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EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: The third Demography Report published recently in cooperation with Eurostat reveals Europeans are living longer & healthier lives. It also shows how the structure of Europe's population is continuing to change with the number of over 60s in the EU is growing by 2m each year. The report confirms recent trends and brings new data on fertility, life expectancy & migration with a special focus on mobility & migration.
The need to adjust EU policies to these developments is clearer than ever. The report provides timely data which will feed into the European debate on demographic change.
EU News: In a report taking stock of progress made in implementing its EU-wide 2009 action plan, the European Commission praises Member States' efforts to protect critical information infrastructures from cyber attacks and disruptions.
However, the report underlines that further action in this area is required, notably to establish an efficient network of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) by 2012. Cyber security and the protection of critical information infrastructures are vital for people & companies to trust the internet and other networks and are a key priority of the Digital Agenda for Europe.
EU News: Waste generated by European industries & consumers is increasingly being reprocessed into secondary raw materials & new products instead of being buried in landfills. However, in the past there has been a lack of clear criteria determining when a material recovered from waste ceases to be waste and can be dealt with as other products or raw materials.
The first end-of-waste Regulation adopted recently sets such criteria for iron & steel scrap and for aluminium scrap. It aims to stimulate European recycling markets. This Regulation means clean & safe metal scrap does not have to be classified as waste provided producers apply a quality management system and demonstrate compliance with the criteria by a statement of conformity for each metal scrap consignment.
EU News: The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights has now been legally binding for over a year – primarily on the EU institutions (European Parliament, Council and the European Commission) when preparing new European laws, but also on national authorities if they are implementing EU law.
As part of its efforts to make fundamental rights a reality for citizens in the EU, the European Commission is reporting for the first time on how the Charter is being applied. The Annual Report on the application of the Charter shows that fundamental rights are relevant across a wide range of policies – from data protection to immigration & asylum – and that public interest in the Charter runs high.
EU News: Improving the safety & daily lives of European citizens thanks to radio navigation, guiding tractors by satellite for high-yield crops, optimizing response to humanitarian crisis. This crucial role of space is reflected in the European Commission communication presented this week as a first step of an integrated Space Policy to be developed with the new legal basis provided by the Lisbon Treaty.
The new Communication aims at reinforcing Europe’s space infrastructure and calls for increasing support for research to increase European technological non-dependence, foster cross-fertilisation between the space sector and other industry sectors, and boost innovation as a driver of European competitiveness.
EU News: The European Commission and the US Government, under the framework of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), have agreed on a set of 10 fundamental principles for trade in information & communication technology (ICT) services.
The EU and the US, in cooperation with other countries, will promote these principles worldwide in order to support the global development of ICT networks & services and allow service providers to compete for contracts with local incumbents on an equal footing.
