(09/02/2010) Safer Internet Day, Strasbourg, 9 February 2010

(09/02/2010) 50% of European teenagers give out personal information on the web – according to an EU study – which can remain online forever and can be seen by anybody. Today, Safer Internet Day, the European Commission is passing a message to teenagers: "Think before you post!" It welcomed actions to protect children using social networking websites taken by the 20 companies who signed the Safer Social Networking Principles last year. Most of these companies have empowered minors to tackle online risks by making it easier to change privacy settings, block users or delete unwanted comments and content. Yet more needs to be done to protect children online, the Commission says. Less than half of social networking companies (40%) make profiles of under-18 users visible only to their friends by default and only one third replied to user reports asking for help.

See also: Safer Internet Day 2010: European Commission assesses social networking sites' approach to safety of under 18s

(08/02/2010) A record number of Member State aid measures to support the installation of broadband networks have been approved by the European Commission in 2009 since the adoption by the Commission in September 2009 of Guidelines for the assessment of broadband projects under EU state aid rules. With a view to supporting economic recovery and the long term competitiveness of Europe, the guidelines provide an overview on how Member States can support broadband networks without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market and helped to accelerate the decision making process. Since September 2009, the Commission has endorsed almost €300 million of public funding to support the deployment of broadband networks thereby giving people and businesses better access to high and very high-speed internet and bringing Europe closer to its goal to build a knowledge-based society.

(05/02/2010) Nearly 500 teachers are meeting in Seville to celebrate the fifth anniversary of eTwinning, an action that creates online communities of teachers and schools across Europe. Through eTwinning, over 85 000 teachers from across Europe work together in international school activities involving more than 50 000 schools in 32 European countries. In the five years of its existence, eTwinning has grown from being a partner-finding tool for teachers to become a rich, Europe-wide community of teaching and learning. On 5 February, a prize ceremony is being held for 37 schools from 21 countries that are the top winners of this year's eTwinning Awards for excellence in eTwinning.

See also: eTwinning

(05/02/2010) The European Commission today has warned the Lithuanian national telecoms regulator, Ryšių reguliavimo tarnyba (RRT), that obliging terrestrial broadcasters to use specific suppliers to transmit their programmes constitutes a barrier to competition and prevents new terrestrial transmission service providers from entering the market. The Commission says that regulators no longer need to intervene in broadcasting markets in principal. However, RRT intends to continue regulating Lithuanian terrestrial broadcasting markets because of the exclusive market position that has been granted to transmission service providers Lietuvos radijo ir televizijos centras (LRTC) and TEO.

See also: EU Consultation procedures

Deadline: 01/06/2010

A call for proposals has been launched under the 2010 Work Programme of the Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013). The Work Programme 2010 focuses on 6 themes: ICT for a low carbon economy and smart mobility; Digital Libraries; ICT for health and inclusion; Open innovation for future Internet-enabled services in smart cities; ICT for improved public services for citizens and businesses; Multilingual Web.

High Level event on ICT for Energy Efficiency

Edge 2010

Cable Congress 2010

Women in ICT: The Way Forward

eHealth week 2010 - Barcelona

8th Eastern European eGov Days: Changing Concepts & eGovernment as a Service

Health Informatics meets eHealth - From Science to Application and back