European Union News - European Union

The House voted in favour of approving the new Cypriot Commissioner Androula Vassiliou for Public Health, Food Safety, Animal Health and Welfare, with 446 votes in favour 7 against and 29 abstentions. A new Commissioner is needed following the resignation of fellow Cypriot Markos Kyprianou, who left to take up the post of foreign minister in the new Cypriot government.

Waste production should be stabilized by 2012, said the Environment Committee in a second reading report, adopted on Arpil 9th 2008, on a proposal to revise the EU framework directive on waste. For MEPs, a crucial aim is to reduce the amount of landfill and incineration, both of which cause pollution. The committee voted to reinstate most of Parliament's first reading amendments that were not taken up by the Council, and reiterated Parliament's call for re-use and recycling targets.

A record 217 regions and cities from 32 countries have signed up as partners for the OPEN DAYS 2008 European Week of Regions and Cities, the biggest annual gathering of EU and regional policy-makers, experts and representatives of banking, business and civil society groups operator in the regional policy sector.

On the 4th of April 2008, the European Commission published it's Proposal for a decision of the Council on the signature on behalf of the European Community of the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the European Community of the one part and the Government of New Zealand of the other part. The Agreement it will be concluded for an initial period of five years and continue in force after this initial period unless either Party notifies the other that it shall be terminated.

The European Commisison has launched last 1st april 2008 a new comunication related to the Strategy for the evolution of the Customs Union (COM2008 169 Final). The objective is to maintain the pivotal position of Customs as a modern, responsive partner to trade, protecting the fiscal, safety and security interests of the Community and cooperating with other government.

Eurstat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities) has published official findings concerned with unemployment in Europe.

The European Commission have issued, on 31st March 2008, their official report to the European Parliment and council on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16th June 2003.

Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 3.5% in March 2008 according to a flash estimate issued by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. It was 3.3% in February.

On Sunday 30th March 2008, the new EU-US Air Transport Agreement took effect. For the first time, European airlines can fly without restrictions from any point in the EU to any point in the US. This agreement is the most ambitious air services deal ever negotiated. The two biggest aviation markets, encompassing 60% of world traffic, will cooperate closer in all fields of aviation policy. In May 2008, the European Commission will engage in second-stage negotiations with the US.

The European Parliment and Council of the European Union proposed, on the 28 March 2008 a “European Year of Creativity and Innovation” in 2009. The aim of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation shall be to support the efforts of the Member States to promote creativity, through lifelong learning, as a driver for innovation and as a key factor for the development of personal, occupational, entrepreneurial and social competences and the well-being of all individuals in society.

For the EU it is essential that the forthcoming global agreement sets the objective of limiting global warming to no more than 2°C above the pre-industrial level in order to prevent climate change from reaching dangerous levels at which irreversible and possibly catastrophic changes could occur. Keeping within this temperature ceiling will require worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases to be cut by more than 50% of 1990 levels by mid-century.