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05/24/2012
Statement by European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn on the Fiscal Treaty
"Rejecting this treaty will leave Ireland in a financial no man's land - unnecessarily exposing our country to uncertainty as to where future funding might be secured from, and at what cost."
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05/24/2012
Statement by President Barroso following the Informal European Council dinner, 23 May 2012
"We need both stability and growth".
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05/23/2012
Clean water at most EU holiday destinations
Good news if you’re planning a beach holiday in Europe this summer. 92.1 % of bathing water in the European Union now meets the minimum quality standards. The latest EU bathing water report out today shows that water quality at Europe's most popular summer destinations was generally good – Spain, Italy and Portugal had more than 80 % of sites with excellent water quality.
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05/22/2012
Europe's action plan for growth, employment and investment
Olli Rehn, Vice-President of the European Commission and member of the European Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro, gave an address to the European Parliament on 22 May on "Europe's action plan for growth, employment and investment". The full text of his speech is reproduced below.
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05/16/2012
New EU project gets to grips with globetrotting germs
As Germany was struck by a devastating Escherichia coli (E. coli) crisis in June 2011, the dangers of transferring life-threatening disease-causing germs in food from one country to another once again hit the headlines. Despite the alarm however, until now very few studies have been carried out into the actual danger posed by germs that enter the EU along with food. Step in a new EU-funded project that hopes to tackle pesky pathogens like E. coli head on.
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05/16/2012
Statement by President Barroso on the economy and on Greece
The following statement on the economy and on Greece was made by President Barroso at the end of a debate on the economic situation in Europe during the weekly meeting of the European Commission on 16 May 2012.
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05/16/2012
Ireland records 3rd lowest inflation in April 2012
According to Eurostat figures just published, Ireland had the third lowest annual rate of inflation in the EU in April 2012 at 1.9%. The lowest rates were observed in Sweden (1.0%) and Greece (1.5%) and the highest rates were observed in Hungary (5.6%), Estonia (4.3%), the Czech Republic and Poland (both 4.0%).
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05/16/2012
Ireland records third largest trade surplus in EU in Jan-Feb '12
Ireland recorded the third largest trade surplus (+6.8 bn euro) in the EU in January to February 2012 after Germany (+27.8 bn) and the Netherlands (+7.2 bn). Irish exports for this period were up 2% on January-February 2011, from 14.5 to 14.9 bn euro, while Irish imports were down 5%, from 8.5 to 8.1 bn euro.
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05/15/2012
Remarks of European Commission Vice-President Rehn at the Eurogroup press conference of 14 May 2012
Regarding progress on the implementation of the programmes of Ireland and Portugal, I'm pleased to say that both programmes are on track, and the re-balancing towards an expanding export sector continues in both countries.
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05/11/2012
Spring forecast: On-going adjustment supported by export growth
The Irish economy returned to growth in 2011 after three years of contraction. GDP increased by 0.7% for the year, although the divergence between the export-oriented and domestic sectors continued. While net exports added 4.7 pps. to growth, domestic demand continued to contract, as household balance-sheet adjustment continued, and both fiscal consolidation and contracting employment reduced disposable incomes. The effects of public and private sector deleveraging will continue to weigh on growth in 2012. However this will be offset again by external demand, so that overall real GDP growth of 0.5% is forecast for this year. Growth is then expected to pick up to 1.9% in 2013 as domestic demand stabilises and trading partner growth increases.
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05/10/2012
Botolist and Botocyl trade-marks annulled by ECJ
In an EU row over trademarks, Helena Rubinstein and L'Oreal have been told to withdraw their brands "Botolist" and "Botocyl" respectively.
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05/10/2012
Eurobarometer: Irish people third most likely to consider themselves well informed on EU matters
According to the most recent Eurobarometer report, Irish people are third most likely to consider themselves well informed on EU matters; 46% of Irish people see themselves as well informed on European matters compared to an EU average of 33%. This is the third highest in the EU after Luxembourg (52%) and Finland (47%), Spanish respondents were least likely to consider themselves as well informed at 20%.
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05/09/2012
Europe Day 9 May: Celebrating the older generation
Today, 9 May, is Europe Day and this year it's all about the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity Between the Generations.
