European Union News

In the Official Journal of the European Union, the Commission published a notice relating to the establishment of the Administrative Cooperation between New Zealand and the European Community. The Official text was published on the 23rd of May 2008.

Today is World Biodiversity Day, and yet biodiversity is disappearing at an unprecedented rate. The EU has a package of measures in place to try and halt the loss, with an action plan well under way, a huge network of protected areas nearing completion, and a major report forthcoming on the economic consequences of biodiversity loss.

The European Commission is launching a new annual European Green Capital Award, to be given each year to a city that is leading the way with environmentally friendly urban living. The launch event will be held at 1800 on 22 May 2008 at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels, where Commissioner Dimas will sign a Declaration establishing the award scheme together with Paddy Bourke, the Lord Mayor of Dublin and President of the Union of Capital Cities of the European Union.

A scientist of the JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) has co-authored a study published in Science Magazine on the consequences of man-made nitrogen input into the world's oceans.

Criminal sanctions should be employed to punish all severe offences committed against environment to ensure EU legislation in this field is properly applied. If the directive is approved, illegal conducts seriously damaging environment would be considered as crimes in all Member States. The Parliament has reached a first-reading agreement with the Council on the proposed legislation.

Rules providing for systems providing mobile satellite services - such as broadband internet or mobile TV - to be selected at EU level in the future were backed by the European Parliament on Wednesday 21st of May 2008. MEPs approved a first-reading compromise, negotiated with Council beforehand, which aims to improve accessibility, speed, and quality of electronic communications services especially in rural areas. The report was adopted by 652 votes in favour with 16 votes against and 10 abstentions.

In adopting a report on the under-representation of women in the world of science, Parliament calls for gender balance on decision-making bodies, mainstreaming of the male-female dimension in research programmes and support for scientific careers for women to increase the number of women scientists in the EU. MEPs criticise the unambitious and insufficient EU target of 25 % and remind the Commission and the Member States that gender parity implies at least 40 % female representation.

Parliament gave a first-reading to two legislative proposals aimed at modernising the rules on access to the road freight transport market and licensing for road transport operators. It was notably agreed that restrictions on freight cabotage (delivery operations within a Member State other than that where the haulier is based) will be lifted by 2014.

The European Commission adopted its proposals, on the 20th May 2008, for upgrading relations with its Mediterranean partners through the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean. Following the decision of the Spring European Council the Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner presented the outline of the structures of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean which aim at giving renewed vitality and visibility to the EU’s relations with Partners in the Mediterranean region. The policy paper also outlines ideas for the kind of projects that would constitute visible and tangible efforts at improving the lives and livelihoods of the region’s citizens.

The Kingdom of Belgium and Slovenia have issued two new commemorative 2-euro coins intended for circulation within the Community by April or May 2008. The designs are for the national side of the coin.

On 13 May 2008, the European Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration by which The Carlyle Group
(‘Carlyle’, USA) acquires control of the whole of the undertaking Neochimiki L.V. Lavrentiadis SA (‘Neochimiki’, Greece) by way of purchase of shares.

The European Commission's latest State Aid Scoreboard shows that Member States have increasingly used the possibilities offered by EU state aid rules to support environmental protection projects. State aid expenditure for the environment has increased significantly in the EU over the last seven years, partly due to a rise in reductions or exemptions from environmental taxes. This increase is in line with the Commission's efforts to encourage Member States to better target their aid. With new guidelines adopted in January offering greater possibilities to award environmental aid, the Commission expects an increase in the number of environmental measures notified by Member States.