EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: With €2.7m of EU funding, researchers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Spain & Sweden have developed a solution to ‘give elderly & disabled people easier control over the various electronic appliances & services in their homes using their mobile phone or other devices’.
The "I2HOME" project has developed a personalised and simplified Universal Remote Console interface based on existing & evolving open standards. I2HOME has been tested in day-care centres and home settings in 4 pilot sites in the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Sweden and more than 100 organisations & companies in Europe already use or work with I2HOME technology.
Other applications of this technology are used in the EU-funded BrainAble project which also helps people with disabilities by improving direct as well as indirect interaction with devices thanks to brain sensors that can measure feelings like boredom, confusion, frustration or information overload.
EU News: Natura 2000, Europe's network of protected natural areas, has been expanded by nearly 27,000km². The main countries involved in this latest expansion are the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain and Poland.
This includes a major addition of marine areas covering more than 17,500km² which will increase protection for many endangered marine species. Natura 2000 now covers almost 18% of the EU's landmass and more than 130 000 km² of its seas.
EU News: Results from a study released by the European Commission show that while a healthy 84% of the software programs tested enable parents to block access to certain websites, they are less efficient at filtering so-called web 2.0 content (such as social networking sites or blogs). In addition, only a few products on the market are able to filter web content accessed via mobile phones or game consoles, at a time when one child out of four in Europe goes online in this way.
In parallel, an EUKIdsOnline survey, also funded by the EU's Safer Internet Programme, found that only a quarter of EU parents use parental control software to monitor, track or filter what their children can do online.
Press release ~ "Benchmarking of parental control tools for the online protection of children – SIP-Bench II" ~ EU's Safer Internet Programme ~ www.eukidsonline.net ~ Safer Internet Day 2011
ScotGov: A report published last week by the European grid co-ordinator Georg Adamowitsch recognises Scotland's North Sea renewables resource and highlights Scotland's action as 'a fine example' of how to utilise different offshore technologies. An offshore grid is a European priority project and Scotland is working with the UK and 9 other countries to create a North Sea grid.
The report also highlights the work of the University of Aberdeen on the development of a DC transmission networks using DC/DC transformers. The Aberdeen University work involves investigating new technology to support the development of the North Sea Grid and has been awarded European Research Council funding of more than £600,000 to develop design & management software for the grid.
Press release ~
EU News: Following the publication of a Communication on 20 October 2010 on a European crisis management framework for the financial sector (see IP/10/1353), the European Commission has recently launched a consultation on technical details underpinning that framework – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
EU News: The Commission services have launched a public consultation on the Professional Qualifications Directive – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
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