European Union News - Internal Market

EU Trade Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner will visit Central American countries from the 18 to 21 January on a trip that includes Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador. She visits Central America to drive forward the negotiation process for an EU-Central America Association Agreement and to hold discussions on bi-regional trade and investment issues.

The EU has published the results of a report which studies how well-equipped are European companies to meet the challenges of global competition and the recent recession.

“Promoting Innovation Through Public Procurement: Best Practice & Networking” is the title of the conference that will take place in Brussels on 23-24 March 2010, organized by the Directorate General for Industry and Entrepreneurship.

The total value of extra EU-27 trade in telecommunication, sound and video equipment rose by 33% over the period 2000-2008, according to latest Eurostat publication.

The first estimate for the euro area (EA16) trade balance with the rest of the world in October 2009 gave a 8.8 bn euro surplus, compared with -1.2 bn in October 2008. The September 2009 balance was +0.9 bn, compared with -6.0 bn in September 2008. In October 2009 compared with September 2009, seasonally adjusted exports fell by 0.2% and imports by 2.2%.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the EU Member States, have launched a grant aid initiative to help local and regional authorities make investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The global fight against climate change is a top priority for the European Union and it is acknowledged that local actors will play a significant role in meeting this challenge. The ELENA facility is designed to help cities and regions, through the provision of technical assistance, structure and implement projects in the most efficient way so they can attract outside finance.

Yesterday afternoon Serbia submitted a formal application for membership of the EU. Serbian President Boris Tadić handed his country’s application for EU membership to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm.

Last December 20th was the last day granted by the Commission to Member states to transpose to their respective national laws Directive/2007/66/EC. The text, issued on December 11th 2007 and published in the OJEU on 20th that same month, aimed at improving the effectiveness of review procedures concerning the award of public contracts, by introducing the so-called “standstill period” while the review procedure can be initiated before the signature of the contract.

New EU telecoms rules will officially become EU law tomorrow following their publication in today's Official Journal of the European Union. The new rules composed of the Better Regulation Directive and the Citizens’ Rights Directive will need to be transposed into national laws of the 27 EU Member States by June 2011. The new Regulation establishing the new European Telecoms Authority called "Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC)" is directly applicable and will enter into force in 20 days.

The European Commission has adopted a decision that renders legally binding commitments offered by Microsoft to boost competition on the web browser market. The commitments address Commission concerns that Microsoft may have tied its web browser Internet Explorer to the Windows PC operating system in breach of EU rules on abuse of a dominant market position. 

Legal measures to make it easier for people who have lost or risk losing their jobs to get credit to start up their own businesses were backed by the European Parliament on Tuesday.