European Union News

The EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) has awarded EUR 14 million to a 4-year project, euHeart, for the improvement of the diagnosis, therapy and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The consortium comprises public and private partners from 16 research, academic, industrial and medical organisations from 6 European countries.

The EIB has committed support to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic. Three local banking institutions, Banco ADEMI, Banco ADOPEM and FONDESA will benefit from EIB lines of credit totalling EUR 20 million and up to EUR 2 million in equity participations. EIB funds will be used to finance the banks’ portfolio of loans to the MSME sector.

The Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Directorate Lifelong Learning: Education and Training, Programmes and Actions, Unit B05 Professional training; 'Leonardo da Vinci' has awarded a tender in order to develop a new tool for the reporting of mobility projects.

The European Commission has published (23/08/2008) in the Official Journal of the European Union an announcement of a new call for proposal in the framework of the MEDIA 2007 Programme, the EU's support programme for the European audiovisual industry.

The European Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), has allocated (22/08/2008) €5 million in humanitarian aid for vulnerable people affected by the conflict between Georgia and the Russian Federation. The new aid package comes on top of the €1 million fast-track humanitarian aid released by the Commission on 10 August, shortly after the conflict started[1]. ECHO experts remain in the region, evaluating needs, coordinating activities with relief partner organisations and monitoring the use of Commission funds.

European Commission's Legal Certainty Group (LCG) has put forward solutions to legal barriers related to the cross-border holding and settlement of securities.

The European Commsision has published a the report on the first year of implementation of the Black Sea Synery related to 2007 (COM(2008) 391 final). This strategy is needed as on 1 January 2007, two Black Sea littoral states, Bulgaria and Romania, joined the European Union. More than ever before, the prosperity, stability and security of our neighbours around the Black Sea are of immediate concern to the EU.

The European Commission has published (22/08/2008) in the Official Journal of the European Union an announcement of a new call for proposal in the framework of the Media 2007 programme.

First estimates, released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities indicate that in the construction sector, seasonally adjusted production decreased by 0.6% in the euro area (EA15) and by 1.5% in the EU27 in June 2008, compared with the previous month. In May, production increased by 0.1% and 0.7% respectively. Compared with June 2007, output in June 2008 dropped by 2.4% in the euro area and by 1.8% in the EU27.

The European Union has provided an additional €40 million to the Palestinian Authority to help meet its recurrent expenditures and ensure the continued delivery of public services. The funds will be used to help pay for salaries and pensions, social allowances to vulnerable Palestinian families and fuel for the power plant to provide electricity to the people of Gaza. This amount comes on top of the €440 million that the European Commission pledged last December in Paris to assist the Palestinians in 2008.

The European Commission wants to ensure that the results of the research funded under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) are disseminated as widely and effectively as possible to guarantee maximum exploitation and impact in the world of researchers and beyond. Fast and reliable access to research results, especially via the Internet, can drive innovation, advance scientific discovery and support the development of a strong knowledge-based economy.

The European Commission has published its annual Report on research and technological development activities of the European Union in 2007 with the main resultos of the implementation of the FP7 in Europe during 2007.