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EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: Victims of crime who have been granted protection by the authorities of one EU Member State must also be protected if they move to another EU country, under new rules backed last week by the Civil Liberties Committee and the Women's Rights Committee. MEPs voted to broaden the scope of the rules, laid down in the new European Protection Order, to include all victims of crime, not only victims of gender violence.
EU News: Refugees & other beneficiaries of international protection could acquire long-term resident status in the EU, under new rules approved by the Civil Liberties Committee last week. These rules (to be endorsed by Parliament as a whole in December 2010) would give refugees the same rights as other third-country nationals with long-term resident status, including free movement within the EU and, under certain conditions, equal treatment with EU citizens in a wide range of economic and social areas.
This legislation, which amends an EU directive of 2003, will bring "direct benefit to all the beneficiaries of international protection who have been residing legally on the territory of the EU for more than 5 years, but currently have no entitlement to long-term resident status. It will bring an end to their differential treatment vis-à-vis other third country nationals, and will give them greater certainty about their situation in the EU".
EU News: Research Ministers of the EU Member States and Associated Countries, together with the European Commission, announced in Brussels last week 3 new pan-European energy research infrastructures. A wind research facility is planned in Denmark, a concentrated solar power installation in Spain and a nuclear research reactor in Belgium. The overall investment is about €1.2bn and they will be part of the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).
EU News: The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released its fourth EnvironmentState and Outlook report — SOER 2010 — a comprehensive assessment of how & why Europe’s environment is changing, and what we are doing about it. SOER 2010 concludes that a fully integrated approach to transforming Europe to a resource-efficient green economy can not only result in a healthy environment, but also boost prosperity & social cohesion.
Press release ~ EEA's new assessment ~ thematic assessments ~ assessment of global megatrends ~ country assessments ~ synthesis report
EU News: Drivers look set to be punished for traffic offences they commit abroad, including the 4 ‘big killers’ causing 75% of road fatalities – speeding, running red lights, failure to use seatbelts & drink driving – under proposals due to be agreed by EU transport ministers.
EU News: A new Europe-wide survey among employers shows that, when it comes to graduate recruitment, 'soft' skills are just as valued as sector-specific & computer skills. Almost 50% of companies with considerable international business identified knowledge of foreign languages as the most important skill for the future.
Press release ~ Eurobarometer survey on employers' perception of graduate employability ~ MEMO/10/638
EU News: EU researchers, businesses and citizens can have free & open access to EU-funded research papers thanks to OpenAIRE (Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe), which the European Commission launched last week, at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
EU News: The European Commission wants to see e-invoicing become the predominant method of invoicing in Europe. In its Communication 'Reaping the benefits of electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) for Europe', the EC identifies a set of tangible actions to make the uptake of e-invoices in Europe easier.
EU News: The European Commission has launched a wide public consultation on how the EU’s Value Added Tax (VAT) system can be strengthened & improved, to the benefit of citizens, businesses and Member States - See ‘Consultations’ section for more information
