European Union News - European Union

At its meeting in June, the European Council is expected to mainly focus on institutional issues, on the economic, financial and social situation as well as on climate change and sustainable development. It will also give its political blessing to Jose Manuel Barroso's bid for a new term as the European Commission

In the context of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (EYCI) 2009, the European Commission has just launched the "Imagine a new world" photo competition . Professional and amateur photographers of all ages from across the EU are invited to express their creativity. A prestigious jury will select the winners who will receive prizes in photographic equipment and trips to EU cities.

EU Ministers meeting at the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council session taking place in Brussels on June 11th 2009, held an exchange of views on network and information security policy. The debate focused on the issue of critical information infrastructure protection, on the future of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) as well as on the general direction of European efforts in this field.

Commissioner Viviane Reding met today Mr Hans-Ulrich Jörges, editor-in-chief of the German magazine Stern and initiator of the European Charter on Freedom of the Press. The Charter, which formulates the main values that public authorities should respect when dealing with journalists, was signed on 25 May by 48 European journalists from 19 countries.

Only a 43.09% of the over 375 million Europeans summoned came between 4 and June 7 at his meeting with the polls. With the economic crisis as a backdrop, the conservatives have strengthened their presence in Parliament, while the socialists lost 58 seats and six points. The results also show a significant advance in the extreme right in some countries.

 The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards will be handed out on 5 June. The seven Grand Prizes and 21 Awards will be presented by Mr Ján Figel’, the European Commissioner responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth and Her Royal Highness The Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbón, President of Europa Nostra, during the official European Heritage Awards Ceremony in the Teatro Antico of Taormina, Sicily (Italy). Each Grand Prize winner will receive an amount of € 10,000.

 During the last meeting of the Competitiveness Council, held in Brussels on 28 and 29 May, EU research ministers have agreed to give a boost to Europe on their road to leadership in research. 

 The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) dated June 28, 2008 two calls for proposals for grants to foundations and political parties at European level. The total budget for both calls is 18.21 million. 

The Commission, and in its name the Directorate-General Energy and Transport, intends to award a grant for actions aimed at improving the training of control officers responsible for the application of Community law concerning international road transport as announced in the DG TREN work programme for 2009.

The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are the first states to hold, from today, the elections which will form a new European Parliament. From today until June 7, the 27 EU countries will host an election in which the Union and national governments have put all their efforts