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	EU NEWS YOU CAN USE
European Commission in Ireland

In this issue - 28 July
Top News Other news Agenda		Public consultations Competitions

Three innovative Dublin SMEs awarded EU funding

Three Dublin-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are to receive EU grants under the latest round of Horizon 2020 SME funding announced this week. The funding is for innovative small firms to get their ideas from the lab to the market and help generate growth and jobs in Europe. The three Irish SMEs are: Artomatix Limited, Nuritas Ltd. and SiriusXT Ltd. Each project will receive up to €2.5 million (€5 million for health projects) to finance innovation activities. They may also benefit from 12 days of business coaching.

Stability and Growth Pact: fiscal proposals for Spain and Portugal

The Commission recommended on 27 July to set new fiscal paths for Spain and Portugal. This followed a Council decision of 12 July 2016 that Spain and Portugal had not taken effective action to correct their excessive deficits. Taking account of the economic and fiscal situation, the Commission recommended that Portugal puts an end to its excessive deficit by 2016 and that Spain does so by 2018, at the latest. This is in line with commitments both Member States have already announced and reflects the Commission's prudent approach in the current environment. The Commission also recommended that fines be cancelled for both countries, a recommendation which the Council will need to approve, amend or reject. The Council is not bound by the Commission recommendation but can increase the fine to up to 0.2% of GDP under EU rules.

Commission adopts recommendation on the rule of law in Poland

Following an intensive dialogue with the Polish authorities, the Commission adopted a 'Rule of Law Recommendation' on the current situation in Poland, setting out its concerns around the functioning of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, and recommending concretely how these concerns can be addressed. The Commission believes there is a systemic threat to the rule of law in Poland. The fact that the Constitutional Tribunal is prevented from fully ensuring an effective constitutional review adversely affects its integrity, stability and proper functioning, which is one of the essential safeguards of the rule of law in Poland. Vice-President Timmermans said: "... the Commission considers the main issues which threaten the rule of law in Poland have not been resolved. We are therefore now making concrete recommendations to the Polish authorities on how to address the concerns so that the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland can carry out its mandate to deliver effective constitutional review."

Refugees in Turkey: over €1.4 billion of EU funding to support education and health

The European Commission has adopted a measure worth over €1.4 billion in support of refugees who have fled the war in Syria. The money will go towards education, health, municipal and social infrastructure, and socio-economic support. In addition, a further €79 million of previously allocated funds for humanitarian aid projects has been contracted to a number of partners, including UN agencies, international organisations as well as international NGOs. This announcement is part of the Commission's commitment to deliver on what was agreed to in the EU-Turkey Statement of 18 March. Since then, €2.155 billion out of the foreseen €3 billion for this and next year has already been mobilised. Funding under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey supports refugees in the country. The support seeks to improve conditions for refugees in Turkey as part of the EU's comprehensive approach to addressing the refugee crisis inside and outside the EU.

Other news

€40 million in humanitarian funding for South Sudan

The European Commission has announced €40 million in emergency humanitarian assistance for people affected by the crisis in South Sudan, bringing the total support from the Commission to €103 million for 2016. The funding comes as the humanitarian situation worsens in the country, with more than 40,000 people displaced following the eruption of renewed fighting in the capital Juba earlier this month. The recent violence has made the already fragile food supply and nutrition situation in the country reach critical levels in many areas. Access to medicine throughout the country is limited, with humanitarian organisations providing the majority of healthcare.

4 in 10 Europeans cannot afford a one-week holiday away from home

New EU figures show that 39% of Europeans cannot afford to pay for one week annual holiday away from home. The rate varies from less than 20% in the Nordic countries, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria, to over 60% in Hungary, Croatia and Romania. According to the figures, almost 50% of Irish people were unable to afford one week's holiday away from home in 2014, up from 30% in 2008.

New online tool to measure fuel costs and CO2 emissions of your car journey

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed an online tool to help people estimate the fuel costs and CO2 emissions of their daily commute or holiday trips by car. The Green Driving Tool uses detailed map data and vehicle simulations to estimate fuel consumption, costs and CO2 emissions for any given car journey. All you need to do is key in your start location and destination plus some information about the type of car, fuel prices, etc. and the tool does the rest.

New EU report on the remuneration rules for credit institutions and investment firms

A new Commission report on the remuneration rules for credit institutions and investment firms finds that the remuneration rules are generally effective in curbing excessive risk-taking behaviour and short-termism. However, the report concludes that in certain cases some of the rules may be too costly and burdensome to apply, compared to their prudential benefits. Věra Jourova, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said: "... our evaluation shows that there may be room to make remuneration rules more proportionate and less burdensome from an administrative perspective, in particular for smaller and less complex credit institutions and investment firms. But we will make sure that any adjustments to the rules do not affect financial stability, which remains the overarching objective".

