European
Commission
Directorate-General
for Communication
Manuscript
completed in March 2007
50
ways forward -
European identity on the internet
Since April
2006, more than 2.5 million of you have chosen ‘.eu’ to be at the end of your
internet addresses. Through ‘.eu’,
What does your
internet address say about you? Are you a ‘.com’ or a ‘.org’?
Are you ‘.de’, ‘.es’ or ‘.uk’? You may even be a
‘.biz’. But have you ever heard about ‘.eu’? It was created with a special
purpose: to promote
A European brand – for citizens and businesses
With ‘.eu’, you can show that you are a European, too! You can register your personal website or the one of your school, club or organisation. Another big advantage: you also get the protection provided by European laws for your rights as consumers and individuals – in particular as regards privacy and personal data protection.
It is also a real boost to European companies. With ‘.eu’, they can expand their horizons and grow their market share. It is particularly useful for organizations operating at European level, such as companies taking advantage of the EU single market. Until now such companies either based their internet presence in one country or created web sites in each of the EU countries they operated in – with the need to create websites ending in '.uk', ',es', '.de' and many others. With ‘.eu’, they can have a single ‘top level’ web domain ending, which is truly a European label. This is really useful in a time when more and more web addresses are seen and promoted as brands, just as much as logos.
More .eu than ever
If you want, you can still register a new ‘.eu’ domain name, by going to a specialist who can organise it for you. You can find a list of these accredited registrars on the web. There is a short set-up period, but assuming you are based in the European Union, and the name you want is available (you can check online), you simply pay a small fee and it’s yours!
If you want to know more about ‘.eu’, extra details are available from the organisation responsible for managing and registering ‘.eu’ domain names, the European Registry of Internet Domain Names (EURid), or from the European Commission (see links below).
A date to remember – 9 May is Europe Day
What does 9 May mean to you? It’s Europe Day, and it is as much a symbol of European success as the European flag, the anthem, or even the euro. Europe Day is a time to celebrate peace, stability and citizenship.
Not many people
know the origin of Europe Day. On 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman, the person
credited as the ‘father’ of the European Union, started the ball rolling with a
declaration to the press in
Togetherness and citizenship
The reason
Schuman chose the coal and steel industries was simple: coal and steel were the
basis of military power. If these could be regulated within a peaceful
structure of European countries – that were only a few years earlier intent on
destroying each other – then greater stability and peace could be achieved in
One perfect day
Europe Day is
more than just a whole host of parties. The ‘9 May initiative’ is one. Started
in 2004, its aim is to raise awareness of external aid and development
co-operation among European youth, by dedicating 9 May to discussions in
schools around
Providing choice – airline blacklist
We should all feel better knowing that passengers in the European Union can now make safe flying choices, simply by checking a website, before booking a seat on a dubious plane.
Flying is not without risks, but there are certain norms that we can expect of air carriers – both passenger and cargo. But before the airline blacklist was created, an airline could be banned in one EU country but still fly freely to another. What kind of message does that send?
So, the European Commission called on national authorities to send in their ‘lists’ and, after in-depth analysis by a committee of aviation safety experts, the EU Blacklist of Unsafe Airlines came out in 2006, naming and shaming those operators not meeting international standards.
Checks on the nearly 100 companies with the dubious honour of being on the inaugural list revealed many shortcomings: from poor maintenance and inspections, to obsolete aircraft.
Lessons learned
Europe learned a
hard lesson from the 2004 Flash Airline’s crash in Sharm
el-Sheikh,
And rest assured, the blacklist is more than a slap on the wrist to dubious operators and countries issuing licenses under flags of convenience. It has a real impact, especially when potential passengers vote with your feet and fly with safer airlines.
The EU also invests heavily on co-operation programmes to help countries trying to meet the safety standards. And from January 2007, the European Aviation Safety Agency has taken over the safety assessment of foreign aircraft (SAFA) programme previously run by the Joint Aviation Authorities. This means that there is now a more coherent approach to banning unsafe airlines.
Helping air passengers whose journeys are disrupted
Travelling by plane can be stressful for many people, especially when their journey is disrupted. But airlines now have to look after passengers and arrange alternative means of transport for them when their journeys are disrupted, thanks to EU rules, and when the airline is at fault, they may also have to pay compensation to affected passengers.
For most people, air travel is far from their everyday routine. When their flight is delayed or cancelled – perhaps leaving them in a foreign country whose language they don’t speak, with few alternative routes home – they need assistance to minimise inconvenience and to rearrange their travel plans to continue their journey, with as little disruption as possible. To ensure they get the help they need, European countries have agreed rules on air passengers’ rights. These rules apply to all airlines – scheduled, charter, full-service or no-frills – and to all flights departing from airports in the EU, and to those arriving within the EU, operated by airlines registered in the EU.
Automatic help
Passengers who find their flight has been delayed by more than a few hours, cancelled completely without prior notice, or who have been denied boarding because the airline has too many passengers for the seats available must be given immediate assistance by the airline. It is the airline’s responsibility to organise alternative travel arrangements to get the passenger to their final destination (or back to where they started when there is no point in continuing the journey), unless the passenger chooses not to travel and to have their full fare reimbursed. And depending on the length of delay, the airline has to provide food and refreshments, communication facilities and – if the delay is overnight – accommodation.
