"Representation in Ireland - Dublin Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

Irish most positive about EU - Eurobarometer latest (02/08/2017)

The results of the Spring Eurobarometer opinion poll have just been published. Data show that optimism is on the rise in Europe with an increasing majority of people in the EU positive about the future of the European Union. Irish people are the most optimistic of all (77%) and most likely of all to have a positive image of the EU, at 58%, up 3 points since autumn 2016. Close to a majority of Europeans are now also optimistic about their national economy, while support for the euro shows its highest score since 2004. Over two-thirds of Irish people are positive about the national economy (68%, up 4 points since autumn 2016). A summary of the Irish results is available at the link below.

Michel Barnier on second round of Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom (26/07/2017)

At the press conference following the second round of Article 50 negotiations in Brussels on 20 July, the EU Chief negotiator Michel Barnier made specific reference to Ireland: "On Ireland, we had a first discussion on the impact of Brexit on two key subjects: the Good Friday Agreement and the Common Travel Area. We agree that the important issue of the Good Friday Agreement, in all its dimensions, requires more detailed discussions. In particular, more work needs to be done to protect North-South cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Today, that cooperation is embedded in the common framework of EU law and EU policies. We need to better understand how the UK intends on ensuring the continuation of this cooperation after Brexit. We also agreed that the UK should clarify in the next session how it intends on maintaining the Common Travel Area after leaving the EU."

Irish enthusiastic online shoppers - EU Scoreboard (26/07/2017)

The European Commission's 2017 Consumer Scoreboard recently published, shows Ireland in the top ranks for online commerce. More and more EU consumers are shopping online and their trust in e-commerce has increased, in particular in buying online from other EU countries. The pattern is particularly strong in Ireland, with Irish consumers also showing very high levels of trust in buying online. In fact Irish consumers have the 2nd highest levels of confidence in online shopping in the EU after the UK. The Scoreboard also shows a near doubling in the shares of Irish people buying online: almost 6 in 10 (59.2%) Irish people bought online in 2016, up from 33.1% in 2007.

EU Commissioner for Security Union, Julian King, at McGill Summer School (25/07/2017)

EU Security Union Commissioner Julian King spoke to participants at the MacGill Summer School about the EU's latest moves to boost cooperation between Member States in the fight against cyber attacks and radicalisation. He said: "We are squeezing the space in which terrorists – and the crime that supports them – operate. We have strengthened our ability to control our external borders, and to exchange information between our law enforcement and security agencies. Real progress is being made - from establishing the European Border and Coastguard Agency to revising the Schengen Border Code and to improving the effectiveness of our data bases inside our borders. We are making it harder for terrorists to travel, to train, to finance themselves and to acquire weapons and explosives through our new counter-terrorism Directive." The full text of the Commissioner's speech is available on the link below.

€3 million in EU funding to provide Irish school children with milk, fruit and veg in 2017/18: (31/07/2017)

Ireland is to receive over €2.9 million from the new EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme for the 2017/2018 school year. The new scheme, which brings together the old School Fruit and Vegetables and School Milk Schemes, aims to promote healthy eating habits among children. It will include the distribution of fruit, vegetables and milk products in schools, as well as dedicated educational programmes to teach pupils about the importance of good nutrition and to explain how food is produced. EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan said: "The scheme provides valuable support to millions of European schoolchildren and thousands of farmers in every Member State. Such support has proven particularly important for farmers in recent years and the increased funding will enhance the value of this support. In addition, the new scheme meets my priority of simplification through the integration of the former school milk and vegetable schemes."

Commission to assess applications to host the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority (01/08/2017)

The application procedure to host the two UK-based EU agencies, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA), came to a close on 31 July 2017. The European Commission will now assess all offers in an objective manner. The Commission's assessment will be published online on 30 September 2017. A final decision will be taken at the General Affairs Council (Article 50 format) in November 2017. In total, nineteen EU countries have applied to host the European Medicines Agency while eight have applied to host the European Banking Authority. Six countries, including Ireland, have applied for both.

Irish house prices rose at almost double the EU average (24/07/2017)

New Eurostat figures show that Irish house prices were up 8.9% in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the first quarter of 2016. This compares to an EU average rise of 4.5% and an Euro Area average rise of 4% over the same period. The fastest annual house price rises, however, were recorded in the Czech Republic (+12.8%), Lithuania (+10.2%) and Latvia (+10.1%). House prices fell in two countries: Croatia (-0.4%) and Italy (-0.1%). The Eurostat figures also show a slowdown in the rate of house price rises in Ireland with a rise of 0.9% recorded in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the previous quarter. This compares to a rise of 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the previous quarter and a rise of 4.7% in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the previous quarter.

New EU campaign to tackle marine litter (27/07/2017)

Galway Atlantaquaria and Dingle Oceanworld are among one hundred aquariums from all over the world taking part in a new campaign against marine litter. The campaign, which was launched last week by EU Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella, will see aquariums fill one of their exhibitions with plastic to show the global reality of marine litter - 10 million tonnes of litter end up in the oceans every year. Commissioner Vella said: "Aquariums are a television screen to the ocean. This campaign on marine litter is urgent and welcome. The world's aquariums have decided to become the ocean's 'breaking news' to avoid becoming its history channel."

Irish IT specialists best educated in Europe (24/07/2017)

Over 8 in 10 ((82.4%) IT specialists in Ireland have a third level education, the highest level in the EU and well above the EU average of 61.8%. This compares to an average of 46.1% with a third level qualification in the Irish economy as a whole. Ireland is followed by Lithuania (80.7%), Spain (79.1%), France (78.4%) and Belgium (76.2%) while Italy (32.8% and Germany (49.6%) had the lowest shares. The figures from Eurostat also show that, in 2016, IT specialists accounted for 3.9% of total employment in Ireland, up from 3.7% in 2011 and above the EU average of 3.7%. In real figures there were 78,100 IT specialists employed in Ireland in 2016, up from 68,500 in 2011.

EU countries want to reduce presence of acrylamide in food (24/07/2017)

EU Member States representatives have approved a Commission's proposal to reduce the presence of acrylamide in food. Acrylamide is a carcinogenic substance that forms from naturally present free asparagine (amino acid) and sugars during high temperature processing, such as frying, roasting and baking, particularly in potato-based products, cereal-based products, coffee and coffee substitutes. The new regulation, which is expected to come into force next spring, will require that food business operators (FBOs) apply mandatory measures to reduce the presence of acrylamide, proportionate to the size and nature of their establishment.

EU steps up its support for investigations into war crimes and accountability in Syria (24/07/2017)

The EU is to provide €1.5 million to support the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in Syria. The European Union considers that without justice, war crimes go unpunished, victims are unable to obtain redress and peace remains an elusive goal. Accountability for war crimes, human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian. Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: "As the European Union, we confirm our commitment and our support to the Syrian people and to the UN-led political process towards a political resolution of the crisis. The Syrians deserve peace and justice, and we continue to be at their side in this endeavour.”

EU customs seize over 41 million fake goods at EU borders (24/07/2017)

A new EU report shows that customs authorities detained more than 41 million fake and counterfeit products at the EU's external border in 2016, up 2% on 2015. The goods had a total value of over €670 million. Cigarettes were the top category (24%) for articles detained and toys the second largest group (17%), followed by foodstuffs (13%) and packaging material (12%). China remains the clear leader when it comes to the provenance of fake goods: 80% of articles arrived from China in 2016. Large amounts of cigarettes originated in Vietnam and Pakistan, while Singapore was the top source for counterfeit alcoholic beverages. Iran was the main source country for fake clothing accessories. Hong Kong was the leader for counterfeit mobile phones and India topped the list for counterfeit medicines. In Ireland, 12,826 articles were detained in 2016, down from 18,001 in 2015.

Wednesday 2 August: Seminar - Algorithmic Consumers: e-commerce, competition and regulation, UCD, Dublin (24/07/2017)

Professor Michal S. Gal from the University of Haifa Faculty of Law will present her recent article published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. The seminar takes place at 10 am on Wednesday morning 2 August at the Phelan Room. National University of Ireland, 49 Merrion Square. Attendance is free but all guests are asked to register at the link below.

Saturday 19 to Sunday 27 August: European Heritage Days, Ireland (01/08/2017)

There are lots of events taking place around Ireland to celebrate European Heritage Days 2017. Check them out on the link below.

Friday 8 September: Seminar - The Common Law and Brexit: A New Frontier, UCD, Dublin (25/07/2017)

A Joint Seminar of the Honorable Society of King’s Inns, The Society of Legal Scholars and UCD Sutherland School of Law on the Common Law and Brexit will take place on Friday afternoon, 8 September. The seminar takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the William Fry Theatre, UCD Sutherland School of Law, Dublin. It will be chaired by Professor Conor Gearty (LSE). The Panel will include: Mr. Conleth Bradley SC, Dr. Catherine Donnelly BL, Ms. Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Mr. Garrett Simons SC. Anyone interested in attending should register at the link below.

Thursday 14 September: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Brussels (24/07/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course on the link below.

Friday 15 September, Eurogroup meeting, Tallinn (Estonia) (24/07/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 September: EU stand at the National Ploughing Championships 2017 (31/07/2017)

The European Commission Representation in Ireland will host a stand at the “The National Ploughing Championships” in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 September 2017.

Monday 25 September: General Affairs Council, Brussels (24/07/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

#2030isnow summer photo competition (14/07/2017)

The European Commission is launching an Instagram contest around the theme: "What are you doing differently this summer to create a better world for 2030". The competition is aimed at instagramers and is open until 31 August. The first prize winner will receive a micro electric scooter while 9 runners-up will each receive a Lonely Planet Volunteer guide.

Public consultation on how to make cross-border payments cheaper (24/07/2017)

The EU Commission has launched a public consultation on ways to reduce the costs of cross-border payments within the European Union in currencies other than the Euro. The consultation seeks to gather views from a broad range of interested parties and will include a separate questionnaire geared to consumers. The feedback to this consultation will help the Commission define the best way forward to complete the objective of reducing the cost of cross-border payments. The consultation is open until 30 October 2017.

Public consultation on Health and Care in the Digital Single Market (24/07/2017)

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on how Europe should promote digital innovation in health and care, for the benefits of citizens and health systems in Europe. Citizens, patient organisations, health and care professionals, public authorities, researchers, industries, investors, insurers and users of digital health tools are all invited to share their views via EU Survey until 12 October 2017.

Invitation to tender No NP/DUB/2017/3 concerning a Negotiated procedure for the provision of project management services to the European Commission regarding the organisation of Citizens' Dialogues du (31/07/2017)

The European Commission Representation in Ireland intends to issue a call for tenders for the services of a project manager to supply services relating to the organisation of Citizens' Dialogues during the second semester of 2017. If you are interested in this tender, please request the tender documents by sending an email to COMM-IE-TENDERS@ec.europa.eu by 11 August 2017.

Europe for Citizens - Call for Proposals now open! (24/07/2017)

The Wheel is the National Contact Point for the Europe for Citizens Programme, which helps promote understanding between the European Union and its citizens.  It funds activities carried out by a range of not-for-profit organisations, councils and local authorities across Europe. The specific aim of the 2014-2020 programme is to contribute to citizens' understanding of EU's history and diversity.   A Call for Proposals under Town Twinning and Networks of Towns is now open and closes on 1 September 2017. The 2017 priorities are: understanding and debating Euroscepticism; solidarity in times of crisis; combatting stigmatisation of immigrants and building counter narratives to foster intercultural dialogue; and debate on the future of Europe. Click on the link below for more information.

Applications now open for traineeships in the EU Commission (24/07/2017)

The European Commission organises paid traineeship of 5 months duration starting on either 1st March or 1st October. Applications are now open for the 5 month period starting March 2018. Successful applicants must have a degree of at least 3 years of study (minimum a Bachelor) as well as a very good knowledge of a second EU language. Trainees receive a monthly grant of approx. €1,160 as well as reimbursement of travel expenses. They also get hands-on experience of working in an international and multicultural environment.

