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Reporting Europe 02 February 2012RSSRss
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A weekly newsletter from the European Commission Office in Northern Ireland

EU News

Barroso hails summit decisions on growth, jobs and financial stability

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has welcomed this week's EU summit focus on measures, which include more targeted use of EU funding, to help young people to find jobs. He also welcomed agreement on making the single market work better and on improving conditions for small and medium sized businesses including by cutting red tape. Mr Barroso added that 25 Member States had agreed on the detail of the "fiscal compact" set out in principle at the 9 December summit. He said that the European Commission had played an important role in ensuring this would not undermine EU institutions or distort decision-making on the single market, an issue which had been a concern for the UK.

Erasmus: 25 successful years of student exchanges

Erasmus, the world's most successful student exchange programme, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.  Nearly three million students have undertaken a study period or work placement abroad since the creation of the Erasmus programme in 1987. In the 2011-2012 academic year, more than 250,000 students will benefit from Erasmus.  The most popular destinations for students are expected to be Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy and the countries sending the most students abroad are expected to be Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland.   Speaking at the 25th anniversary celebrations in Brussels this week, European Commissioner for Education, Androulla Vassiliou, said: "Erasmus is one of the great success stories of the European Union.  Exchanges enable students to improve their knowledge of foreign languages and to develop skills such as adaptability which improve their prospects.  It also provides opportunities for teachers and other staff to see how higher education works in other countries and to bring the best ideas home."  For more information, see the Erasmus website. 

Data protection: strengthening your online rights

"Privacy by design" and "privacy by default" will become essential principles under new data protection rules announced by the European Commission to help boost consumer online confidence. The single set of rules for consumers and businesses take into account technological progress in the way our data is now collected, accessed and used and addresses the patchwork of laws across the EU, since European legislation was introduced in 1995.

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, the Commission’s Vice-President, said:

"The protection of personal data is a fundamental right for all Europeans, but citizens do not always feel in full control of their personal data. My proposals will help build trust in online services because people will be better informed about their rights and in more control of their information."  

Eighty per cent of UK internet users are concerned that they give away too much personal data, according to a Eurobarometer opinion poll.  Just over a quarter of social network users (33%) and only 23% of online shoppers, say they feel in complete control of their personal data. Key changes proposed to strengthen individuals' rights include: a reinforced right to be forgotten will help people manage data protection risks online better and ensure they can delete data if there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it; where consent is required it will have to be given explicitly, rather than assumed; serious data breaches will have to notified within 24 hours by companies and organisations where feasible; people will have better access to their own data and be able to transfer it between service providers easier; the EU rules will even apply to personal data processed abroad if the companies operate in the EU. A single set of rules on data protection valid across the EU will do away with the current fragmentation and costly administration burdens on businesses. Companies will only have to deal with one single data protection authority, the national authority in the EU country where they are based, rather than 27 different authorities. The proposals will now be discussed by EU ministers and Members of the European Parliament. For more information please see the European Commission's data protection website. 

News in Brief

Commission proposal to reduce water pollution risks

Improvements in water quality in the EU could be at risk from new forms of chemical pollution. The Commission is proposing to add 15 chemicals to the list of 33 pollutants that are monitored and controlled in EU surface waters. This is another step towards improving the quality of river, lake and coastal waters. The 15 substances include industrial chemicals as well as substances used in biocides, pharmaceuticals and plant protection products. They have been selected on the basis of scientific evidence that they may pose a significant risk to health.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "Water pollution is one of the environmental worries most frequently cited by EU citizens. I welcome this advance as it is clearly answering people's expectations. These 15 additional chemicals need to be monitored and controlled to ensure they don't pose a risk to the environment or human health."

Your Voice in Europe - consultations

How to produce and consume more sustainably

By 2050 the global population is set to reach 9 billion people and worldwide demand for food, feed and fibre is forecast to increase by 70%.  To thrive in that context, economies will need to use natural resources in a far more efficient manner.  The European Commission therefore intends to revise the EU's Consumption and Production policies and has launched a public consultation which runs until 3 April 2012.  For more information, see the consultation website. 

Your Voice in Europe is the European Commission’s “single access point” to a wide variety of consultations, discussions and other tools which enable you to play an active role in the European policy-making process.  The website address is www.ec.europa.eu/yourvoice.

Agenda 

There will be an informal meeting of Ministers for Competitiveness from 1-3 February in Copenhagen.

The European Parliament meets in plenary session in Strasbourg from 13-16 February.  For more information, go to www.europarl.org.uk. 

The Danish Presidency continues with a meeting of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy ministers on 14 February in Brussels.  The Presidency website is www.eu2012.dk.    

 

Top News

  •  European Commission's Top News Agenda from 28 January - 24 February 2012.

Information on the EU is also available at http://ec.europa.eu/northernireland.  For a full list of press releases issued by the European Commission, please go to: http://europa.eu/rapid.  For information on any of the above items, please contact Catherine McShane on 028 9024 0708 or email catherine.mcshane@ec.europa.eu.
Last update: 09/02/2012  |Top