European Union News - Social Affairs

The European Commission (EC) has released information from European institutions and bodies regarding the Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty Cases where the Commission raises no objections (2008/C 97/02). The Forestry Grant Aid - improving Habitat Networks Locational Supplement aid scheme will provide aid to the foestry sector in Wales in the form of direct grants. Authorities will dispose of a budget of 1,40 million Pounds.

Results of Flash Eurobarometer survey on Data Protection that was conducted in January 2008 have been published. Previous waves of the survey had been performed three times before, in 1991, 1996 and 2003. Fieldwork was carried out from January 8th to 12th, 2008. Over 27,000 randomly selected citizens aged 15 years and over were interviewed in the 27 EU Member States.

European Parliament (EP) President Hans-Gert Pöttering announced the adoption of written declarations on the subtitling of all public-service television programmes in the European Union (EU) and on the murder of the human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

On the 10th April the European Commission (EC) published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ), its decision from the 18th March 2008 to release a list of bodies whose researchers may access confidential data for scientific purposes. The decision have been released under Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom.

Eurstat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities) has published official findings concerned with unemployment in Europe.

The European Commission has approved A Technical Specification for Interoperability (‘TSI’) relating to ‘persons with reduced mobility’. The TSI shall be fully applicable to the trans-European conventional rail system and the trans-European high-speed rail system. The official decision was publsihed in the Official Journal (OJ) of the Eropean Union on 7th March 2008.

On 7th March 2008, the EC published its official text of the Council decision of 28 February 2008 implementing Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 as regards the adoption of a Multi-annual Framework for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for 2007-2012.

Despite recent progress, women in Europe are still shut out of top posts in both politics and business, says a new European Commission report. Across the EU, 24% of parliamentarians are women – up from 16% a decade ago – with a similar proportion holding ministerial office. In the private sector, men still represent 9 out of 10 board members in top companies and two-thirds of company bosses. The report coincides with International Women's Day on 8 March and comes ahead of a new European network of women in power, to be launched later this year.

Careers in information and communications technology (ICT) are often thought to be restricted to men. Such a common stereotype is far from the truth. Although the proportion of women graduating in engineering or computer science is still very low, young girls can expect a successful and rewarding career in the ICT sector. This topic is at the core of a conference organised today, ahead of International Women's day (8 March), in Brussels, where the European Commission will encourage young girls in Europe to "Move out of the shadow and seize the opportunITy".