Special Seanad committee report on Brexit presented to the Head of the European Commission in Ireland (06/07/2017)

Gerry Kiely, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland was presented with the official copy of the Special Seanad committee report "Brexit: Implications and Potential Solutions". Mr Kiely transmitted this report directly to the negotiating team in Brussels. In order to support its thinking and considerations, the Committee organised nine days of public hearings with former Taoisigh, former Ministers of Foreign Affairs, sectoral experts, representative organisations, local authorities, all-Island bodies and many more. The report can be downloaded at the link below.

Michel Barnier on state of play of Article 50 negotiations with the UK (12/07/2017)

The European Commission's Chief Negotiator for Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom, Michel Barnier, said this week: "Our first day of negotiations, on 19 June, was useful to start off on the right foot. But the hard work starts now. We discussed EU citizens rights and there is a significant difference between our positions. Citizens' rights, the single financial settlement, the new borders, in particular in Ireland, are inseparable issues. We have published nine EU position papers so far on the different issues. The EU positions are clear. We now urgently need to know the UK's position on each of these issues in order to make progress."

Commissioner Julian King on Security Union at the MacGill Summer School (13/07/2017)

EU Commissioner for Security Union, Julian King, will be at this year's McGill summer school for a town-hall style debate on the EU's latest moves to boost cooperation between Member States in the fight against cyber attacks and radicalisation. Europol, national security services and investment in technical solutions are all in the mix. This response to security threats against Europe and its citizens is known as the "Security Union." The event, which is free of charge, takes place from 4 pm to 5.30 pm - Highlands Hotel, Glenties Summer School, Co Donegal. Commissioner King will share the stage with Professor Ben Tonra, Jean Monnet Professor of European Foreign, Security and Defence Policy, UCD and Michael Murphy, Security Analyst. The moderator will be Lucinda Creighton, former Minister of State for European Affairs.

Ireland: highest birth rate and lowest death rate in the EU (2016) (11/07/2017)

Ireland had the highest birth rate in the EU in 2016 and the joint lowest death rate. There were 63,900 live births in Ireland in 2016, or 13.5 per 1,000 inhabitants, the highest birth rate in the EU and well above the average of 10 births per 1,000 inhabitants. At the same time, there were 30,400 deaths or 6.4 per 1,000 inhabitants, joint lowest rate in the EU with Cyprus. This led to a natural population change of +7.1 per 1,000 inhabitants, the largest natural rise in the EU. Cyprus (+4.7‰) saw the second largest natural growth in its population in 2016 followed by Luxembourg (+3.6‰), France (+3.0‰), Sweden and the United Kingdom (both +2.7‰) and Malta (+2.6‰). On an EU level, there was no natural change in the population in 2016 – 5.1 million babies were born and 5.1 million people died.

Results of public consultation on the Common Agricultural Policy (11/07/2017)

Agricultural policy is best managed at the EU level, focusing on core issues of support for farmers and environmental protection - this is one of the key results from the recent public consultation on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy unveiled in Brussels last Friday (7 July). Speaking at "The CAP - have your say" event in Brussels this morning, Commissioner Phil Hogan identified what he said were four key takeaways from the process. He said: "We can see from the results that Europeans want high quality food; Europeans want farmers to do more to protect the environment; Europeans want more investment in rural areas, and, I am pleased to see, two-thirds of farmers are willing to do more for climate and the environment." The public consultation received more than 322,000 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, citizens, organisations and other interested parties

Commission wants to clamp down on new synthetic opioid (11/07/2017)

The European Commission has said it wants to restrict sales of the new psychoactive substance furanylfentanyl (sometimes known as China White) across the European Union. The EU's Drug Agency, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), says that furanylfentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid which can cause severe harm to health. Most of the new drug is mass-produced in China and sold online. It produces effects like heroin but overdoses are much more complicated to treat as furanylfentaylt is adulterated with a variety of toxic substances.

Crack down on loot sales for terrorism (13/07/2017)

The European Commission has put forward new rules to clamp down on the illegal import and trafficking of cultural goods from outside the EU, often linked to terrorist financing and other criminal activity. First Vice President Frans Timmermans said: "Money is oxygen to terrorist organisations such as Daesh. We are taking action to cut off each of their sources of financing. This includes the trade of cultural goods, as terrorists derive funding from the looting of archaeological sites and the illegal sale of cultural objects. By preventing them from entering the EU, we can help dry up this source of income." The new rules include: a common EU definition for 'cultural goods' at importation; the introduction of a new licensing system; a more rigorous certification system; and, power to customs authorities to seize and retain goods.

EU cross-border claims threshold increased (12/07/2017)

Irish consumers can now pursue cross-border claims of up to €5,000 through the European Small Claims Procedure. The EU Commission has changed the rules to allow people to get refunds where faulty products have been bought online in a different country. Martina Nee of the European Consumer Centre said: "The procedure is quite simple and it applies only to cross-border cases. So, for example, you can make a claim in Ireland for a faulty product which you bought online from a trader based in another EU country. You just have to fill out the ESCP form, pay a small fee of €25, and lodge it with the Registrar in your local District Court office.”

Ireland's South and East in EU's top 30 tourist destinations (10/07/2017)

Ireland's Southern and Eastern region was among the top 30 tourist destinations in the EU in 2015 with almost 23 million nights spent by residents and non-residents in tourist accommodation establishments. Spain, France and Italy each had six regions in the top 30. The Canary Islands remained the most popular tourist region in the EU in 2015, with 94.0 million overnight stays in 2015. EU residents spent almost 85% of their tourism nights within the EU in 2015. Nineteen per cent of nights spent in tourist accommodation by Irish tourists were outside the EU with the US being the main non-EU destination (as it was across the EU) Australia and Canada were the second and third most popular non-EU destinations for Irish travelers.

Irish teachers in Brussels (13/07/2017)

Eighteen primary school teachers from around Ireland visited Brussels this week, meeting MEPs, Commission officials and Irish diplomats. Their visit was part of the Blue Star programme for primary schools which aims to introduce participants (pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community) to the EU; what it means and how it works. The programme also aims to foster a strong sense of awareness of the EU among its participants that reaches far beyond the school walls and out into the wider community. It's funded by the Irish government and is a joint venture with the EU offices in Ireland and European Movement Ireland. For more information on the Blue Star programme and to find out how your school can participate, visit the Blue Star programme website on the link below, contact bluestar@europeanmovement.ie or telephone the EM Ireland office in Dublin on 01 662 5815.

EU Finance Ministers tackle non-performing loans (11/07/2017)

EU Finance Ministers this week approved an action plan to address the problem of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the banking sector. The Plan has four work strands: supervisory policies; structural and legal reforms, including insolvency and law enforcement frameworks; the fostering of secondary markets for NPLs; and, support for restructuring of the banking sector.

European research on homelessness (06/07/2017)

Researchers at University of Limerick are playing a key role in a major EU funded programme to tackle homelessness in Europe. Dr Ronni Greenwood and Dr Rachel Manning from UL's Department of Psychology are involved in the project, Homelessness as Unfairness (HOME_EU), which aims to understand EU citizens’ perceptions of homelessness and find solutions based on the ‘Housing First’ model. Dr Greenwood and Dr. Manning have been specifically tasked with working with service users to better understand the experiences of homeless people in different kinds of homeless services. Funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, the project will see twelve organisations and institutions from nine European countries involved. The initiative will gather opinions and testimonials from citizens, service users, providers and policy actors, to provide evidence to advocate for the integration of Housing First in European policies to tackle homelessness.

Ireland's Holocaust Education Trust awarded EU funding (11/07/2017)

Ireland's Holocaust Educational Trust has been awarded EU funding for its Crocus Project: remembering the Holocaust, learning lessons for contemporary Europe. The €100,000 grant was awarded under the European Remembrance strand of the Europe for Citizens programme. Under the Crocus Project, the Holocaust Education Trust provides children aged eleven years and older with yellow crocus bulbs to plant in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children and thousands of other children who perished in the Holocaust. The bulbs are accompanied by a Teacher's Handbook and Information Pack. The yellow crocuses, which bloom at the end of January in time for International Holocaust Memorial Day, recall the yellow Stars of David most Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule.

12 new invasive alien species (13/07/2017)

Twelve new species have been added to the EU list of invasive alien species because of the environmental and economic damage (over €12 billion annually for the EU) they cause. They include the giant hogweed. the Egyptian goose, the raccoon dog, the muskrat and Japanese stiltweed. Member States are required to prevent invasive alien species from being introduced, kept, sold, transported, reproduced or released. They also have to put in place appropriate measures to tackle new invasions or established populations of the listed species. Currently, in Europe there are around 1800 plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms that are alien and invasive to their natural environment. Their numbers are rapidly growing. Invasive alien species are one of the major causes of biodiversity loss.

Sentinel satellite captures birth of behemoth iceberg (12/07/2017)

Over the last few months, a chunk of Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf has been hanging on precariously as a deep crack cut across the ice. Witnessed by the Copernicus Sentinel-1mission, a lump of ice more than twice the size of Luxembourg has now broken off, spawning one of the largest icebergs on record and changing the outline of the Antarctic Peninsula forever. The fissure first appeared several years ago, but seemed relatively stable until January 2016, when it began to lengthen. A section of Larsen C – about 6000 sq km – has now broken away. The behemoth iceberg contains about the same amount of water as Lake Ontario in North America.

Joint Research Centre opens its laboratories to wider scientific community (13/07/2017)

The European Commission's in-house science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), is opening its scientific laboratories and facilities to scientists and researchers from the private and public sectors. As early as December 2017, researchers will be able to use JRC research facilities located in Ispra (Italy), and thereafter in Geel (Belgium), Karlsruhe (Germany) and Petten (Netherlands), thus helping to maximise the benefits of these world-class infrastructures and laboratories.

Monday 17 July: Commissioner Julian King on Security Union at the MacGill Summer School, Glenties (11/07/2017)

EU Commissioner for Security Union, Julian King, will be at this year's McGill summer school for a town-hall style debate on the EU's latest moves to boost cooperation between Member States in the fight against cyber attacks and radicalisation. Europol, national security services and investment in technical solutions are all in the mix. The event, which is free of charge, takes place from 4 pm to 5.30 pm - Highlands Hotel, Glenties Summer School, Co Donegal.

Monday 17 July: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels (05/07/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (27/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 18 July: Training session on Horizon 2020 organised by The Wheel, Dublin (27/06/2017)

The Wheel is organising a training session on "Horizon 2020: The European Union’s Programme for Research and Innovation (Opportunities for Voluntary Organisations)" on Tuesday morning 18 July. The event takes place at the Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2, starting at 9.30 am. The training session aims to provide Irish civil society organisations with an overview of opportunities under Horizon 2020 and the proposal process. The facilitator is Sean McCarthy, one of Europe’s leading consultants on Horizon 2020.

Friday 21 July: Creative Europe Mini-Showcase = What will the European Capital of Culture mean for Galway?, Galway (23/06/2017)

Galway’s hard work was rewarded last year when it was announced that it had won the bid for hosting the European Capital of Culture in 2020. Creative Europe is organising a special event during Galway International Arts Festival to showcase Ireland’s involvement in European culture projects. Representatives from three Irish projects will speak about their experiences of transnational culture projects, the joys, the pitfalls and why they do it. This mini-showcase will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Benita Lipps of the DaVinci Institute followed by a networking reception. The event takes place on Friday evening 21 July from 4 to 6 pm at Galway City Museum, Spanish Parade, Galway. Anyone interested in attending is asked to register in advance via the link below.

Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach: Spreading Knowledge about Europe (28/06/2017)

The European Commission has launched an EU-wide contest for the "Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach: Spreading Knowledge about Europe". This Prize will reward outstanding contributions that communicate the founding values, history, action and key benefits of the EU to citizens. Eligible participants include, for example, scholars, researchers, scientists, writers, journalists and artists who can contribute to articulating what Europe stands for today and tomorrow. The Prize will award six first prizes of €50,000; six second prizes of €30,000 and ten third prizes of €17,000.

