The European Commission has targeted barriers to a single market for research and innovation by setting out concrete steps Member States should take to achieve the European Research Area (ERA), a Single Market for research and innovation in Europe. The goal is to enable researchers, research institutions and businesses to better move, compete and co-operate across borders.

Removing these barriers will strengthen Member States' research bases, increase their competitiveness and allow them to work together more effectively to tackle major societal challenges, such as climate change, food and energy security and public health. To help achieve the European Research Area, the Commission has also signed a Joint Statement and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with organisations representing key research organisations and research funding bodies. The proposals are a response to the deadline set by EU leaders to make the European Research Area a reality by 2014.

The 2012 Public Finances in EMU Report, published yesterday (Wednesday), brings together a review of recent key policy developments and analytical findings concerning public finances in the EU.

The report shows that even if the EU is experiencing difficult economic times, concerns over debt sustainability maintain the pressure to pursue fiscal consolidation. Continuous efforts in this direction will ease the pressure on sovereign debt spreads, while decisions taken by the European Council in June should help dispel uncertainties in the banking sector and boost recovery.

The European Commission has announced measures to improve open access to research results that will boost Europe's innovation capacity and improve access to scientific information produced in Europe.

Under a policy of open access, researchers and others put the results of their research (publications and/or data, for example from experiments) onto the Internet so that people can view or download the results free of charge. Open access means scientists will have better access to articles and data resulting from publicly funded research – irrespective of their or their host institution's financial means.

Broader and more rapid access to scientific papers and data will make it easier for researchers and businesses to build on the findings of public-funded research. This will boost Europe's innovation capacity and give citizens quicker access to the benefits of scientific discoveries. In this way, it will give Europe a better return on its €87 billion annual investment in R&D.

With the holiday season already starting and millions of Europeans intending on travelling within and outside the European Union, there are certain travel considerations that every European should be aware of. Whether these concern having a health insurance, resolving travel disputes with an operator or travelling with a pet, these tips provide a useful insight into the ways in which the EU is working to help and assist EU travellers. A list of the new mobile roaming costs is also included.

The tips can be downloaded here.

Research and Innovation Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn presented Mr Jim Cooke with a Special Recognition of Achievement for Inspiring Students in Science on board the RV Celtic Explorer at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in Dublin last Friday.

Mr Cooke received the special recognition of achievement in light of his career-long contribution to the education of science and his demonstration of excellence and dedication as a science teacher, where he taught at Synge Street Christian Brothers School from 1971 until his retirement in 2009.

With a special love for physics, Mr Cooke played an integrative role inspiring and guiding students to success in science. He was associated as mentor with two projects that won the BT Young Scientist Exhibition (Rónán Larkin in 2004 and Abdusalam Abubakar in 2007), three projects that achieved second place (Michael Mulhall and Francis Wasser in 2005, Gohar Abbassi in 2006 and Andrei Triffo in 2009) and many other projects achieving high placing in this competition.

The European Commission has proposed new measures to regulate fishing for deep-sea species in the North-East Atlantic. Deep-sea species are caught in deep waters in the Atlantic beyond the main fishing grounds on the continental shelves, in depths up to 4000 metres. Deep sea ecosystems and the species that live in them are particularly vulnerable to human activities. The new regulation aims to ensure that deep-sea species are fished sustainably, that unwanted by-catches decrease, that the impact on fragile deep-sea habitats decreases and that there is more data on the biology of these species.

To this end the Commission proposes a reinforced licensing system and a gradual phase-out of those fishing gears that specifically target deep sea species in a less sustainable manner, namely bottom trawls and bottom-set gillnets. The Commission also envisages specific requirements for the collection of data from deep sea fishing activities. The necessary adjustments to implement these measures may benefit from financial support under EU Funds.

EU-funded researchers in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States estimate that the supply of electricity will be disrupted even further in future years due to an insufficient supply of cooling water. According to the researchers, the thermoelectric power sector is one of the biggest consumers of water compared to other water-use sectors. They said that while the majority of this water is 'recycled', the power plants depend on consistent volumes of water, at a particular temperature, to ensure the power plants do not get overheated. So higher water temperatures and reduced water availability, which are triggered by increasing ambient water temperatures associated with climate change, are putting even more pressure on the supply of power.

