EU News Releases
The link below provides access to the most current news releases from the European Union.
EU Accession of Romania and Bulgaria to occur January 1, 2007
-9/26/06-
The European Commission has adopted its final monitoring report on the preparedness of Bulgaria and Romania for EU membership. Based on the solid progress achieved, the Commission considers that both countries will be in a position to take on the rights and obligations of EU membership on January 1, 2007. To address the limited number of areas where further work will be necessary, the Commission proposed a package of rigorous accompanying measures . Read the entire news brief.
EU: G20 Summit = WTO Doha Review & Talks Prospect
-9/5/2006-
Speaking in a European Parliament debate on the Doha Round of WTO trade negotiations in Strasbourg, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has said that this weekend's G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, offers the first opportunity since the suspension of the talks in June for Ministers to "review what happened in Geneva, to discuss positions and to assess the possibility of moving forward." Read more
EU SPECIAL MEETING ON LEBANON
"The Council [of the EU] gave [UN Secretary-General] Kofi Annan its full support in his efforts to find ways to swiftly implement Resolution 1701...The significant overall contribution of the [EU] Member States to UNIFIL demonstrates that the European Union is living up to its responsibilities. The Council welcomes Member States' intentions to commit a substantial number of troops to be deployed in Lebanon, as well as significant maritime and air assets, command, communications and logistical support. Additional contributions are likely to be made in the future. This gives a leadership role for the Union in UNIFIL...The European Union is ready to contribute to rebuilding a Lebanese State able to exercise full sovereignty over its territory.
Read more | Webcast
ISRAEL/LEBANON CRISIS
The EU provides in-depth coverage of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel, from humitarian issues, to cease-fire agreements, and the heated politicalmilieu surrounding it all.
> Lebanon Humanitarian Crisis: EU Development & Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Urges Israeli Blockade End (8/18/06)
> International Environmental Efforts in Lebanon (8/17/06)
>
EU Common Foreign & Security Policy High Rep. Javier Solana: In Jerusalem (8/13/06); On West Bank (8/13/06); In Beirut (8/12/06)
>
Summary of EU Response to the Crisis to Date (8/8/06)
MORE
> Political Relations between the EU and the Middle East and Mediterranean
EU/US SUMMIT
6/21/2006: European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Council and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and US President George W. Bush will meet at the EU-US Summit on June 21st in Vienna to discuss foreign policy co-operation, energy security, economy and trade, and other global challenges. On energy, leaders are expected to step up EU-US cooperation to a strategic level and to promote a set of principles for responsible energy policies worldwide. Iran, the Middle East and the promotion of democracy are expected to dominate the foreign policy agenda.
Other participants at the Summit will be EU External Relations / European Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for Trade Mandelson and Austrian Foreign Minister Plassnik as well as EU Common Foreign & Security Policy High Representative Javier Solana from the EU side and Secretary of State Rice from the US side. Summit dossier.
EU on Belarus
4/10/2006: "In view of the recent events, the Council [of the EU] has decided to adopt restrictive measures against President Lukashenko, the Belarusian leadership and officials responsible for the violations of international electoral standards, in particular those of the OSCE [Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe], and international human rights law, as well as for the crackdown on civil society and democratic opposition." Read more.