Focus on bees: Photo competition (06/07/2017)

The European Food Safety Authority has launched a photo competition to raise awareness of the dangers facing bees and other pollinators. The closing deadline is 30 September.

Publication consultation on EU consumer law (04/07/2017)

The European Commission has launched a public consultation to gather opinions from consumers, businesses and associations on how to improve EU consumer law. The consultation will provide valuable information to the Commission on the areas that require changes. This includes the rights that apply for online marketplaces and "free" online services where consumers provide their personal data instead of paying, the way consumers can seek redress or remedies when harmed by unfair commercial practices. It also explores the introduction of penalties, in case of consumer law breaches, and how these penalties could be made more effective. All citizens and organisations are welcome to respond by 8 October 2017.

Public consultation on the implementation of the Atlantic action plan (10/07/2017)

The aim of this consultation is to gather input for the mid-term review of the Atlantic action plan and to seek views on the issues that may need to be reviewed. The consultation is open until 22 September 2017. The Atlantic action plan provides a guiding framework on how Member States, coastal regions and the Commission can support sustainable growth and drive the blue economy forward, whilst preserving the environmental and ecological stability of the Atlantic.

Public consultation on fishing opportunities for 2018 (11/07/2017)

The aim of the public consultation is to allow all European citizens to express an opinion on the way in which levels of fishing effort and quotas are set according to the new common fisheries policy and in relation to scientific advice about sustainable fishing. The consultation is open until 15 September 2017,

Public consultation on the development of secondary markets for non-performing loans and distressed assets and protection of secured creditors from borrowers’ default (11/07/2017)

The Commission seeks feed-back from stakeholders via a public consultation in order to inform its work on legislative measures with the aim to remove or reduce impediments of secondary markets for non-performing loans and thereby facilitate their development. Moreover the Commission seeks feedback regarding a possible legislative initiative to strengthen the ability of creditors to recover value from secured loans to corporates and entrepreneurs. More specifically, the Commission seek stakeholders' views on an EU new security right called "accelerated loan security". The consultation is open until 20 October 2017.

Public consultation on potential measures for regulating the environmental impact of enterprise servers and data storage products (11/07/2017)

This open public consultation is launched with the aim of collecting stakeholders' views on issues such as the expected effect of potential legislative measures on businesses and on energy consumption in the sector of servers and data storage products. The consultation is open until 23 October 2017.

Brexit: Irish border one of the top EU priorities (06/07/2017)

Speaking to the Economic and Social Committee in Brussels this morning, the EU's chief negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, made some points of special interest here in Ireland. He reiterated the primacy of the Irish border issue as one of the top EU priorities: "The best way of reaching an agreement is to create a climate of trust by tackling in the first instance three topics which we regard as priorities and which are inseparable because these are the condition of the orderly withdrawal that the UK has chosen: citizens' rights, the financial settlement and the border issue, especially the Irish border. I hope that rapid and sufficient progress will be made on these three topics together - and I mean on these three topics together."

EU and Japan trade deal (06/07/2017)

In the run-up to the G20 conference in Hamburg on 7 and 8 July, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have signed an agreement to go forward with opening up key EU-Japan markets. Ireland's exports to Japan in 2015 were worth over €7 billion, while we imported almost €2.8 billion worth of goods and services (CSO figs). A deal with Japan gives Irish businesses, and agriculture in particular, major new opportunities. For the EU and its Member States, the Economic Partnership Agreement will remove the vast majority of duties paid by EU companies, which sum up to €1 billion annually, open the Japanese market to key EU agricultural exports and increase opportunities in a range of sectors.

Irish cultural cities outperform EU rivals (06/07/2017)

Ireland's cities are ranked better than most of their European rivals in the EU's new "Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor". Of 168 European cities covered, Irish cities are some of the very best in Europe, with Cork coming in top place for "cultural vibrancy" among Small and Medium cities (50,000 to 250,000). In the same category, Galway comes third in Europe and Limerick ranks seventh. In the extra-large cities category (500,000 to 1 million), Dublin in turn does really well across the board. Breaking down the figures further, in the Small Cities category (50 to 100,000), Galway comes top overall in Europe, Limerick came fourth and Waterford in fifth place.

Unannounced inspections in Irish motor insurance offices (05/07/2017)

The European Commission has confirmed that on 4 July 2017 its officials carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in motor insurance in the Republic of Ireland. The Commission has concerns that the companies involved may have engaged in anti-competitive practices in breach of EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or abuse of a dominant market position (Articles 101 and 102 respectively of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). The Commission officials were accompanied by their counterparts from the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

Phil Hogan looks for Irish companies for EU Saudi/Iran trade mission (05/07/2017)

Agriculture and rural development Commissioner Phil Hogan is continuing his series of missions to open up new markets for EU food and drink producers with visits to Saudi Arabia and Iran on 7-12 November 2017. As usual, Commissioner Hogan will be accompanied by a delegation of senior representatives from European food and drink companies and producer organisations. There will be a special business-to-business programme laid on for accompanying companies with unrivalled opportunities to explore new business. There is still time for Irish companies to apply for a place. See details on the link below.

EU Commission expert report on Irish income tax and USC (06/07/2017)

One of an occasional series of papers published by European Commission specialists, this paper was published today in Brussels. Please note the disclaimer: European Economy Economic Briefs are written by the staff of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs to inform discussion on economic policy and to stimulate debate. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the European Commission.

Endocrine disruptors: major step towards protecting citizens and environment (04/07/2017)

EU Member States this week approved a Commission proposal on scientific criteria to identify endocrine disruptors in the field of plant protection products. The adopted criteria will provide a stepping stone for further actions to protect health and the environment by enabling the Commission to start working on a new strategy to minimise exposure of EU citizens to endocrine disruptors, beyond pesticides and biocides. The strategy will aim to cover for example toys, cosmetics and food packaging. In parallel, a substantive new research on endocrine disruptors with an important budget of approximately 50 million euro will be allocated in 2018 to around 10 projects in the next Horizon 2020 work programme.

UL researcher awarded €1.5m ERC grant for pioneering solar energy research (06/07/2017)

University of Limerick electrochemist, Dr Micheál Scanlon has been awarded a €1.5m European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. Dr Scanlon is the only ERC award recipient in Ireland in physical sciences and one of only 3 Irish based researchers to be awarded an ERC Starting Grant this year. Based in the Bernal Institute and the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Limerick, Dr Scanlon is working on a pioneering experimental approach that seeks to imitate photosynthesis in the leaves of plants, with the goal of efficiently generating clean electricity or solar fuels (such as hydrogen gas).

Doubling of new complaints against Ireland (06/07/2017)

The Annual report on the Application of EU law 2016, published this week, shows that new complaints against Ireland more than doubled in 2016 and open infringement cases at year-end jumped to a five-year high. New infringement cases for late transposition of directives also more than doubled to the highest level for 5 years. Across the EU, there was an overall increase (up 21%) of open infringement cases. The Annual Report sets out how the Commission monitored and enforced EU law during the previous year.

ATLAS maps the deep blue Atlantic (29/06/2017)

There are three Irish partners (NUI Dublin, NUI Galway and AquaTT UETP Ltd) in an EU-funded project to is shedding more light on the darkest depths of the North Atlantic maritime region. A better understanding of deep-sea habitats will inform the sustainable management of this vital resource. The ATLAS project Research activities will focus on waters 200-2000 metres deep, where the greatest gaps in our understanding lie and certain animal and plant populations and ecosystems are known to be under pressure.

2017 European Destinations of Excellence Network (Eden) competition launched (29/06/2017)

The Eighth European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) competition has been launched. This year’s theme of excellence is Tangible Cultural Tourism. Failte Ireland is inviting entries to the competition from emerging destinations that promote sustainable tourism as well as having well developed cultural tourism assets that are characteristic of their region. The closing date for entries is July 31st 2017. Ireland already has 8 EDEN destinations: The Burren Food Trail, Cavan Town and Environs, The Great Western Greenway, Loop Head Peninsula, Sheep's Head Peninsula, Carlingford and the Cooley Peninsula, and Clonakilty District.

Social security goes digital (04/07/2017)

The Commission has launched a new IT platform to electronically connect around 15,000 social security institutions in the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information system (EESSI) will make it easier to combat fraud and error, as national social security institutions will use standardised electronic documents in their own language, ensuring that the data they exchange is correct and complete. The new tool will also benefit citizens who have lived and worked in several of the participating countries, and who will see their social security benefits calculated quicker and more efficiently. Countries have until July 2019 to connect their national systems to the central IT platform.

President Juncker pays tribute to Germany's former Chancellor Kohl (04/07/2017)

On Saturday 1 July, leaders from all over the world gathered in Strasbourg to pay tribute to former federal Chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker addressed the event. He said: "Helmut Kohl was not only the architect of German unity. He contributed fundamentally — more than others — to reconciling European history and European geography. He was one of those who brought an end to the separation of East and West decreed at Yalta. Eastern and central Europe – and southern Europe incidentally – have much to thank Helmut Kohl for." Farewell messages were also given by former President of the United States Bill Clinton, former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González and Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered the closing speeches.

Simplified rules for farmers come into force (05/07/2017)

New rules came into force on 3 July that will make it easier for EU farmers to comply with several obligations under the so-called 'greening' in order to receive direct financial support. The new rules also aim to further increase the environmental performance of farming. The greening rules oblige farmers to farm in accordance with three main practices that are considered beneficial to the environment, including diversifying crops, maintaining permanent grassland and dedicating a minimum of 5% of arable land to so-called 'ecological focus areas' (EFAs).

European Citizens' Initiative: Commission registers 'Stop TTIP' Initiative (05/07/2017)

The European Commission has registered a European Citizens' Initiative inviting the Commission "to recommend to the Council to repeal the negotiating mandate for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and not to conclude the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)" ('Stop TTIP' Initiative). The formal registration of this Initiative on 10 July 2017 will start a one-year process of collection of signatures of support by its organisers.

Friday 7 and Saturday 8 July: G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany (06/07/2017)

G20 leaders will meet in Hamburg, Germany, on 7 and 8 July 2017. The theme of the German presidency of the G20 is 'Shaping an interconnected world'. The leaders will discuss the main topics of economic, financial, climate, trade, employment and development policy. Migration and refugee flows and counter-terrorism are other key issues of global significance that will appear on the summit agenda. The President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission will represent the EU at the summit.

Friday 7 July: "The CAP: Have your say" conference, Brussels (27/06/2017)

The Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development is hosting a conference on Friday 7 July to look at the results of a recent consultation on the future of the common agricultural policy. The conference will be opened by EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan. The event will be live streamed.

Monday 10 July: Eurogroup meeting (20/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 11 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels (20/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly at the link below.

Wednesday 12 July: ICEL Brexit Series – Implications for fisheries, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

This half-day conference, organised by the Irish Centre for European Law, will run from 2-5pm and will examine the distinct legal and regulatory challenges that Brexit poses for fisheries on the island of Ireland and seeks to address some of these vital topics, with the assistance of a panel of expert speakers from industry, policy, academia and practice.

Monday 17 July: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels (05/07/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Monday 17 July: Commissioner King to address the MacGill Summer School, Glenties (05/07/2017)

On Monday afternoon 17 July the EU Commissioner for the Security Union, Julian King, will address the MacGill Summer School on Responding to the Security Threats against Europe, its Democracies and its Citizens. Prof Ben Tonra of UCD and Michael C. Murphy, Security Analyst, will also speak on the same subject. An Open Forum, moderated by Lucinda Creighton, former Minister of State for European Affairs, will follow. For more information click on the link below.

Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (27/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 18 July: Training session on Horizon 2020 organised by The Wheel, Dublin (27/06/2017)

The Wheel is organising a training session on "Horizon 2020: The European Union’s Programme for Research and Innovation (Opportunities for Voluntary Organisations)" on Tuesday morning 18 July. The event takes place at the Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2, starting at 9.30 am. The training session aims to provide Irish civil society organisations with an overview of opportunities under Horizon 2020 and the proposal process. The facilitator is Sean McCarthy, one of Europe’s leading consultants on Horizon 2020.

