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	EU NEWS YOU CAN USE
European Commission in Ireland

In this issue - 1 September
Top News Other news Agenda		Competitions Public consultations

Andrew McDowell appointed Vice President of the European Investment Bank

Andrew McDowell joined the European Investment Bank as Vice-President on 1st September, 2016. He is the first Irish member of the bank’s Management Committee for 12 years. Prior to joining the European Investment Bank Andrew McDowell was Economic Advisor to the Taoiseach since 2011 and has 20 years of experience in economic policy and public service management. Prior to working for the Taoiseach Andrew was Chief Economist at the Irish business development agency, Forfas, and European Deputy Editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit. EIB Vice Presidents are appointed by the Board of Governors, on a proposal from the Board of Directors. The EIB President and eight Vice Presidents constitute the Management Committee, the Bank’s permanent collegiate executive body. Under the authority of the President and the supervision of the Board of Directors, the Management Committee oversees the day-to-day running of the EIB, prepares decisions for Directors and ensures that these are implemented.

Irish most optimistic about the future of the EU

The Spring 2016 Eurobarometer poll, published in August, shows that 77% of people in Ireland are optimistic about the future of the EU, the highest in Europe. On average 50% of people in the EU are optimistic about its future with the figure dropping to 28% in Greece. What's more, Irish respondents (58%, up 4 percentage points since the autumn) were the most likely to have a positive image of the EU. The EU average was 34%, falling to 16% in Greece. When it comes to the national economy, 53% of Irish respondents think the situation is good (down 4 percentage points since autumn 2015) but still well above the EU average of 39%. People in Luxembourg (88%) were most positive about the state of their national economy followed by Germany (83%) while respondents in Greece (3%) and Spain (8%) were least positive. When asked what were the two most important issues facing the EU at the moment, Irish and EU respondents were most likely to say immigration and terrorism.

Oriel Sea Salt & Oriel Sea Minerals awarded EU Protected Designation of Origin status

The Commission has approved the addition of two new names from Ireland to the quality register of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO): Oriel Sea Salt and Oriel Sea Minerals. "Oriel Sea Salt" is harvested from the bay of Port Oriel located in Co Louth. It is almost powder-like to the touch and is naturally crystal white so it does not need to be washed or rinsed. Harvesting of sea salt in Port Oriel dates back centuries when salt was a vital ingredient in preserving fish landed at the harbour for consumption, storage and subsequent transport to market. "Oriel Sea Minerals" are concentrated sea mineral salts in liquid form. They represent a good food supplement providing minerals to the body. Ireland now has seven food names protected in the EU quality register.

Other news

Ireland sees 5th highest rise in share of NEETs 2006-2015

Recent figures from Eurostat showed that Ireland saw one of the biggest rises in the share of young people (20-24 year olds) not in employment, education or training (NEETs) between 2006 and 2015. In 2006, just over one in ten (11.9%) were not in employment, education or training. However, by 2015 this figure had risen to almost one in five (19.7%), which is above the EU average of 17.3%. Over the same period, the number of 20-24 year-olds in employment was down while the number still in education was up. In 2006, 17.5% of people in this age category were exclusively in education, 15.7% were in education and employment and 54.6% were exclusively in employment. By 2015, 29.9% were exclusively in education, 12.6% were in education and employment and 37.8% were exclusively in employment.

12.5% of unemployed people in Ireland found a job during the first quarter of 2016

According to new Eurostat figures, 12.5% of people who were unemployed in Ireland during the last quarter of 2015 found a job in the first quarter of 2016. Of the remainder, 69% were still unemployed while 18.5% moved into inactivity (students, pensioners and housewives). Across the EU, 15.4% (3 million) of jobless people moved into employment in the first quarter of 2016 while 65.7% (13 million) remained unemployed and 18.9% (3.7 million) moved into economic inactivity.

Commission proposes banning new psychoactive substance MDMB-CHMICA

The Commission wants to ban the new psychoactive substance MDMB-CHMICA, also known as "Black Mamba". According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, MDMB-CHMICA can cause severe harm to health. So far, eight Member States have reported 28 deaths and 25 acute poisonings associated with MDMB-CHMICA. It may also cause violence and aggression. The Commission also wants to strengthen the EU early warning system and risk assessment on new psychoactive substances. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "The number, type and availability of harmful new drugs continue to grow in Europe, and Member States cannot effectively fight the spread of these new psychoactive substances alone."

EU funded research project looks at new ways to make stronger crops

Kerry-based SME BioAtlantis is part of the EU-funded CropStrengthen research project which is investigating novel non-GMO approaches to improve stress-resistance in crops. Under the project, five PhD students have been awarded Marie Curie fellowships to carry out research in three locations, including at BioAtlantis in Co Kerry. The project runs until December 2018. It is hoped that the research may lead to increased yields for farmers and improve Europe's food security.

Variable attitudes towards variable pay in Europe

A new report from Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions) has revealed that performance-related pay and employee reward systems in Europe are often unevenly distributed among different groups of workers; particularly benefitting men, highly-skilled and highly ranked workers. Without robust monitoring and transparency, supplementary employee reward systems could potentially exacerbate pre-existing pay inequalities. The use of supplementary employee reward systems has become a well-established practice in Europe. These are schemes used by companies to reward performance and motivate employees both as individuals and as a group. They are normally separate from basic salary and can be monetary or in-kind payments.

