European Union News - European Union

The European Union will be pressing for solid progress when formal negotiations to draw up a new United Nations climate change agreement start on 31 March in Bangkok, Thailand. The week-long meeting marks the first negotiating session since the UN climate conference in Bali last December decided to conclude the agreement by the end of 2009. The new agreement is intended to take effect once the Kyoto Protocol's targets for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries have expired in 2012.

On 21 December 2007, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia became part of the Schengen area. On Sunday 30 March 2008 at 0:00, the enlargement process will be completed by lifting air border controls between these countries and with the 15 states that were already part of the Schengen system.

The statistics concerning the Court of Justice’s judicial activity in 2007 reveal a distinct improvement compared with the preceding year. In particular, the reduction, for the fourth year in a row, of the duration of proceedings before the Court should be noted, as should the increase of approximately 10% in the number of cases completed compared with 2006.

The Eurosystem – comprising the European Central Bank (ECB) and the 15 national central banks of the euro area – and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia) launched last March 20, 2008 a three-year cooperation programme in the areas of banking supervision and internal audit.

The Budgetary Control Committee is insisting on the setting up of a joint Parliament-Commission group to follow up in particular the supervision of the structural funds. This was the major development from Wednesday's votes in the committee, which saw all the EU's institutions and agencies accorded a recommendation that Parliament grant discharge for their financial management in 2006.

Despite repeated threats of a postponement, the Budgetary Control Committee is recommending that the Commission be granted discharge for its implementation of Community expenditure in 2006.

Among issues already influencing the debate on next year's EU budget are the European Parliament's new legislative and budgetary powers if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified and the membership of the next Commission and EP. Two reports adopted by the EP Budgets Committee on Thursday highlight MEPs' priorities and concerns in this context.

A report by Jutta Haug (PES, DE) on the budget framework and priorities for 2009 is the first programming text adopted by MEPs as part of preparations for the EU's next annual budget. It take account of the changes set to take place in 2009 that will have a major impact on the budget. Some are linked to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty: the shift in the EP-Council balance of budgetary power in Parliament's favour and the scrapping of the distinction between compulsory and non-compulsory spending.  Others will follow from the 2009 European elections and the end of the present Commission's mandate. The MEPs elected in 2009 must be ready to use the new budget procedure in time for the 2010 budget.

The European Commission has decided on a far-reaching reorganisation of the Directorate-General in charge of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. The former “DG FISH” becomes the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and will now be known as DG MARE. There will be greater focus on Mediterranean fisheries and on control in international waters in line with the EU's commitment to fight illegal fishing. The new set-up takes effect on 29 March.

The European Parliament (EP) agenda for debate and voting has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union C 76 E/1.

The economy has to contend with strengthening external headwinds but the euro area is showing resilience helped by strong growth in emerging markets, shows the latest Quarterly Report on the Euro Area (QREA). The most recent hard and soft data are consistent with the growth forecast announced on 21 February. The Report also looks at why growth and inflation have become more stable in industrialised countries in recent decades, a phenomenon economists refer to as the 'Great Moderation'. It shows that labour market reforms have succeeded in increasing employment levels but that there is a growing divide on the labour market, with the burden of reform falling on those not subject to standard labour contracts. It also shows that the economies of the Member States are reacting differently to the ongoing inflationary pressures. Finally, in its focus section, the QREA argues that East Asia could take inspiration from the European economic and monetary experience to the benefit of the region and indeed the whole world.

The first estimate for the euro area1 (EA15) trade balance with the rest of the world in January 2008 gave a 10.7 bn euro deficit, compared with -7.3 bn in January 2007. The December 2007 balance was -4.1 bn, compared with +2.3 bn in December 2006. In January 2008 compared with December 2007, seasonally adjusted exports and imports rose by 7.4%.

European Commission has announced the launch of a major EU control campaign aimed at preventing a repeat of last year's overfishing of Mediterranean bluefin tuna by a number of EU Member States.