Friday 21 July: Creative Europe Mini-Showcase = What will the European Capital of Culture mean for Galway?, Galway (23/06/2017)

Galway’s hard work was rewarded last year when it was announced that it had won the bid for hosting the European Capital of Culture in 2020. Creative Europe is organising a special event during Galway International Arts Festival to showcase Ireland’s involvement in European culture projects. Representatives from three Irish projects will speak about their experiences of transnational culture projects, the joys, the pitfalls and why they do it. This mini-showcase will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Benita Lipps of the DaVinci Institute followed by a networking reception. The event takes place on Friday evening 21 July from 4 to 6 pm at Galway City Museum, Spanish Parade, Galway. Anyone interested in attending is asked to register in advance via the link below.

Applications open for the Access City Awards 2018 (04/07/2017)

European cities over 50,000 inhabitants are invited to participate in the eight edition of the Access City Award - The European Prize for making cities more accessible to people with disabilities and older people. At a ceremony during the annual European Day of People with Disabilities Conference in Brussels on 5 December 2017, the European Commission will hand over awards to five EU cities. There will be first, second and third prize plus special mentions. The deadline to apply is 11 September 2017.

Publication consultation on EU consumer law (04/07/2017)

The European Commission has launched a public consultation to gather opinions from consumers, businesses and associations on how to improve EU consumer law. The consultation will provide valuable information to the Commission on the areas that require changes. This includes the rights that apply for online marketplaces and "free" online services where consumers provide their personal data instead of paying, the way consumers can seek redress or remedies when harmed by unfair commercial practices. It also explores the introduction of penalties, in case of consumer law breaches, and how these penalties could be made more effective. All citizens and organisations are welcome to respond by 8 October 2017.

Commission fines Google €2.42 billion (27/06/2017)

The European Commission has fined Google €2.42 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. Google has abused its market dominance as a search engine by giving an illegal advantage to another Google product, its comparison shopping service. The company must now end the conduct within 90 days or face penalty payments of up to 5% of the average daily worldwide turnover of Alphabet, Google's parent company. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: "Google has come up with many innovative products and services that have made a difference to our lives. That's a good thing. But Google's strategy for its comparison shopping service wasn't just about attracting customers by making its product better than those of its rivals. Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors."

€4 million grant for Ireland-France electricity link (28/06/2017)

A project to build an interconnector linking the French and Irish electricity systems has been awarded a €4 million grant by the European Commission. The "Celtic Interconnector" means energy can be traded more freely between France and Ireland, boosting Ireland's security of energy supply and allowing more renewables into the European energy system. Now comes the project's detailed design, a public consultation, and preparation for its construction. The Celtic Interconnector will be 600km of cables on the seabed between France and Ireland able to transmit up to 700 MW of electricity, or power for 450,000 homes, and also a direct fibre optic communications link between Ireland and France.

New EU Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (29/06/2017)

The Commission has agreed a new Action Plan to tackle Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Antimicrobial resistance is responsible for 25,000 deaths and a loss of €1.5 billion in the EU every year. The Action Plan addresses resistance in both humans and animals. In parallel, the Commission adopted EU Guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in human health. The guidelines target all actors – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, hospital administrators and others who play a role in antimicrobial use. They complement infection prevention and control guidelines which may exist at national level.

Pan-European personal pensions label to help consumers save for retirement (29/06/2017)

The European Commission wants a pan-European personal pension product (PEPP) which would give consumers more choice and better value. PEPPs will have the same standard features wherever they are sold in the EU and can be offered by a broad range of providers, such as insurance companies, banks, occupational pension funds, investment firms and asset managers. They will complement existing state-based, occupational and national personal pensions, but not replace or harmonise national personal pension regimes. Currently, the European market for personal pensions is fragmented and uneven. The offers are concentrated in a few Member States, while in some others they are nearly non-existent. This variation in supply is linked to a patchwork of rules at EU and national levels, which impede development of a large and competitive EU-level market for personal pensions.

Efficient exchange of criminal records on non-EU citizens (29/06/2017)

The European Commission has proposed upgrading the 'ECRIS' tool to improve further the rules on the exchange of criminal records of non-EU citizens in the EU. This will allow Member States to efficiently identify which EU countries hold conviction information on non-EU citizens and to share information on previous convictions anywhere in the EU. The European Commission also adopted a new proposal enlarging the mandate of the European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA).

Future of EU finances (28/06/2017)

The EU budget faces a tough challenge to fund more with less. The EU is expected to play a bigger role in new policy areas like migration, internal and external security or defence. And Europe must also preserve its leading role on the global stage, as a major humanitarian and development aid donor and as a leader of the fight against climate change. All this must be achieved with an EU budget that will only get smaller following the departure of the United Kingdom. The Commission's reflection paper maps out various options and their possible budgetary implications, based on the five scenarios presented in the Commission's White Paper on the Future of Europe presented on 1 March.

New EU rules against money laundering, tax avoidance and terrorism financing (27/06/2017)

The Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive entered into force earlier this week. Among the changes introduced by the new Directive are: reinforced risk assessment obligations for banks and accountants, clear transparency requirements about beneficial ownership for companies, reinforced sanctioning powers for competent authorities. The Directive also facilitates cooperation and exchange of information between Member States to identify and follow suspicious transfers of money to prevent and detect crime or terrorist activities and establishes a coherent policy towards non-EU countries that have deficient anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules.

New rules on cross-border insolvency proceedings enter into force (27/06/2017)

New rules on cross-border insolvency proceedings entered into force throughout the European Union this week. The new rules aim at facilitating debt recovery in cross-border insolvency proceedings. They will make it easier for businesses to restructure and for creditors to get their money back, by ensuring that collective procedures for cross-border debt recovery are effective and efficient. The Regulation focuses on resolving the conflicts of jurisdiction and laws in cross-border insolvency proceedings. It also ensures the recognition of insolvency-related judgments across the EU. By the summer of 2019 there will be an EU-wide interconnection of electronic national insolvency registers which will make it easier to obtain information on insolvency proceedings in other EU countries.

Cork to host European Maritime Day 2020 (27/06/2017)

Cork City is to host European Maritime Day 2020. The European Maritime Day (EMD) is the annual meeting point for Europe’s maritime community to network, discuss, and forge joint action, in support of an integrated approach to maritime affairs. EMD was officially created on 20 May 2008 and since then is celebrated annually across Europe on 20 May. The main event of EMD is the European Maritime Day conference, held in a different region with a different theme each year.

New EU rules on energy labelling (27/06/2017)

The new regulation on energy efficiency labelling establishes deadlines to replace the current A+, A++, A+++ classes with an A to G scale. It also sets out a procedure for rescaling the labels based on technological development.

New rules for organic production (29/06/2017)

Member States agreed to overhaul EU rules on organic production and labelling of organic products this week. A new regulation aims 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 July 2020.

4% of Irish adults suffer from loneliness (28/06/2017)

Less than 4% of Irish people aged over 16 have no one to ask for help if they need it according to new Eurostat figures. This is below the EU average of 6% and over three times lower than Italy and Luxembourg where 13% of adults have no one to ask for help. The best performing countries were the Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia and Sweden where only 2% of the population said that they didn’t have anyone they could ask for help if needed. About 4% of Irish people also feel they don't have anyone with whom they could discuss their personal matters. This is again below the EU average of 6.1%.

EU funded research project develops robotic doctor (27/06/2017)

An EU-funded research project is developing a robotic doctor that can be controlled hundreds of kilometres away by a human counterpart. It will allow medical professionals to examine patients over huge distances. The project coordinator, Professor Angelika Peer of the University of the West of England, explains: "The robot at the remote site has different force, humidity and temperature sensors, all capturing information that a doctor would get when they are directly palpating (physically examining) a patient."

New guidelines on the disclosure of environmental and social information (27/06/2017)

The Commission has adopted guidelines on the disclosure of environmental and social information. These guidelines will help companies to disclose relevant non-financial information in a consistent and more comparable manner. The aim is to boost corporate transparency and performance, as well as encourage companies to embrace a more sustainable approach. Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said: “Europe needs to take the lead in making economies greener and more sustainable. This is why we are today proposing flexible guidelines to boost corporate transparency across all sectors. By providing relevant information on their environmental and social credentials, companies are doing themselves a favour and helping their investors, lenders and society at large."

Friday 30 June: Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk, Sligo Central Library (17/05/2017)

Sligo Europe Direct Information Centre is hosting a Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk on Friday 30 June at 7 pm in Sligo Central Library, Stephen Steet, Sligo. The event is aimed at parents and guardians who want more information on the safety aspects of social media for minors in their care. Anyone interested in attending should call 071 9111670.

Friday 30 June: Brexit over Breakfast - Business debate, Sligo Library (27/06/2017)

Sligo Europe Direct Information Centre is organising a breakfast event on Friday 30 June for members of the local business community and the interested public to discuss the impact of Brexit. A panel of guest speakers includes Dragon Den’s Eleanor McEvoy and Intertrade Ireland’s Thomas Hunter McGowan. Key speakers will weigh in on the pros, cons, and opportunities that will arise with Britain’s exit from the EU. The event takes place in Sligo Library starting from 9.30 to 11 am.

Saturday 1 July: Estonia takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (21/06/2017)

On Saturday 1 July, Estonia takes over the six month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Malta. The four priorities of the Estonian Presidency are: An open and innovative European economy; a safe and secure Europe; a digital Europe and the free movement of data; and, an inclusive and sustainable Europe. Click on the link below for the Estonian Presidency website.

Monday 3 to Thursday 6 July: European Parliament Plenary Session, Strasbourg (28/06/2017)

The agendas for this session can be found on the link below.

Monday 3 July: Conference - Research & Innovation: Shaping our Future, Brussels (29/06/2017)

The European Commission is hosting a major conference in Brussels on 3 July on the future of EU research and innovation programmes. Speakers include Research, Science and Innovation Commissioner Carlos Moedas, former EU Commissioner and former Director of the WTO Pascal Lamy, and Dr Shane Bergin from UCD's School of Education. The event will be live-streamed.

Friday 7 July: "The CAP: Have your say" conference, Brussels (27/06/2017)

The Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development is hosting a conference on Friday 7 July to look at the results of a recent consultation on the future of the common agricultural policy. The conference will be opened by EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan. The event will be live streamed.

Monday 10 July: Eurogroup meeting (20/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 11 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels (20/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly at the link below.

Wednesday 12 July: ICEL Brexit Series – Implications for fisheries, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

This half-day conference, organised by the Irish Centre for European Law, will run from 2-5pm and will examine the distinct legal and regulatory challenges that Brexit poses for fisheries on the island of Ireland and seeks to address some of these vital topics, with the assistance of a panel of expert speakers from industry, policy, academia and practice.

Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (27/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 18 July: Training session on Horizon 2020 organised by The Wheel, Dublin (27/06/2017)

The Wheel is organising a training session on "Horizon 2020: The European Union’s Programme for Research and Innovation (Opportunities for Voluntary Organisations)" on Tuesday morning 18 July. The event takes place at the Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2, starting at 9.30 am. The training session aims to provide Irish civil society organisations with an overview of opportunities under Horizon 2020 and the proposal process. The facilitator is Sean McCarthy, one of Europe’s leading consultants on Horizon 2020.

Friday 21 July: Creative Europe Mini-Showcase = What will the European Capital of Culture mean for Galway?, Galway (23/06/2017)

Galway’s hard work was rewarded last year when it was announced that it had won the bid for hosting the European Capital of Culture in 2020. Creative Europe is organising a special event during Galway International Arts Festival to showcase Ireland’s involvement in European culture projects. Representatives from three Irish projects will speak about their experiences of transnational culture projects, the joys, the pitfalls and why they do it. This mini-showcase will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Benita Lipps of the DaVinci Institute followed by a networking reception. The event takes place on Friday evening 21 July from 4 to 6 pm at Galway City Museum, Spanish Parade, Galway. Anyone interested in attending is asked to register in advance via the link below.

