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The European Commission Office in Wales was established in Cardiff in 1976 as an information office of the European Commission. Over time the role and responsibilities of the office evolved and today the EC Office is the political representation of the European Commission in Wales, operating in the fields of public affairs, public diplomacy, political contacts, press & media activity, and outreach to the general public. As such the EC Office is the voice of the European Commission in Wales, but also its eyes and ears. Based on this, the EC Office in Wales has as its main responsibility the representation of EC interests in Wales, and as such has no role in representing Welsh interests towards the EU institutions. However, the EC Office does try to help, facilitate and mediate in contacts between Welsh authorities and the EU institutions, in order to foster closer ties.
The EC Office in Wales forms part of the EC Representation in the United Kingdom, with Offices in London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff, and is one of 35 representation offices of the European Commission within the 27 Member States of the European Union. Administratively, the EC Office in Wales is part of the EC's Directorate-General for Communications, which currently functions under the responsibility of European Commissioner Margot Wallstrom.
The European Commission's team in Wales
Staff at the EC Office in Wales cover a variety of areas of responsibility. Names and contact data can be found on this webpage.
Outreach & Information – Sian Stoodley (information, publications, events, schools)
Outreach & Information – Leri Davies (information, publications, events, schools)
Press & Political Affairs - Rachael Langlands-Brown (media & press, political analysis)
Office Manager & PA to the Head of Office – Christine McGrath (logistics, coordination)
Head of Office – Andy Klom (EC representative and spokesperson in Wales)
European Commission Office in Wales / Swyddfa'r Comisiwn Ewropeaidd yng Nghymru
2 Caspian Point/2 Pentir Caspian,
Caspian Way/Ffordd Caspian,
Cardiff/Caerdydd,
CF10 4QQ
Tel: 029 20895020
Fax: 029 20895035
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The 2010 Jean Monnet call for proposals for university projects has been launched
The European Commission's Jean Monnet Programme is designed to increase knowledge and awareness about European integration. For this purpose, it encourages higher education institutions (university-level) to set up teaching, research and conference activities on the European Union and the European integration process.
Higher education institutions are highly encouraged to apply for the creation of Jean Monnet Modules, Jean Monnet Chairs, Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence, Conference and Seminar activities etc.
Information on the call and the standard application forms can be found on the webaddress of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency:
More>>>
The Jean Monnet Programme stimulating EU studies at universities world-wide  [26 KB]
The deadline for applications is 12 February 2010.
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European Commission launches consultation on EU 2020: a new strategy to make the EU a smarter, greener social market
The Commission issued a public consultation document on 24 November 2009 on giving the EU economy a brighter future through the EU 2020 Strategy. EU 2020 aims to deliver greener and socially inclusive growth, as outlined by President Barroso in his Political Guidelines. The new Strategy will build on the achievements of the Lisbon Strategy, while learning its lessons. The consultation paper sets out a vision for how EU 2020 will focus on entrenching recovery from the crisis, helping to prevent a similar one in future and on three thematic objectives: creating value through knowledge; empowering people in inclusive societies; and creating a competitive, connected and greener economy. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 15 January 2010. The new Commission will then make a detailed proposal to the Spring European Council.
Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: "EU 2020 means the EU working together over the next decade to overcome some of the toughest economic challenges that Europe has ever faced. A smart economy and a wise society based on strong European values go together. Growth, sustainable public finances, tackling climate change, social inclusion, a strengthened industrial base and a vibrant services sector are not alternatives. They reinforce each other. Europe reduced unemployment from 12% to 7% in the decade to 2008. We now need new sources of growth to replace the jobs lost in the crisis. We have set out in this paper the keys that can unlock Europe's potential. At the same time, we can increase our influence in the world and on globalisation by showing our partners that the social market economy is the most efficient and the most equitable. We want stakeholders' views on our EU 2020 Strategy before presenting our proposals to the Spring European Council."
The deadline for responses to the consultation is 15 January. Responses can be e-mailed to EU2020@ec.europa.eu.
