If you cannot see this newsletter, read the online version.

	EU NEWS YOU CAN USE
European Commission in Ireland

In this issue - 30 June
Top News Other news Agenda		Public consultations Spotlight On

Attacks on Atatürk Airport: Joint statement by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn

Turkey has suffered another tragic terrorist attack, this time at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport. The attack has killed at least 36 people and injured many others. We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of all those killed and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. The European Union reiterates once again its continuing solidarity to Turkey, its government and its people and reaffirms its commitment to work closely together to fight the global threat of terrorism in all its forms.

Statement by Commissioner Phil Hogan on the outcome of the UK Referendum

EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan said: "I regret but respect the decision of the British people to leave the European Union. I echo the call of President Juncker for a swift and decisive negotiation, pursuant to Article 50, in the interests of both sides. It's essential that we set in train the essential steps to bring clarity and stability to the 27 member bloc as quickly as possible."

EU languages: Statement on behalf of the European Commission Representation in Ireland

We note the media reports stating that in the event of a UK withdrawal from the EU, English would cease to be an official language of the EU. This is incorrect. The Council of Ministers, acting unanimously, decide on the rules governing the use of languages by the European institutions. In other words, any change to the EU Institutions' language regime is subject to a unanimous vote of the Council, including Ireland.

New rules to protect children in cross-border family proceedings

When families have disputes or international couples separate, cross-border judicial cooperation is crucial to give children a secure legal environment. The Commission this week proposed improvements to the EU rules that protect children in this context. The key objective of the proposals is to ensure quicker and cheaper overall procedures. The changes also aim to ensure that children who are capable of forming their own views will be guaranteed an opportunity to express views in all proceedings concerning their case. First Vice-President Timmermans said: "The simplified new rules we have adopted will bring benefits for families and children. They will gain from reduced timelines for settling proceedings and will avoid the heavy financial costs often linked to such procedures. We need to make sure that different legal regimes are compatible to minimise complications, delays, distress and uncertainty."

EU consumer law continues to apply to British online traders

Complaints are coming in that some British online traders are refusing to exchange goods or make refunds to Irish customers. The European Consumer Centre has reminded consumers that their rights under EU Law have not changed arising from last week's referendum. The UK's legal position will not change until it formally leaves the European Union which will take at least 2 years. If you have any problems, contact the European Consumer Centre in Dublin.

Other news

Increase in intervention ceiling for milk powder - EU Commissioner Hogan

New rules increasing the public intervention ceiling for Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) from 218 000 tonnes to 350 000 tonnes formally enter into force today (30 June). This move follows a strong take-up of SMP intervention in response to the current market crisis, and follows on from the exceptional measures announced by the Commission at the March Agriculture Council. The increase in the intervention ceiling comes at a moment when the volumes of SMP bought up so far this year have already reached 296 525 tonnes, of which 218 000 tonnes via "fixed price" intervention and 78 525 tonnes via intervention tenders.

Commission welcomes deal to improve rules for occupational pensions

The EU has today (30 June) agreed new rules for work pension funds to improve the way they are governed and enhance the clarity of information provided to pension savers. The new Directive will improve the way pension funds are governed, make it easier for pension funds to conduct cross-border business and provide clear information to pension scheme members and beneficiaries. These rules will make it easier for pension funds to invest in long-term assets, strengthening the role they can play in the Capital Markets Union.

EU Agriculture Ministers call for action to reduce food waste

EU Agriculture Ministers meeting this week set out a series of initiatives to reduce food waste and losses in the future. These measures include calls on member states and the Commission to improve monitoring and data collection to better understand the problem, to focus on preventing food waste and losses and enhancing the use of biomass in future EU legislation, and to facilitate the donation of unsold food products to charities. Every year nearly a third of all the food is lost or wasted.

UCD leads new EU-funded research project into agri-food waste

EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan was in Dublin last week to launch a new research project that will look into ways of reducing and reusing agri-food waste. The AgroCycle project, which will receive approximately €7 million in EU funding over three years, is being led by the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering. There are two other Irish partners in the project which has 26 partners in 10 countries: NUI Maynooth and Carton Bros. in Co Meath. Approximately 700 million tonnes of agricultural waste is generated in the EU every year.

European Commission and EIF launch new guarantee scheme to help SMEs in the cultural and creative sectors

The European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have launched a €121 million guarantee initiative to support SMEs in the cultural and creative sectors via financial institutions. The scheme will allow the EIF to provide guarantees and counter-guarantees, free of charge, to selected financial intermediaries in order to enable them to provide more debt finance to entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative arena. The creative and cultural sectors employ more than 7 million people in the EU and account for 4.2% of the EU's GDP. The €121 million is expected to leverage more than €600 million worth of bank loans over the next 6 years.