Call for Tender for Media consultancy services: online communication consultancy services (28/06/2017)

The European Commission Representation in Ireland has launched a Call for Tender for Media consultancy services: online communication consultancy services. This tender seeks the assistance of suitably qualified service providers and/or services provided by individual experts in the implementation and evaluation of the European Commission's communication policies. The aim is to make the activities, objectives and policies of the Commission better known to the general public via the media, especially social media and the Internet. The services provided need to promote the relevance of the EU to ordinary people's lives and to focus especially on EU activities with a local dimension and relevance for given target groups. The reference of the tender is PO/2017-08/DUB. The closing date for receipt of tenders is 18 August 2017.

Bringing the EU closer to citizens – Commission launches new prize (28/06/2017)

The European Commission has launched an EU-wide contest for the "Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach: Spreading Knowledge about Europe". This Prize will reward outstanding contributions that communicate the founding values, history, action and key benefits of the EU to citizens. Eligible participants include, for example, scholars, researchers, scientists, writers, journalists and artists who can contribute to articulating what Europe stands for today and tomorrow. The Prize will award six first prizes of €50,000; six second prizes of €30,000 and ten third prizes of €17,000.

EU Council discusses migration, security, defence and economy (22/06/2017)

Migration, security, defence, the economy and the digital single market are on the agenda for EU leaders today. They will also – at 27 – discuss and decide on the procedure and the criteria for the relocation of the two EU agencies from London (the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority). Leaders will reaffirm their commitment to a strong, open and global EU that stands up for a rules-based international system and fights for fairness at home and abroad. A press conference by President Juncker and President Tusk is scheduled for 5.30 pm today and at 11.30 am tomorrow (Irish time), President Juncker will hold a joint press conference with President Donald Tusk and Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat. Follow live on the link below.

Irish SMEs win EU funding (22/06/2017)

Three Dublin SMEs have won EU grants of €50,000 each, continuing the excellent track-record of Irish universities and SMEs at winning funding from Europe's Research Fund. Competition for Horizon 2020 cash is fierce but Ireland consistently out-performs other countries relative to our size. Today's announcement is confirmation that this trend is continuing. The winners are: Businesspoint Intelligent Solutions Ireland Ltd, The Freebird Club Limited and Rapfast Ltd. The funding is provided under Phase 1 of Horizon, 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. If the project's feasibility study shows that it could be developed into a successful product on the open market, the SME can apply for Phase 2 support. Phase 2 funding is much bigger, usually between €500,000 and € 2.5 million.

Ireland falls to 10th place on 2017 European Innovation Scoreboard (20/06/2017)

Ireland came in at 10th place overall on this year's European Innovation Scoreboard. Although Ireland's innovation performance was up on previous years, other countries showed a greater improvement causing Ireland to drop from 6th to 10th place overall in the rankings. As in previous years, Ireland is classified in the second category of "Strong Innovator" along with Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Slovenia. However, Ireland comes in top for "Employment Impacts" - top in the EU for employment in knowledge-intensive activities and overall top for employment in fast-growing firms of innovative sectors. Ireland also has the overall top score for Innovators - highest in the EU for SMEs innovating in-house and 2nd highest in the EU for SMEs with product or process innovations and for SMEs with marketing/organisational innovations. Sweden tops the EU Innovation Scoreboard followed by Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, the UK and Germany.

New tool to help non-EU nationals find work (20/06/2017)

The European Commission this week launched the 'EU Skills Profile Tool for Third-Country Nationals'. an off – and online web editor to enable non-EU nationals to present their skills, qualifications, and experiences in a way that is easily understood by employers, education and training providers and organisations working with migrants across the whole European Union. The Skills Profile Tool will be used by reception centres, integration services, public employment services and other organisations offering services to non-EU nationals to make sure their skills and education are recognised, and to further guide them to training, education or employment.

Cavan woman gets senior EU role (20/06/2017)

Cavan native Patricia Reilly has been appointed to a senior role EU role. A seasoned Brussels player, Patricia now becomes Deputy Chief of Staff (or Deputy Chef de Cabinet) for EU Commissioner for Education Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics. She will be guiding EU policy on Higher Education and Schools and will have a key role in negotiating with the European Parliament and the Council. Patricia's appointment is in the tradition of prominent roles for the Irish at EU level with remarkable success for Irish nationals over the years, relative to their numbers.

Dublin's Energy Agency wins EU Sustainable Energy Award (21/06/2017)

Dublin's Energy Agency Codema won the Consumer category of this year's European Sustainable Energy Awards. Codema has developed a kit of six easy-to-use tools and measuring instruments that householders can borrow from a Dublin City library to identify common problems such as lack of insulation, poor ventilation and inefficient appliances in their homes. The Sustainable Energy Awards recognise outstanding innovation in energy efficiency and renewables in four categories: Businesses, Public Sector, Consumers and Energy Islands plus a public choice award. The prizes were awarded at a ceremony in Brussels earlier this week.

Better EU-wide cooperation on consumer protection agreed (22/06/2017)

The European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement on the Commission’s proposal to improve the EU-wide cooperation mechanism for consumer protection. This revision of the existing Consumer Protection Cooperation framework will give more powers to national authorities, particularly in the context of the digital single market. In case of EU-wide breaches of consumer rights, which are reported by consumers in at least two-thirds of the EU countries, national enforcement authorities and the Commission will coordinate their action to stop these practises.

€85 million for Uganda's growing refugee crisis (22/06/2017)

The Commission has announced funding of €85 million to help Uganda meet the needs of the rapidly surging number of South Sudanese fleeing there. Uganda is now facing the world's fastest growing refugee crisis, due to a continuous and unprecedented influx of people fleeing conflict in neighbouring South Sudan among others. The country is now hosting over 1.27 million refugees and asylum seekers. The funding will be used to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the refugees and to increase their self-reliance and the socio-economic development of their hosting communities in Northern Uganda.

More help for Syrian refugees and host communities (21/06/2017)

The EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis this week adopted new projects totalling €275 million. These projects will support refugees and their overstretched host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, the Western Balkans, and Armenia. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said: "We are giving a lifeline to millions of Syrians inside the country and across the region, helping create a future for Syrian refugees and host communities. By enabling girls and boys to access quality education, we are helping to prevent a lost generation of children whose lives have been devastated by the Syrian conflict. It is a moral duty, and it is also the smartest investment we can do in the security, stability and prosperity of our own region."

76 arrested during Europol international action on e-Commerce fraud (22/06/2017)

Ireland was one of 26 countries that took part in a joint law enforcement operation earlier this month which resulted in the arrest of 76 professional fraudsters and members of internet based criminal networks suspected of online fraud activities. The suspects were responsible for more than 20,000 fraudulent transactions with compromised credit cards, with an estimated value exceeding €5 million. The investigations also revealed that some of the suspects have been involved in other forms of crime, such as identity fraud, phishing, cyber-attacks, romance fraud, illegal use of stolen passports, illegal immigration, online child sexual exploitation, drugs trafficking and money laundering.

Ireland in top 3 for wind electricity (19/06/2017)

Over a fifth (21%) of Ireland’s total electricity came from wind energy in 2016, the third highest share in Europe after Denmark (43%) and Lithuania (27%) and over double the EU average of 10%. The contribution of wind energy to electricity is also growing faster in Ireland than in almost any other EU country with a 16 percentage point rise since 2005, a rate only exceeded by Lithuania (from 0% to 27%, or + 27 pp), Denmark (+24 pp) and Portugal (+17 pp). Wind energy is now the fourth source of electricity in the EU, after conventional thermal (49%), nuclear (26%) and hydro (12%) energy accounting for an estimated 315 000 of the 3.1 million gigawatt-hour of gross electricity generated in the EU in 2016 and over five times more than in 2005. The countries with the lowest shares of wind energy in electricity were Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic (all below 1%).

ECJ rules proof of defective vaccine and link between it and disease may be made out by specific evidence (21/06/2017)

In a judgment issued this week, the European Court of Justice ruled that where there is a lack of scientific consensus, the proof of the defect of the vaccine and of a causal link between the defect and the damage suffered may be made out by serious, specific and consistent evidence The temporal proximity between the administering of a vaccine and the occurrence of a disease, the lack of personal and familial history of the person vaccinated and the existence of a significant number of reported cases of the disease occurring following such vaccines being administered may, where applicable, constitute sufficient evidence to make out such proof.

Commission takes European drone sector to new heights (16/06/2017)

The Single European Sky Air traffic management Research Joint Undertaking has unveiled its blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. The U-space blueprint sets out the vision for the U-space, which aims to enable complex drone operations with a high degree of automation to happen in all types of operational environments, particularly in an urban context. The U-space should be up and running by 2019 for basic services like registration, e-identification and geo-fencing. According to a recent forecast, the global drone market will grow by 42% in precision agriculture, 26% in media and entertainment, 36% in inspection and monitoring of infrastructures, and 30% for leisure activities by 2020.

Our online world in figures: new Eurostat online publication (16/06/2017)

Nowadays, we spend a considerable part of our time online for various reasons, whether at work, at school or university, at home or on the move. Eurostat's new online publication, "Digital economy & society in the EU", has up to date stats on EU businesses' online presence and ecommerce. Did you know, for example, that Irish businesses (67%) are second highest in the EU for use of social media platforms or that Irish SMEs (30%) are top in the EU for ecommerce and have the highest share of turnover from ecommerce (15%). The publication also gives figures for e-shoppers and e-shopping as well as online security, etc.

Luxembourg has the highest number of cars per inhabitant (16/06/2017)

Luxembourg tops the EU list for car ownership at 661 cars for every thousand inhabitants. The EU average is 497 passenger cars with Ireland coming in below the average at 436 cars. Romania (261 cars), Hungary (325 cars), Latvia (345 cars) and Croatia (358 cars) had the lowest shares of passenger cars.

Monday 12 to Friday 30 June: EU Aid Volunteers photo exhibition, Europe House, Dublin 2 (08/06/2017)

In cooperation with Comhlámh, the European Commission Representation in Ireland is hosting a photo exhibition on the EU Aid Volunteer initiative. The exhibition features EU volunteers working with organisations across Europe as well as local volunteers working on humanitarian projects across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It will be open to the public on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm from 12 to 30 June at Europe House,

Thursday 22 and Friday 23 June: European Council, Brussels (13/06/2017)

EU leaders will look at a number of the most pressing issues, including migration, security and defence, and economy.

Friday 23 June: Conference - Europeans gather on Irish border to assess the impact of Brexit, Dundalk (20/06/2017)

On the first anniversary of the UK/EU referendum, the Brussels-based European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will hold a conference in Dundalk on the impact of Brexit on border communities. The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, will open the session on June 23, which will gather civil society representatives from all EU Member States to assess the economic, social and political implications of any type of UK withdrawal from the EU. The challenges facing farmers, food producers, other business and workers on both sides of the border will be debated in detail, as will the implications for the peace process if the border becomes an EU frontier. The conference takes place at the Ballymascanlon Hotel, Dundalk, starting at 9 am.

Friday 23 June: ICEL Eversheds Sutherland Procurement Conference, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

The annual ICEL (Irish Centre for European Law) procurement conference takes place on Friday 23 June. Speakers include three of the UK's leading procurement thinkers, Sue Arrowsmith, Fionnuala McCredie QC and Abbey Semple. The Hon. Mr Justice Donnell Deeny, the leading Northern Irish procurement judge, will chair part of the conference.

Wednesday 28 June: ICEL Brexit Series – Implications for trade on the island of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

Trade is arguably the most contentious area in upcoming negotiations between the United Kingdom and EU27 in the context of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. A competence of the European Union, the UK will have to renegotiate its trading relationship with its European partners, a matter that poses a serious challenge for the island of Ireland, in particular as speculation mounts as to the necessary re-emergence of a hard border with Northern Ireland, the resurrection of customs or "trade facilitation posts".

Friday 30 June: Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk, Sligo Central Library (17/05/2017)

Sligo Europe Direct Information Centre is hosting a Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk on Friday 30 June at 7 pm in Sligo Central Library, Stephen Steet, Sligo. The event is aimed at parents and guardians who want more information on the safety aspects of social media for minors in their care. Anyone interested in attending should call 071 9111670.

