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EU
Proposal Seeks to Limit Cruelty to Seals
 The European Commission has
proposed banning products made from seals killed using inhumane methods.
Under the new proposals, trade in seal products will only be allowed where
guarantees can be provided that the hunting techniques used were consistent
with high animal welfare standards and that the animals did not suffer
unnecessarily. EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, "Seal
products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must
not be allowed to enter the EU. The EU is committed to upholding high
standards of animal welfare."
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European
Commission to Promote the Mobility of Young Volunteers
 The European Commission this
month proposed an initiative to create more opportunities for young people
to volunteer across Europe. The initiative would assist EU citizens under
the age of 30 to undertake voluntary work in another Member State in areas
ranging from civil protection and social inclusion to cultural preservation
and the environment. "This is the first recommendation that the
Commission has ever made in the area of youth policy," said Ján
Figel', EU Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth.
"With this proposal, the Commission now invites the Member States to
change the European youth volunteering landscape by giving young people
more opportunities for cross-border volunteering."
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Europol's
Annual Report Shows Continued Terrorism Focus
 The annual report of Europol, the
European law enforcement organization, shows that it placed particular
emphasis on supporting EU Member States in identifying networks of Islamist
terrorism posing a specific threat to the European Union. New developments
include a web portal to share information on internet use by terrorists and
a First Response Network to support Member State investigations immediately
after terrorist incidents.
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EU
Clamps Down on Ringtone Scams
 EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena
Kuneva announced this month that more than 80 percent of 500 mobile phone
services' websites investigated by the European Commission would require
further examination for possible violation of consumer regulations.
"This EU-wide action is a direct response to hundreds of complaints
from consumers," said Commissioner Kuneva. "Far too many people
are falling victim to costly surprises from mysterious charges, fees and
ringtone subscriptions they learn about for the first time when they see
their mobile phone bill. There will be Europe-wide enforcement action to
track down each of these traders. But we need to get a clear message out
particularly to teenagers and children – be on your guard! It's all about
the small print!”
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European
Commission and Israel Reinforce Cooperation in Education and Training
 The European Commission and
Israel signed a joint declaration this month to strengthen cooperation and
dialogue further in education and training. Plans include the opening of a
national Tempus (Trans-European Mobility Scheme for University Studies)
office in Israel.
"The European Union is determined to develop a closer partnership with
Israel," said Ján Figel', European Commissioner for Education,
Training, Culture and Youth. "This process needs to be seen in the
context of the broad range of our common interests. I strongly believe that
enhancing cooperation and dialogue on education and training is
instrumental for improving our mutual understanding and for strengthening
our position with regard to the challenges facing us in an ever-globalizing
knowledge-based society and economy." The joint declaration marks the
starting point for a policy–oriented dialogue between the EU and Israel
that will cover issues of common interest such as vocational training,
school twinning, language learning, the transferability, and recognition of
qualifications, as well as of informal learning outcomes.
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Strengthening
of Cooperation Between National Research Programs
 The European Commission this
month proposed a "Joint Programming" scheme designed to ensure
that public research funds are used more effectively to tackle problems
common to more than one EU Member State. Currently, only 15 percent of
public research funds in Europe are allocated at European level, either via
the EU's own framework programs or through intergovernmental organizations
such as CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research). The
remaining 85 percent are tied to programs implemented nationally. The
"Joint Programming" scheme aims to pool public research resources
across EU Member States, and will allow groups of states to design,
implement, and evaluate programs together effectively. Europe's research
ministers are expected to endorse "Joint Programming" by the end
of the year.
"Challenges such as food safety, healthcare, marine ecosystems,
biodiversity, climate change, and energy are not confined to Member States'
borders, so research should be done jointly, and not simply
nationally," explained EU Science and Research Commissioner, Janez
Potocnik.
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EU NewsBrief is an electronic publication issued regularly by the
Delegation of the European Commission to the United States. To receive
updates on specific issue areas, click on this link.
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