EU/Caribbean Relations
4/10/2006: "The Council [of the EU] recalls the strong historic ties and longstanding partnership between Europe and the Caribbean countries and reaffirms its commitment to existing EU agreements with the Caribbean, notably the revised Cotonou [EU/Africa-Caribbean-Pacific] Agreement, the EU-LAC [Latin America/Caribbean] process and associated EU financial instruments." Read more
"Islam in Europe – From Dialogue to Action"
4/7/2006: "Europe is home to an estimated 20 million Muslims. So it is clear that Islam is as much a part of modern day Europe as it has been part of its history...Directives on equality, action plans, the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and numerous Community programmes reflect the high priority we place on integrating Muslims communities into Europe and preserving essential European values like tolerance, diversity and peaceful dialogue." (EU External Relations/European Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner) Read more
.eu Domain Available for All EU Residents; All EU Websites to Switch
4/7/2006: As of April 7, anyone with a residence in the European Union may apply to register a website name under the .eu Top Level Domain: on a first-come, first-served basis. Nationality of an EU Member State is not a prerequisite. EU institutions and officials will all switch to “.eu” names, en masse, on May 9, 2006, Europe Day. Read more ; FAQs
EU's Greater Role in Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS/TB/Malaria
3/28/2006: The European Commission will further increase its pivotal role and visibility in the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by assuming the Vice Chairmanship of the Board. Dr. Lieve Fransen, Head of the Human and Social Development Unit in the EU's Development Directorate General, has been elected to this post. The European Commission is one of the main donors of the Fund contributing overall €522 million over the period 2002-2006. Read more
International Roaming Charges
3/28/2006: Excessive charges for using your mobile phone abroad could soon belong to the past. The European Commission's updated website of international roaming charges adds further weight to its proposal to bring down these charges by means of an EU regulation. The updated website clearly shows that the price for a standard four-minute call has generally remained at the same high level across Europe since September 2005, and in some cases has even increased, despite warnings from the Commission to the industry that EU-wide regulation would be necessary if prices were not brought down. Read more
EUR 12 Million to Colombian Conflict Victims
3/28/2006: The European Commission has agreed on a Global Plan to grant €12 million of humanitarian aid to support people who are displaced from their homes, blocked in their area or who have fled to neighbouring countries as a result of the longstanding internal conflict in Colombia. The assistance will help a total of 169,000 people by meeting the essential needs of 63,700 newly displaced people and providing assistance specifically designed to protect 3,000 vulnerable children. Thirty-five thousand affected people will also see their living conditions improved, and 68,000 refugees in Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama will receive emergency assistance and legal advice. Read more
Solana Welcomes the Conduct of Free and Fair Elections in Ukraine
3/27/2006: Javier SOLANA, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), made the following comments on the conduct of yesterday's elections to the Rada inUkraine: "I congratulate the Ukrainian people on the conduct yesterday of free and fair elections to their Rada, in accordance with international standards for democratic elections. These elections set a new standard on which to build Ukraine's future." Read more
CIA Witness Testimony
3/14/2006: Khaled El Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese origin who says CIA agents kidnapped him and held him for five months at a secret prison in Afghanistan, told his story on Monday to the committee investigating possible illegal activities of the CIA in Europe. He said a German was involved in his detention: "I don't know if the German authorities were aware [of my case] but a German with no foreign accent at all travelled to Afghanistan and interrogated me several times." Read more
EU Business Summit (EBS); SME Support; Business Transfers
3/14/2006: At the 4th European Business Summit (EBS), on 16 and 17 March 2006, the National Reform Programs of all 25 EU Member States will be discussed--for the first time together with the business community. Among the keynote speakers are Wolfgang Schüssel, Federal Chancellor of Austria and President of the Council; Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission; Günter Verheugen, Vice President and Commissioner for Enterprises and Industry; Stavros C. Dimas, Commissioner for Environment; Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition; Janez Potocnik, Commissioner for Science and Research; Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media; Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium; Martin Bartenstein, Federal Minister of Economics and Labour of Austria; Ali Babacan, Minister of State for EU relations of Turkey; David A. Sampson, Deputy Secretary of Commerce of the US Government. Read more
EU/Palestinian President Abbas Meetings
3/14/2006: European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and EU External Relations/European Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (pictured, left) in Strasbourg this week. President Barroso receives him on Wednesday, March 15. This meeting is preceded by a working dinner that Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner holds with Abbas on March 14. These meetings provide an opportunity to hear from President Abbas his thinking on the prospects for the formation of a new Palestinian Authority following the January elections and to discuss the current crisis in Palestinian Authorities finances. Read more
EU Calls for Faster Darfur Peace Talks Progress
3/7/2006: European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel will meet tomorrow with representatives from the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and the Sudanese Government to seek faster progress in the peace talks on Darfur.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the peace talks between the rebel movements and Sudanese authorities in Abuja and the key role played by the African Union Peace Mission (AMIS), which is strongly backed, politically and financially, by the EU.