Saturday 1 July: Estonia takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (21/06/2017)

On Saturday 1 July, Estonia takes over the six month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Malta. The four priorities of the Estonian Presidency are: An open and innovative European economy; a safe and secure Europe; a digital Europe and the free movement of data; and, an inclusive and sustainable Europe. Click on the link below for the Estonian Presidency website.

Monday 10 July: Eurogroup meeting (20/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available in due course at the link below.

Tuesday 11 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels (20/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly at the link below.

Wednesday 12 July: ICEL Brexit Series – Implications for fisheries, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

This half-day conference, organised by the Irish Centre for European Law, will run from 2-5pm and will examine the distinct legal and regulatory challenges that Brexit poses for fisheries on the island of Ireland and seeks to address some of these vital topics, with the assistance of a panel of expert speakers from industry, policy, academia and practice.

Applications open for the 2018 Natura 2000 Awards (16/06/2017)

Applications are now open for the 2018 Natura 2000 Awards. The Awards recognise excellence in the management of Natura 2000 sites and showcase the added value of the network for local economies. They also pay tribute to all those who are working tirelessly on making Natura 2000 an operational success. The deadline for submitting applications is the 29 September 2017 and the winners will be announced at a high level ceremony in Brussels in May 2018. There are over 400 Natura sites in Ireland.

Call for Tenders: Provision of Blue Star Voluntary Education Programme for Primary Schools (20/06/2017)

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued an RFT for managing agents for the next 3 year phase of this programme, 2017-2020. Details about the programme are available at the Department’s website www.dfa.ie and the RFT is on the eTenders website on the link below. The deadline for responses is noon on 7 July next.

Call for Proposals - Europe for Citizens (21/06/2017)

The Wheel is the National Contact Point for the Europe for Citizens Programme which helps promote understanding between the European Union and its citizens and funds activities carried out by a range of not-for-profit organisations, councils and local authorities across Europe. A Call for Proposals under Town Twinning and Networks of Towns is now open with a closing date of 1 September 2017. The 2017 priorities are: understanding and debating Euroscepticism; solidarity in times of crisis; combatting stigmatisation of immigrants and building counter narratives to foster intercultural dialogue; and debate on the future of Europe. Click on the link below for further information or take a look at the Irish contact point website www.europeforcitizens.ie.

Public consultation on the legal migration of non-EU citizens (22/06/2017)

This is an open public consultation to collect evidence, experiences, data and opinions to support the evaluation, by the European Commission, of the existing EU legal framework for the legal entry and stay of nationals of non-EU countries to the EU Member States (legal migration) (N.B.: this excludes Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom that do not apply this EU legislation, with the exception of the Researchers' Directive 2005/71/EC, applied by Ireland). This consultation does not cover the EU citizens living in other EU countries. Legal migration should be understood mainly as stays of longer than three months in the EU. The consultation is open until 18 September 2017.

No more mobile roaming charges in the EU (14/06/2017)

Mobile phone roaming charges within the European Union ended at midnight last night. From today, 15 June, EU citizens can make calls within the European Union for the price of a local call, marking the end of excessive roaming bills. However consumers are advised that when outside the country, data charges will vary between phone companies relative to individual contracts. The Commission has said that it will carefully watch the implementation of the new rules and make sure that Europeans fully benefit from them and that the European market remains competitive.

Ireland 2nd highest prices for consumer goods and services - Eurostat (15/06/2017)

New Eurostat figures show Irish prices for a broad cross-section of consumer goods and services were the second highest in the EU, coming in at 125% of EU average in 2016. With the exception of consumer electronics, Ireland was above the EU average for all the price categories surveyed. Ireland was highest in the EU for alcoholic beverages and tobacco (175% of the EU average), third highest for "personal transport equipment" i.e. cars, motor-bikes and bicycles (111% of EU average), fourth highest for restaurants and hotels and fifth highest for food and non-alcoholic drinks (both 120% of EU average).

Ireland sees one of the highest growths in employment in the EU (14/06/2017)

Ireland (3.5%) recorded the second highest employment growth in the EU in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the first quarter of 2016. Malta (6%) saw the highest growth rate over the same period with the EU average being 1.4%. Compared to the previous quarter, Ireland recorded a rise of 1.1% in employment in the first quarter of 2017, fourth highest in the EU after Estonia (+2.8%), Malta (+1.7%) and Sweden (+1.2%). According to Eurostat estimates, 234.2 million people were employed in the EU in the first quarter of this year, of which 154.8 million were in the euro area, highest levels ever recorded in both areas.

Resettlement of refugees (14/06/2017)

The Commission this week reviewed progress made in the EU's emergency relocation and resettlement schemes. Almost 10,300 persons have been relocated since January 2017, a fivefold increase compared to the same period in 2016. As of 9 June, the total number of relocations stood at 20,869 (13,973 from Greece, 6,896 from Italy). Progress on resettlement is also continuing with 16,419 of the 22,504 resettlements agreed in July 2015 having already been carried out. Resettlements under the EU-Turkey Statement reached a new record high in May 2017 with almost 1,000 Syrian refugees being provided with safe and legal pathways to Europe. The total number of resettlements from Turkey under the Statement now stands at 6,254. To date, 459 refugees have been relocated to Ireland from Greece and 520 have been resettled under the 20 July scheme, including under the 1:1 mechanism with Turkey No relocations from Italy to Ireland have yet taken place.

Commission wants tougher supervision of central counterparties (CCPs) (14/06/2017)

The European Market Infrastructure Regulation means that central counterparties (CCPs) from the EU are already well regulated and equipped to deal with financial distress. However, further reforms to ensure a more consistent and robust supervision of CCPs in EU and non-EU countries are now needed to deal with emerging challenges. CCPs have become a systemically-important part of the financial sector and their importance is growing. In addition, the foreseen withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU will have a significant impact on the regulation and supervision of clearing in Europe. The Commission is proposing the establishment of a supervisory mechanism responsible for ensuring a more coherent and consistent supervision of EU CCPs, as well more robust supervision for CCPs in non-EU countries.

New online tool for company information (09/06/2017)

The European Commission has launched a single platform to access company information in the EU. Linking national business registers will facilitate cross-border trade and increase confidence and transparency in the EU Single Market. With an increasing number of cross-border businesses using the opportunities offered by the single market, the demand for access to information on companies with businesses in different Member States has increased. Before the introduction of this new platform, information on companies had to be requested separately from the diverse national registers through often lengthy and costly procedures.

10% of EU's exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products from Ireland (13/06/2017)

According to new Eurostat figures, Ireland exported almost €14 billion worth of medicinal and pharmaceutical products in 2016, up from €2.3 billion in 2001 and just under 10% of total EU exports. The EU is the world's biggest exporter of medicinal and pharmaceutical products with total exports worth €144 billion in 2016. It was followed by Switzerland at €65 billion and the United States at €47 billion). The main destinations of EU medicinal and pharmaceutical exports are the United States (34% of all EU exports in 2016) followed by Switzerland (11%), China and Japan (both 6%) and Russia (4%). The EU imported €75 billion worth of medicinal and pharmaceutical products in 2016 of which Ireland accounted for 4% or €3 billion.

Erasmus+ app (13/06/2017)

The Commission has launched a new Erasmus+ Mobile App. The app will allow participants: to easily track their progress in the different administrative steps before, during and after their stay abroad; to share and vote for their preferred tips to help others integrate into the local community; and to improve their language skills via a direct link to the Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support platform. Nine million people have benefited from exchanges abroad since the launch of the Erasmus+ programme in 1987. This includes approximately 88,000 Irish beneficiaries.

Per capita GDP second highest in Ireland (13/06/2017)

Ireland comes second only to Luxembourg in the latest figures for per capita GDP in the EU at 177% of the average (2016). Bulgaria (49%), Romania and Croatia (both 59%) had the lowest levels. The latest Eurostat figures also looked at Active Individual Consumption (AIC) rates. AIC measures goods and services actually consumed by individuals. AIC in Ireland was below the EU average at 97% of the mean in 2016. Highest per capita AIC levels were recorded in Luxembourg (132%) followed by Germany (122%) and Austria (118%). Lowest AIC levels were recorded in Bulgaria (53%) and Croatia (59%).

Sharing copyright protected works may constitute infringement (14/06/2017)

The European Court of Justice has ruled that making available and managing an online platform for sharing copyright-protected works, such as ‘The Pirate Bay’, may constitute an infringement of copyright. Even if the works in question are placed online by the users of the online sharing platform, the operators of that platform play an essential role in making those works available.

Agreement on cheaper cross border parcel delivery services in the EU (09/06/2017)

Cross-border parcel delivery services in the EU are set to become more transparent and better monitored. Increased price transparency and more effective oversight should make the market more efficient and help bring down those tariffs which are not fully justified by objective factors such as wages or geographical distance. The Council today agreed its position (a 'general approach') on the draft regulation, which is part of EU efforts to boost e-commerce under the digital single market.  Under the Council general approach, the Commission will set up a website to display the cross-border delivery rates offered by delivery firms. This dedicated website will make it easier for consumers and companies to compare rates and choose the best ones.

Purely plant-based products cannot be called ‘milk’/’cream (14/06/2017)

The European Court of Justice has ruled that purely plant-based products cannot, in principle, be marketed with designations such as ‘milk’, ‘cream’, ‘butter’, ‘cheese’ or ‘yoghurt’, which are reserved by EU law for animal products. The same is true if those designations are accompanied by clarifying or descriptive terms indicating the plant origin of the product concerned. However, there is a list of exceptions.

Commission opens formal investigations into Nike's, Sanrio's and Universal Studios' licensing and distribution practices (14/06/2017)

The European Commission has launched three separate antitrust investigations into whether certain licensing and distribution practices of Nike, Sanrio and Universal Studios illegally restrict traders from selling licensed merchandise cross-border and online within the EU Single Market. Nike, Sanrio and Universal Studios license the rights for some of the world's best known brands. Universal Studios, for example, is the licensor of rights for the "Minions" and "Despicable Me".

Monday 12 to Friday 30 June: EU Aid Volunteer photo exhibition, Europe House, Dublin 2 (08/06/2017)

In cooperation with Comhlámh, the European Commission Representation in Ireland is hosting a photo exhibition on the EU Aid Volunteer initiative. The exhibition features EU volunteers working with organisations across Europe as well as local volunteers working on humanitarian projects across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It will be open to the public on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm from 12 to 30 June at Europe House,

Friday 16 June: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Luxembourg (02/06/2017)

Agenda highlights include: VAT (reduced rate for electronic publications and the reverse charge mechanism) as well as the European Semester and the Banking Union.

Friday 16 June: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, Luxembourg (02/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly at the link below.

Monday 19 June: Foreign Affairs Council, Luxembourg (07/06/2017)

The Council will take stock of the implementation of the EU Global Strategy almost one year after its presentation to the European Council. The Ministers will also discuss counter-terrorism, EU-NATO cooperation as well as Iraq, Migration, the Gulf Crisis,

Monday 19 June: Environment Council, Luxembourg (13/06/2017)

The Council will discuss recent developments in international climate change. Ministers will restate the strong commitment of the EU and its member states to the Paris Agreement and the process for its full implementation. The full agenda is available on the link below.

Friday 23 June: ICEL Eversheds Sutherland Procurement Conference, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

The annual ICEL (Irish Centre for European Law) procurement conference takes place on Friday 23 June. Speakers include three of the UK's leading procurement thinkers, Sue Arrowsmith, Fionnuala McCredie QC and Abbey Semple. The Hon. Mr Justice Donnell Deeny, the leading Northern Irish procurement judge, will chair part of the conference.

Tuesday 20 June: General Affairs Council (Art. 50), Luxembourg (13/06/2017)

The Council, in an EU27 format, will prepare the European Council (Art. 50) on 22 June 2017. Ministers will discuss the state of play of Brexit negotiations, after the first round of talks with the UK which is expected to take place ahead of the Council meeting. In the margins of the meeting, ministers will discuss the procedure to decide on the relocation of the two EU agencies currently based in the UK: the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA).