Immediate assistance must be provided to passengers whatever the cause of the delay, whether the problem is within the airline’s control or not. In certain circumstances where the airline is responsible for the journey being disrupted – in particular when a passenger is denied boarding – the airline must also pay compensation to the passenger.
Pet project
Holidays abroad
used to mean leaving one important member of the family behind: the pet! But,
thanks to the EU pet passport ‘man’s best friend’ can now enjoy the whole of
Since 2004, the
European pet passport has made it much easier for pets to travel with their
owners throughout
Rabies
One of the
things the passport shows is that each pet has a valid vaccination certificate
for rabies. This is the main requirement for entry to all European countries
and is an important step in helping to control this nasty disease, which can
affect both animals and humans. Some countries (
In addition, a few European countries like to see other treatments for ticks and tapeworms, so it is important that pet owners check the requirements before they set off.
Tattoo or ‘chip’
As well as a passport, all well-travelled pets will need something more permanent to identify them wherever they go. This can either be in the form of a tattooed code on the pet’s skin or a microchip (an electronic device, which can be ‘read’ by a special machine) inserted under their skin. In the future, it’s likely that the microchip will be the only identifying option.
So, if Europeans want to take their pets for a walk on holiday, they can do it now, thanks to the pet passport!
Beauty without brutality
Millions of EU citizens use cosmetic and personal care products, such as soap, toothpaste and other toiletries. Thanks to the European ban on cosmetic testing on animals, these products are safe to use and have not been tested painfully on animals.
The European ban on cosmetic testing on animals means that cosmetics, personal care items and other toiletry products can make humans look, smell and feel good without causing pain and suffering to innocent animals.
Since November 2004, the European Union has banned animal testing of finished cosmetic products entirely and this ban will end any remaining animal testing that is a safety requirement for many of the ingredients in these products. Of course, the safety of these widespread consumer goods is essential for human health, so new methods are being proposed which will replace animal testing.
Refine, reduce, replace
Many groups are working to improve animal welfare and reduce animal testing in all sectors including medicine, chemicals, as well as cosmetics. European industry bodies, research organisations, non-governmental organisations and European countries are collaborating to Refine, Reduce and Replace animal testing wherever possible and without compromising human safety. This is known as the ‘3Rs’ approach.
The European
Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing has been established.
This is working to ensure that some of
No one likes the idea of animal testing, but it is often the only way to prove that medicines and other vital products are safe. That ban will show that innovative alternative methods are as safe and as effective. This will be good news for animals and also good news for European business.
The European Union is uniquely placed to provide a united response to diseases and epidemics. The EU’s expertise in areas such as food safety, public health and research allows it to tackle threats posed to both human and animal health.
European
scientists and health professionals have years of experience handling public
health scares, like foot and mouth disease and BSE (better known as ‘Mad Cow
disease’). It’s the ability to draw all the relevant expertise together to deal
with a problem that makes
Humane and effective
In December 2005, new European laws were put in place to help stop the spread of the avian flu. It is important to stress that these rules are effective across the whole of the continent – a united response that gives all Europeans the same level of protection, wherever they live. The laws say that all infected birds must be humanely killed, and gives vets the power to stop people and goods moving in and out of restricted areas, near the site of any infection. The European Commission has also told European countries to increase their surveillance and monitoring of avian flu.
The EU is also responsible for keeping an eye on the disease as a threat to human health. The European Commission is coordinating an early warning and response system, and a web portal called the ‘Health Emergency & Diseases Information System’ (HEDIS) has been developed to help deal with any further outbreaks.
This range of measures is a real bonus for European citizens: the European Food Standards Agency can advise on how the disease impacts on food safety; specific European scientific committees can offer advice in areas such as consumer safety, public health and environmental impact; and money has been made available for research into avian and pandemic influenza.
Votes of confidence for democracy
Most European citizens cast their vote every couple of years. But European observers regularly visit polling stations in corners of the world where democracy is not as stable, to make sure the elections are being held democratically.
In
To help the
democratisation process along, the European Union sends observers to monitor
several elections each year. In 2006 alone, the
Eyes wide open
In 2006, the EU’s election observation mission went to the
Although the ballot owed its success to the growing democratic maturity of the Congolese people and its politicians, European vigilance helped to boost confidence in the electoral process and legitimise it in local people’s eyes.
The ‘miracle’ of democracy
These were the
first multiparty elections in more than four decades and many Congolese were
holding out the hope that they would help finally to bring peace and stability
to this troubled, war-ravaged country, which is the size of
Catalyst for change
Over the past 15 years, one relatively small but ingenious invention has made a dramatic reduction in the toxic pollution generated by your car. It’s a catalytic converter – a small chemical reactor turning harmful exhaust gases into more environmentally friendly substances – purring under your car.
Today, thanks
mostly to catalytic converters, and together with advanced fuel regulations and
engine technology, new cars in
Catalysers like this can change the molecules in your car’s exhaust gases into something much less harmful to European citizens and the environment.
They first
appeared in vehicles in
Three-way stretch
What’s more, for petrol engine cars, three-way catalysts have been developed that manage to transform simultaneously poisonous carbon monoxide and noxious unburnt hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. At the same time, they turn harmful nitrogen oxide compounds into harmless nitrogen.