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05/08/2012
Statement on Growth by President Barroso: "Seizing the moment to boost growth"
Statement on Growth by President Barroso: "Seizing the moment to boost growth: 9th May message from the European Commission"
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05/08/2012
Europe Day 9 May: Celebrating the older generation
Tomorrow, 9 May, is Europe Day and this year it's all about the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity Between the Generations. The celebrations kick off with a flash mob of older and younger people dancing together to music from a live swing band in Grafton Street in front of Bewley's Cafe at 11am. Young musicians playing the songs of older generations, putting their own twist to it ; the silver generation dancing in formation with young people... this year's Europe Day celebrates the concept of Active Aging and Solidarity between Generations by turning stereotypes on their heads.
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05/08/2012
Erasmus take-up increases by 18%
2,511 Irish students benefitted from Erasmus during 2010-2011 – up from 2,128 the previous year. The top 3 destinations for Irish students were France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
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05/03/2012
EU Health Prize for Journalists launched today
Today, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, launched the fourth consecutive annual health prize for journalists.
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05/02/2012
Irish SME joins forces to produce innovative packaging for food
We're constantly on the go, so products that make our lives easier are always welcome. But keeping products safe is important. This is especially true for the food industry. When fats, oils and other food components are oxidised, the foods we eat lose nutrients and colours. Steering clear of oxidation is crucial for food packaging.
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04/27/2012
Giving EU citizens a "Letter of Rights" in criminal proceedings
"You have the right to… a Letter of Rights". Soon this will be the reality for anyone who is arrested or detained anywhere in the European Union.
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04/26/2012
Statement by the EC, ECB, and IMF on the Review Mission to Ireland
Staff teams from the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB), and International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Dublin during April 17-26 for the regular quarterly review of the government’s economic programme. Ireland’s policy implementation remains on track, nonetheless considerable challenges remain. Ensuring recovery in Ireland’s highly open economy will require that these policy efforts continue, and that the external environment improves. The EC and IMF missions will seek approval for the completion of this review from the relevant EU bodies and the IMF Executive Board respectively.
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04/25/2012
Draft EU Budget 2013: Investing in growth and jobs
The EU's draft budget for 2013, presented today by the Commission, reflects the European Council's statements that growth and employment in the EU can only be achieved by combining fiscal consolidation and investment into future growth.
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04/24/2012
Young Irish researcher wins gold medal for road safety technology
Anthony Winterlich from the National University of Ireland, Galway, gets the prize for his work on systems for pedestrian identification, which is a key challenge to enhance road safety. He is among the winners of the YEAR 2012 competition announced yesterday at the Transport Research Arena (TRA), in Athens.
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04/20/2012
Andor and Platini welcome new agreement on contract rights for footballers
The social partners representing the professional football sector has today signed their first Agreement setting minimum contract requirements. The social partners represented by FIFPro (Trade Union); EPFL (European Professional Football Leagues), ECA (European Club Association) - and UEAFA the governing body of European football have negotiated the agreement. It will also be accompanied by a joint letter where all organisations pledge to implement these new commitments.
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04/19/2012
When I'm 65: 11 healthy years left if you're Irish
Although Irish women at 65 can expect to live three years longer than men of the same age, the number of healthy years they each have left is roughly the same. New figures from Eurostat released today show that the life expectancy for 65 year old women is 21.1 more years whereas for 65 year old men it is 18.1 more years. However, when it comes to a healthy life, the gap is much closer with 11.2 years for women and 11.1 years for men.
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04/18/2012
EU Commission tackles high unemployment level
With EU unemployment hitting record levels and forecasts of a grim economic outlook for the months ahead, the Commission has come forward today with a set of concrete measures to boost jobs. The proposal focuses on the demand-side of job creation, setting out ways for Member States to encourage hiring by reducing taxes on labour or supporting business start-ups more. It also identifies the areas with the biggest job potential for the future: the green economy, health services and ICT. For example, 20m jobs could be created by 2020 in the green economy (energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste, recycling, etc.). 8 million openings are expected by 2020 in the health sector. Jobs for ICT specialists have been growing by 3% a year even during the crisis, and Europe will be short of 700,000 ICT practitioners by 2015.