Thursday 22 June: Conference on "the EU Construction & Demolition Waste Management Protocol", Europe House, Dublin 2 (14/06/2017)

On 22 June 2017 the European Commission is hosting a conference on construction and demolition (C&D) waste. The conference brings together stakeholders in Ireland and offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the new EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol and its potential benefits. C&D waste represents a risk for the environment and real challenges for the EU. Every year, over 2 tonnes of C&D waste is generated for each European citizen The conference takes place on Thursday morning 22 June (starting at 9 a.m.) at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount St, Dublin 2.

Thursday 22 and Friday 23 June: European Council, Brussels (13/06/2017)

EU leaders will look at a number of the most pressing issues, including migration, security and defence, and economy.

Thursday 22 June: European Council (in an EU 27 format), Brussels (13/06/2017)

The European Council (Article 50), in an EU 27 format, will review the latest developments in the negotiations following the United Kingdom's notification under Article 50 TEU. In the margins of this meeting, leaders are expected to endorse the procedural arrangements for the relocation of the EU agencies currently located in the UK.

Wednesday 28 June: ICEL Brexit Series – Implications for trade on the island of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

Trade is arguably the most contentious area in upcoming negotiations between the United Kingdom and EU27 in the context of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. A competence of the European Union, the UK will have to renegotiate its trading relationship with its European partners, a matter that poses a serious challenge for the island of Ireland, in particular as speculation mounts as to the necessary re-emergence of a hard border with Northern Ireland, the resurrection of customs or "trade facilitation posts".

Friday 30 June: Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk, Sligo Central Library (17/05/2017)

Sligo Europe Direct Information Centre is hosting a Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk on Friday 30 June at 7 pm in Sligo Central Library, Stephen Steet, Sligo. The event is aimed at parents and guardians who want more information on the safety aspects of social media for minors in their care. Anyone interested in attending should call 071 9111670.

Wednesday 12 July: ICEL Brexit Series – Implications for fisheries, Royal Irish Academy (12/06/2017)

This half-day conference, organised by the Irish Centre for European Law, will run from 2-5pm and will examine the distinct legal and regulatory challenges that Brexit poses for fisheries on the island of Ireland and seeks to address some of these vital topics, with the assistance of a panel of expert speakers from industry, policy, academia and practice.

Call for proposals to run ‘Europe Direct Information Centres’ (EDICs) 2018-2020 (12/06/2017)

The European Commission Representation in Ireland is launching a call for proposals to select partners to run ‘Europe Direct Information Centres’ (EDICs). Successful applicants will be entitled to an action grant and technical assistance which will enable them to carry out a set of communication activities as an EDIC. The objective of this call is to establish a network of EDICs that will engage on EU topics of relevance to the public at local and regional level, promote dialogue on EU issues and cooperate with other EU or local information networks and contact points. If you are interested in submitting your proposal you should download documents uploaded below, complete them and submit your application (including all supporting documents) as specified in the Call for Proposals by 21st July 2017.

Public consultation on road infrastructure and tunnel safety (15/06/2017)

The European Commission has launched an impact assessment process with a view to the possible revision of the EU road infrastructure safety management and road tunnel safety legislation. This on-line public consultation is organised to allow interested stakeholders and citizens to express their views on this as part of the impact assessment process. The consultation runs until 10 September 2017.

Brexit talks start Monday 19 June - EU/UK Statement (15/06/2017)

The following joint statement was issued today (15 June) by the Department for Exiting the European Union and the European Commission: "Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator, and David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, agreed today to launch Article 50 negotiations on Monday, 19 June."

Terrorism: 142 failed, foiled and completed attacks in the EU in 2016 (15/06/2017)

According to a new Europol report, there were a total of 142 failed, foiled and completed attacks in eight EU Member States in 2016. More than half (76) of them were reported by the United Kingdom. France reported 23 attacks, Italy 17, Spain 10, Greece 6, Germany 5, Belgium 4 and the Netherlands 1 attack. 142 victims died in terrorist attacks, and 379 were injured in the EU. Although there were a large number of terrorist attacks not connected with jihadism, the latter accounts for the most serious forms of terrorist activity as nearly all reported fatalities and most of the casualties were the result of jihadist terrorist attacks.

EU Capital Markets Union: state of play (08/06/2017)

Almost two years after the launch of the Capital Markets Union Action Plan, the Commission this week presented a number of important new initiatives. The Mid-Term Review of the Plan, published this week, reports on the good progress made so far in implementing the 2015 Action Plan, with around two-thirds of the 33 actions delivered in twenty months: The securitisation package will free up capacity on banks' balance sheets and generate additional funding for households and fast growing companies; The venture capital funds reform will facilitate investment in small and medium-sized innovative companies; The new Prospectus regime was agreed allowing easier access to public markets especially for SMEs. The CMU is a key pillar of the Commission's Investment Plan for Europe, the so-called Juncker Plan.

€5.5 bn for new EU Defence Fund and procurement (07/06/2017)

The Commission this week announced its plans for coordinated EU Defence spending, controlled by the Member States, who would take part on a voluntary basis. The plan sees a new Fund of €5.5 billion a year for common research and defence capability projects, as well as for technological innovation in defence. Participating Member States can also save money by pooling their purchasing power on defence spending. At the same time, the Commission has published a "reflection paper" to launch a public debate on how the EU at 27 might develop by 2025 in the area of defence. This week's moves were announced by President Juncker last September and agreed by the Heads of Government (European Council) in December. A recent Eurobarometer survey showed that 66% of Irish people are in favour of a common EU defence and security policy, fourth lowest in the EU and well below the average of 75%.

Michael Noonan's last big speech - CSR Conference in Dublin (08/06/2017)

Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan - in his "last significant speech" before stepping down as Minister - and Michel Servoz, Director General of the EU Commission's Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion DG were the keynote speakers at a Conference on Inclusive Growth organised by the EC Representation in partnership with the IIEA to present and discuss the 2017 European Semester Recommendations to Ireland, on 2 June 2017. The event was chaired by RTE's Economics Correspondent, Sean Whelan and panellists Rowena Dwyer, Chief Economist with the Irish Farmers Organisation and Paul Ginnell of the European Anti-Poverty Network led a lively Q&A session. (The European Pillar of Social Rights was also addressed in the context of the increased focus on ensuring that economic growth is inclusive and benefits all members of society.)

Adult drug rise on the rise in Ireland (07/06/2017)

The latest report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction reveals that adult drug use is on the rise in Ireland; the shares of adults who have used illicit drugs was up from under 20% in 2002-03 to about 30% in 2014-15. Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug followed by MDMA/ecstasy and cocaine. The report also reveals that cocaine use in Ireland amongst 15-34 years-olds is now the fourth highest in the EU and that Ireland also has the second highest rate of ecstasy use per capita in the EU, behind the Netherlands. The most common problem drugs for people entering treatment programmes for drug use, however, were cannabis (28%) and heroin (41%). The report also shows that Ireland had the 4th highest (71 deaths per million inhabitants) rate of deaths from drug use in the EU in 2015 with the majority related to use of opioids. The EU average was just over 20 deaths per million inhabitants.

EU and Member States strategy to eradicate poverty (07/06/2017)

The joint European Consensus on Development, signed this week, outlines the future of European development policy. For the first time a shared framework applies to all EU Institutions and Member States, providing a common approach to development policies in the next decades. It will guide EU cooperation with all developing countries, bearing in mind the need to design tailor-made approaches that reflect the growing diversity of our partner countries. The new Consensus strongly reaffirms that poverty eradication remains the primary objective of European development policy. It fully integrates the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

Share of public spending on defence second lowest in Ireland (07/06/2017)

New Eurostat figures show that Ireland (0.4%) had the second lowest ratio of government defence expenditure to GDP in the EU after Luxembourg (0.3) in 2015. On average across the EU, 1.4% of government spending went to defence as a share of GDP. The highest shares were in Greece (2.7%), the United Kingdom (2.1%), Estonia (1.9%) and France (1.8%). In absolute terms, the United Kingdom spent by far the most on defence (€55 bn in 2015). This is equivalent to over a quarter (27%) of the total EU public expenditure on defence.

EU funds small Irish SMEs with big ideas (08/06/2017)

The EU's scientific research fund has just announced funding for three small Irish companies with big ideas to get to market. They are: SwiftComply TopCo Ltd of Dublin; Valitacell Ltd of Dublin; and, DiaNia Technologies Ltd of Galway. Each of the projects will receive up to €2.5 million to finance innovation activities. This brings to 29 the total number of Irish SMEs to be granted Phase 2 funding under the SME Instrument since its launch in 2014. Irish SMEs are in 10th place overall for receipt of this funding.

€2.9 million for fruit, vegetables and milk for Irish school children (08/06/2017)

Under the new EU School Fruit, Vegetables and Milk scheme, Irish schools will get €2.9 million to provide fresh fruit and vegetables and drinking milk to school children for the 2017/18 school year. Any products provided to children must take account of health and environmental considerations, seasonality, variety and availability with priority given to EU products. They must also contain no sweeteners and artificial flavour enhancers, and should aim to have no added sugar, salt, or fat.

EU Platform on Animal Welfare launched (07/06/2017)

EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis this week inaugurated the kick-off meeting of the EU Platform on Animal Welfare. The Platform brings together 75 representatives from stakeholders, NGOs, scientists, Member States, EEA (European Economic Area) countries, international organisations and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). Its aim is to promote dialogue among competent authorities, businesses, civil society and scientists on animal welfare issues that are relevant for EU citizens and to assist the Commission with the development and exchange of coordinated actions on animal welfare

EU's largest ever education in emergencies programme in Turkey reaches first refugee families (08/06/2017)

The EU's largest ever humanitarian programme for education in emergencies, which aims to encourage some 230,000 refugee children to attend school in Turkey by the end of 2017, has started its first payments to refugee families. The 'Conditional Cash Transfer for Education' (CCTE) project receives €34 million in EU funding through the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey. It works by providing cash transfers every two months to refugee families whose children regularly attend school. The project is implemented in partnership with UNICEF and its local partner, the Turkish Red Crescent to extend the Turkish Government's existing national CCTE programme – in place since 2003 – to reach a larger number of refugee children.

Open and connected EU aviation markets (08/06/2017)

The Commission has agreed measures to further support open and connected aviation markets in the European Union and beyond. These initiatives aim to safeguard competition and connectivity in aviation, facilitate investments in European airlines and enhance the efficiency and connectivity of European skies. They include guidelines on the ownership and control of EU airlines as well as on Public Service Obligations in aviation. The Commission is also inviting Member States and aviation stakeholders to consider a number of good practices to ensure air service continuity in the event of industrial action.

"Stop extremism" European Citizens' Initiative (07/06/2017)

The Commission has registered a European Citizens' Initiative entitled "Stop extremism" inviting the Commission to "propose legislation in order to prevent the adverse consequences of extremism, above all for the Internal Market". The Initiative will be formally registered on 12 June 2017, which will start a one-year process of the collection of signatures of support by its organisers. Should the Initiative receive one million statements of support within one year from at least seven different Member States, the Commission will have to react within three months.

Monday 12 to Thursday 15 June: European Parliament Plenary Session, Strasbourg (07/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting is available at the link below.

Monday 12 to Friday 30 June: EU Aid Volunteer photo exhibition, Europe House, Dublin 2 (08/06/2017)

In cooperation with Comhlámh, the European Commission Representation in Ireland is hosting a photo exhibition on the EU Aid Volunteer initiative. The exhibition features EU volunteers working with organisations across Europe as well as local volunteers working on humanitarian projects across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It will be open to the public on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm from 12 to 30 June at Europe House,

Tuesday 12 to Wednesday 21 June: European Research Council (ERC) 10th anniversary celebrations, Brussels (07/06/2017)

Since its launch in 2007, the European Research Council has funded almost 7,000 researchers and thereby supporting more than 40,000 team members. Its support has been acknowledged in close to 100,000 international scientific journal articles.