For diesel vehicles, catalytic oxidation does the same trick with carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and, increasingly, filters and other devices are being used which remove small diesel particles that could be harmful if breathed deep into your lungs.
Of course the catalytic story doesn’t end here; this sort of technology is continually developing, trying to reduce further exhaust gas emissions and improving the quality of air for everyone.
Charter of Fundamental Rights
The European
Charter of Fundamental Rights is one of the most important European documents
ever published; yet most of what it says has been written down many times
before. So why does it exist, and why is it one of
The European Charter of Fundamental Rights brings together all the separate documents about the rights of European citizens, which exist elsewhere in the European Union, as well as all the judgements made by the official European courts.
Before it existed, it was as though everything was written down on many different pieces of paper, and stored in lots of different places. Now everything is clearly put down in one charter, so everybody knows exactly where to find out what his or her rights are.
What’s more, for the first time ever, the Charter sets down certain fundamental economic and social rights. For example, it states that everyone has the right to employment, and also the right to strike.
Six headings
It lists all the fundamental rights under six major headings: dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens’ rights and justice. These rights are universal, meaning that they should be given to everyone, regardless of nationality or place of residence, for example.
It is totally up to date, includes rights like the protection of personal data and bio-ethical standards and also attempts to address more challenging modern issues, like those arising from the latest information technology and genetic discoveries. The same applies to rights relating to conservation of the environment and consumer protection, which are also set down clearly.
So, while the Charter doesn’t expand the powers of the European Union, or give European citizens any new rights, it does make these rights more visible and that, in turn, means Europeans are better placed than they have ever been to get the most out of the European Union.
Cheaper flights for all
Not so long ago,
air travel was an occasional, expensive event. But since the European Union has
enabled airlines to compete against each other, the numbers of flights and
routes offered has grown hugely and the prices charged have fallen
dramatically. Flying around
International air travel developed on the basis of restrictive agreements between governments and national airlines. Too often, those airlines, secure in monopoly positions organised flights to suit themselves and charged their passengers fares far in excess of the costs of the journey concerned. In the 1980s, the European Union decided to end these cosy arrangements, and open up the market to free competition. In effect, since 1993, the European Union (together with several neighbouring countries) has become a huge single market for air travel.
Free competition
That means that
any airline granted a licence in an EU country – meeting safety standards and
other conditions – can operate air services anywhere in the EU, including domestic
services within another country. Restrictions on fares, on scheduling and so
on, have been swept away, and today the major restriction on new air services
is the lack of capacity at
New opportunities
The result has been the launch of dozens of new airlines, the introduction of the new ‘no-frills’ or ‘low-cost’ airlines, and hundreds of new services linking huge numbers of airports across Europe. Prices have tumbled on all airlines, booking is easier – particularly via the internet – and passengers are now able to travel more often, more cheaply, and to more destinations.
Bathe safely in the EU
Europeans want to know that the quality of water in their seas, lakes and rivers is guaranteed. It’s important for leisure, for health and for the tourism industry. So it’s good to know that, since the 1970s, maintaining and improving the quality of European bathing water has been one of the European Union’s priorities.
The quality of
the water we swim and play in when we visit
And it’s not just tourists who care about safe water. The tourism industry depends on clean and safe water to attract people to resorts and make sure they keep coming back year after year.
Safe beaches just a click away
That is why it’s
good to know that improving and monitoring the quality of our bathing water is
a priority in the European Union. Now, by simply going to a website, you can
find a complete water quality history for any country in the
Carry on monitoring
Monitoring bathing water quality is not a new thing in the EU. In 1976, the European Union passed the first piece of law aimed directly at improving the quality of bathing water; two others followed this, in 2002 and 2006. These ‘directives’ ensure that the most sophisticated science is used to monitor the quality of bathing water. It also means that where the quality of the water falls below acceptable standards, Europeans can find out about it quickly.
Working together - across the line
There are many
national borders in, and around
The “border effect”
Like many
national border regions in
But the EU is also helping us to get over that “border effect”. Its ‘Interreg’ initiative has been developing cross-border regions. As well as giving financial support, it encourages the best possible use of resources – financial, human or structural.
Practical benefits
The practical
benefits are clear. Take buses, for instance. Neighbouring areas of
The old borders
did have a few advantages. Some of
Global
Solidarity – Aid from
The European
Commission provides emergency assistance to millions of the world’s poorest
people. And we don't stop there: we also help countries to develop. Just take a
look at what we are achieving in war-torn
The European
Union is one of the world’s biggest donors of development and humanitarian aid.
The European Commission has made sure that funds are spent effectively, and
that help gets where it is most needed. Take
First aid
Since 2001,
As if the Afghan people didn’t have enough to deal with, their country is prone to a host of natural disasters, such as flooding, earthquakes, landslides and droughts. Millions have been provided to help victims get over these problems. And, in October 2006, the European Commission released 2.5 million euros in emergency aid to help people affected by the latest drought. Special focus was given to helping disabled people and households.
