European Union News - Social Affairs

During its Plenary Session on 28 and 29 May 2008, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will adopt an exploratory opinion on the mobility of young people in Europe. In this opinion, prepared at the request of the future French presidency, the EESC calls for increase the number of people benefiting from mobility programmes and to enhance their quality.

In a recommendation from the European Council, published in the OJ on the 27th of May 2008,  The council gave its guidelines on how to make Europe a more attractive place to invest and work.

On the 27th of May 2008, the European Commission published in the Official Journal of the European Union, under Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom, a council recommendation from the 14 May 2008 on the broad economic policy guidelines for the Member States and the Community (2008-2010). The recomendation contain a broad but extensive series of guidelines concerning Macroeconomic policies and reforms within the European community.

Developing countries can achieve fast, sustained, equitable growth if they take advantage of opportunities in the global economy and have committed leaders. Those are among the messages in a report that Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy, and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence present today in Brussels. The 'Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development' concludes two years of work by the Commission on Growth and Development. Commissioner Hübner was a member of this group, created under the auspices of the World Bank, and chaired by Professor Spence. The report identifies distinctive characteristics of successful growth, using 13 high-growth economies since 1950 as examples, and explores how developing countries can emulate them.

Brazil is the main Latin American beneficiary country of EIB loans for investment in productive activities and the largest recipient of EU foreign direct investment in the region. The EIB has so far extended 24 loans totalling EUR 1.4 billion, representing some 48% of its entire activity in Latin America. The diversified portfolio of EIB financing operations in Brazil directly supports private sector investment. Among the main investments supported are those of Vivo, Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, TIM, Telefónica, Itaú-BBA, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Veracel, as well as the Bolivia-Brazil gas pipeline.

Latest news from the  Enterprise & Industry DG is to Simplification of metrology directives. Measuring instruments are essential to ensure accuracy of measurement, notably for transactions by consumers and industry in every day life: examples include water meters, taximeters, electricity meters and weighing machines. Concerns have been expressed about eight  technical rules used for regulating measuring instruments used for tasks requiring legal metrological control, are not easily adaptable to technological progress and therefore risk hindering innovation.

In the Official Journal of the European Union, the Commission published a notice relating to the establishment of the Administrative Cooperation between New Zealand and the European Community. The Official text was published on the 23rd of May 2008.

Criminal sanctions should be employed to punish all severe offences committed against environment to ensure EU legislation in this field is properly applied. If the directive is approved, illegal conducts seriously damaging environment would be considered as crimes in all Member States. The Parliament has reached a first-reading agreement with the Council on the proposed legislation.