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EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: The introduction of electrical cars will get a further boost with an international agreement promoted by the EU, the United States and Japanin Geneva (Switzerland) last week. The partners agreed to closely cooperate on convergence of regulatory obligations related to electric vehicles in the global context.
EU News: The European Commission showcased a family of 5 new online public services to the recent ‘Borderless eGovernment Services for Europeans’ conference in Poznan. eGovernment must not stop at national borders, and these 5 projects prove that it does not have to, making the lives of citizens & businesses easier, while being more efficient & cost effective than existing public services.
WAG: The Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Alun Davies has refuted speculation that participation in the All-Wales Element of the Glastir agri-environment scheme would conflict with the ‘greening’ proposals recently announced by the European Commission under its package for CAP reform from 2014.
ScotGov: A cash injection of more than £1.9m has been announced to back new jobs & business opportunities throughout Scotland. The money from the European Structural Fund will support new developments & improvements to existing facilities, offering business spaces, training schemes & childcare facilities.
EU News: The selection procedure for next year's European Charlemagne Youth Prize has been launched - focusing on promoting understanding between people from different European countries. The deadline for submitting projects for next year's prize is 23 January 2012.
EU News: The ECA concludes that the 2010 accounts present fairly the financial position of the European Union and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year.
EU News: A new report published recently by the European Commission highlights the overall positive role that mobile workers from Bulgaria and Romania (EU-2) have played in receiving countries' economies.
EU News: The Commission has adopted a Communication on Double Taxation, highlighting where the main double taxation problems lie within the EU, and outlining concrete measures that the Commission will take to address them.
EU News: The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a European Union legal framework on security scanners. This legislation allows airports and Member States that wish to use security scanners for the screening of passengers to do so under strict operational and technical conditions.
EU News: New Cigarette safety standards will be published in the EU Official Journal, with all cigarettes sold in Europe having to comply with these measures from 17 November 2011.
EU News: The European Commission is pleased that its initiative to improve Internet Governance resulted in the introduction of a number of its suggested changes by the US Government for the post-March 2012 Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) contract.
EU News: The use of additives in food will soon become even safer & more transparent than it currently is thanks to 2 pieces of legislation adopted by the European Commission.
EU News: The Court has set aside the judgment of the General Court and upheld the Commission’s decision not to authorise the United Kingdom to implement the reform of Gibraltar corporate tax proposed in 2002.
FSA: Regulations published by the EC on 12 November should make it easier for food & drink manufacturers & enforcement officers to understand in which foods, and at what levels, additives can be used.
EU News: The European Union is organising(from 18 November to 6 December 2011) its first crisis management exercise under the Lisbon Treaty, and the sixth such exercise overall in the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
EU News: Despite the adoption of European legislation on credit rating agencies in 2009 & 2010, recent developments in the context of the euro debt crisis have shown our existing regulatory framework is not good enough.
LC: In October 2011 the EC proposed a new 'Common European Sales Law', which traders could choose to use in cross-border contracts. The Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission have published an advice to the UK Government on the advantages and problems of this.
EU News: The European Commission is putting forward proposals for simplified funding programmes to help build an EU area of justice. They will support the EU's actions to improve European cooperation on civil & criminal law, allow people to better exercise their rights as EU citizens and promote equality.
EU News: The European Commission has adopted a Work Programme for the coming year (Delivering European renewal) setting out how the Commission will build on the ambitious set of proposals to respond to the economic crisis already on the table with further measures next year.
EU News: The Annual report 2011 by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) shows drug use to be relatively stable in Europe, with some positive signs that cocaine use may have peaked and that cannabis use continues to decline among young people.
EU News: Review of the Working Time Directive, an important part of the EU’s health & safety laws to protect workers.
EU News: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has evaluated the public health risk of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC)1 and other pathogenic bacteria that may contaminate seeds intended for sprouting & sprouted seeds (sprouts, shoots & cress).
EU News: EU Member State representatives have agreed on a draft law that will ensure defendants’ right to information in criminal proceedings wherever they are in the EU.
EU News: The EU has earmarked €19m to co-finance programmes in 7 Member States aiming to combat organisms harmful to plants and to prevent them from spreading further in the Union and thus from having sever consequences on the internal market.
DEFRA: Defra Ministers have told the Europe Union’s Agriculture Commissioner that his draft proposals to reform the CAP fall short of meeting the key challenges he correctly identified some months ago – to make farming more productive and protect the environment.
DEFRA: The UK has renewed calls for Europe to reach a workable agreement and stop eggs from illegal battery cages being sold across the common market.
