Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will this evening (Thursday) chair a summit of EU Heads of State and Government where it is hoped agreement will be reached on the appointment of the three new top EU posts regulated in the Treaty of Lisbon, i.e. a permanent President of the European Council, a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a Secretary-General for the Council Secretariat. The summit will take the form of a working dinner in the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels.

The weightiest of the three posts is the European Council’s new permanent President, whose first day at work is expected to be 1 December. Previously EU heads of state and government have had a new President every six months, as the Presidency of the Council passes from one country to another. However, with the Lisbon Treaty, which will come into force on 1 December, this will change. The European Council will get a permanent President with a term of office of two and a half years, with the possibility of a second term.

However the rotating Presidency will continue even after 1 December. A different minister will continue to chair the various sectoral Councils of Ministers. The new permanent President of the European Council will work alongside the head of state or government of the country chairing the meetings of the Council in the different areas such as financial affairs or justice. As Spain will take over the Presidency on 1 January 2009, it will be the task of its Prime Minister, José Luis Zapatero, to decide together with the new permanent President what form future cooperation will take in practice.

In accordance with the Lisbon Treaty the EU heads of state and government must agree on a candidate for the post of permanent President. The decision can be made by qualified majority.

See here for further details.

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs this week welcomed the political agreement on the energy performance of buildings reached by representatives of the European Parliament and the Council. The agreement will strengthen the building codes and energy performance requirements for buildings across the EU. It fixes 2020 as the deadline for all new buildings to be nearly zero energy buildings.

Buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of EU CO2 emissions. It is estimated that, by strengthening the provisions of the Directive on energy performance, the EU could achieve a reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 70% of the current EU Kyoto target. In addition to this, these improvements could save citizens around 300€ per annum per household in their energy bills, while boosting the construction and building renovation industry in Europe.

Commissioner Piebalgs also welcomed this week the political agreement on the Energy Labelling Directive. This clears the way to extend the scope of the framework directive, which currently covers household goods only, to all energy-related products. The directive will outline the main elements of the new energy label: an A-G scale with the possibility to open it up to A+++ if technological development so requires, the dark green colour of the scale always indicating the most efficient class and thus guiding consumers to the most efficient products.

See here for further information.

Today (19 November) and 20 November: Informal European Council, Brussels

19 – 20 November: Agriculture & Fisheries Council, Brussels

20 November: Climate Change Forum: What is at stake in Copenhagen?

Tomorrow (Friday, 20 November), the European Parliament Office in Ireland will hold a Forum on Climate Change. This event will take place in the European Parliament Office at 43 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, starting at 9 a.m. and finishing at 12.30 p.m.

Key speakers include: Environment Minister John Gormley TD, Gay Mitchell MEP, Mairead McGuinness MEP, Nessa Childers MEP, Liz McManus TD, Sean Fleming TD, Tom Arnold (Concern), and Erik Hammarskjöld (Swedish presidency).

If you are interested in attending, book your place by emailing: marie.quinn@ec.europa.eu

23 - 27 November 2009: Exhibition on "Living and Working in Europe"

The "Living and working in Europe" exhibition gives a snapshot of the living and working issues affecting people in the EU - including their wellbeing and happiness, feelings about the future, family life and working life. It also looks at how recent trends such as economic change and globalisation are shaping citizen's lives.

The exhibition is the initiative of the Dublin-based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and is sponsored by MEPs Stephen Hughes and Ria Oomen-Ruijten.

It will be open to the public at European Union House, 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th November. Entry is free.

25 - 26 November: Civil Protection Forum, Brussels

The European Commission's Directorate General for the Environment is organising the third Civil Protection Forum "Towards a more resilient society" in Brussels on 25 and 26 November 2009.

This event will bring together around 500 delegates and speakers from politics, academia, civil protection services and international organisations to discuss the future of civil protection in Europe. The key themes will be involving citizens in preparing for natural and man-made disasters and developing a comprehensive European disaster management strategy.

