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European Commission in Ireland

In this issue - 6 October
Top News Other news		Agenda Public consultations

Commissioner Stylianides with members of the Committee

Tipperary man appointed Head of EU Commission Representation in Dublin

Killenaule man Gerry Kiely took up office as the new Head of the European Commission's Representation in Ireland on 1 October 2016. Speaking in Dublin earlier this week, Gerry Kiely said: "I'm delighted to be appointed to this post after many years working for the Commission in Brussels. Keeping Ireland in touch with Brussels and making sure Brussels understands what is happening on the ground here is a highly motivating task, and I look forward to the challenge."

Launch of the European Border and Coast Guard

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency was officially launched today (6 October) at the Bulgarian external border with Turkey. The new European Border and Coast Guard Agency will closely monitor the EU's external borders and work together with Member States to quickly identify and address any potential security threats to the Schengen area. Ireland is not part of Schengen but may cooperate with the new agency on an agreed basis. Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said: "Today is a milestone in the history of European border management. From now onwards, the external EU border of one Member State is the external border of all Member States – both legally and operationally. In less than one year we have established a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard system, turning into reality the principles of shared responsibility and solidarity among the Member States and the Union."

Youth Employment: Progress report on EU's Youth Guarantee

Ireland was one of the Member States to benefit from access to a €6.4 billion fund which accompanied the EU's "Youth Guarantee" measure when it was brought in in 2013. Reporting back on the three-year-old scheme and the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) funding which accompanied it, the Commission this week said that EU youth unemployment is down by 1.4 million young people and that 900,000 fewer young people are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). Under the scheme, Member States promised that no young person would remain unemployed for more than four months without a good-quality offer of a job, training or apprenticeship. Extra financial support went to countries, including IRELAND, where youth unemployment was over 25%.

Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility

Paris Climate Agreement to enter into force as EU agrees ratification

The Paris Climate Change Agreement takes effect this week, following the EU's final ratification. The Agreement needed to have the signatures of at least 55 parties, representing at least 55% of global emissions in order to enter into force. The EU's ratification gets the deal over this threshold. Speaking after the ratification vote in the European parliament, Commissioner for Climate Action Miguel Arias Cañete said: "Our collective task is to turn our commitments into action on the ground. And here Europe is ahead of the curve. ... The world is moving and Europe is leading, confident and proud of our work to tackle climate change".

EIB to open first Dublin office before year end

The European Investment Bank expects to open its first permanent presence in Ireland later this year. The plans were confirmed by Andrew McDowell, the new European Investment Bank Vice President responsible for Ireland during his first working visit to Dublin since assuming office earlier this month.

Other news

Commission proposes fishing opportunities for deep-sea fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic

The Commission has proposed fishing opportunities for deep-sea fish stocks in the international waters in the North-East Atlantic for 2017-2018. Deep-sea fisheries account for about 1% of all fish caught in the North-East Atlantic. Over the years, fishing activity and associated jobs have been declining as stocks become more and more scarce. The proposal presented by the Commission aims to reverse this trend. Based on scientific advice, the Commission proposed to keep the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) unchanged for 1 stock and to reduce the TACs for 10 stocks in order to prevent their over-exploitation. Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, said: "Life at the bottom of the sea grows at a much slower pace, which makes deep sea fish particularly vulnerable to exploitation. We must set the biannual fishing opportunities for these stocks with the clear objective of ensuring sustainable management."

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 goes to EU-funded researchers developing world's smallest machines

The Swedish Academy this week awarded Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2016 for the design of the world's smallest - molecular - machines. All three laureates have participated in EU-funded research projects. Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: "I warmly congratulate Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa on their achievement... I am proud to see that EU support has enabled them to push the frontiers of human knowledge and ultimately benefit the society and economy."

Patient Safety: Single European Code and EU Web Platform improve traceability of donated tissue and cells

The Commission has just launched the web-based EU Coding Platform to support healthcare professionals and national competent authorities in tracing donated tissues and cells from donor to recipient in the entire EU. The EU Directive on standards for quality and safety of human tissues and cells sets standards for tissues and cells such as bone marrow, reproductive cells, corneas, skin, etc., that are used within the EU and which will be identified by a Single European Code (SEC). The new standard SEC is an important tool for better patient safety, as it enables the tracing of tissues and cells along the supply chain - from the donor to the patient receiving it. In case of a quality or safety issue, it allows appropriate action, including - where necessary, withdrawing or recalling all tissues and cells from the same donor, to be taken quickly.

