EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.

EU News: The European Commission recently launched an easy-to-use website to help public authorities and anyone who cares about the environment choose the cleanest and most energy-efficient vehicles available.  The Clean Vehicle Portal will be of help as a new directive on the promotion of clean & energy efficient vehicles requires that, from December 2010, all purchases of vehicles for public transport services take into account energy consumption, CO2 emissions and pollutant emissions.
Press release ~ Clean Vehicle Portal ~ Clean Vehicle Directive ~ Executive Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation (EACI) ~ MEMO/10/645
 
EU News: EU Justice Ministers have approved the start of talks between the European Union and the United States on a personal data protection agreement when cooperating to fight terrorism or crime.  The aim is to ensure a high level of protection of personal information like passenger data or financial information that is transferred as part of transatlantic cooperation in criminal matters.
Press release
 
EU News: More than 10m people are now using a 'Europass' online CV (curriculum vitae) to help them find a job, according to latest figures compiled by the European Commission.  By offering a standardised CV template, available in 26 languages, Europass helps job-seekers to market their knowledge and skills in a user-friendly way to employers all over Europe and beyond.  Almost half of Europass users are under the age of 25.
Press release ~ Europass portal ~ Europass page on EUROPA ~ European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) ~ Youth on the Move
 
BIS: Edward Davey, Minister for Employment Relations, visited Brussels last week to continue the UK Government’s lobbying on the Pregnant Workers Directive.  The Government is concerned that a move to 20 weeks of maternity leave at full pay, as proposed by the European Parliament, would ‘impose considerable & unacceptable additional costs on many Member States at a time when economies across the EU can least afford it’.

Ministers also believe that the proposals put forward are socially regressive. It is estimated that the proposals put forward by the European Parliament would cost the UK more than £2bn per year.
Press release
 
BHF: European health ministers have agreed a compromise deal on how information is provided to shoppers on food packaging. Under European Council proposals food companies & supermarkets will be able to pick & choose how they present information to shoppers about what is in their food, providing it meets certain criteria. The British Heart Foundation believes the proposals are disappointing and the current confusion of food labelling systems in the UK will continue.
Press release ~ BHF food labelling campaign
 
EU NewsOver half the EU adult population is now overweight or obese according to the ‘Health at a Glance: Europe 2010’ report published by the European Commission and the OECD last week. The rate of obesity has more than doubled over the past 20 years in most EU Member States.  This has considerable implications on health, health systems and on the wider economy and is one of the many findings in a report which provides useful insight into the current situation of health in the EU.
Press release ~ Health at a Glance: Europe 2010 ~ Health Care Quality Indicators project ~ Economics of prevention project ~ European Commission health indicators (HEIDI data tool)
 
EU News: The European Commission has adopted a communication setting out possible ways to reinforce sanctioning regimes in the EU's financial services sector.  Today, rules vary greatly between Member States and, arguably, often do not serve as an effective deterrent.

Contributions from Interested stakeholders should be sent to markt-sanctions-consultation@ec.europa.eu by 19 February 2011.  On the basis of the comments received, the Commission will decide in 2011 on possible proposals on how to reinforce sanctioning regimes.
Press release ~ EU Single Market: Sanctions
 
EU News: The European Commission has fined six LCD panel producers a total of €648,925,000 for operating a cartel which harmed European buyers of television sets, computers and other products that use the key Liquid Crystal Display component.
Press release
 
EU News: The second phase of the European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors was inaugurated last week during an induction & networking event that is co-organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the European Council.
Press release ~ Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Encouraging women entrepreneurs
 
EU News: In order to help inform debate on genetically modified organisms, the European Commission has published a compendium entitled "A decade of EU-funded GMO research".  The book summarizes the results of 50 research projects addressing primarily the safety of GMOs for the environment and for animal & human health.
Press release ~ EC-sponsored research on Safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (1985-2000)
 
EU News: The European Commission has adopted a proposal on ‘contractual relations in the milk sector’, which aims to boost the position of the dairy producer in the dairy supply chain and prepare the sector for a more market oriented and sustainable future.
Press release ~ Proposal and quota report
 
EU News: In a consultation launched last week, the EC is asking businesses, consumers, telecoms operators & public authorities whether they see benefits in a system that would allow businesses to use the same telephone number in all EU Member States – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
 
EU News: The EC is seeking the views of consumers, businesses, telecom operators & public authorities on the EU mobile phone roaming market in a public consultation (closes on 11 February 2011).  The EU Roaming Regulation imposed a cap on retail prices for roamed voice calls & text messages within the EU, but there is still no competitive Single Market for roaming services -  See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story