Reconstruct, then develop
In 2002, the EU
promised to make one billion euros available in reconstruction aid for
Of course, we
could not have done this alone. Over the years, a range of partner
organisations have helped us deliver vital services to
Technologies to improve your life
The information society – once a futuristic scenario – is now a reality. The i2010 initiative is making sure that all Europeans have easy, safe and affordable access to the latest information and communications technologies (ICTs) - and the many possibilities they offer to improve your quality of life.
You may like listening to music on the move on your mp3 player. You may have already sent digital photos to your family and friends by email, or talked to them through the Internet. Media is getting on line with music, films and TV becoming available on your PC and mobile phone. New technologies for information and communication offer you more attractive entertainment and useful services. Making the most of those opportunities is one of the priorities of the i2010 initiative.
Accessing information anywhere, anytime
You can now
often organise your holiday or send in your tax return right from your sofa –
online. Reducing paperwork and freeing up your time by encouraging governments
to provide more and better public services on-line, is another example of the
tasks taken on by i2010. It also supports the development and application of
new information and communications technologies in areas such as health,
education and safety. Did you know, for example, that an in-vehicle system, due
to be introduced in
Equal access is equal opportunity
One of the greatest challenges is making sure that everyone – regardless of age, physical ability or location – can have equal access to the opportunities offered by information and communications technologies. For that, you need a high-speed "broadband" connection to the Internet. By encouraging Member States to bring broadband to under-served areas, also through European funding for disadvantaged regions, i2010 has been able to help improve the availability of broadband across the EU.
Banking
on
The European Union has spent billions, over the years, to secure the continent’s economic well being, and to support an army of business people who are striving to generate jobs and greater economic growth.
The European
Investment Bank (EIB) is
A sense of (ad)venture
And why is it so
important to fund European entrepreneurs? Well, they do provide 75 million jobs
and make up 99 per cent of all
Guaranteeing
The EIF also provides loan guarantees to financial institutions that provide money to SMEs. This complex, often hidden work is massively important to the likes of banks, as it helps them reduce investment risks and encourages them to lend even more to SMEs.
It’s an emergency – call 112!
Imagine you are on holiday in another EU country and witness an accident. You are the only person around and need to call an ambulance or the police. What can you do? Call 112, of course.
Number 112 is
the ‘single European emergency number’. Dial 112, free of charge, in any of the
EU Member States, as well as in a number of non-EU countries – such as
In some countries, 112 has become the only emergency call number. In other countries, it exists alongside national emergency numbers. In both cases, if you call 112, you will be connected to the emergency service you need.
Help is at hand
With European
citizens increasingly travelling to other countries for business or pleasure,
there is a need for a single European emergency number across the
Work is still being done to improve the system. In particular, to make sure that the emergency services of all EU countries are able to locate precisely where a caller is located. This is really important in making sure help arrives as quickly as possible. Member States also need to ensure that emergency services are able to answer calls in foreign languages, as well as inform their citizens about the existence of 112.
Emissions trading
The European
Union Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is a new innovative scheme to help fight
climate change. Global warming is a threat to us all, but through ETS,
Since 2005, all EU Member States have taken part in a new commercial approach to combating climate change. The ETS is the biggest multi-national environmental trading scheme in the world. It is also a big part of European Union climate change policy.
The policy is
all about taking more responsibility for what we put into the environment. ETS
is a vital mechanism to implement Europe’s commitments under the
Reducing emissions
In its first
phase, from 2005-2007, the ETS aims to reduce the vast levels of CO2 emissions
that come from some 12 000 industrial installations around
The approach is simple. Each company, as a source of emissions, is allocated an ‘allowance’ of CO2 that it can emit. This amount is established under the national plans for each participating country and will, by the way, be reduced over time.
If a company is going to emit more than its allowance, it must buy extra ‘carbon credits’ from another enterprise, which has emitted less than its own allowance. So, companies investing in emissions reduction are free to sell their excess credit and make money. In my first year, 362 million tonnes of CO2 credits were traded in a market worth 7.2 billion euro.
Increasing participation
In my next phase, from 2008-2012, I will include other greenhouse gases and industrial sectors, like civil aviation. The essential next step must be an ambitious global regime to fight climate change with participation by all major emitters.
Win-win enlargement
Nothing succeeds
like success. Over the years, more and more countries have asked to join the
European Union. From a six-country common market in 1957, it has grown to a
27-country
Developing together
Being a good
neighbour has always been a priority for the EU, both in trade and in politics.
When a country wants to join the EU, it must be helped to prepare for its negotiations and membership. It must know how the EU works, and must realise that membership brings duties as well as rights.
Stability
Tailored,
technical and financial aid is provided to those countries that want to join as
well as collaborative help to ensure stability. This is important because some
of the most recent new members and candidates are still tackling the challenge
of establishing democracy, functioning market economies and prosperity for all
their citizens. Programmes for helping them include PHARE (set up in 1989 to
help the former communist countries of central and eastern
Europe), ISPA and Sapard (designed to support
infrastructure, agriculture and rural development in the candidate countries),
CARDS (specifically for the countries of the Western Balkans) and a specific
programme for
Countries are being helped to prepare for closer integration with the EU, too. In doing so, full account is taken of the “graduation” process from potential candidate country to candidate country, which results from an important political decision, following a strict and demanding procedure. That way, enlargement will be win-win for Europeans everywhere.