Monday 12 June: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Luxembourg (25/05/2017)

The agenda for this meeting is available at the link below.

Thursday 15 June: Eurogroup, Luxembourg (02/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly on the link below.

Friday 16 June: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Luxembourg (02/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly on the link below.

Friday 16 June: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, Luxembourg (02/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly at the link below.

Monday 19 June: Foreign Affairs Council, Luxembourg (07/06/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly on the link below.

Friday 30 June: Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk, Sligo Central Library (17/05/2017)

Sligo Europe Direct Information Centre is hosting a Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk on Friday 30 June at 7 pm in Sligo Central Library, Stephen Steet, Sligo. The event is aimed at parents and guardians who want more information on the safety aspects of social media for minors in their care. Anyone interested in attending should call 071 9111670.

Call for proposals to select partners to run ‘Europe Direct Information Centres’ (EDICs) 2018-2020 (06/06/2017)

The European Commission Representation in Ireland is launching a call for proposals to select partners to run ‘Europe Direct Information Centres’ (EDICs) 2018-2020. Successful applicants will be entitled to an action grant and technical assistance which will enable them to carry out a set of communication activities as an EDIC. The objective of this call is to establish a network of EDICs that will engage on EU topics of relevance to the public at local and regional level, promote dialogue on EU issues and cooperate with other EU or local information networks and contact points.

New Horizon Prize for full-page tactile display helping visually impaired people (08/06/2017)

The European Commission has launched a new Horizon Prize, challenging innovators to develop the most affordable, internet-enabled, full-page tactile display. The €3 million prize will go to the best solution able to convey digital information -text and graphics- for blind and visually impaired people. The contest is open to any legal entity, including natural persons, or group of legal entities established in an EU Member State or in a country associated to Horizon 2020. Applications may be submitted between 17 April 2018 and 27 November 2018.

Commissioner Hogan debates in Kilkenny (01/06/2017)

Commissioner Phil Hogan was on hand in Kilkenny today to listen to the concerns of the Irish public. Hot topics were EU support to farmers, Brexit and the future of the EU. He said " When speaking about Europe and the EU, we must always remember that Europe is us. We are Europe. Populists seek to divide people into us and them – "they" are bad, "we" are good. Of course "they" are usually from far away, or look different to us. We have seen this poisonous populism infect Europe in recent times. It is the primary cause of Brexit. Successive British governments sought to curry favour with the populist British tabloid media. Rather than face down their lies, they sought to ride the wave of populist Euroscepticism. This ended up in the Brexit mess we are now left with."

Commission options for deeper integration of Europe's Economic and Monetary Union (01/06/2017)

The Commission has published a reflection paper setting out possible ways to deepen Europe's Economic and Monetary Union. Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said: "The euro is already a symbol of unity and a guarantee of stability for Europeans. We now need to make it a vehicle for shared prosperity. Only by reversing economic and social divergence in the euro area will we be able to defeat the dangerous populism that this fuels. The time has come to complete the journey we started at Maastricht towards a genuine economic and monetary union, with strong institutions and democratic accountability."

BurrenLIFE wins best-ever EU award (31/05/2017)

BurrenLIFE project has just received a special "Best-Ever" award from the European Commission, recognising it as the best ever LIFE project in the 25 year history of the programme. BurrenLIFE won their prize in the Nature and Biodiversity Category. The awards were presented during Green Week to exceptional LIFE projects from the programme's 25-year history, at the Green Awards ceremony in Brussels on 30 May.

Almost two-thirds of Irish people have never smoked: EU Poll (31/05/2017)

An EU wide poll shows that Ireland (63%) has the highest share of respondents who have never smoked. Ireland has also seen the second largest rise in the numbers who don't smoke compared to 2006, up 11 percentage points. France (42%) has the lowest share of people who have never smoked with the EU average being 53%. Ireland has also seen one of the largest falls in the numbers of people who smoke: 19% of Irish people currently smoke, down 10 percentage points on 2006, and joint 3rd lowest in the EU. Across the EU, 26% of people currently smoke, down 6 percentage points on 2006.

European Solidarity Corps: €340 million to enable 100,000 placements by 2020 (31/05/2017)

The Commission has proposed to allocate a budget of €341.5 million for the next three years for the European Solidarity Corps. The Solidarity Corps allows young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to take part in a wide range of solidarity activities across the EU. Since its launch on 7 December 2016, more than 30,000 young people have joined the European Solidarity Corps. The European Solidarity Corps will now also provide participants the opportunity to set up their own solidarity projects or to volunteer as a group.

Free public Wi-fi (31/05/2017)

The EU institutions have agreed on grants for installing free public Wi-Fi hotspots in local communities across the EU. Local public authorities, municipalities or groups of municipalities will be able to apply for grants to install free wifi in public places like parks, markets or stations (where it does not already exist). A grant in the form of vouchers will be used to purchase and install state-of-the art equipment, i.e. local wireless access points, while the public authority will cover the running costs of the connection itself. The three EU institutions will ensure that €120 million shall be assigned to fund equipment for public free Wi-Fi services in 6,000 to 8,000 municipalities in all Member States.

Ireland has largest share of families with 3 or more children (01/06/2017)

New Eurostat figures show that more than a quarter (27%) of Irish families have three or more children, the highest in the EU where on average only 13% of families have three or more children. Ireland (41%) also has the highest share of households with children compared to an EU average of about 30%. Germany and Finland (both 22%) have the lowest shares of households with children while Bulgaria (5%), Portugal (6%), Spain and Italy (both 8%) have the lowest shares of families with three or more children. On average almost half of EU families (47%) have only one child, while 40% have two children.

Success for Code of Conduct on online hate speech (01/06/2017)

One year ago, the European Commission and four major social media platforms announced a Code of Conduct on countering illegal online hate speech. It included a series of commitments by Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft to combat the spread of such content in Europe. A new evaluation report shows that these social media platforms are now more than twice (59%) as likely to remove content that includes illegal hate speech as before (28%). The report also reveals a large rise in the speed at which notifications were reviewed since the Code of Conduct was adopted.

New rules to block tax avoidance (29/05/2017)

New EU rules to prevent tax avoidance via non-EU countries were adopted this week by the European Council. The agreed rules will stop companies from escaping tax by exploiting the mismatches between Member States' and non-EU countries' tax systems ("hybrid mismatches"). Under the new rules, the mismatches will now include third countries. The new rules will come into force on 1 January 2020, with a longer phasing-in period of 2022 for one provision (Art. 9a).

€44 million humanitarian funding for Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan (29/05/2017)

The EU Commission has announced humanitarian assistance of over €44 million to help people in need in South-West and Central Asia. €25.5 million will help internally displaced people in Afghanistan who have had to flee conflict or been injured, as well as returning Afghan refugees. Humanitarian organisations working in Iran will receive close to €10 million to help them complement efforts to provide for the basic needs of Afghan refugees and their families, with emphasis on education of children, protection, food, water, health and sanitation. Organisations in Pakistan will benefit from funding of about €7 million, which will notably help Pakistanis who have been displaced by internal conflict and also help provide essential services for Afghan refugees.

Car emissions and safety: Stricter rules agreed (29/05/2017)

The European Council this week approved the Commission's proposal for a Regulation to ensure that car manufacturers comply strictly with all EU safety, environmental and production requirements. This will mean more independent vehicle testing and more checks on cars already in circulation. There will also be greater EU supervisory powers over national authorities, test centres and manufacturers, including Commission fines on manufacturers. It also includes an obligation on car manufacturers to grant relevant authorities access to their emissions software protocol.

EU-supported Irish film “The Killing of a sacred Deer” wins at Cannes (29/05/2017)

An Irish-UK co-production supported by EU-funding, “The Killing of a sacred Deer”, won Best Screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The film, which was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starred Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman, received €237,000 in Creative Europe Media funding. Ed Guiney, producer of “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”, spoke about the story behind the film and the role of MEDIA in supporting films: “I think what we’ve built through MEDIA of the last 20 years is a real strong community, real strong cross community of filmmakers and people who want to work together, and it’s so important to preserve that, so important for our Culture, and for our future.” Another Creative Europe Media co-funded film, “The Square” was crowned with the Festival's Palme d’Or.

Eight Irish organisations get Creative Europe funding (30/05/2017)

Creative Europe 2014-20, the European funding programme for the culture and audio-visual sectors, has just announced funding for eight Irish organisations with a combined direct Irish grant allocation of just under €624,000. The organisations are: West Cork Music; Wexford Festival Trust; The National Print Museum; Fidget Feet; Cork Midsummer Festival; Glucksman Art Gallery; Limerick Institute of Technology; and Dublin City University. Since the start of the Programme in 2014, over €2.1 million has been granted directly to Irish organisations.

Friday 2 June: Seminar on the European Semester 2017 Recommendations for Ireland and Europe, Chartered Accountants House, Dublin (01/06/2017)

On Friday 2 June 2017 the European Commission Representation in Ireland, in cooperation with the Institute of International and European Affairs, will host a Seminar on “Inclusive Growth – Recommendations for Ireland and Europe”. It will take place at Chartered Accountants House, 47-49 Pearse Street, Dublin 2 starting at 12.30 p.m. The seminar will focus on the recently published 2017 Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) where the Commission sets out its economic policy guidance for Ireland and other Member States for the next 12 to 18 months. To register for this event, please email: reception@iiea.com stating you wish to attend the "CSR Seminar event" in the subject line of your email.

Thursday 1 and Friday 2 June: EU-China Summit, Brussels (25/05/2017)

The 19th bilateral summit between the EU and China will take place on 1-2 June in Brussels. The aim will be to advance on the strategic partnership between the EU and China. Trade, climate change and migration will be among the issues to be covered during the summit. It will also be an opportunity to discuss foreign policy and security challenges. European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will represent the European Union. China will be represented by Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

Wednesday 7 June: Free Seminar on EU Funding for Culture, Youth, and Civil Society Projects, Galway (30/05/2017)

The Creative Europe Desk Ireland is organising a free seminar about funding opportunities from Creative Europe Culture, Erasmus+, and Europe for Citizens. The seminar takes place in the Galway 2020 Community Hub on Wednesday 7 June starting at 11 a.m. For more information, click on the link below.

Wednesday 7 June: Debate: The Future of Europe – An economic and social dialogue, Mansion House, Dublin 2 (31/05/2017)

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a debate in Dublin to hear Irish civil society's views on the five scenarios for the future development of Europe outlined by Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Commission's White Paper on the Future of Europe. Participants in the debate include representatives of employers' and workers' organisations and other civil society players. The debate will take place on 7 June, at The Oak Room, Mansion House, Dawson Street, in Dublin.

Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 June: EU Development Days, Brussels (01/06/2017)

The 11th edition of the European Development Days, Europe's leading forum on Development Cooperation, will take place on 7-8 June in Brussels. The two-days event will feature high-level speakers, including representatives from European and International institutions, as well as several Heads of State or Government from European Member-States and partner countries. This year, the European Development Days will focus on the theme "Investing in Development".

Thursday 8 and Friday 9 June: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Luxembourg (25/05/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly on the link below.

Thursday 8 and Friday 9 June: Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, Luxembourg (25/05/2017)

The agenda for this meeting will be available shortly at the link below.

Monday 12 June: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Luxembourg (25/05/2017)

The agenda for this meeting is available at the link below.

Friday 30 June: Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk, Sligo Central Library (17/05/2017)

Sligo Europe Direct Information Centre is hosting a Social Media Safety and Awareness Talk on Friday 30 June at 7 pm in Sligo Central Library, Stephen Steet, Sligo. The event is aimed at parents and guardians who want more information on the safety aspects of social media for minors in their care. Anyone interested in attending should call 071 9111670.

Public consultation on EU blood, tissues and cells legislation (29/05/2017)

The Commission seeks to gather views on the extent to which the 2002 Directive setting standards of quality and safety for human blood and the 2004 Directive setting standards for human tissues and cells, have met their original objectives and whether they remain fit for purpose. The consultation of citizens and stakeholders will run until 21 August 2017.