EU customs investigators get new, powerful tools to combat fraud

As of 1 September, customs investigators across the EU can use new electronic tools to combat customs fraud more effectively. New IT systems will record the physical movements of containers transported at sea and gather information on the goods entering, transiting and leaving the EU. These new instruments will allow the EU and its Member States to better track and trace suspicious shipments and to better detect customs fraud. Customs fraud - for example, the misdeclaration of product origin, undervaluation, or misdescription of goods at import - causes significant damage to the EU’s financial interests. Given the transnational nature of such fraud, cooperation between customs authorities is essential.

Agenda

Monday 5 to Tuesday 6 September: Commissioner Hogan: Cork 2.0: European conference on rural development, Cork

Exactly 20 years after the ground-breaking European conference on rural development in Cork, which concluded with the signing of the Cork Declaration on Rural Development, the European Commission is organising a second European conference on rural development in Cork on 5 and 6 September 2016. The conference aims to bring together around 250 stakeholders, in order to discuss current and future challenges of farming and rural areas, as well as potential policy responses. It will be addressed by EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan.

Friday 9 September: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels

The Eurogroup is an informal body where the ministers of the euro area member states discuss matters relating to their shared responsibilities related to the euro. Its main task is to ensure close coordination of economic policies among the euro area member states. It also aims to promote conditions for stronger economic growth.

Monday 12 to Thursday 15 September: European Parliament Plenary Session, Strasbourg

The next sitting of the European Parliament will be held from 12 to 15 September 2016 in Strasbourg.

Wednesday 14 September: President Juncker delivers his State of the Union address at the European Parliament, Strasbourg

On Wednesday 14 September, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will deliver his State of the Union address at the European Parliament. The speech will be followed by a plenary debate. The State of the Union address traditionally kick-starts the dialogue with Parliament and Council to prepare the Commission Work Programme for 2017.

Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 September: EU Stand at the National Ploughing Championships, Block 3, Row 13, Stand 137

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?" Information officers from the European Commission Representation and the European Parliament Office in Ireland will be available to assist the public with questions on EU policies, as well as experts in the field of CAP. Staff from the European Consumer Centre will be there to answer questions on consumer issues such as air passenger rights, package holidays, cross-border shopping and buying goods and services online. In addition there will be advisers from the Europe for Citizens programme (run by The Wheel in Ireland) to provide advice on EU grants for local projects like town twinning, cultural events and advocacy groups.

Saturday 24 September: Free taster language classes, Blanchardstown

The Europe Direct Information Centre, Blanchardstown Library and the European Commission Representation in Ireland will host the European Day of Languages 2016 on 24 September. The event will be a Language Café offering 9 languages: Irish, French, German, Spanish and Italian as conversation and Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian and Latvian as Taster Classes. Teachers from the Ambassade de France, Gaelchultúr, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Instituto Italiano di Cultura, Embassy of Latvia, Embassy of Lithuania, Embassy of Poland and Embassy of Romania have kindly agreed to participate. It will start at 2pm and refreshments will be served afterwards.

Friday 30 September: Conference on Investing in Ireland's Infrastructure, Dublin

The European Commission Representation in Ireland and the European Movement Ireland are hosting a half-day conference on Investing in Ireland's Infrastructure. The conference will take place on Friday 30 September in the Chartered Accountants House, 47-49 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, from 9 am to 1 pm. The keynote speaker will be the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, and Ireland's new vice-president at the EIB, Andrew McDowell will also speak. The event is free to attend. Register in advance at: rsvp@europeanmovement.ie.

Friday 7 October: 2016 EPA Annual Information Day on Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5, Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin

The Environmental Protection Agency is organising its 2016 Annual Information Day on Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5 on the Friday 7th October 2016 in Dublin (Croke Park Conference Centre). The aim of this event is to promote and disseminate Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5 Opportunities amongst the Irish Research Community, as well as facilitate networking. For this 2016 Information Day, the focus will be on the 2017 calls opportunities, as well as on the preparation of the upcoming Work Programme 2018-2020.

Competitions

Juvenes Translatores celebrates its 10th anniversary

This year Juvenes Translatores is celebrating its 10th Anniversary and registration is open on line from today until the 20 October. Since 2007 Juvenes Translatores has been inspiring young people around language learning and translation. A random draw will be held to select schools to take part in the contest. Each selected school can choose between two and five students and they must enter their names and language pairs by November 21. Each student can choose to translate from any official EU language into any other official EU language. The competition takes place on the 24th November. DGT Translation will evaluate the translations and choose one winning translation from each EU Member State. The winners will be announced in early February 2017. The winners together with one accompanying adult and one teacher will be invited to an award ceremony in Brussels.

2016 EESC Civil Society Prize

The 2016 EESC (European Economic and Social Committee) Civil Society Prize will reward initiatives carried out by civil society organisations and/or individuals aimed at improving migrants' lives and fostering their integration in society. The prize, which has a total value of €50,000, is open to civil society organisations officially registered within the European Union and acting at European, national, regional or local level. It is also open to individuals. The deadline for submitting applications is 9 September 2016.

Public consultations

Public consultation on the obligation on Member States to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil and/or petroleum products

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the Evaluation of Directive 2009/119/EC imposing an obligation on Member States to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil and/or petroleum products. The general objectives of the evaluation are to assess how the Oil Stocks Directive has been implemented in the Member States and how it is functioning in practice; to identify possible problems and areas for improvement or simplification. The consultation is open until 11 November 2016.

Public consultation on the use of hired vehicles for the carriage of goods by road

The Commission has launched a public consultation on the review of Directive 2006/1/EC on the use of hired vehicles for the carriage of goods by road. The consultation may be of particular interest for citizens or undertakings using road transport services in their activity, road transport workers and companies engaged in the transport chain. It may also be of particular interest for regional, national or international public authorities and other organisations directly involved in the road transport sector. It is open until 4 November 2016.

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