Despite commitments by Member States to promote inclusive education, children with special educational needs and disabled adults are still getting a raw deal, according to a report published last week by the European Commission. Many are placed in segregated institutions and those in mainstream educational settings often receive inadequate support, it says. The report calls on Member States to work harder to develop inclusive education systems and to remove the barriers faced by vulnerable groups when it comes to participation and success in education, training and employment.

The report shows that, while learners with profound impairments may be difficult to include in mainstream learning environments or may be better served in separate settings, there is growing evidence that a very large number of learners with disabilities/special educational needs can be integrated into mainstream education. In Ireland, pupils with special educational needs make up 5.2% (33,908) of the school population of 649,166.  There are 4,976 pupils in segregated special schools or 0.8% of the total school population. And there are 2,380 pupils in segregated special classes or 0.4% of the total school population.

A guide on how to use the European Health Insurance Card in the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland can now be downloaded as an App. It includes general information about the card, emergency phone numbers, covered treatments and costs, how to claim reimbursement and who to contact in case you have lost your card. Available in 24 languages with easy option to switch from one language to another. Please note however that the card itself cannot be generated or downloaded for use. Cards are issued free by your national health insurance provider.

New rules on biocides entered into force this week. Biocidal products are part of everyday life. They include disinfectants used at home or in hospitals, rat poison, insect repellents, anti-mould sprays and paints, water purification tablets and many other products. These products have been subject to EU law since 1998, and since that time almost one thousand products have been authorised under the biocidal products directive. The new regulation on biocidal products will increase the safety of these chemical products and simplify their authorisation on the EU market, improving their free movement on the internal market.

A group of 21 Irish primary school teachers visited Brussels on 9 and 10 July where they visited the European Commission, the Parliament and the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union.

The teachers are all participants in the pilot phase of a new Irish government initiative for primary schools called the 'Blue Star' programme. The programme's aim is to foster better understanding and knowledge of the European Union amongst Irish primary pupils through classroom projects and activities.

The visit included presentations on a range of topics including Kids' Corner and Teachers' Corner, the Europe for Citizens Programme, EU multilingualism policy and an overview of the EU institutions. The group also visited the European Parliament and the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union.

Feedback from the group has been extremely positive. One teacher commented: "I feel that I can return to the classroom in September enthusiastic about the EU and look forward to teaching about the EU in the future".

The visit was organised by the Dublin Representation in cooperation with the Commission Visits Service in Brussels, the European Movement Ireland (which coordinated the pilot phase of the Blue Star programme), the European Parliament Office in Ireland, the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union and the Taoiseach's Department.

Until tomorrow (Friday 20 July): Visit the "Research in Action" exhibition, Dublin

Today (Thursday 19 July): Governing council meeting of the European Central Bank, Frankfurt

Friday 20 July: Informal Competitiveness Council (Research), Nicosia

Saturday 21 July: Storytelling at Killarney Europe Direct Centre, Killarney library

Monday 23 July: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels

Monday 23 July to Tuesday 24 July: Informal meeting of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs, Nicosia

Tuesday 24 July: General Affairs Council, Brussels

Around 130 million Europeans have planned a holiday in another European Union country this year. Around three-quarters of them will use a car or motorbike at least once to reach their destination. Inevitably, some holidaymakers will get caught up in road traffic accidents, either on the way or during their break. But how can they claim compensation if they are a victim of an accident in a country other than their own? Where can they file their claim? And what is the deadline for a compensation claim?

The European Commission has today launched a public consultation to help victims of cross-border traffic accidents, who may currently face difficulties because of varying time limits for claiming compensation for damage in case of an accident abroad in the EU.

The consultation will run until 19 November 2012.

Europe needs more entrepreneurs and, whilst actually only 11% of European citizens are entrepreneurs, 45% would like to be their own boss if they could. To unlock this enormous potential for jobs and growth, the European Commission intends to launch in autumn 2012 a European Entrepreneurship Action Plan to boost entrepreneurship at all levels.

To this end, the Commission has launched a public consultation with the aim to gather inputs from stakeholders and citizens on the scope of possible future actions at EU, national and regional level in promoting entrepreneurship.

This consultation, which runs until 1 October 2012, seeks to identify measures that would have a significant impact on achieving the goals of such an Action Plan to boost entrepreneurship.

