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EU NEWS YOU CAN USE
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European Commission in Ireland
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In this issue
- 23 November
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Top News
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Those who wanted Brexit must offer solutions: Michel Barnier
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In a speech at the Centre for European Reform on 'The Future of the EU', EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier said: "On the EU side, we must preserve the integrity of the Single Market and the Customs Union at 27. The rules for this are clear. The UK said it would continue to apply some EU rules on its territory. But not all rules. What is therefore unclear is what rules will apply in Northern Ireland after Brexit. And what the UK is willing to commit to, in order to avoid a hard border. I expect the UK, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, to come forward with proposals. The island of Ireland is now faced with many challenges. Those who wanted Brexit must offer solutions."
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European Commission diganoses state of health in each Member State
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The European Commission has just published a country "health" profile for each Member State, including Ireland. The Commissioner for Health, Vytenis Andriukaitis, urged Member States to spend more on primary care and prevention. He said: "Spending only 3% of our health budgets on prevention, compared with 80% on the treatment of diseases, is simply not enough...and we need to enshrine health promotion and disease prevention...to improve people's health and reduce pressure on health systems."
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Irish SMEs key for jobs
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A new EU report shows that Irish SMEs account for over 70% of all jobs in the non-financial business economy. However, they generate only 36.6% of value added, 20 percentage points below the EU average. This reflects the importance of foreign-owned multinationals in the Irish economy. The Small Business Act factsheet for Ireland (also published this week) shows that Irish SMEs performed above or well above the EU average in eight key areas in 2016 — entrepreneurship, ‘second chance’, ‘responsive administration’, state aid & public procurement, access to finance, single market, skills & innovation and internationalisation.
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Ireland's budget "broadly compliant" with EU rules: European Commission
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The European Commission said this week that Ireland's draft national budget is "broadly compliant" with the EU's Stability and Growth Pact rules. However, it is still worried about debt levels in Ireland and fast rising house prices.
Ireland was one of 5 countries that were broadly compliant, while 6 were "compliant". Five other countries (Belgium, Italy, Austria, Portugal, and Slovenia) were not compliant and deemed to be exposed to risk. (Greece is not included as it is still under the EU/IMF programme).
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Civil Protection in the EU
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The Commission wants to strengthen Europe's ability to deal with natural disasters. It wants to set up an EU reserve of civil protection assets to help EU countries respond to disasters. "rescEU" will include assets, such as firefighting aircraft and water pumping equipment, which will boost national capacities. The EU budget would fully cover the costs.
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94% of Irish people happy with life in the EU: Eurobarometer
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A Special Eurobarometer on the "Future of Europe - Social Issues" reveals that 94% of Irish people are happy with life in the EU, up 15 percentage points since 2012 and 2nd highest in the EU after Luxembourg (97%). The EU average was 78% with people in Hungary least happy at 57%. The survey also revealed that Ireland and the UK (both 29%) have the highest shares of people who would prefer a future EU where more importance is given to individualism as opposed to solidarity. However, a small majority of Irish people (51%) would still prefer a European society where solidarity is more important (6th lowest in the EU).
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Gender pay gap
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The EU Commission has agreed a new Action Plan to tackle the gender pay gap. The Plan includes funding projects to improve the gender balance in companies at all management levels and encouraging governments and social partners to adopt concrete measures to improve gender balance in decision-making.
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Other news
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7 in 10 Irish people think there should be more women in political decision-making roles
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A new Eurobarometer on Gender Equality Shows that 72% of Irish people think there should be more women in political decision-making roles, third highest in the EU after Malta (80%) and Portugal (76%). The survey also shows that 79% of Irish respondents are in favour of legal measures to get equal representation of men and women in politics, above the EU average of 70%.
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UK-based Agencies to relocate to Amsterdam and Paris
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EU 27 Ministers agreed this week to relocate the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) to Amsterdam and Paris, respectively. Both Agencies are currently located in London. The selection took place in the margins of the General Affairs Council (Article 50).
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EIF and SBCI triple new financing for Irish SMEs to €330 million
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The European Investment Fund (part of the EIB Group) and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) have tripled their finance for Irish SMEs under the COSME programme in Ireland to a total of €330 million. The deal means that from 2018, in total, an expected 10,000 companies in all sectors across Ireland will have access to COSME support. The €230 million was agreed to meet the demand for new financing requests from Irish companies, after 3,500 SMEs primarily in the agri-sector, fully utilised the €100 million financing supported by the COSME EFSI counter-guarantee agreement signed last year.
