European Union News - European Union

As part of the implementation of the Structural Funds, DG Regional Policy of the European Commission is holding a series of meetings with the other skateholders involved in the issue from an economic and social view.

European Commission has conducted a survey on the achievements of Youth in Action programme, and the results reveal that the programme boots language skills, job opportunities and the European feeling among the youth.

Spain has set up a pilot project that will help travellers move faster through border crossing points within the European Union, through the use of an automated identification and document verification system, overseen by police officers.

The EESC asks the Members States and the Commission for prompt measures to realise the "Single European Sky" and for developing a more modern and integrated vision of the air transport sector.

"European CNC Network - Train for Europe", a German project that brought together 24 vocational schools to build a small-gauge locomotive and wagons, won first prize at the Charlemagne Youth Prize 2010 award event on 11 May in Aachen. Second and third prizes went to "You are here", a book project (Ireland) and "BEST Engineering Competition BEC" (Bulgaria) respectively.

The 'European Charlemagne Youth Prize' aims to encourage the development of European consciousness among young people, as well as their participation in European integration projects.

Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and chair of the Foreign Affairs Council, presented to foreign affairs ministers the latest Human Rights Report in their meeting on 10 May. The report gives an overview of the wide range of EU activities to promote human rights worldwide, covering the period from July 2008 to December 2009.

After a meeting in Brussels lasting more than eleven hours, which finished in the early hours of Monday morning, the Economy and Finance Council (Ecofin) reached an agreement on a loan package of more than 500,000 million euros allocated to cover the needs of members with solvency problems and to defend the euro.

European Parliament has voted to allow 18 new Members of the European Parliament to take their seats during the current legislature. MEPs approved an amendment to the Lisbon Treaty that would enable this change, but they did not deem it necessary to call a Convention to discuss the treaty amendment.

Concluding the process and deciding on the schedule for releasing the funds agreed on for Greece, as well as examining and learning lessons from the crisis for the governance of the eurozone, will be the focus of the discussions of the heads of state and government at the meeting in Brussels this Friday.

On Saturday 8 May 2010, the European Economic and Social Committee is opening its doors to everyone and throwing festivities to celebrate biodiversity and environmental protection specially meant for all the family.

Brussels will host a summit among the highest representatives of the European Union and Canada Prime Minister and Minister of International Trade on 5 May 2010.