Commission to invest €8.5 billion in research and innovation in 2017

The European Commission this week announced an investment of €8.5 billion to be released during 2017 into research and innovation, following an update to the Work Programme of Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation funding programme. The updated Work Programme introduces a number of key changes, including the introduction of open research data in all new Horizon 2020 calls. For projects funded under the programme, free online access to scientific data will become the norm. This move will boost competitiveness through open science by accelerating innovation and collaboration, improving transparency, and avoiding duplication of efforts. The programme also reacts to topical developments by reinforcing research into migration. In response to the refugee crisis, €11 million will be dedicated to new research to understand migration but also to develop effective policies for managing the influx and integrating migrants in the society and economy.

Agenda

Monday 1 August to Friday 26 August: ECO-UNESCO Exhibition, Europe House, Dublin 2

From Monday 1 to Friday 26 August, the European Commission Representation in Ireland will host an ECO-UNESCO exhibition of environmental action projects carried out by young people across Ireland. This annual exhibition highlights the fantastic work of the young people who submitted environmental action projects to the Young Environmentalist Awards in 2016, which took place on 18 May in the Mansion House, Dublin 2.

Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 September: EU Stand at the National Ploughing Championships, Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

The EU will host a stand at the 2016 National Ploughing Championships which will take place in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly from 20 to 22 September 2016. This year, the theme of the EU stand will be "What is the EU doing for Agriculture?"

Thursday and Friday 27 and 28 October: Translating Europe Forum 2016, Brussels

The Directorate-General for Translation of the European Commission organises every year the #TranslatingEurope Forum to gather translation stakeholders, discuss topics of common interest and stimulate cooperation. Registration is now open for the 2016 Forum, which will focus on translation tools and technologies.

Public consultations

Public Consultation on reduced VAT rates for electronically supplied publications

The European Commission has launched a Public Consultation on reduced and super-reduced VAT rates for electronically supplied publications. The consultation is open until 19 September 2016.

Public consultation on the Single Digital Gateway

The idea behind the Single Digital Gateway is to provide all the information people need to: do business cross-border; travel to another EU country and live, study or work in another EU country. The Single Digital Gateway would be based on existing portals, contact points and networks. But it would improve and better connect them, and help people to complete the most frequently-used national procedures fully online. The aim of this consultation is to seek the views of stakeholders on the identified problems and different policy options that can be pursued to address them. The consultation is open until 21 November 2016.

Public consultation on a potential EU personal pension framework

This consultation invites individuals to provide information on their experience using personal pension schemes and whether they are interested in using these schemes to save for their retirement. The consultation will also seek the views of professionals working in the pensions industry and their interest in offering simple, affordable and transparent personal pension products which work towards providing better returns. The consultation is open until 31 October 2016.

Competitions

EU Prize for Cultural Heritage

Applications are now open for the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage (Europa Nostra) 2017. The Prize celebrates and promotes best practices related to heritage conservation, management, research, education and communication. It is open to individuals or organisations. The Prize honours every year up to 30 outstanding heritage achievements from all parts of Europe. Up to seven are selected as Grand Prix laureates and one receives the Public Choice Award, chosen in an online poll. The closing date for receipt of applications for the 2017 Prize is 1 October 2016. The Little Museum of Dublin was a finalist in the 2016 awards.

Access City Award 2017

EU cities with over 50,000 inhabitants are invited to apply for the Access City 2017 Award. The award recognises and celebrates cities which proactively support accessibility for persons with disabilities and take exemplary steps to improve accessibility in the urban environment. Prizes will be awarded to 5 cities - first, second and third prizes plus two special mentions: access to work; and accessible smart cities. The closing date for registration is 8 September 2016.

European Day of Languages competition

The European Day of Languages is held on 26 September every year to celebrate the diversity of languages in Europe. To mark the day, Léargas organises an annual competition encouraging learners and teachers to engage with languages in different ways. The theme of this year's competition is "Climate Change in ...". Pupils are invited, with the help of their language and geography teachers, to choose a country where the language they are learning is spoken and find out: how climate change is viewed there; what effects climate change has had so far; and, what is being done to prevent it. The deadline for entries is 28 October 2016. The prize is a trip for one language and one geography teacher from the winning school plus a small group of their pupils to a European country–where the language the pupils are learning is spoken–for an environmental field trip of their choice.

This is the Newsletter of the Representation of the European Commission in Ireland.
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