Equal rights for both Mum and Dad
Europeans have many rights, many of which they may not be aware of. Did you know that both parents of newborn children are entitled to time off work following the arrival of their little son or daughter?
Maternity and Paternity Leave
One of the most important things for any newborn child, whether they know it or not, is their parents’ right to maternity and paternity leave. They need to know where their next feed is coming from, and so it’s a great relief to know that both the mother and father are entitled to time off work to look after the newest member of the family.
Once upon a time, a new mother would have been able to take a few weeks off, if she was lucky, but she might even have had to give up her job in some European countries. New fathers may have missed birth, and certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to stay at home with their new son or daughter. It’s fortunate then, that equality between men and women is now one of the fundamental rights for citizens of the European Union. That means both Mummy and Daddy get a chance to change nappies!
The way it works
In the majority of European countries, both parents are entitled to three months’ leave, and either the father or mother can take it, though they can't transfer the leave from one of them to the other. At the end of the parental leave, parents have the right to return to the same job, or to an equivalent or similar position. To get parental leave, they may need to give plenty of notice and to indicate the date on which it will begin and end. The details vary according to the country they are working in, but employers must comply with the minimum requirements agreed by all European countries.
It’s all part of
Happy
20th Birthday
It would be hard to find a much better European success than ERASMUS. And what’s more, it started in 1987 – making it twenty years old in 2007!
Did you know that, in the last 20 years, over 1.5 million students have received an ERASMUS grant and spent a part of their course studying in another country? In 2005, nearly 1% of the whole European student population did just that and the number is growing every year.
ERASMUS makes higher education
And don’t be fooled into thinking that these are just statistics; ERASMUS is not an excuse for students to disappear abroad for a couple of months, go sightseeing and wander into a few lectures. ERASMUS course credits are fully recognised by the students’ own institution.
Students have to submit a proper ‘learning programme’ before setting out, which has to be agreed by all the participants, including both the sending and receiving institutions. In fact, ERASMUS has also been responsible for changing the direction of European higher education policy through what’s now called the ‘Bologna Process’.
Changing peoples’ lives
There’s another reason why ERASMUS grants are so popular in the 31 participating countries. For many people, ERASMUS study has meant a real turning point in their lives, opening their eyes to new experiences, broadening their horizons and making them better rounded and better educated Europeans. And they’re more likely to get a job. ERASMUS is a European phenomenon!
Want to work abroad?
Imagine a web portal that could help you look for a job in 31 European countries, and that could give you all the information you need about making a move abroad – well you don’t have to imagine, as it already exits in the shape of EURES, short for EURopean Employment Services.
EURES is a network whose aim is to help job mobility – the opportunity to work in different countries - in what we call the ‘European Economic Area’; that’s all the European countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (Switzerland is covered too).
Making the move easier
As well as a
massive job search database, the EURES portal also provides advice and
information about living and working conditions across
The human touch
You can register your CV and apply for email alerts for the jobs that suit you. But EURES also has a human face, thanks to its network of 700 advisers, who are available to counsel job seekers and employers on the ins-and-outs of international recruitment.
EURES was established in 1993, and is supported by a host of partners – including public employment services, trades unions and employers’ organisations. The European Commission coordinates the service, which at any one time can carry more than 800 000 jobs. EURES also holds information on 200 000 registered jobseekers and more than 8 000 employers. Where better to start looking for the move of a lifetime!
A more
transparent
Have you got a query about a European Union policy or activity? Do you need advice on your rights as a European citizen? If the answer is yes, why not give us a call at Europe Direct – we are here to help you!
Europe Direct has been set up to help you get the most out of the EU and to help ordinary Europeans de-cipher what many find a confusing place. It handles thousands of queries a year by phone, email and across the web. Our service has more than 40 dedicated, multi-lingual staff to handle questions on a range of issues relating to the EU.
Unpicking the red tape
We can help you
understand the opportunities and rights that come with being a European
citizen. For example, we are often asked about how best to get qualifications
recognised in other
We are pretty efficient here at Europe Direct: surveys show we provide the answers people need at the first attempt for about 90 per cent of the telephone questions that we handle. But don’t worry if your query is complex – we promise to find you an expert, or we will get extra support from other EU teams like the Citizen’s Signpost Service.
Where to find us
So if you have a question, please give us a call from any of the 27 Member States, using this toll free number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11. You can also call from outside the EU on +32 2 299 96 96.
Or website below also shows you how to email us and use our real-time web assistance service, which is available using French or English.
The contact centre is open for telephone and email enquiries Mon-Fri 9 am to 6.30 pm, CET.