Teachers in Ireland predominately women and aged under 50

New Eurostat figures published to mark World Teachers Day earlier this week show that almost 9 in 10 (86.9%) primary school teachers in Ireland are women. This is a little above the EU average of 84.7% but below countries like Lithuania, Hungary and Slovenia (all 97%) and Italy (96%). The situation was least imbalanced in Denmark (69%). Women accounted for 71% of teachers at secondary level in Ireland, well above the EU average of 64%. The situation is most balanced in the Netherlands (51%), Luxembourg (53%), Denmark (56%) and Spain 57%) and least balanced in Latvia (83%), Lithuania (82%) Bulgaria (79%). Irish teachers also tend to be younger than the EU average with only 22.4% of primary school teachers aged 50 or over (EU average 32.4%) in 2014 and 29% of secondary teachers (EU average 38.1%).

Celebrating 25 Years of MEDIA in Ireland

As part of this year’s celebration of 25 years of the MEDIA programme in Ireland, Creative Europe MEDIA has teamed up with VOLTA Video on Demand to host an online Film Festival highlighting Irish and European films supported by MEDIA. Since 1990, the MEDIA programme of the EU Commission has invested over €39 million in Irish film and TV productions, film festivals, film exhibition, and training. The Celebrating 25 Years of MEDIA Online Film Festival will be officially launched on 6 October at a Gala screening of the Creative Europe MEDIA funded documentary, Mattress Men, in the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin. Mattress Men tells the story of sixty-something Michael Flynn who in an attempt to save his struggling mattress business, reinvents himself as the eccentric online personality ‘Mattress Mick’ under the guidance of his good friend Paul Kelly. The festival will run for four weeks from 7 October to 4 November on Volta and will highlight a selection of MEDIA funded films.

EU strengthens trade rules against goods used for capital punishment and torture

The European Union has taken an important step to further strengthen the trade rules applicable to goods that could be used for capital punishment or torture. On the proposal of the European Commission, the European Parliament this week approved new restrictions on certain services and revised rules on goods that could be used to apply the death penalty. The Regulation will become law as soon as it is approved by the Council of the European Union and published in the Official Journal of the EU.

Agenda

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.

Monday 10 October: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels

Eurozone Finance Ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday, 10 October.

Monday 10 to Tuesday 11 October: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Luxembourg

EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday and Tuesday, 10 and 11 October.

Tuesday 11 October: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Luxembourg

EU Finance Ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 11 October.

Tuesday 11 October: Time to Move (event promoting mobility opportunities for young people), Dublin Castle

Eurodesk Ireland and Léargas invite youth workers, information workers, guidance counsellors, youth and career officers and everyone working with young people who might benefit from working, volunteering, studying and training in Europe to join us at our special event “Time To Move” on 11 October 2016 in Dublin Castle.

Wednesday 12 October: Networking seminar on motivation strategies, Dublin

A one-day networking seminar will bring together various European Globalisation adjustment Fund (EGF) stakeholders who will learn about strategies to motivate redundant workers to proactively participate in their reintegration into employment

Thursday 20 October: Irish ECHR Judge to address Human Rights Law Conference, Dublin

Recently elected Irish judge to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), The Hon. Ms Justice Siofra O’Leary will address a conference on Human Rights Law on Thursday 20 October. The conference is organised by the Irish Centre for European Law and will cover a wide range of topical issues in the area of human rights law. Ms O’Leary will examine the interaction between the ECHR, EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Irish Constitution in protecting human rights. She is joined by Michael McDowell SC, Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, Michael Farrell (FLAC) and others. The event takes place at DDRC, Distillery Building, Church Street, Dublin 7 with registration starting at 4 p.m.

Public consultations

Public consultation on the evaluation of the Aerosol Dispensers Directive

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the evaluation of the Aerosol Dispersers Directive. Aerosol dispensers offer a wide range of products from mass-market goods such as cosmetic and household products to specific aerosol types dedicated for industrial or medical purposes. Aerosol dispensers are safe and easy to use products that are resource efficient and cost effective. The consultation is open until 15 January 2017.

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