European Union News

The European Commission has adopted a new Notice on state aid in the form of guarantees. The text sets out clear and transparent methodologies to calculate the aid element in a guarantee and provides simplified rules for SMEs, including predefined safe-harbour premiums and single premium rates for low-amount guarantees. The new Notice was foreseen in the State Aid Action Plan as part of the Commission's efforts to clarify and simplify the state aid rules.

On the 20th May 2008, the European Commission has published a summary of the Commission Decision relating an infrigement within the Dutch beer markeyt by six main players. These are InBev NV, InBev Nederland NV, Heineken NV, Heineken Nederland BV, Koninklijke Grolsch NV and Bavaria NV.

Along with the new Resaerch programme for for the research fund for coal and steel, the European Commission has created an open and continuous call for proposals. Unless otherwise specified, the deadline for submission of proposals will be the 15th September of each year.

On the 20th May 2008 the European Commission publsihed official notification of the Council decision from the 29th April 2008 for the adoption of The Research Programme for the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

Wednesday, February 27, 2007, the Romanian Government approved the Decision regarding the modification and completion of the Norms of application concerning the electronic attribution of public procurement contracts of the Government's Emergency Ordinance no 34/2006 regarding the attribution of public procurement contracts, of contracts for concession of public works and of contracts for service concession, approved by the Government decision no 1660/2006.

The successful implementation of a long term e-skills strategy is of great importance within the renewed Lisbon strategy and as part of lifelong learning strategies and the Recommendation on key competences. This challenge will be discussed at the forthcoming European e-Skills 2008 Conference “Implementing a long term e-skills strategy in Europe”. Participation at the conference is free of charge but on invitation only. Pre-registration is mandatory and will be open until 30 June 2008.

The Dragon Programme, a collaborative venture between the People's Republic of China and the European Space Agency (ESA), has generated significant results in the area of earth observation (EO) satellite data.

Europe has almost 70,000 km of coastline, and the maritime regions of the EU represent some 40% of both its population and its economy (GDP). Yet one of the key results of the year-long consultation which preceded the launch of the new Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) was the pervasive sense among maritime stakeholders that the role of the maritime – whether on the economic, social or cultural level – is not widely understood or appreciated.

The European Security Research and Innovation Forum (ESRIF), a public-private partnership on security research and innovation, is holding its 4th plenary meeting from 19 to 21 May 2008 at the JRC in Ispra.

On the 17 of May 2005, the European Commission published its proposal for a decision on the signing and provisional application of a Protocol to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, on a framework Agreement between the
European Community and the State of Israel on the general principles governing the State of Israel’s participation in Community programmes.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Logix of France by the US-based company Arrow Electronics. The Commission's investigation has shown that the concentration would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

A committee from the European Parliment adopted the own-initiative on Turkey's progress towards accession. MEPs remained committed to accession as the goal of EU negotiations with Turkey, but said that both in Turkey and in the EU important reforms were needed in order to achieve this outcome.