The full consultation document can be accessed here. [81 KB] [81 KB]
It is also available via: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/index_en.htm and http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020
For the full version of this press release, see: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1807&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
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A Welsh celebration of the 20th anniversary of liberty in Central & Eastern Europe
On 9 November 2009 people across the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, an historic event which marked the beginning of democratic change in Central and Eastern Europe and the end of the Iron Curtain.
On Tuesday 17 November the occasion was brought closer to home with a special celebratory event held in City Hall, Cardiff. The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders, students and representatives from communities who have been affected by the changes brought in the last two decades, as well as representatives from Wales and Cardiff.
It also featured a selection of photos taken from the exhibition 'The Baltic Way that Moved the World', an exposition organised by Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The audience heard first hand the experiences of those closely affected by the unification of Europe. Speakers included Marcin Grabiec from the European Commission in Brussels, Sandy Mewies AM, Chair of the National Assembly for Wales' European & External Affairs Committee, Halina Ashley from the Polish Centre in Llanelli, and both the Czech and German Consuls in Wales, Peter Ferda and Helga Rother-Simmonds respectively.
Andy Klom, Head of the European Commission Office in Wales, chaired the event. He said, "This 20th anniversary is an important milestone for liberty and democracy in Europe. People, nations, individuals escaping from bondage and rediscovering all the benefits and obligations that come along with liberty. Europe has become a better place since then and it makes me very happy to say on this 20th anniversary that all the nations have re-joined the European family and have become full members of a democratic and peaceful European Union. Let's reflect on what has been achieved, and let's celebrate our joint achievements, joint future."
The event, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of liberty in Central and Eastern Europe, was organised by the European Commission Office in Wales and Cardiff Council. The full photo exhibition 'The Baltic Way that Moved the World' will be on display at the Temple of Peace, Cathays Park, for general viewing on Friday 20th and Sunday 22nd November between the hours of 10.00 and 4.00. On Thursday 19 November, following on the theme of the 20th anniversary, a film evening is being hosted at the European Documentation Centre at Cardiff University. The film being shown is "Goodbye Lenin" and the evening is also being sponsored by the European Commission Office in Wales.
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Wales at the front of a European healthy eating campaign
What's more fun – eating crisps or being in the Guinness Book of Records? It may be a difficult question even for a grown up. But one 8-year old – Rosolino Cannio – has placed his bets. He earned a place in the book earlier this year swimming across the Messina straight (between mainland Italy and Sicily) in just under an hour. Now the Italian boy wants to convince other youngsters it's fun to be fit. He joins Belgian tennis star Justine Henin for a European campaign on healthy eating addressed at children between 8 and 15.
"With some 22 million overweight kids in Europe – and more than 5 million of them obese – we cannot ignore the situation. It's fantastic that Wales is kicking off the EU campaign in the UK and Ireland to promote awareness about healthy eating habits and a more balanced diet from an early age," says Andy Klom, Head of the European Commission Office in Wales. "If we don't act, we'll have to face the consequences – diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even early osteoporosis. That's in nobody's interest. And if we can help kids think about it and have fun at the same time – even the better".
The campaign – Eat it, Drink it, Move it: the EU's Tasty Bunch – will be formally launched on Monday 28 September 2009 by Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Three roadshows will then set off from Brussels through several EU member states – Belgium and Northern France, the UK and Ireland, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. The focus is on games and activities, but there's also an interactive website with a treasure hunt to match.
The Tasty bunch characters will be in the UK between the 1 October and the 4 November. They will travel through Cardiff, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Lisburn and Newry. They will visit two schools each day.
In Wales, the roadshow will visit 4 schools around Cardiff on 1-2 October: Rhydypenau Primary School, St Patrick's Primary School, Llanedeyrn Primary School and Oakfield Primary School.
Background:
The Healthy Eating Campaign is financed entirely by the EU agricultural budget. It will run alongside two other initiatives - the EU School fruit scheme and the School Milk Scheme.