You can also
contact the
Supporting
Some critics
claim that
Money well spent
Nowadays a third
of the European budget is spent on boosting economic performance and
competitiveness in the regions. This is done through ‘instruments’ (like
investment tools), such as the ‘European Regional Development Fund’, which has
provided poorer regions with billions of euros to improve job prospects and
help local businesses. Another fund, the ‘Cohesion Fund’ is used to finance
transport and environmental initiatives in
Forging friendships
European Union
brings together people to work on projects that cement cultural, economic and
social relationships across regional and national borders. Hundreds of projects
funded jointly by the European Union and the countries within it prove this:
for example, millions of euros are now being spent to improve transport links
and infrastructure that will bring previously isolated places on the Iberian
peninsula closer to the rest of Europe. Other examples include the ‘Alpeuregio initiative’, which has brought Alpine regions in
Italy and Austria together to improve their economic performance; and the IRMA
project to help deal with flood prevention along the Northern Rhone in six
countries. These are but a few examples of
Consular protection for all EU citizens
Outside of the
European Union – European consular offices are open to all EU passport holders,
regardless of which
It’s a legally established right that diplomatic protection must be offered to all European Union citizens by their embassies and consulates operating outside European Union borders.
Equal treatment
Only a limited number of countries outside the European Union have consulates or embassies from all the European countries. For this reason, the EU ensures that the different countries work together in case Europeans need help when they’re travelling. If a traveller needs help in a country, which doesn’t have a consulate from their country, all they have to do is go to any European Union country’s consulate and prove their nationality by showing a passport or identity card. The consulate is then obliged to make sure they receive the same standard of treatment as one of their own nationals.
What I can offer
So what exactly is on offer to the distressed traveller? Well lots actually – help if someone has died while abroad; support in case of serious illness or accident; assistance in case someone falls victim to violent crime; and repatriation, if needed.
In November
2006, it was proposed that this service be strengthened with a new range of
measures to improve protection for European Union citizens living and working
in a country outside of
The card to carry for healthy travel
Everyone loves travelling but its better to stay healthy on your European trips. The free European Health Insurance Card gives peace of mind to over 50 million people, making sure they get the treatment they have a right to if they fall ill or have an accident when abroad.
The card was introduced in 2004 and can now be used in some 30 countries. It helps simplify procedures for getting medical care if disaster strikes when you are in another European country. It is totally free and replaced all the old forms that people used to have to arrange for and carry abroad (E111, E110, E128 and E119). Each country’s card shares the same design, which means that medical staff will recognise it instantly even, if they don’t speak the same language.
On the same level
Anyone who gets treatment at home under his or her national health system can carry the card. It can be used temporarily in another country, on holiday or for work. By showing it, European citizens can be sure that the medical services in the country they’re visiting know that you’re entitled to the same level of treatment as locals – this is their right. There were some concerns that the card might carry sensitive personal information – it doesn’t, just basic details, like names, national identity numbers and date of birth.
Treatment costs
Depending on the rules of the country visited, citizens may have to pay for some of their treatment costs. However, by showing the card, it will most likely be easier for them to organise a refund when they get home.
Travelling broadens horizons and brings different nationalities closer together. The European Health Insurance Card makes sure that Europeans can do it with the confidence that they are well covered.
Patented process
If you come up with a new invention it could make your fortune. But you must be able to protect your innovation so that everyone knows it was your bright idea. This is where the European Patent Convention (EPC) comes in.
The idea of protecting an idea may sound strange to some, but if you invent something or have a unique idea, it makes sense to stop someone else stealing or using your ‘intellectual property’ as if it were theirs.
Patents are
traditionally the way to do this. But before the EPC existed, protecting your
intellectual property through a patent in
Skilled patent examination
But, since 1978, the Convention has made everything much simpler. Now there is a central process that takes care of patent applications in all 27 European countries (and one or two more). There are still some costs for translating your patent ideas, but they come later and after your patent has been examined – rather than before!
There isn’t a single European patent yet that covers the EU with one document. What is called a European patent is actually a ‘bundle’ of national patents but with a single reference number and only one initial application.
The main
European Patent Offices (EPO) are in
Have you found your vocation yet?
You may have
heard the name Leonardo da Vinci, in connection with
a film about codes, but his best work in centuries has been done on innovation.
Nowadays his name is used for a European vocational training programme. The
Leonardo da Vinci programme helps people from all
over
The Leonardo da Vinci programme has been a giant success. It’s been
running for 20 years now and, in the last six years alone, it has given away
around 1.150 billion euros to fund projects in 33 countries. He was a great
European visionary in his day and even nearly 500 years after Leonardo’s death,
he is spreading his influence outside Europe and making training available to
people in places as far away as
Training for work
Leonardo is all
about vocational training, that is to say, training people to give them the
skills to work in a specific trade or industry. The projects focus on practical
experience, which helps people go on to find work in areas that interest them
most. Take, for example, an animal husbandry scheme in
Building networks, learning languages
When deciding
which projects to fund, the programme looks for the simple qualities, which
could build a better
Policing
Thanks to
Europol, the European Union law enforcement agency, different police forces
across
Europol, which started in 1999, is nothing less than a full-scale European police force, supporting the different police forces in all the EU Member States. It supports police officers Europe-wide in their fight against drug trafficking, illicit immigration, terrorism, human trafficking, forgery and money laundering, to name only a few.
Threats, intelligence and language
Support means just that, direct help where the police forces in one country have identified an organised criminal structure and two or more other EU countries are affected. Europol helps them share information, generate ‘strategic reports’ (things like threat assessments) and other types of intelligence. It can even help with technical expertise and backup. Europol officers work closely with member countries to maximise the potential for co-operation even further. Sometimes support can even mean just helping two police forces get over language barriers and talk to each other.
