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EU NEWS YOU CAN USE
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European Commission in Ireland
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In this issue
- 9 November
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Top News
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Autumn Economic Forecast for Ireland: Rapid growth to continue
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According to its Autumn Forecast released today (9 November), the European Commission expects GDP growth in Ireland to remain robust but the pace is expected to moderate slightly - 4.8% in 2017, 3.9% in 2018 and 3.1% in 2019. Unemployment is expected to continue to fall (to 5.5% in 2018) and inflation is predicted to remain below the EU average. The EU economy as a whole is forecast to grow at 2.3% this year while the euro area economy is on track to grow at its fastest pace in a decade, with real GDP growth forecast at 2.2% this year.
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Commission wants lower CO2 emissions for new passenger cars and vans
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The Commission has put forward a Clean Mobility package which includes new targets for CO2 emissions from cars and vans. Average CO2 emissions from new passenger cars and vans registered in the EU in 2025 will have to be 15% and in 2030 30% lower compared to 2021. Today, transport accounts for around a quarter of the EU's greenhouse gas emission, with road transport alone responsible for 22%.
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Education & training in Europe: inequality remains a challenge
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According to the Commission's Education and Training Monitor 2017, Irish students’ basic skills in reading, mathematics and science are high and relatively
unaffected by socioeconomic background. Ireland also has a lower than average rate of early school leavers (6.3% compared to an EU average of 10.7%) and a higher than average rate of third level graduates (52.9% compared to an EU average of 39.1%). However, access to higher education in Ireland remains closely linked to socioeconomic status.
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Greenhouse gas emissions across EU drop slightly in 2016
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Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union were reduced by 23% between 1990 and 2016, while the economy grew by 53% over the same period, according to the latest EU climate action progress report. The report "Two years after Paris – Progress towards meeting the EU's climate commitments" shows that while economic growth has recently picked up, the EU remains firmly on track to meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.
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Dundalk and Sligo win this year's Europe Direct Soapbox competition
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Dundalk's Leah O'Shaughnessy (under 19s category) and Sligo's Kieran Timmons (over 19s), were the national winners of this year's Europe Direct Soapbox competition - "Brexit: Ireland's Opportunity". The eight regional winners from Ireland's Europe Direct Info Centres competed this week in Dublin for the top prize of a trip to Brussels and €1,000, sponsored by Mairead McGuinness MEP and the EU Commission Representation in Ireland. The prizes were presented by Seán Kyne TD, Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs and Digital Development and Gerry Kiely, Head of the EU Commission Representation in Ireland. Gerry Kiely praised the level of the contestants saying: “Participants displayed outstanding knowledge and competence”.
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Other news
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Commissioner Hogan on trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Iran
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Commissioner Phil Hogan is currently leading an EU trade delegation to Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia is the EU's sixth biggest export market for agri-food products while Iran has the potential to become a significant market. The Commissioner is accompanied on his visit by senior figures from the EU agri-food sector including representatives from Dairygold, the Ornua Cooperative and Glenstal Foods.
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Large majority of Irish people agree they have a role in protecting the environment
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A new EU survey on attitudes of Europeans towards the Environment shows that 96% of Irish people think that they themselves can play a role in protecting the environment: 65% of Irish people recycle their waste, 44% buy local products, 33% cut down on their energy consumption and 32% cut down on their water consumption. The survey also showed strong support for EU action on the environment with 9 in 10 Irish people believing that EU environmental legislation is necessary to protect the Irish environment.
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Second largest share of farmers aged over 64 in Ireland
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New Eurostat figures show that, in 2016, over one in five (22%) people working in agriculture in Ireland were aged over 64, second highest in the EU after Portugal at 42%. The EU average was 9%. Ireland (11.6%) also had the lowest share of women farmers in the EU where the average is 35%. About 5.5% of Ireland's workforce is currently employed in agriculture, which is above the EU average of 4.4% but well below countries like Romania (26%) and Bulgaria (18%).
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Fishing quotas in the Atlantic and North Sea for 2018
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The Commission wants quotas for 53 fish stocks in the Atlantic and North Sea to be either increased or maintained in 2018 and quotas for 25 other stocks to be reduced. A zero quota is proposed for stocks of plaice in the Celtic Sea and whiting in the Irish Sea. The proposal will be discussed by EU fisheries ministers in December to be applied as from 1 January 2018.
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Report: EU trade agreements in place deliver tangible benefits
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A new report on the EU's existing trade agreements report shows that the export increases observed amount to as much as 416% for Mexico, 170% for Chile, and around 60% for South Korea and Serbia. The agricultural and car sectors appear to be benefiting the most (e.g. 244% increase in car exports to South Korea since 2011 and 92% and 73% increase to Colombia and Peru respectively for agricultural goods since 2013). The report also shows that EU companies do not yet take full advantage of the opportunities offered; a situation that calls for some extra awareness raising efforts, including at national level.