Tasty Bunch website: www.ec.europa.eu/tastybunch
EU School Fruit Scheme: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/fruitveg/sfs/index_en.htm
European School Milk Scheme: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/milk/schoolmilk/index_en.htm
Contact: Rachael Langlands-Brown, Press Officer at the European Commission Office in Wales, 029 2089 5024
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An iconic example of what the European Union has done for Wales…
Picture provided by Nigel Hughes Photography
Last week saw the official opening of Hafod Eryri, the new visitor centre at the top of one of Wales' most iconic symbols, Snowdon. The project was developed over a period of 9 years at a cost of £8.4m and will benefit the local area for which tourism is a key industry and the main employer. Last year alone more than half a million people visited Snowdon from all over Britain and beyond, and each year £12m is generated for the local village of Llanberis through its visitor attractions.
The project, managed by Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA), was made possible with £4.2m of European Union money, contributed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed in Wales through the Wales European Funding Office (WEFO).
Mrs Sarah Lambert, Acting Head of the European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom, attended the official opening of Hafod Eryri last Friday, together with the First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan. She said, "I am delighted and excited by the opening of Hafod Eryri in Wales last week. Apart from being such a tremendous accomplishment in terms of design technology and engineering skills, managed and implemented in Wales by Welsh authorities, this project shows once more that being part of the European Union brings real benefits to local communities and to the country as a whole. This new visitor centre will give such a boost to the local economy, while adding to the already high profile that the Snowdonia National Park enjoys at home and abroad. Europe can be very proud of Hafod Eryri. "
Mr Andy Klom, Head of the European Commission Office in Wales, added, "Without the European Union's support it is doubtful whether this project would have happened. Wales is now getting a great opportunity to share and benefit from a new eco-friendly visitor centre on Snowdon, creating an asset for the country today but also for generations to come. I am very happy that this tripartite collaboration between the European Union, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Snowdonia National Park Authority has worked out so well. Well done Wales, Well done SNPA !"
The ERDF aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union and forms part of the Structural Funds, which have played a vital role in Wales over the last 10 years. The current Convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys, financed by the European Union, will run until 2013 and will see over £1.3bn of European funds invested in a variety of projects in the region.
While the European Union provided 50% of the funding for the new Hafod Eryri, the matching funds have come from a range of partners: Welsh Assembly Government (£3m), Snowdonia National Park Authority (£0.5m), Wales Tourist Board (£0.3m), Snowdon Mountain Railway (£0.3m) and a Public Appeal co-ordinated by the Snowdonia Society (£0.1m).
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Welsh Students invited to take on the European Union
Following last year’s hugely successful event, secondary schools and colleges are invited to participate in a second Mock Council of the European Union. See below for more information and how to register. Please read below to learn about last year’s event.
On 9 September 2008, 27 schools and colleges from all over Wales and a school from Latvia (which has a bilateral relationship with Wales) came together in Cardiff to debate on important issues during a Mock Council of the European Union.
Two students from each school represented the government of an EU Member State, with the Latvian school representing the UK. The final school represented the European Commission. The students debated, and voted, on two topical issues affecting the European Union – Climate Change (the use of renewable sources of energy) and Enlargement. It was a very lively and, at times, very heated debate!
The event was opened by the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan, First Minister for Wales, and was chaired by Sandy Mewies AM, chair of the European and External Affairs Committee. Students also heard from other key speakers – Reijo Kemppinen, the then Head of the European Commission Office in the UK, and his Excellency Indulis Bērziņš, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the UK.
The event, the first of its kind in Wales, was organised by the Welsh Assembly Government, in conjunction with the European Commission Office in Wales. It took place in the National Assembly for Wales’ youth debating chamber, Siambr Hywel, in Cardiff Bay.
