European Commission
united-kingdom

Belfast, Thursday 15  January 2009

Head of Office: Maurice Maxwell

Safer baby walkers will reduce accidents

A European safety standard for baby walkers to help prevent many childhood accidents has been published this week. The EU standard introduces a requirement for stability tests during the manufacture of baby walkers and for the design to be geared towards reducing the risk of injuries. The standard will provide all economic operators and market surveillance authorities with a clear, quick and single reference for making, importing or checking baby walkers for safety. "This standard will help to keep the EU's youngest and most vulnerable citizens safe," the EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said. "Although parental or adult supervision is the ultimate protection for a child, extra safety precautions in the manufacture of children's products are also crucial." Member States backed the Commission's proposal to introduce this standard in November 2008 and the European Parliament has also welcomed the decision. Research from the UK's Child Accident Prevention Trust estimates that more children are injured by baby walkers than by any other nursery product. Click here for further information.

. eu domain passes the 3 million mark

 Two and a half years after its launch, the third million .eu domain name has been registered, confirming the success of the .eu top-level internet domain.  Nowthe fourth most popular internet domain among European country domains and the ninth worldwide, it promotes a distinctly European online identity and helps citizens and businesses to reap the full benefits of the single market. "The three million .eu domains reflect the confidence of European internet users in .eu," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "This achievement, just a few months before its third anniversary, indicates how .eu has clearly won public favour: a growing number of internet users are embracing the opportunity to express their European character online. In particular, I am glad to see that an increasing number of small and medium-sized companies have adopted .eu as an integral part of their corporate identity and I am looking forward to seeing more companies taking advantage of .eu in the future."

European Year of Creativity and Innovation launched in Prague

 The 2009 European Year of Creativity and Innovation has been launched in Prague, with the slogan “Imagine. Create. Innovate”. The Year aims to raise awareness of the importance of creativity and innovation as key competences for personal, social and economic development. By emphasising these priorities, the EU aims to shape Europe's future in a global competition by fostering the creative and innovative potential. For more information, go to: http://www.create2009.europa.eu/

EU Agenda

 •    The CzechRepublic has taken over the EU Presidency from France, with three priorities: the economy, energy and external relations.  The Czech Presidency's motto is "Europe without barriers" and it will be working to remove remaining barriers to the free movement of goods, capital, services and labour that hamper the EU's economic potential.  The Czech Presidency website is www.eu2009.cz/en.

•    There will be an informal meeting of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs on 15-16 January 2009 in Prague to discuss the use of modern technology for security purposes, mutual recognition in criminal matters and the future of family law.

•    Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers will meet on 19-20 January 2009 in Brussels.

•    There will be an Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) on 20 January 209 in Brussels.