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High levels of job satisfaction among self-employed
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Eurofound’s new report "Exploring self-employment in the European Union" reveals that the majority of self-employed workers enjoy high levels of job quality. Ireland ranks highly in terms of the share of self-employed who enjoy being their own boss, with 96% enjoying this situation. Ireland differs from the UK in terms of the level of ‘concealed’ self-employed, who tend to be economically vulnerable – 7% report being in that situation in Ireland, compared to 21% in the UK. However, the lack of legal definition of employed and self-employed in Ireland may make it more difficult to tackle the phenomenon of bogus self-employment.
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Agenda
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Monday 6 to Friday 17 November: Climate change conference, Bonn
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The 2017 UN climate change conference (COP23) will be held from 6 to 17 November in Bonn, Germany, under the Presidency of Fiji. The EU and its Member States will participate as parties to the UN climate change convention. The European Union Pavilion will host a series of side events during the COP 23, aimed at stimulating the debate on key thematic areas, engage observers and facilitate the dialogue with party delegates and other participants.
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Thursday 9 November: Free screening of WESTERN at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin
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Creative Europe MEDIA is hosting a special Free screening of the film WESTERN at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin on Thursday 9 November 2017 at 6.30pm. Western tells the story of a culture clash between German labourers and Bulgarian villagers. It is a modern day western which explores economic immigration and integration. Western has been short-listed for the Lux Prize 2017.
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Thursday 9 and Friday 10 November: Article 50 negotiations, Brussels
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The next round of Article 50 negotiations will take place in Brussels on 9 and 10 November 2017.
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Friday 10 November: Georgia's European Way, Europe House, Dublin 2
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The Commission Representation and the European Parliament Information Office in Ireland will host a panel discussion on "Georgia's European Way". The event, which takes place in Europe House on Friday morning, 10 November, is organised by the Embassy of Georgia in Ireland in partnership with the IIEA. The event will be opened by Gerry Kiely, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, and H. E. Mrs. Kristi Karelsohn,
Ambassador of Estonia to Ireland.
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Friday 10 November: Foreign Affairs Council on Trade, Brussels
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Agenda highlights include the WTO ministerial conference, Trade agreements with Mexico and Mercosur.
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Monday 13 November: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels
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On the agenda: the situation in Myanmar, EU-Africa relations, EU strategic communications, security and defence and permanent structured cooperation (PESCO).
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Tuesday 14 November: European Economic Area Council, Brussels
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An agenda for this meeting is available at the link below.
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Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 November: Foundation Forum 2017, Dublin Castle
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The Foundation Forum is the flagship event of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). It is aimed at reaching high-level policymakers in the field of social, employment and work-related policies. Speakers include Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ylva Johansson, Swedish Minister for Employment and Integration, and John Bruton, Former Taoiseach and EU Ambassador to the US.
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Wednesday 15 November: General Affairs Council, Brussels
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On the agenda: the future of cohesion policy and structural and investment Funds.
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Thursday 16 November: Ireland and the Future of the EU: Leading the Way, Following the Crowd or Left Behind?, Maynooth
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This event is organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in partnership with the Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian Studies. A panel of students moderated by Paul Cunningham, Editor of RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, will debate Ireland’s role in the EU of 27. The debate will be introduced by Barry Andrews, Director General of the IIEA and concluded by Professor John O’Brennan. It takes place at the John Hume Building JHL4, Maynooth University, from 12.30 to 2 pm.
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Friday 17 November: Economic and Financial Affairs Council on budget, Brussels
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An agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.
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Friday 24 November: Conference - Ireland and the Future of Europe, New Challenges, New Opportunities, Dublin
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The 2017 Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies (IACES) Biennial Conference brings together leading academics and senior politicians to consider the issues which will be part of the Future of Europe debate and to determine what they mean for Ireland. The conference takes place in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin 2, on Friday 24 November starting at 9.15 am. This event is free to attend and all are welcome.
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Job opportunities
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Finance and Contracts Manager in the European External Action Service
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The European External Action Service (EEAS) is looking to recruit a Finance and Contracts Expert to work in the Field Security Division. The Field Security Division is responsible for assisting the EU's network of 139 Delegations worldwide to fulfil their duty of care towards the EU's security interests which are staff, infrastructure and information. The position is contract agent level IV. Anyone interested in applying should send their cv and cover letter to Ms. Yvonne FROEBERG (Yvonne.froeberg@eeas.europa.eu) by 21/11/2017.
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Public consultations
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Broadening law enforcement access to centralised bank account registries
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The aim of the consultation is to collect opinions on possible new EU legislation broadening the access to centralised bank and payment account registries to a targeted number of public authorities in order to disrupt the activities of organised crime groups and terrorists. The consultation is open until 9 January 2018.
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Fair taxation of the digital economy
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The objective of the initiative is to define an approach to the taxation of the digital economy. The approach should meet the goals of fairer and more effective taxation, supporting public revenue and a level playing field across businesses. The consultation is open until 3 January 2018.
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This is the Newsletter of the Representation of the European Commission in Ireland.
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