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New deal on "geoblocking"
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The EU has agreed to end unjustified geoblocking for consumers buying products or services online within the EU. The new rules means consumers will no longer face barriers such as being asked to pay with a debit or credit card issued in another country. For businesses, this means more legal certainty to operate cross-border. Vice President Ansip said: "With the new rules, Europeans will be able to choose from which website they wish to buy, without being blocked or re-routed. This will be a reality by Christmas next year." The new rules will come directly into force after nine months from the publication in the EU Official Journal, to allow in particular small traders to adapt.
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New EU rules on organic farming
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EU Agriculture Ministers this week agreed an overhaul of existing rules on organic production and labelling of organic products. The new EU rules set more modern and uniform rules across the EU with the aim of encouraging the sustainable development of organic production in the EU. They also aim to guarantee fair competition for farmers and operators, prevent fraud and unfair practices and improve consumer confidence in organic products. The new regulation will apply from 1 January 2021.
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New help for free range eggs hit by avian flu restrictions
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Producers of free range eggs will be allowed to continue to market their products as such, even if their hens have restricted access to open-air runs because of influenza outbreaks. Egg producers will now be allowed to market their products as free range even if their hens have had no open-air access for up to 16 weeks. Forty per cent of Irish hens are currently kept in free range systems.
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Commission joins forces to bring more broadband to rural areas
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The European Commission is setting up broadband competencies offices to advise local and regional authorities on ways to develop broadband, and help citizens and businesses get better internet. Broadband Competence Offices (BCOs) are State-designated national and regional authorities responsible for providing information and support on broadband planning, investment and deployment in their areas.
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Irish SME part of EU-funded ocean monitoring research project
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Tullow-based SME T.E. Laboratories Ltd is a partner in an EU-funded project that has developed and deployed cost-effective marine sensors to monitor and provide a more complete picture of the health of our planet's oceans. Some of the sensors are already on the market and patents are pending. Analysing changing levels of CO2 provides data on the impact of climate change and ocean acidification.
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Agenda
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Friday 24 November: Conference - Ireland and the Future of Europe, New Challenges, New Opportunities, RIA, 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 Future of Europe debate 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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Tuesday 28 November: European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) online career fairs
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The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an online careers fair targeted at participants from IRELAND, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland and Sweden on Tuesday evening, 28 November, from 4 to 8 pm. During this event, you will be able to connect directly with staff from EU Careers (European Personnel Selection Office) about career opportunities from the comfort of your home, office, smartphone or tablet.
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Tuesday 28 November: Launch of Eurofound report on Care Homes for older Europeans, Europe House
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The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) will launch its new report on care homes for older Europeans at a special event on Tuesday afternoon 28 November 2017 in Europe House, Dublin. The event will be opened by Mr Jim Daly, Irish Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People.
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Tuesday 28 November: 60 Years of the European Social Fund, Dublin Castle
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The European Social Fund (ESF) is celebrating 60 Years of Investing in People with a one day conference in Dublin Castle on Tuesday 28 November 2017. The conference will bring together ESF stakeholders, policy makers, social partners and practitioners. Speakers at the Conference include: Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Education and Skills; Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Minister of State for Higher Education; and, John Halligan TD, Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development.
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Thursday 30 November: Conference - Investing in the Future of Europe, Dublin
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The European Movement and the European Investment Bank are holding a half-day conference on "Investing in the Future of Europe" on Thursday 30 November in Dublin.
For further information or to register your interest, email: rsvp@europeanmovement.ie
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Thursday 30 November and Friday 1 December: Competitiveness Council, Brussels
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On the agenda: a single digital gateway, or 'one stop shop' for citizens and businesses to solve problems and exercise their rights in relation to the EU's internal market; industrial policy; and the EU space programmes. Click on the link below for more information.
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Monday 4 December: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels
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The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.
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Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 December: Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, Brussels
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The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.
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Tuesday 5 December: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels
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The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.
