parliament has adopted a report that claims that the Commission recognizes as legally binding the target of getting a saving objective of 20% by 2020. Also, this report proposes to follow the national action plans of Member States, to introduce energy efficiency standards in public procurement procedures and to support the compulsory use of smart energy meters.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on February 20th 2009 a prior notification for concentration between the undertakings Lagardère, Sumitomo and HFG. Interested third parties must submit their opinions on the announced operation by March 2nd 2009.

The Official Journal of the European Union has published on February 19th 2009, the Communication made by the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions regarding the final evaluation of the implementation of the multiannual Community Programme on promoting safer use of the Internet and new online technologies, the so-called Safer Internet Plus Programme (COM(2009) 64 final).

The Commission presented on February 18th 2009 its Annual Policy Strategy which paves the way for establishing a policy agenda for 2010. While ensuring the continuity of the institution’s strategic planning system, the Annual Policy Strategy takes account of the fact that a new Commission will be in office in 2010, and it will be for the next Commission to review the policy priorities at the start of its mandate, and to turn them into an operational programme when it draws up its Work Programme for 2010.

The European Commission has published on February 17th, 2009, its Communication concerning the Common Position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) Nº 1172/95 (COM(2009) 75 final). In its Communication, Commission accepts the Council's Common Position in all terms, except the removal of "import quotas", the availability of which the Commission would insist upon.

The European Commission announced in March 2008, a review on behalf of the European Union in respect of the procedures governing the handling, use, and dissemination of financial transaction records from the EU which are carried over the SWIFT network and obtained by the U.S. Treasury Department pursuant to subpoenas issued in support of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP). Judge Bruguière, designated by the European Commission to undertake the review, prepared a first report to Vice-President Barrot.

The Official Journal of the European Union has published on February 17th, 2009 the Council Decision of December 18th 2008 the Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Swiss Confederation, of the other part, to combat fraud and any other illegal activity to the detriment of their financial interests and the accompanying Final Act.

The Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union, on February 17th, 2009 Call for proposals AL-2009-2 under the work programme of the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint  Programme. This second Call for Proposals is focused on topic “ICT based solutions for Advancement of Social Interaction of Elderly People”.

Member States are gradually closing down spectrum-hungry analogue transmissions and moving to digital broadcasting. Overall, the switch-off of analogue terrestrial TV transmission in Europe is well on track. Switch-off has already been completed in five Member States (Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands) and by 2010 the process should be well advanced in the whole EU. The 2012 EU target for switch-off is expected to be met by almost all Member States.