European Union News

The European Commission launched an initiative to help put the EU's flexicurity approach – balancing flexibility in the job market with employment security for workers – into practice at national level. This 'Mission for Flexicurity' aims to reach out to workers, employers and others through a series of country visits over the next two months. The initiative follows a decision by Member States at the Informal Employment Council in Brdo in January 2008. It will kick off in France on the 19th May 2008, followed by events in Sweden, Finland, Poland and Spain.

On the eve of the first European Maritime Day, the European Commission has invited a number of senior shipping professionals to discuss the strategic challenges and opportunities for European shipping and the maritime transport system over the next decade. The European Commission has initiated a strategic reflection into the best ways to ensure a prosperous future for European shipping. As well recognising the need to maintain a competitive European maritime cluster with highly qualified seafarers and maritime professionals, the commission aims to ensure that a European maritime system can accommodate the fast changes in the globalised world.

Statistics just published by the European Commission relating to counterfeit and piracy show a significant increase in customs activity last year. In 2007, customs registered over 43,000 cases of fake goods seized at the EU's external border, compared to 37,000 in 2006.

Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities released  its figures on EU27 Foreign Direct Investment for 2007. In 2007, EU27 FDI (foreign direct investment) in extra-EU27 countries (outflows) rose by 53%, from 275 billion euro in 2006 to 420 bn in 2007, while FDI into the EU27 from the rest of the world (inflows) increased by 89%, from 169 bn to 319 bn. In 2007, intra-EU27 FDI flows rose by 13% compared with 2006.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of World Duty Free Limited (WDF), a UK-based airport shop operator, by the Italian-based travel service provider Autogrill S.p.A.. After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

Around 200 Europeans on the front line of the battle against social exclusion are meeting with EU and national policy makers in Brussels for a direct dialogue on the 19th Mat 2008. They will discuss issues ranging from minimum income to housing, social services and services of general interest. The annual event aims to include marginal groups in the process of seeking solutions and building policies to improve their lives.

The European Commission is providing emergency relief funding of €2 million to help victims of the huge earthquake that struck Sichuan province in China on Monday 12 May 2008.

The European Commission has published is the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ),a decision to propose appropriate measures, which were subsequently accepted, for state aid to Ireland. The Decision was adopted on the 2nd of February 2008 will finance Radio Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and Teilifís na Gaeilge (TG4) with 220 meros.

Cohesion Policy programmes for 2007-2013 are set to boost jobs and growth throughout the EU's Member States and regions, thanks to intensive negotiations that have succeeded in formulating tailor-made solutions to challenges ahead. That is the message from Commissioners Danuta Hübner (Regional Policy) and Vladimír Špidla (Employment, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities), who presented the results of negotiations on the 16th May 2008.

The role of active citizenship in bringing together people of different faiths was discussed on Wednesday 14th of May 2008, as part of the third 'Brussels Debate' organised under the banner of the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. The debate "New horizons: active citizenship to bridge inter-religious divides" was prepared by the European Commission in cooperation with the European Policy Centre (EPC), an independent, non-profit, Brussels based think-tank.

The first estimate for the euro area (EA15) trade balance with the rest of the world in March 2008 gave a 2.3 bn euro deficit, compared with +7.5 bn in March 2007. The February 2008 balance was +0.8 bn, compared with -1.6 bn in February 2007. In March 2008 compared with February 2008, seasonally adjusted exports fell by 2.9% while imports remained stable. These data are released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

On 29 June 2007 the European Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the Green Paper from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Adapting to climate change in Europe — Options for EU action.