EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.

EU News:  Business schools play a crucial role in equipping young women for a career in business and helping them to reach the top. They are helping women to prepare for professional careers through seminars, training programmes and providing networking opportunities. 

Their initiatives follow Vice-President Reding's call to companies to pledge to voluntarily increase the number of women on corporate boards to 30% by 2015 and to 40% by 2020.  The ‘Women Boardroom Pledge’ will help monitor how companies are working towards getting more women in top jobs.

Press release & links

EU News:  Aviation will become part of the EU's emissions trading system (EU ETS) from 2012.  The European Commission has published the benchmark values which will be used to allocate greenhouse gas emission allowances free of charge to more than 900 aircraft operators.

Press release & links

EU News:  The European Commission has presented its first proposal for 2012 fishing opportunities for certain stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea.  Last week’s proposal sets levels of total allowable catch (TAC) and fishing effort for the fish stocks managed by the EU exclusively, and not for stocks managed with third countries. 

A second proposal will deal with the 66 stocks for which the fishing opportunities must be agreed with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) or in the context of consultations with third countries and will be tabled later this autumn.  Thanks to splitting the proposal in this way, fishermen will learn sooner how much they can fish in 2012 and be able to plan ahead better.

Press release & links ~ ScotGov comment

EU News:  According to a report issued by the Commission last week, foreign students still experience difficulties coming to the EU to study, due to an uneven implementation of the relevant EU legislation.   Directive 2004/114/EC establishes common rules of admission for non EU nationals to an EU Member State for the purposes of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service. 

The first report on how Member States have implemented EU rules on the entry & residence of students, pupils, unremunerated trainees & volunteers from third countries suggests that the use of these forms of temporary migration could be further improved.  

Press release & links

EU News:  The EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a statistical modelling tool which allows the risk of conflict occurrence in developing countries to be analysed.  Combining online news reports with geographical satellite data, the tool establishes a link between natural resources and the risk of conflict. 

A key advance is the very detailed scale of the data (most being gathered to the square kilometre) and the fact that the modelling is based on the seriousness of the conflicts.  When tested, the model successfully identified the correlation between resource-rich areas of land and occurrence of conflict.  This approach has potential use in the European Commission's development aid planning and crisis prevention.

Press release & links

EU News:  The European Commission has issued its 28th Annual Report on monitoring the Application of EU Law (2010). The report shows a decrease in the number of infringement procedures launched by the Commission against Member States for failure to apply EU law.  A new working method, EU Pilot, has played a major role in addressing possible infringements.

Press release & links

EU News:  The European Commission has decided to step up legal action against Spain, Poland, Slovenia & Lithuania to ensure that consumers benefit from the protection granted under EU rules on timeshare sales (Directive 2008/122/EC)

The EU rules (the Timeshare Directive) provide significant protection for consumers against unwanted timeshare contracts – agreements of more than one year under which the consumer buys a right to use accommodation, such as an apartment at a holiday resort, during certain periods.

Press release & links

EU News:  Buying tickets for music & sporting events on the internet is now much less likely to end in tears, following a crackdown on problematic websites which sold tickets to non-existent events or which failed to explain whether the buyer would get a refund or not, if the event was cancelled.  88% of the websites selling tickets for cultural and sporting events, checked for breach of EU consumer rules, now comply with EU law (compared with only 40% in 2010).

Press release & links

EU News:  Last week the European Commission published its Annual Report on the Protection of the EU's Financial Interests and the Fight against Fraud in 2010.

Press release & links

EU News:  The European Commission has launched a public consultation (closes on 19 December 2011) on strengthening EU measures to reduce emissions of fluorinated gases, a group of industrial gases which are extremely powerful contributors to global warming – See ‘ Consultations’ section for more information.

EU News
:  EU nationals who habitually reside in the are subject to the so-called 'right to reside' test to qualify for certain social security benefits. As this test indirectly discriminates non-UK nationals coming from other EU Member States it contravenes EU law

This is why the EC has requested the to stop its application. The request takes the form of a "reasoned opinion" under EU infringement procedure.  The has 2 months to inform the Commission of measures it has taken to bring its legislation into line with EU law.  Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the to the EU's Court of Justice.
Press release & links

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story