European Union News - Social Affairs

The Commission has launched a public consultation which seeks to prepare the future proposal for a European Accessibility Act. In particular, the consultation is aimed at gathering views from businesses, people with disabilities and the general public and will remain open until 29 February 2012. Additionally, it is fully accessible.

The Regulation put forward by the European Commission aims to stimulate the financing of social business, i.e. companies whose corporate objectives go beyond maximising profits and also have the achievement of positive social impact within their core business. The measures to be put in place aim to increase the transparency of the information received by investors in order to stimulate funding to these type of projects.

Presidents of Commission, Parliament and European Council came together for the first time with the European Disability Forum to discuss issues facing the estimated 80 million Europeans with disabilities. EU leaders remained that the strategy to create a barrier-free Europe for disabled people by 2020 outlines how the EU and national governments can empower people with disabilities so they can enjoy their rights.

The Civil Liberties and the Women's Rights Committees endorsed the new European Protection Order (EPO) rules which include that crime victims who are granted protection in one EU Member State will be able to get similar protection if they move to another. According to MEPs, the EPO directive is an important step in building a European area of justice.

Parliament's Budgets Committee approved EU Solidarity Fund aid totalling to repair earthquake and flood damage in Spain and Italy. The two aid requests, totalling €38 million, will be met out of unspent funds for rural development programmes.

According to MEPs, the second-chance schools and compulsory schooling until the age of 18 throughout the EU, could help reduce the rate of school drop-out. Moreover, they ask in a resolution approved at the plenary to establish a varied curriculum, combining general instruction and vocational training (internships, visits to firms).

The Council invites Member States to continue the work on the protection of minors by promoting widespread use of awareness-raising campaigns even when Member States have differing approaches to protecting minors. The Council also encourages providers of on line media content to take full account of the protection of minors in the design of their services and to develop and adhere to relevant codes of conduct.

The European Council adopted a single permit and a common set of rights for third-country nationals throughout the EU. The text aims to simplify the procedures for the admission of third-country nationals to reside and work in the EU and to facilitate the control of their status.

The Agriculture Committee approved a resolution which asks for EU and national measures to improve the efficiency of the food supply and consumption chains, sector by sector, e.g. by promoting direct relations between producers and consumers and to tackle food wastage as a matter of urgency. The Committee added that a better education is need to avoid excessive waste.

The European Commission proposes to strengthen dialogue and operational cooperation with non-EU partner countries in the area of migration and mobility. The Commission is therefore setting up a strategic policy framework for migration and development clear and consistent. Within the strategy, Mobility Partnerships will be offered to the EU's immediate Neighbourhood and to Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt in the first instance.