European Union News - Regional Policy

The Operational Programme "Mediterranean Programme" or Transnational Cooperation Operational Programme under the European Territorial Cooperation Objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), between Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain (with participation from Croatia and Montenegro) will be in opperation from 2007 until 2013.

The Operational Programme "North Sea Region" or Transnational Cooperation Operational Programme under the European Territorial Cooperation Objective, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) between Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom (with participation from Norway) will take place in between 2007-13.

The European Commission has adopted a new Notice on state aid in the form of guarantees. The text sets out clear and transparent methodologies to calculate the aid element in a guarantee and provides simplified rules for SMEs, including predefined safe-harbour premiums and single premium rates for low-amount guarantees. The new Notice was foreseen in the State Aid Action Plan as part of the Commission's efforts to clarify and simplify the state aid rules.

A committee from the European Parliment adopted the own-initiative on Turkey's progress towards accession. MEPs remained committed to accession as the goal of EU negotiations with Turkey, but said that both in Turkey and in the EU important reforms were needed in order to achieve this outcome.

Statistics just published by the European Commission relating to counterfeit and piracy show a significant increase in customs activity last year. In 2007, customs registered over 43,000 cases of fake goods seized at the EU's external border, compared to 37,000 in 2006.

Cohesion Policy programmes for 2007-2013 are set to boost jobs and growth throughout the EU's Member States and regions, thanks to intensive negotiations that have succeeded in formulating tailor-made solutions to challenges ahead. That is the message from Commissioners Danuta Hübner (Regional Policy) and Vladimír Špidla (Employment, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities), who presented the results of negotiations on the 16th May 2008.

The first estimate for the euro area (EA15) trade balance with the rest of the world in March 2008 gave a 2.3 bn euro deficit, compared with +7.5 bn in March 2007. The February 2008 balance was +0.8 bn, compared with -1.6 bn in February 2007. In March 2008 compared with February 2008, seasonally adjusted exports fell by 2.9% while imports remained stable. These data are released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

On 29 June 2007 the European Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the Green Paper from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Adapting to climate change in Europe — Options for EU action.

Wales, within the United Kingdom has received a training aid from the European Union. The European Commission published its notification granting the state aid under Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to training aid. The scheme is called the Welsh Red Meat (Training for Processors and Marketers) Scheme.