European Union News - European Union

The European Commission has adopted an initiative introducing new and tougher targets for the payment of EU funds which it manages directly. The proposals aim to step up ongoing efforts and speed up cash flow to beneficiaries, and will apply to €15 billion of funds that have specific payment times covering areas like research, education and youth, energy and transport.

The seventh annual OPEN DAYS - European Week of Regions and Cities, which this year takes place on 5-8 October in Brussels, is set to be the biggest yet. This year, the event will feature more than 100 seminars, workshops, debates, exhibitions and meetings with 7,000 participants, expected in Brussels alone, most of them experts in regional and urban development from ministries and other bodies. In addition, another 300 local events in countries all over Europe will reach out to a wider public increasing the number of potential visitors to more than 30,000.

The European Commission and MTV Networks International have announced an EU-wide initiative called "Can you hear me Europe?", which is aimed at prompting young people to make their voices heard by voting in the European Parliament elections next June.

The Official Journal of the European Union has published in the “S” Serie a call for tender foused on the development of the eurocodes promotion campaign with a value of 0,25 Meuros.

The Commission has adopted the Report on the application of Council Directive 2004/80/EC of 29 April 2004 relating to compensation to crime victims, which aims to make it easier for victims to obtain compensation in cross-border situations.

The European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Board of Governors unanimously approved a capital increase of 67 billion Euro, bringing the Bank’s subscribed capital to 232.4 billion Euos. This agreement will immediately take effect.

For the three years of its launch, the Internet domain level ".eu" is still a success. There are now more than three million Internet domains within the top level domain of Europe itself. Even the financial crisis has stalled growth: the number of domains ".eu" has increased by 2% during the first quarter of 2009, and the code ".eu" is firmly established as the fifth top-level domain country code in order of popularity around the world.

The Commission announced in DOUE that  updated texts of the calls for proposals for joint actions, projects and operating grants under the 2nd Community Action Programme in Health (2008-2013) are now available.

The EU’s first nature law, the Birds Directive, celebrates its 30th anniversary on 2 April. The legislation is one of the greatest achievements of European environmental policy and is central to the EU's strategy for halting biodiversity loss. The Birds Directive has played a key role in reversing the decline of some of Europe’s most threatened birds, particularly through its network of Special Protection Areas (SPAs).

United Nations negotiations on the next climate change agreement, which will will be held in Bonn between March 29th and April 8th 2009, will be focused on making tangible progress towards an ambitious new global agreement. This new agreement, which would take effect in 2013, is due to be concluded at the Copenhagen U.N. climate conference in December.

EU citizens must be helped and encouraged to learn languages other than their own if they are to derive full economic, social and cultural benefit from freedom of movement, says a report adopted by the European Parliament. An alternative resolution was adopted with 335 votes in favour, 279 against and 69 abstentions replacing the original report from the Culture Committee.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are increasingly financing operations in the same geographical areas, including Eastern Europe, the Southern Caucasus, Russia, the Western Balkans, and soon, Turkey. In light of this, European Parliament calls for increased cooperation between the two institutions.