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04/17/2012
Commission strengthens independence and reliability of EU statistic
Stronger measures to ensure the quality and credibility of EU statistics have been set out in a proposal adopted by the Commission today.
High-quality, reliable statistics are fundamental for evidence-based decision making. Demands for such data have further increased in light of the enhanced economic-policy coordination that has been agreed in the EU over the past year.
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04/17/2012
Eurotrip No. 3 - First stops Stockholm and Poznan!
The winners of Eurotrip No. 3, Dublin duo Diandra Xavier and Darragh Reck, and Co. Mayo natives Clare Cullen and Lorraine Cronin, kicked off their trips across Europe in Stockholm and Poznan yesterday.
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04/17/2012
European Commission offers €2 million prize for a leap forward in vaccine technology
The European Commission today offered a €2 million prize to encourage inventors to overcome one of the biggest barriers to using vaccines in developing countries: the need to keep them stable at any ambient temperature. The prize was announced by Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn at the third Innovation in Healthcare conference in Brussels. It is the first time the European Commission has offered a so-called inducement prize to stimulate research and innovation in the European Union.
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04/11/2012
Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn calls for 'Yes' vote on Fiscal Treaty to show Ireland back in business
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn has today turned the first sod on the site for the new Medtronic Customer Innovation Centre in Galway. Speaking at the ceremony, she highlighted Ireland's and in particular Galway's position of leadership in the Medical Technology sector, a growing and innovative sector in Europe. The Commissioner argued that with a strong innovation base, Ireland is well positioned to emerge out of the crisis with an improved economy that will compete globally. An important element of this is to build confidence for investors, employers and markets alike, and here a positive vote in the upcoming referendum on the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance (the 'Fiscal Treaty') was vital. The Commissioner said:
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04/11/2012
Minister Lucinda Creighton launches Talk To EU Eurotrip No 3
Dublin duo Diandra Xavier and Darragh Reck, and Co. Mayo natives Clare Cullen and Lorraine Cronin are this year's Talk To EU Eurotrip participants. They were picked after a national competition to find two teams of two people to take on the Eurotrip Challenge.
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04/03/2012
Environment: Irish Ministers and Environment Commissioner agree to work closely and quickly on national plan for Irish raised bogs
Commissioner Janez Potočnik, Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, and Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan agreed at a meeting today that their services would work closely together on the urgent preparation by the Irish Government of a national plan for the conservation and restoration of 53 internationally important Irish raised bog sites protected under the EU Habitats Directive. This plan will have the aim of comprehensively addressing the challenge of conserving the sites for future generations while having full regard to the concerns of affected turf-cutters.
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03/30/2012
Irish Commissioner congratulates CIT on start-up award
As Corkman Kieran O'Callaghan basks in the glory of winning Europe's top innovation prize, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn congratulated the Cork Institute of Technology on another outstanding performance in this year's Innovact innovation awards.
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03/02/2012
Statement by President Barroso at the signature ceremony of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance
President Barroso made the following key points at the signature ceremony of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union:
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03/01/2012
European Commission gives green light for €5.8 bn payment following successful completion of 5th review of financial assistance programme
Today, the European Commission completed the fifth review of the EU-IMF supported financial assistance programme for Ireland. In this context, the Commission authorises the disbursement of €5.8 billion to the country, bringing total EU funding to Ireland to €32.2 billion since the launch of the programme in late 2010.
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02/23/2012
Commission's interim economic forecast: Extract on Ireland
The latest interim forecast of the European Commission, presented on 23 February, points to a stagnation of the EU economy and to a mild recession in the euro area. However, modest growth is predicted to return in the second half of the year.
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02/22/2012
Statement by Commissioner Karel De Gucht on ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement)
"I am glad to say that this morning my fellow Commissioners have discussed and agreed in general with my proposal to refer the ACTA agreement to the European Court of Justice.
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02/10/2012
What is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement or ACTA about?
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is an agreement between the European Union and its Member States, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Mexican States, the Kingdom of Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Singapore, the Swiss Confederation and the United States of America. Its aim is to help countries work together to tackle Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) infringements more effectively.
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