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Thursday 7 December: 2017 International Organisations Career Fair, Dublin Castle
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The European Commission Representation and the European Parliament Information Office in Ireland will host a stand at the International Organisations Career Fair in Dublin on Thursday 7 December. The event takes place in the Printworks, Dublin Castle, from 10 am to 4 pm.
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Thursday 7 December: Debt enforcement and EU Consumer Law, Dublin
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The Irish Centre for European Law (ICEL) is hosting a short evening conference on Consumer Law, with leading Irish and international speakers, including Dutch Judge Prof Dr Mr Sjef van Erp . This often neglected area of law has risen to prominence in recent times with the decision of Mr Justice Barrett in AIB v Counihan and the upcoming judicial review of a decision of the Laois County Registrar in the Grant case. Both of these cases deal with the role of consumer protection in debt enforcement. This timely event will hear how the Dutch courts deal with unfair terms and the obligation on national courts to carry out own motion assessments. The event takes place at the Distillery Building, Church Street, Dublin 7 starting at 4.30 pm and finishing at 6.30 pm.
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Wednesday 13 December: Citizens' Dialogue on the Future of Europe, Dublin
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The EU Commission Representation in Ireland will host a Citizens' Dialogue on the Future of Europe on Wednesday 13 December in Dublin. The keynote speakers at this event will be European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, and Minister of State for European Affairs, Helen McEntee TD. The moderator will be Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin. The event takes place at the Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2 starting at 12 noon.
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Thursday 14 and Friday 15 December: European Council, Brussels
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The agenda for the European Council meeting will be available in due course at the link below. It is expected that progress on Article 50 negotiations with the UK will be considered.
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Public consultations
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Access to social protection for people in all forms of employment
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The Commission has launched a public consultation on a possible EU action addressing the challenges of access to social protection for people in all forms of employment in the framework of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The consultation is open until 15 January 2018.
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Limiting industrial trans fats intakes in the EU
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The European Commission is carrying out an Impact Assessment on a possible EU initiative to limit intakes of industrial trans fats in the diet of EU consumers. Trans fats are a particular type of unsaturated fats whose consumption increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease more than any other nutrient. The consultation is open until 9 February 2018.
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Calls for Tender/Proposals
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Grants to raise awareness of the Common Agricultural Policy
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The Commission has published a call for proposals: 'Support for information measures relating to the common agricultural policy' (CAP) for 2018.
The general objective of the call is to build trust in the European Union and among all citizens, farmers and non-farmers alike, about the benefits the CAP provides to all citizens of the EU.
The deadline to apply is: 15 December 2017.
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Job opportunities
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Applications now open for secretaries and clerks in the EU institutions
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The EU institutions are recruiting highly motivated secretarial and clerical staff to fill more than 300 roles either in Brussels or Luxembourg. This is a great chance to join a fast-paced, multilingual working environment, in departments across any of the European Institutions. Applicants must be citizens of an EU member state and have knowledge of at least 2 official EU languages, one at minimum C1 level (thorough knowledge) and the other at minimum B2 level (satisfactory knowledge). The deadline to apply is 12 December 2017 (11 am Irish time).
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Irish-Language (GA) Lawyer-Linguists
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The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising open competitions, based on tests, to draw up reserve lists from which the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union may recruit Irish-language ‘lawyer-linguists’ (function group AD). The competition is open to citizens from the EU member states.
Applicants must have completed a suitable course in law in Ireland or the United Kingdom, i.e. hold a degree in law attesting completion of at least 3 years’ university study or have obtained a qualification as a barrister, advocate or solicitor in Ireland or the United Kingdom. Candidates who followed a 3-year degree course must also have obtained at least 1 year’s appropriate professional experience. They must also have knowledge of at least three languages including thorough knowledge of Irish. The competition is open until 28 November 2017 (11 am Irish time).
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Competitions
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Charlemagne Youth Prize: Applications now open!
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Young people aged between 16 and 30 from any EU Member States can submit projects for the European Charlemagne Youth Prize. Projects can be submitted individually or, preferably, in groups. They should promote European and international understanding; foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and integration; and provide role models for young people living in Europe and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community. The prize for the best project is €7500, the second €5000 and the third €2500. As part of the prize, the three European laureates are invited to visit the European Parliament in Brussels or Strasbourg. The application deadline is 29 January 2018.
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This is the Newsletter of the Representation of the European Commission in Ireland.
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