EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: A high-level group of experts have warned that Europeans will only be able to benefit from the affordable, less intrusive & more personalised healthcare which ICT can bring if agreement is reached on how to use health data.
EU News: The police could get better & faster support from their counterparts in other EU countries, for example when asking them to conduct house searches or interview witnesses, under a proposed European Investigation Order endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on last week. The new rules would set deadlines for gathering the evidence requested and limit the grounds for refusing such requests.
PC&PE: The House of Lords EU Committee reported recently following an in-depth examination of the European Commission's proposals for the EU's 7-year budget – the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The Committee concludes that the EU must show overall budgetary restraint, with reductions proposed in areas such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but suggests that in some areas of European expenditure there may be scope for higher budgets, for example to encourage growth & innovation.
The Committee concludes that the EU must show overall budgetary restraint, with reductions proposed in areas such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but suggests that in some areas of European expenditure there may be scope for higher budgets, for example to encourage growth & innovation.
The Committee slammed plans by the European Commission to use a Europe wide Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) to fund the 2014-2020 EU budget. The Committee says the Commission has 'failed to make a case for the tax' and suggests if it were introduced the UK could account for 71% of the revenue it would raise.
PC&PE: The House of Lords EU Committee has recently called on the EU to improve its defence capabilities and ensure it can deploy a greater proportion of its armed forces when needed. In their report the Committee stress that given the America’s stated declaration that its defence priority is now the Asia-Pacific region and not Europe it is urgent that the EU gets its own house in order on defence capabilities.
Press release & links ~ Fight against piracy: Council launches EU action to strengthen maritime capacities in the Horn of Africa ~ EU Police Mission in Afghanistan ‘flawed and risks failing’
EU News: EU consumers want to be sure that the products – whether produced in the EU or imported from third-countries - are safe. The good news is that thanks to the increasing effectiveness of the EU's rapid alert system for non-food dangerous products ("RAPEX") dangerous products are detected earlier & more effectively and are more promptly removed from the EU market.
EU News: The European Commission has proposed to update EU VAT rules to ‘ensure the uniform tax treatment of all types of vouchers across all Member States’. Vouchers represent a market of more than €52bn per year in the European Union. However, differences in national VAT rules on vouchers means that companies face problems of double taxation and difficulties in expanding their business across borders. The new rules seek to redress this situation.
EU News: The European Commission is calling on citizens all over the European Union to help set the policy agenda for the next years and shape the future of Europe in the biggest ever EU public consultation on citizens' rights (closes on 9 September 2012 – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
EU: News: The European Commission is inviting stakeholders to submit their views (by 27 July 2012) on ‘the future of the guidelines on the application of the EU antitrust rules to maritime transport services’. These guidelines will expire in September 2013 – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
