European Union News - Regional Policy

On the 15th of May 2008, the European Commission published notification of State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products to various member states. One aid scheme included was to the United Kingdom with over two million Pounds of aid over forur years.

The European Commission announced in its Council Joint Action notification, published in the OJ on the 15th May 2008, a series of workshops in accordance with the EU strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The action 2008/368/CFSP dates back to 14th May 2008 and is in support of the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) and in the framework of the implementation of the EU strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. (L 127/78).

The seven outermost regions of Europe (the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion) are at the centre of discussions at the conference on the future of the European strategy for these regions, beginning on the 14th May 2008 in Brussels on the initiative of Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Commission responsible for regional policy.

Established in 1987, Erasmus, the EU's flagship education and training programme for mobility and cooperation in higher education across Europe, continues to expand. Erasmus receives approximately € 450 million per annum under the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013. For the academic year 2006/07, figures show that 3% more students and 10% more university teachers went abroad compared to the previous year. This brought the total participants to almost 160 000 students and 26 000 teachers in that year alone. Central and Eastern European countries, as well as Turkey, have had the biggest growth in the numbers participating in the programme.

Parliament adopted a non-binding report on support schemes for farmers (support for cotton) which calls for a deeper revision of the aid system introduced in 2004 so as to allow more flexibility to Member States. MEPs say that policies to forecast, mitigate and combat the effects of climate change on cotton-producing regions may be funded under the national support programmes.

The European Commission and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Senegal, Benin, Togo, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau and Ivory Coast) agreed to increase their collaboration in a number of sectors, including initiatives that can have a positive impact in food prices and regional integration. President of the Commission of the UEMOA, Soulaïma Cissé, met on the 7th and 8th of May, the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner, and the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, to discuss concrete initiatives to strengthen economic and political cooperation between UEMOA and the European Commission. President Cissé also met EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, to discuss progress in the ongoing Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and West Africa.

EU Member States and countries neighbouring the Union will at the ESPON seminar “Territorial Challenges and Cooperation in a Wider Europe” take further steps in understanding and cooperating on territorial development dynamics within Europe between the 2-3 June 2008 in Portorož (Slovenia). The policy focus is territorial cohesion and a sustainable and balanced development.

In a recent impact study, practically everyone interviewed considered the programme as one of the most, if not the most, important instruments for supporting the reform of higher education in their country. With such overwhelming positive responses, the Commission considers the continuation of the programme important and has therefore launched the fourth phase spanning the period 2007-2013. The fourth phase of the Tempus programme was launched in January may receive up to 52.5 million euros of EU funding.

On the 8th May 2008, the European Union published the council decision from the 4th March 2008 concerning the adoption of the SIRENE Manual and other implementing measures for the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II). The manual will prove a useful handbook for operators of the SIS II system and for facilitating work by the SIRENE Bureau.