European Union News - European Union

The 2010 Anual Activity Report provides an overview of the key results and achievements of the European Court of Auditors (ECA). Among this results a key indication of impact: 90% of audit recommendations have been accepted by the auditees.

MEPs at Trade Committee gave a green light to new rules aimed at making exports of arms for sport and recreational uses more transparent and efficient, while helping to fight illegal trafficking. One of the main goals of this report is establishing rules for export authorisation and the import and transit of firearms.

Justice and Home affairs Council meeting held on 11 and 12 April, mainly focused on migration and border related issues concerning the situation in the Southern neighbourhood region -among many other topics- and adopted conclusions on the subject. In addition, ministers discussed the recent Commission communication on the EU Framework on National Roma Integration Strategies.

José Sócrates, the Portuguese Prime-Minister, informed to the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, of the request of Portugal to ask for the activation of the financial support mechanisms.

MEPs approved a report in which they ask that EU-level political parties and foundations should have a legal personality based directly on EU law. Moreover, greater flexibility in financing, a higher ceiling for donations and a right for European parties to take part in referendum campaigns are among other suggestions made.

MEPs adopted a 2012 estimates with an increase of 2.3% over 2011, which means a figure of 1 725 billion Euro. On the other hand, it represents five tenths below the current rate of inflation in the EU.

The European Commission proposed on 4 April to grant legal status to the electronic edition of the Official Journal of the European Union. Until this moment, only the printed edition was legally valid, but with this proposal EU citizens and businesses across Europe will have more legal certainty and save time and money. The proposal follows a trend at national level where all EU countries have electronic official journals, more than half of which have full legal status.

EU budget fir year 2012 should be one of the main tools for helping Europe's economy to recover after the crisis, by focusing on employment, economic governance and growth. This is the main idea put forward by the European Commission at its Plenary session held in Brussels on 24 March. In this session, MEPs voted on a Resolution setting out their recommendations to the Commission which is an early signal about their wishes and priorities for next year's budget.

European Parliament's Budgetary Control Committee approved on 28 March the European Commission's 2009 budget spending. This adoption, under the “budget discharge” procedure, comes after the Commission had given undertakings, inter alia to step up pressure on EU Member States to take more political responsibility for, and improve their supervision of, their national authorities' spending of EU funds.

Many important economic decisions were taken by EU Heads of State and Government at the Council Summit held on 24 March. EU leaders decided on a comprehensive package of economic measures aimed at ensuring economic stability within the European Union. The new Euro Plus Pact will provide a new quality of economic coordination. The pact will remain open for any country to join and, for the moment on, six non-euro countries have decided to join it.

The Council of the European Union adopted on 23 March 2011 legislation in order to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which broadened the scope of the restrictive measures against Libya imposed by previous Resolution 1970 and introduced further measures. The assets freeze is extended to new entities, including the National Oil Corporation and also to five subsidiaries of the NOC designated autonomously by the EU.

The European Parliament has backed on 23 March a limited Treaty change to allow the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism in the euro area. MEPs welcomed the positive signals given by the Member States on bringing the intergovernmental mechanism closer to the EU framework.