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European Commission in Ireland

In this issue - 27 October
Top News Other news Agenda		Public consultations Calls for Tender/Proposals

Minister Mary Mitchell-O'Connor with John Given-Chairman of Malin, Gerry Kiely, Head of the European Commission Representation, Kelly Martin CEO of Malin, and EIB Vice-President Andrew McDowell

2017: Pillar of social rights; data protection; fairer company taxation

The Commission this week proposed its Work Programme for 2017. The Programme proposes 21 key initiatives, as well as a further 18 REFIT proposals to improve the quality of existing EU legislation and ensure rules are fit for purpose. There are 34 priority pending proposals that are still awaiting adoption by the Parliament and Council. A summary is on the infographic in the link below. President Juncker said: “In the comings weeks I will – together with the European Parliament and Council – select a number of initiatives of major political importance that should receive priority treatment in the legislative process in the months to come. This is the Europe that delivers.”

Image of Commissioners at their weekly meeting

"Nobody knows what the future holds": Commissioner Hogan on Brexit

Agriculture & Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan addressed a Public Affairs Ireland Conference last Friday in Dublin on "Brexit: implications for public policy and public administration in Ireland". In his speech the Commissioner said: "While the impact of Brexit will be particularly hard-felt in Ireland, not least because this country is the only Member State which shares a land frontier with the UK, its impact will also be felt right throughout the European Union and beyond." He added: "... anybody who stands up at this conference and claims to know with certainty what the consequences of Brexit are for Ireland, the UK, cross-border relations or the EU is mistaken and misleading. The truth is that nobody knows what the future holds, whether in terms of the conditions under which the UK will leave the EU or the post-Brexit environment in which the UK and the EU or Ireland and the UK will have to coexist, because there will have to be a relationship of some kind."

Commissioner Hogan addressing the conference

Commission wants major corporate tax reform for the EU

The Commission unveiled a revised version of its proposals to change the tax regime for companies operating in Europe (known as CCCTB) this week. The latest proposals follow previous efforts in 2011 but have important revisions and the Commission feels the political time is right for its Action Plan for a Fair and Efficient Corporate Tax System. This time, the Commission has separated the proposal for a common tax base, (i.e. what expenses are tax deductible, a common set of forms to fill in and so on) from the proposal for the consolidation measures (i.e. common rules on where the tax is payable, based on where the company's staff, property are located and where its sales take place). Commissioner Moscovici said that he will ask the Member States to agree on the common base before proceeding with discussions on the consolidated base proposals.

Commissioner Moscovici announcing the proposals on corporate tax reform

Four Dublin SMEs to get EU Funding

Four Dublin-based SMEs are to receive EU grants under the latest round of Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 1 funding announced this week. They are: Framework Computer Consultants Ltd; D.A Renewable Energy Technology; Trinitas Ventures Ltd; and, Measurence Ltd. The funding is provided under Phase 1 of the instrument, which means that each project will receive €50,000 to finance feasibility studies for new products that can disrupt the market. They can also ask for up to three days of free business coaching. 42 Irish SMEs have been awarded Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 1 funding since its launch in 2014.

Cod stocks continue to decline: EU Commission's 2017 fish quota proposed

In preparation for the December Fisheries Council, where Member States will negotiate fishing quotas in the Atlantic and North Sea for 2017, the Commission is presenting its proposal for healthy and sustainable stocks. This is the annual scheme for the amount of fish which can be caught by EU fishermen from the main commercial fish stocks next year, also referred to as Total Allowable Catches (TACs). On the basis of the scientific advice received, the Commission proposes to maintain or increase the current fishing quotas for 42 stocks which are in good health, and reduce catches for 28 stocks which are faring poorly. For full tables, scroll down.

Other news

A new Space Strategy for Europe

In its new Space Strategy for Europe put forward this week the Commission proposes a range of actions to allow Europeans to fully seize the benefits offered by space, create the right ecosystem for space start-ups to grow, promote Europe's leadership in space and increase its share on the world space markets. Under the new Strategy, the Commission will for example: promote the use of Galileo in mobile devices and critical infrastructures and improve connectivity in remote areas; make it easier for innovative companies and start-ups to access space data via dedicated industry-led platforms in order to develop services and applications; promote more private investment for such start-ups, in particular in the context of the Investment Plan for Europe; and, support the emergence of European industrial space hubs and clusters in European regions.

Promotional image for the Space Strategy

Ireland: 2nd lowest share of crop land devoted to organic farming

According to new Eurostat figures, Ireland had the second lowest share of crop area devoted to organic farming in the EU in 2015 at 1.6%, up from 1% in 2010. This corresponds to a total land area of just over 73,000 hectares, up from 47 864 in 2010. In total, 11,139,595 hectares are devoted to organic farming in the EU, or 6.2% of cropland, up from 5.1% in 2010. The countries with the highest shares of crop land devoted to organic farming are Austria (20%) Sweden (17%) and Estonia (16%). Malta had the lowest share (0.3%).