Read more
EU Business Data
3/7/2006 The new edition of European Business - Facts and Figures , published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, gives a comprehensive picture of the structure, development and characteristics of European business and its different activities: from energy and the extractive industries to communications, information services and media. It presents the latest available statistics from a wide selection of statistical sources describing for each activity production and employment, country specialisation and regional distribution, productivity and profitability, the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), work-force characteristics, external trade, etc. Read more
International Women's Day, March 8
3/7/2006: The subject chosen this year for the annual European Commission staff conference to celebrate International Women's Day is the role of women and of men in the construction and implementation of an equal opportunities policy. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso will deliver the opening speech of this conference, chaired by Vice President/Administrative Affairs Commissioner Siim Kallas. Other speakers include European Commission Secretary General Catherine Day, European Parliament Women's Rights & Gender Equality Committee Member Lissy Gröner, UK Government Chief Diversity Advisor Waqar Azmi, Sociologist Anne-Marie Devreux Swedish Work Life Research Council Former Member Lars Jalmert.
Read more ; Data
EU/US Science & Research Partnership
3/7/2006: "We will always remain between cooperation and competition, but it is my sincere belief that in many research areas this mix is an excellent stimulus for further developing the European-American Partnership." (EU Science & Research Commissioner POTOCNIK, American European Community Association Roundtable Luncheon, Brussels). Read more
Women in the Labor Force
2/24/2006: EU Women Still Lag
Women in the EU earn 15% less than men and progress has been slow in closing gender gaps with men, according to a new European Commission report. The Report on Equality between Women and Men 2006 calls on EU countries to provide better ways to help women deal with home and work pressures. Read more
WTO Doha Round
2/23/2006: EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson & US Trade Rep. Portman Discuss WTO Doha Round
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (at right in photo) and USTR Rob Portman (on left) met in Washington, DC, on February 22. In a day of amicable and constructive discussions, they touched on the Doha Development Agenda and bilateral trade issues. Speaking to journalists afterwards, Commissioner Mandelson said that Doha discussions had been a "comprehensive stock-take, to compare notes, and to identify the priorities that we need to tackle in the Round together and with others in the coming weeks. There is no time to stand still." Read more ; Mandelson/Portman Press Conference Transcript
EU-US WTO Battles
2/13/2006: Foreign Sales Corporations: EU Urges Immediate End, After WTO Ruling
The WTO Appellate Body has today backed EU condemnation of US federal tax subsidies for exporters in the FSC (Foreign Sales Corporations) dispute. A WTO Panel had previously found in favor of the EU by concluding that, despite some changes to its domestic legislation, the US has yet to abide by earlier rulings and recommendations of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body on its payments of export tax subsidies preserved in the "transition" and "grand-fathering" provisions of the revised Jobs Act that have been judged to violate WTO rules. Once the Appellate Body report has been adopted by the WTO in 30 days' time the US will have 60 days to bring its legislation into line with its WTO obligations. After that time EU retaliatory measures will be re-imposed, unless the US has complied in the meantime. Read more
Foreign Diplomacy
2/10/2006: EU Foreign Policy High Rep. Solana in Mideast, Feb. 13-16
Javier Solana (pictured below) will visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories & Israel. He travels to the region in the aftermath of the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed and the violent events that ensued. He will be meeting leading figures of the Arab and Islamic worlds for talks aimed at promoting dialogue and restoring and furthering relations of friendship and mutual respect between Europe and the Islamic world. Read more
EU on Immigration
1/24/2006: "For centuries Europe itself was a source of migration. Now we are an attractive destination for migrants. What is new in all this is the volume and scale of the movement of people across international borders - an inherent part of the globalisation process which has been driving the world ever faster over the last half century.
But the truth is, Europe needs migration. Our populations are getting smaller and growing older...Immigration is an important part of the solution. It will help us make the transition to a new economic situation, and maintain a certain level of growth. To maintain their dynamism countries need human capacity. For Europe, with its falling, ageing population that will inevitably mean attracting brains and labour from outside." (EU External Relations/European Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, pictured at left). Read more
Feature on Health Initiatives
1/24/06: Together with the Member States, the EU works to protect and promote the health of European people. For the Commission, health is a key priority. That is why the Commission has developed a more co-ordinated approach to European health policy. Achieving high level of health protection requires close co-operation with the scientific experts. Independent and transparent risk assessments are provided through scientific committees, composed of representatives of the EU Member States.
> see Health reports
> see Health indicators