Social media aids emergency services and empowers the public

Trinity College Dublin is a partner in an EU-funded project that has developed a system capable of exploiting the widespread use of mobile electronic devices and social media to improve the official response to emergencies and other crises. The EU-funded iSAR+ project has shown that mobile devices and online systems can be integrated with existing emergency response systems for the two-way flow of information between emergency teams and the public, for the benefit of both. By sharing messages, emergency teams can get valuable information from people on the ground at incidents, while the public can receive advice, such as on what to do to make themselves safe and how to help fellow citizens or the emergency services.

More men study STEM subjects while more women study education and health

According to new Eurostat figures published this week, only 15% of Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction graduates in Ireland were women in 2014 figures. This is the lowest share in the EU where the average was 27%, rising to just under 39% in Poland. Science, mathematics and computing is another male dominated field in most Member States and even more so in Ireland where 63.5% of graduates were male compared to an EU average of 57.6%. The opposite was true for health and welfare where three-quarters of graduates (both in Ireland and the EU) were women and in humanities and art where 60.3% of graduates in Ireland and 67.2% in the EU were women). Women also dominated in education with 71.4% of graduates in Ireland and 80.3% in the EU in 2014 being women.

Agenda

Friday 1 July: Slovakia takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Slovakia takes over the six-month rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union from the Netherlands on Friday 1 July.

Monday 4 July: Address to the IIEA on "Challenges for the European Agenda on Migration"

On Monday 4 July, Matthias Ruete, Director General for Migration and Home Affairs at the European Commission will address the Institute of International and European Affairs on Challenges for the European Agenda on Migration, in Dublin.

Monday 4 to Thursday 7 July: European Parliament Plenary Session

The next plenary session of the European Parliament will take place in Strasbourg from 4 to 7 July.

Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July: NATO Summit, Warsaw

On 8-9 July, Poland will host the NATO summit meeting. European Council President, Donald Tusk, European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, and High Representative Federica Mogherini will represent the European Union at the summit. In the margins of the summit, President Donald Tusk and President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet US President Barack Obama for an EU-US leaders meeting.

Monday 11 July: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels

Eurozone finance ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday 11 July.

Tuesday 12 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels

The next meeting of EU finance ministers will take place in Brussels on Tuesday 12 July.

Public consultations

Public consultation regarding the implementation of the Second European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership Programme

The purpose of this consultation is to invite the views and opinions of stakeholders, experts active in the field and the wider public on the implementation of the EDCTP2 Programme during the first three years of operation (2014-2016). The consultation is open until 15 October 2016.

Public Consultation on potential measures to improve the implementation of certain aspects of the Directive on end-of life vehicles

This public stakeholder consultation is a part of the study “Assessment of the implementation of Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of life vehicles (the ELV Directive) with emphasis on the end-of life vehicles of unknown whereabouts” led by the Oeko-Institut with the cooperation of Argus Statistik und Informationssysteme in Umwelt und Gesundheit GmbH as well as ICEDD – Institut de Conseil et d'Etudes en Developpement Durable and Resources and Waste Advisory Group (RWA) as subcontractors and prepared for the European Commission. The consultation is open until 21 September 2016.

Spotlight On

NEWS — 30 June 2016

EU Council discusses the outcome of the UK referendum on EU membership

This week, 27 EU leaders informally discussed the implications of 'Brexit'. Here's a few things they said afterwards: "We deeply regret the outcome of the UK's referendum but we respect the will expressed by a majority of the British people. Until the UK leaves the EU, EU law continues to apply to and within the UK when it comes to rights and obligations." They also said: "There will be no negotiations of any kind until the UK formally notifies its intention to withdraw." Art. 50 of the Treaty on the European Union is the legal means to withdraw from the EU. A Member State government needs to notify the EU institutions by formal letter in order to start its implementation. After this, negotiations can begin, with a cut-off point two years after that. The final deal goes to Council for a qualified majority vote and then to Parliament for a simple majority vote. The UK then becomes a "third country". The UK has not yet given formal notification of its intention to activate Art. 50.

This is the Newsletter of the Representation of the European Commission in Ireland.
If this Newsletter was forwarded to you and you would like to receive it directly you can subscribe here.
You can unsubscribe from this newsletter from your profile or by contacting us at this address: Functionnal mailbox.