Men dominate Irish IT sector

New Eurostat figures show that men account for 81.4% of people employed in IT in Ireland, slightly below the EU average of 83.9%. IT specialists were also more likely to be higher educated with 77.5% of Irish IT specialists having a third level education compared to an average of 46.6% across all employment. This was the third highest in the EU after Lithuania (79.8%) and Spain (78.7%). On average across the EU, 60.5% of IT specialists had third level education with Italy (33.1%) and Germany (48.1%) having the lowest levels. IT specialists accounted for 4.1% of employment in Ireland in 2015, 8th highest in the EU where the average was 3.5%. Finland (6.5%), Sweden (6.1%), the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (both 5.0%) had the greatest shares while Greece (1.2%) had lowest.

Fourth largest share of high growth enterprises in Ireland

One in eight (12.6% or 2,247) Irish companies employing 10 or more staff is high growth according to new Eurostat figures. This puts Ireland in 4th place in the EU after Malta (13.7%), the United Kingdom (12.9%) and Latvia (12.8%). On average 9.2% of EU enterprises qualify as high growth, i.e. employee numbers have risen by an average of at least 10% over three years. The sectors with the highest shares of high growth companies in Ireland are: information and communication activities (19.9%), administrative and support service activities (19.3%), and electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (17.7%). In fact, Ireland has the second highest share of high-growth information and communication enterprises and the highest share of high growth administrative and support service enterprises in the EU.

European Parliament calls for EU limit on industrial trans fats in food

The EU should place mandatory limits on industrially-produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, infertility, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity for consumers, says a resolution approved this week by the European Parliament. TFA intake is mostly linked to consumption of industrially produced, partially hydrogenated oils. According to the European Commission, only one in three consumers in the EU knows about TFAs which shows that labelling measures are not sufficient. The Parliament has called on the Commission to propose an EU legal limit on the industrial TFA content of all foods as soon as possible, and preferably within two years.

Brazilians account for largest share of residence permits issued in Ireland

A total of 38,433 first residence permits were issued to non-EU citizens in Ireland in 2015 with the largest share going to citizens of Brazil (10,955 or 28.5%) followed by India (2,883 or 7.5%) and the US (2,690 or 7%). More than half (57.4%) of these permits were issued for education reasons. Employment (15.8%) and family reasons (9%) were the next most important reasons. For the EU as a whole, 2.6 million residence permits were issued in 2015, up 12.1% on 2014. Almost one in four (633,000, or 24.3%) were issued in the United Kingdom. The top countries of citizenship for residence permits issued in the EU in 2015 were Ukraine (19.2%), followed by the US (10%) and China (6.4%).

Irish road fatalities among lowest in EU

Ireland is in 12th place overall on the new EU Transport Scoreboard. The number of road fatalities per million inhabitants in Ireland is among the lowest in Europe. Ireland also performs well (4th place) for the number of charging points for electric vehicles per city population. Ireland's lowest score is for the number of electrified railway lines. In other areas such as rail, road and port infrastructure, Ireland is in the middle. The Netherlands tops the Scoreboard for the third year running with high scores in 15 categories, followed by Sweden, Germany and Austria.

Agenda

Wednesday 2 November: Kapuscinski Development Lectures, Trinity College Dublin

Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Gerry Kiely, will give the opening address at the next Kapuscinski Development Lecture on Wednesday 2 November. The theme of the lecture is: "Challenging inequalities and unsustainabilities". The keynote speaker is Melissa Leach, Director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex. The event takes place at the Paccar Theatre, Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin, on Wednesday 2 November starting at 4 p.m.

Tuesday 8 November: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels

EU Finance Ministers will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 8 November.

Tuesday 8 November: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels

European Finance Ministers will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 8 November.

Friday 11 November: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels

EU Finance Ministers will meet in Brussels on Friday 11 November.

Monday 14 November: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels

EU Agriculture and Fisheries will meet in Brussels on Monday 15 November.

Friday 18 November to Friday 9 December: Exhibition - Let’s capture Freedom Of Expression!, Europe House, Dublin 2

From Friday 18 November to Friday 9 December, the European Commission Representation in Ireland will host an exhibition presented by the Institut Français and the Courrier International. The exhibition, entitled “Drawing Freely” (Dessins en Liberté) is composed of 12 panels of cartoons made by almost 50 cartoonists from all around the world. Each panel is devoted to a specific topic linked to freedom of expression: censorship, internet, corruption, women’s rights, rebellions, racism… All of the drawings were published in local papers. The exhibition will be open to the public on weekdays from 18 November to 9 December from 9 am to 5 pm at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.

Image of poster advertising the exhibition

Public consultations

Public consultation on strengthening EU cooperation on Health Technology Assessment

The Commission has launched a public consultation on the form future EU cooperation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) might take. HTA is a multidisciplinary process to assess the added value of a given health technology – for example a medicine, medical device, diagnostic tool or surgical procedure, over and above existing ones. It is open until 13 January 2016.

Public stakeholder consultation – interim evaluation of Horizon 2020

The objective of the consultation is to collect information from a wide audience on different aspects of Horizon 2020 implementation. It is open until 15 January 2017.

Calls for Tender/Proposals

Call for tenders for the supply of promotional items

The European Commission Representation in Ireland intends to issue a call for tenders for the supply of promotional items in 2016 and 2017. The estimated maximum budget attributed to this project is €19,350 (excl. VAT). If you are interested in this tender, please request the tender documents by sending an email to COMM-IE-TENDERS@ec.europa.eu before 10th November 2016.

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