A similar event is scheduled to take place this year, on Thursday 24 September. For more information on how to apply, please click on the following link: [343 KB]
Welsh version: [333 KB]
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Euroscola winning essay
In January 2008 Europe Direct Llangollen launched an essay competition for sixth form pupils in Denbighshire, asking students to write on “Europe: My Vision for the Future”. The prize was a visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where the winners participated in a European Parliament initiative called “Euroscola”. This was an opportunity for young people from every country in the EU to meet up and debate on pertinent European issues, and to discover what it is like to be a European decision-maker.
There were many fantastic entries sent into Europe Direct from schools across Denbighshire, but one essay was marked as outstanding by the panel of judges. This essay was by Morgan Rhys Griffith-David of Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph.
Please see the link for essay [34 KB]
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Cardiff graduate students take part in EU Council of Ministers role play to solve the climate change crisis
On Tuesday 22 April 2008 a group of 14 graduate students from Cardiff University's School of European Studies, studying for a degree in International Relations and European Studies, took part in a role play of a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers, held at the European Commission Office in Wales in Cardiff Bay. The students were split into teams representing France, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the European Commission. The role play was based on the Commission's "Proposal for a Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources", which is one of the key elements of legislation proposed by the European Commission in January 2008 to combat climate change. The delegates had to agree on individual renewables targets for Member States in order to get an EU average for a renewable energy proposal for the 2009 UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
The experience gave participants a most valuable insight into the decision-making process of the European Union and the difficulties of trying to find compromise solutions to often opposing positions. Having to prepare and defend the Polish or Spanish positions, for instance, was most demanding but great fun at the same time too.
In September 2008 the Welsh Assembly Government, in conjunction with the European Commission Office in Wales, will be holding a similar event in the form of a Mock EU Council. Secondary Schools from across Wales will be invited to join in. For more information and details on how to apply, please see the notice on the webpage of the EC Office in Wales.
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Schools invited to join Mock EU Council
On Tuesday 9 September 2008 the First Minister for Wales, the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM, will host a mock meeting of the Council of the European Union. The event is organised by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Commission Office in Wales, and will involve the participation of students from 28 schools from across Wales. They will have the opportunity to debate with students from other Welsh schools and vote on key issues affecting the European Union.
The event is aimed at 16-18 year olds who have an interest in European affairs or politics and in lively debate. By participating in the event, students will find out more about the main decision-making body of the European Union. They will also get a chance to practice their debating and diplomacy skills in a prestigious setting in the Welsh Assembly Government’s Siambr Fach (Debating Chamber) in Cardiff Bay.
If you represent a school and would be interested in participating, please see the link to invitation and application form  [184 KB] .
For more information on a similar event being held in Northern Ireland, please see www.ec.europa.eu/northernireland
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EC Vice-President in Wales to debate the EU
Vice President of the European Commission, Margot Wallström, today (31 January 2008) visited Wales at the invitation of the First Minister, the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM. In her first visit to Wales Vice President Wallström, who is responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, spent her day meeting, engaging and debating with a wide range of people.
In particular, she will took part in a "European Question Time" with the First Minister at Cardiff University, and a debate with a Committee of the whole Assembly at the National Assembly for Wales, the first of its kind since the Assembly was established in 1999. She also visited and took part in debates about the EU at Atlantic College and Cardiff High School, and attended the launch of the new European Sources Online at the South Wales Europe Direct Information Centre.
Mrs Wallström said, "To me the EU is all about giving everyone the opportunity and creating a level playing field. We need good policies and concrete results in areas that concern people, in Aberaeron or Bangor just as much as in Athens or Bratislava. And for that we need to explain better, listen better and go local. I've been looking forward to coming to Wales for a long time and I'm equally looking forward to seeing Wales playing an active role in this important work." More >>>
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Christine McGrath
Office Manager &
PA to Head of Office
e-mail
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Rachael Langlands-Brown
Press Officer
e-mail
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Leri Davies
Outreach and
Information Officer
e-mail
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Sian Stoodley
Outreach and
Information Officer
e-mail
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Publications
Wales - and Enlargement [3 MB] / Cymru - Ehangu [2 MB]
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