European Union News - Internal Market

Since 1984 more than 12,000 draft regulations have been cleared in relation to EU-trade.

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Budget Unit has launched a tender of organising conferences in Member States, candidate countries or other countries.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of French software vendor ILOG S.A. by the US company International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

The European Commission published on November, 7th, some new legislative texts on the EU Telecom Reform package to take account of the European Parliament vote of September, 24th, 2008 and the ongoing discussions in the Council. At the heart of the compromise texts is a new, small and independent office for Europe's Telecom regulators that should help the Commission to bring about more consistency to regulatory measures on Europe's Telecom markets.

The European Commission's Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment Services to public Administrations, Businesses and Citizens (IDABC) Project delivered on October 20th, a draft of the 'Guidelines on public procurement and Open Source Software', at the Open Source World conference held in Malaga. The guidelines show how public administrations can end discrimination against Open Source in public tenders.

EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fischer Boel and Swiss Federal Councilor Doris Leuthard, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, launched on November, 4th, negotiations aiming at full liberalisation of trade in agriculture between the EU and Switzerland.

The list, published in the OJEU on November, 4th,  indicates the title of the individual markets which are recognised by national competent authorities as complying with the definition of ‘regulated market’, as well as the entity responsible for managing these markets and the competent authority responsible for issuing or approving the rules of the market.

EU Commissioner for regional policy, Danuta Hübner, announce on November 3rd, the launch of a major on-line consultation on the EU's future strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The main aims of the strategy are to improve the environmental state of the Baltic Sea, to support balanced economic development in the region, and to make it more accessible and secure. Member States, regional and local authorities, NGOs, inter-governmental bodies and the general public are invited to put forward their views on the strategy December 31st, 2008.

Improved safety and price transparency. These are the key features of the new Regulation on the single market for air transport, which enters into force on November 1st, 2008. The Regulation lays down rules for the granting of licences, control of airlines and market access, thereby ensuring more competition in the air transport field and better quality for the public.

The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union on October 31st, 2008, Regulation (EC) Nº 1031/2008, amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) Nº 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. These amendments aim to modernise the Combined Nomenclature and adapt its structures to legislative interests and simplification.

By Decision of October 22nd, 2008, the Commission has set up the European Cluster Policy Group (ECPG), whose scope and objective is to share intelligence about cluster policies in view to further explore how to better assist Member States in supporting the emergence of world-class clusters in the EU. Following this Decision, the Commission also published a call for applications with a view to listing candidates to make up the ECPG.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on October 22nd, 2008, Decision 1065/2008/EC, adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the Council, repealing Council Decision 85/368/EEC on the comparability of vocational training qualifications between the Member States of the European Community.