Drugs and fake banknotes – all in a day’s work
There are plenty of examples where EU police forces have managed to break up some big criminal operations with Europol’s assistance. In 2005 and 2006, it worked with the Dutch and German police in an operation that eventually broke up a massive criminal drug-making operation. In 2006, Europol helped Spanish and Columbian police, working with the US Secret Service, in an operation that ended with the seizure of more than 5 million euros and 4.3 million US dollars worth of counterfeit banknotes.
Requests for help from Europol are growing every year – a clear sign that this young organisation is doing the right thing and helping law-abiding Europeans go about their daily lives unhindered by criminal activity.
European Voluntary Service
Students like
Ella first heard about the EVS scheme at school. The idea is quite simple. It’s a way of encouraging young people, between the ages of 18-25, to spend between 6 to 12 months in another country.
But as Ella soon learned, it is by no means a holiday. EVS projects do invaluable work helping people in different fields like the environment, arts and culture, and even sports and leisure (so, rest assured it is not all work, no play). Volunteers also do activities aimed at children, young people, the elderly.
Rules, regulations…and fun
Of course, there are a few rules and regulations to observe, even with something as fun and rewarding as this. There have to be three partners involved in every EVS project. That means Ella, the volunteer, the host organisation, which finds her the work, and the organisation sending her in the first place. And one of the countries involved has to be European. Plus, Ella is a volunteer, so she does not get paid for the work she does. But she does have all her travel, insurance, accommodation and food paid for, and she even gets an allowance.
Young people
like Ella, who 12 years and over, have been contributing to their host
communities for more than decade. But the relationship is certainly win-win.
Volunteers get to learn more about another country,
learn new languages and gain insight into the
Plenty of food – safe and healthy to eat. Care for rural areas
After World War
II, parts of
Since then, the
situation in
As a European citizen it is hard to imagine limits to our food supply. Our shops are groaning with a huge range of fresh and processed goods. But it wasn’t always like this: back in 1958, the CAP was devised to support farmers as they tried to feed a hungry continent.
The policy has
proved to be a huge success, as modern
From farm to fork
The European Union is now concentrating its efforts on making the whole food chain as safe as possible through what it calls the “farm to fork” approach.
Producers, processors and importers must ensure their foodstuffs and ingredients can be traced throughout the food chain. And they must be able to identify all their suppliers, including those from abroad.
Integrated approach
It makes sense that the EU has an integrated approach to food safety, which also takes account of issues such as the use of genetically modified organisms, animal welfare, the use of pesticides, and health and nutrition.
And there is now a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which will make the scientific assessment of food safety more transparent.
Your mobile phone – a world leader
What’s that ringing? It’s your mobile phone, so you had better answer. Over 2 billion people across 217 countries and territories now use mobile phones based on the GSM standard. It was developed by EU-funded research and spread by accompanying EU regulation and standardisation efforts. This has helped it to become a globally dominant worldwide standard.
82% of the world's mobile users have phones based on the GSM standard. Only in 2005 this standard acquired more customers than there are users of all other mobile technologies in the world put together. The GSM standard allows users in different networks and with different handsets to communicate with each other. This has created a European home market of hundreds of millions of people with European companies in the lead. GSM is also a true European super success, since competition drove further development, driving hardware and call prices down in a virtuous circle.
Even more in your hand than before
Today,
Pay less when you use your mobile phone abroad
While the costs of using mobile phones have dropped enormously, the cost when using a mobile phone abroad has remained excessively high. These "mobile roaming charges" currently affect more than 147 million EU citizens.
For years the Commission has been working hard to decrease these charges and very soon travellers will be able to call their loved ones back home without worrying about the high costs. With all that money left in your pocket, there might not be room for a phone anymore.
Recognisable qualifications
European
countries got together in 1999 to create what is known as ‘the Bologna
Process’. The aim is to create something impressive, a ‘European Higher Education
Area’ to make it easier for people to move around
Mutual recognition
If this Bologna
Process is going to work, it is vital that European countries find a way to
recognise each other’s educational and vocational qualifications – not easy
considering how many different training and education systems there are! But,
progress is being made. For example, a European Qualifications Framework (EQF)
is being established for EU and
Have degree, will travel
In 1984, a
network of centres was established in
The coast is clear
From monitoring fishing catches and safeguarding fragile coastlines, to tackling criminal activity at sea, the European Union is a major player in what can be a vast field – marine safety and protection.
Sea birds, marine mammals, various fish species and the coastline itself face many a threat from marine-related activities, including pollution from ships due to accidents, deliberate dumping and other criminal activity.
The EU is already supporting co-operative action to improve maritime safety and protect the marine environment – action that could not be done by any one country alone. The ‘POP&C’ project (Pollution Prevention and Control) is just one example of advanced research supported by the European Commission, aimed at helping tanker owners to understand and deal with spill risks.
Only through
A lot is being done in this area. European Union legislation, measures and controls have been reinforced since the Erika and Prestige disasters. The withdrawal of single-hull oil tankers and more inspections in ports are all examples of efforts to improve maritime safety in the EU.
Our seas are also used for less obvious criminal activity; things like trafficking of illegal immigrants, smuggling and terrorism. Fighting these requires reliable and efficient traffic management and surveillance. Surface, air and satellite-based tracking systems are all supported by EU funding.
