EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
Newswire – NHSConfed: Efforts to increase the numbers of clinical trials carried out in the UK are being hampered by EU rules & bureaucracy, according to the NHS Confederation's European Office. In a submission to the European Commission, the NHS Confederation highlights figures which show that the UK's involvement in global clinical trials has ‘dropped dramatically’ since the introduction of the EU Clinical Trials Directive.
The NHS Confederation is calling for a more streamlined 'one-stop-shop' approach for organisations taking part in clinical trials, with a faster approval process and fewer variations in the way guidelines are interpreted in different countries. A recent report by the Academy of Medical Sciences found that it took an average of 621 days in the UK from a decision to support studies through to the first patient entering a trial, compared to Canada’s 30 - 60 day process.
EU News: The European Commission has proposed to extend the temporary crisis-related derogation that allows European Globalisation Fund (EGF) to be used for workers made redundant as a result of the current financial and economic crisis in addition to those losing their job because of changes in global trade patterns.
This derogation is currently due to expire on 30 December 2011, but the Commission's proposal would extend it until 31 December 2013(i.e. until the end of the implementation period of the EGF Regulation). The proposal reflects the fact that a large number of workers across the EU have been badly affected by the consequences of the current crisis.
EU News: “The European Commission has just proposed to the EU Council of Ministers to close the last four chapters in the accession negotiations with Croatia. This paves the way for Croatia to join the EU as the 28th Member State as of 1 July 2013, if this indicative date proposed by the Commission were to be retained by the Council”, said President José Manuel Barroso on 10 June 2011 in Brussels. These chapters relate to competition policy, financial & budgetary provisions, judiciary, and fundamental rights; as well as other issues.