Participation at the Forum is free; those who cannot attend the Forum in Brussels in person can follow the event live on the internet. See here for further details.

2 - 18 December 2009: Exhibition - History from behind the Iron Curtain

In cooperation with the Embassy of Poland in Ireland and the European Commission Representation in Ireland, the European Solidarity Centre and the Irish–Polish Society present an exhibition commemorating the fight of the Polish nation against the communist regime. This exhibition has been organised in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1989 events in Poland and Eastern Europe.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Wednesday 2 December to Friday 18 December at European Union House, 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, on weekdays from 9am to 5pm.  Admission is free. All are welcome.

3 December 2009: Polish Greats - Brian Keenan on Joseph Conrad

In cooperation with the European Commission Representation in Ireland and the Embassy of Poland, the Ireland-Poland Cultural Foundation is organising a series of public meetings entitled "Polish Greats, Irish artists on Polish inspirations".

The next of these encounters will take place at European Union House, 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 on Thursday 3 December 2009 starting at 7 p.m.

Admission is free. To confirm, please email info@irelandpoland.org

The EU Commission has just published a special survey on how Irish citizens voted in the second Irish Lisbon Treaty Referendum. The report shows that nearly 1 in 4 cited economic reasons for voting yes (23% in 2009 versus 9% in 2008). Of all the reasons given, this showed the single biggest change in voting yes. Overall the research shows that 27% of yes voters felt that the Treaty was in Ireland's best national interests.

Commenting on the new report Martin Territt, Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, said: "This research sheds light on why Ireland changed its mind so abruptly from a "No" in 2008 to a determined "Yes" a year later. It is reassuring to see that so many people identify membership of the European Union under the Lisbon Treaty with Ireland's political and economic interests.

"We should note that people felt they had a better understanding of the issues at hand with the Treaty. In 2008 research showed that 22% of no voters based their decision on a lack of information. This fell to only 4% in the second referendum."

The Eurobarometer shows that the single biggest reason for a no vote was a perceived loss of sovereignty (17%). Lack of trust in politicians was also an issue with 10% giving this as a reason for voting no (up from 6%).

Other key findings of the Flash Eurobarometer 284 survey:

Outcome: rather high turnout (59%), 67.1% votes in favour.

Why people voted "Yes":

•    They considered the Treaty to be in Ireland's best interests (economically, politically, diplomatically) - total of 77%

Why people voted "No":

•    They believed the Treaty was a threat to Irish sovereignty and neutrality (23%)

•    They distrusted politicians (10%)

Why people did not vote:

•    They were too busy (46%)

•    They were turned off by the campaigns (40%)

Why people changed their votes to "Yes" in 2009 from "No" or abstention in 2008:

•    The support basis of the Treaty expanded mainly due to increased information and communication (29%); this made citizens feel more engaged in the debate on the Treaty (21%)

•    The economic crisis and recession illustrated the Economic importance of Europe (25%)

Where did people obtain information about the Treaty:

•    Channels: television, newspapers and the radio were most popular (over 39% each)

•    Sources: people relied on the Irish government, family and acquaintances, political parties and the Referendum Commission for information about the Treaty (over 24% each)

Did the information campaigns work?

•    Clear evidence: in 2008, 67% of the respondents found the "No" campaign to be most convincing, while in 2009 the same percentage found the "Yes" campaign to be most convincing

Sociodemographic profile of voters:

•    Typical "Yes" voter: male, over 55, with over 20 years of education, from a metropolitan area, or self-employed

•    Typical "No" voter: female, between 18 and 24, still in education, from a rural area, or a manual worker

Possible lessons to be learned:

•    Lack of (proper) information empowered the "No" campaign and lead to rejection

•    More information and debate enlarged the support basis of the Treaty

•    The economic crisis emphasized the importance of EU integration and support

The survey was undertaken by Gallup between 3 and 7 October 2009. A sample of 2,000 random Irish voters above the age of 18 were interviewed by telephone for their opinions on the question in matter.

To view the full survey please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_284_en.pdf