In the context of its state aid modernisation initiative (SAM), the European Commission has launched a review of the risk capital guidelines as amended on 1/12/2010, which outline the criteria for assessing the compatibility of public support measures in this field. The review starts with a public consultation, seeking stakeholders' views on the functioning of the guidelines since their adoption in 2006 and in particular on market developments concerning the supply of equity and debt finance to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

In light of the submissions received and its own experience in applying the guidelines, the Commission will propose revised draft guidelines in 2013, with a view to contributing to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Submissions can be made until 5 October 2012.

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has launched a competition to recruit skilled Irish language translators.

To be eligible to apply you must:

• be a citizen of an EU country;
• have a university degree (or equivalent);
• have a perfect command, both written and spoken, of Irish;
• have a thorough knowledge of two other official EU languages, at least one of which must be English, French or German.

Applications close: midday (Brussels time – CEST) on 14 August 2012.

Show off your photography skills this summer by sending us your shots of EU regional funding in action. The photographs must be of projects receiving support from the European regional development fund (ERDF) or the cohesion fund. The images must show the project sign – look for a board displaying the EU flag and funding information.

You can enter the competition either as someone working for an organisation receiving EU regional funding, or as a member of the public – there are two separate categories. You will need to join Facebook to enter if you do not already belong to the social networking site.

In the autumn, two winners will be selected in each category, one by the public through an online voting form (voting begins on 27 August and ends on 7 September).

A jury will pick the other winners. Photos will be judged on aesthetics, creativity and relevance to EU regional policy.

Each winner will receive €1 000 to spend on digital camera equipment and a trip for two to Brussels during the European Week of Regions and Cities (8-11 October).

Six-year old cars should have an NCT every year, according to new vehicle testing rules the European Commission has adopted today.

There would also be compulsory tests for motorcycles and scooters – there are no EU rules on this at present.

Vehicle checks are fundamental to road safety. More than 5 people die on Europe's roads every day in accidents linked to technical failure, translating to 2,000 fatalities and many more injuries yearly. Also 8% of all motorcycle accidents are linked to technical defects.

Given such a high percentage of motorcycle accidents are due to technical problems, it does not make sense that these vehicles are not subject to testing. This is especially the case as motorbike and scooter riders, particularly young riders, are the highest risk group of road users.

Cars in Ireland are currently required to be tested once they are 4 years old and every two years after that. In the proposed testing regime a car will be subject to testing after 4 years, will have its next test 2 years later and will be subject to testing every year after that.

The new proposals aim to save more than 1,200 lives a year and to avoid more than 36,000 accidents linked to technical failure. Vice President Siim Kallas responsible for Transport said, "If you're driving a car which is not fit to be on the road, you're a danger to yourself and to everyone else in your car – your family, your friends, your business colleagues.  What's more, you’re a danger to all the other road users around you.  It's not complicated; we don't want these potentially lethal cars on our roads."

Key elements of the new proposals include:

• Increasing the frequency of periodic roadworthiness tests for old vehicles. Between 5 and 6 years, the number of serious accidents related to technical failure increases dramatically.
• Compulsory EU wide testing for scooters and motorbikes.
• Increasing the frequency of tests for cars and vans with exceptionally high mileage. This will bring their tests in line with other high mileage vehicles such as taxis, ambulances etc.
• Improving the quality of vehicle tests by setting common minimum standards for deficiencies, equipment and inspectors.
• Making electronic safety components subject to mandatory testing.
• Clamping down on mileage fraud, with registered mileage readings. 

In all cases, the proposals set common EU wide minimum standards for vehicle checks, with Member States free to go further if appropriate.

Existing EU rules setting minimum standards for vehicle checks date back to 1977, with only minor updates in the interim period. Cars, driver behaviour and technology have developed a lot since then. The new proposals aim to save more than 1,200 lives a year and to avoid more than 36,000 accidents linked to technical failure. There will also be significant financial savings from the reduced number of road accidents.

The Commission proposals must now be approved by both the European Parliament and Member States before becoming law.

For more info:

MEMO/12/555 - The Roadworthiness Package – Tougher vehicle checks to save lives Q&A 

Recent data on road fatalities (2011) by Member States 

Website of the Directorate-General Mobility and Transport