A new and comprehensive approach
The
What is at stake? The sea is a key resource, to be protected and exploited wisely. The European Union recognises the importance of its coastal zones and waters and is working together for a healthier, safer marine environment.
Some people have called it overly ambitious. Others have said that protecting plant and animal species is a losing battle. But with over 20 000 sites Europe-wide now in the Natura 2000 Network, and notable species returning from the brink of extinction, the results are beginning to speak for themselves.
A common myth about Natura 2000 is that, once within its remit, land is totally off-limits to traditional activities like hunting and farming. This is not true. Nor does the network make any claims to own the land.
It works on the principle of ‘sustainable development’. This recognises that humans are an integral part of natural heritage. And with around one-fifth of EU territory covered by the network, it is clearly an integral part of the European landscape.
This means the
honour of being in the top 50 European success stories should be shared with citizens stakeholders across the EU – the private landowners
and users, concerned citizens, conservation groups and policy-makers – because,
together,
True success
The network is made up Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) designated for one or more of the nearly 200 threatened habitat types and 800 species listed in the European Union’s Habitats Directive. It also includes Special Protection Areas (SPAs) classified under the Birds Directive for around 200 endangered birds and wetlands.
These areas help maintain or, where necessary, restore vulnerable habitats and species across their natural range, which could be interregional and even cross-border. Hence the beauty of a pan-European scheme, like Natura 2000.
Granted, there are 16 119 known threatened species worldwide, according to the World Conservation Union, including familiar species like the polar bear, sharks and Mediterranean flowers. But it is also true that European efforts – legislation and protection – have succeeded in recovering such species as the white-tailed eagle.
Borderless
If you are lucky
enough to be a citizen of the EU, then you have the right to travel, live and
work anywhere in
The European Union’s founders dreamed that the continent
would one day become a place where people, goods, services and money could move
around freely. Fifty years on and that dream is being realised in many aspects
of life – not least in the way Europe’s nearly 500 million citizens can move
around the continent so easily.
More than
holidays
Of course we have
got used to going on holiday in the EU without the need to get visas and other
bureaucratic necessities. However, tearing down borders means so much more than
that! Thousands of Europeans have moved countries to sample working life abroad
– again, in most cases no special visas are required, regardless of how long
you want to stay. What’s more, if you do move countries and get a job, you are
normally entitled by European law to be treated in the same way as the locals.
Opening minds
Young people have
really benefited from the development of a borderless
A number of EU countries have taken a step further in cutting back the red tape. Under the Schengen agreement, a group of EU Member States have decided to do away completely with their shared frontier controls, which means passport-free travel for millions of Europeans!
A force for good
There are some
60 000 soldiers who belong to the European Union’s Rapid Reaction Force. The
force was formally established in 2007, although combined European military
forces have already been deployed in some of the world’s conflict hotspots. The
Rapid Reaction Force, at the heart of
The Rapid
Reaction Force’s tasks, as part of the European Security and Defence Policy
(which is part of the CFSP), include a range of possible missions, from
humanitarian and rescue tasks to helping victims of conflict, to peacekeeping
duties, crisis management and peacemaking. It will be continuing the work of the
EU military forces, who have already been deployed on
three significant missions: in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2003 and 2004 where it
took over peace-keeping and training actions from UN and NATO-led forces; and
in 2003 in
The force is the
result of seven years of negotiations and a tangible expression of the grander
aim for
Keeping the Peace
The Rapid
Reaction Force has been created as part of a peaceful mission. The idea of all
the European countries banding together in the first place was to make sure
there would never be another major war here, and its role is part of a vital
system of checks and balances which will ensure things don’t get out of hand
again, here or outside
Keeping hazardous substances out of ‘REACH’
Thanks to the
European Union, new controls have been put in place that will help protect
humans and the environment from dangerous chemical substances while maintaining
Up to now, there have been too many confusing safety laws on the use and handling of chemicals. With its new ‘REACH’ policy (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), the European Union is simplifying things. Under REACH, European companies must assess and manage any risks arising from chemicals they manufacture, import or use.
Finding the right balance
The challenge
has been to achieve the right balance between a number
of potentially competing goals. These were set out in an important European
document, the ‘White Paper on Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy’. They
included protecting humans and the environment against dangerous chemicals,
keeping the European chemical industry competitive, and promoting non-animal
testing. With this new REACH policy, the
Keeping tabs on dangerous chemicals
In line with this new strategy, REACH is meant to protect people against potentially hazardous chemicals. At the same time, European governments recognise that they need to allow businesses to be innovative and successful in the global chemical industry.
With REACH, the
Harnessing renewable energy sources
The Sun, the wind and the waves; these are the elemental forces providing renewable energy to future generations of Europeans.
With climate change now threatening to transform our planet, people and governments are increasingly looking to the ever-present elements, for new sources of clean energy. These have, potentially, more energy than the world could ever need.
But promoting the sun, wind and water as energy sources is not just about harnessing their virtually limitless power. It is also about making responsible behaviour pay off for European businesses; renewable energy technologies form a dynamic high-tech sector and also provide economic growth and jobs.
Thanks to the
European Union,
The development
of alternative and renewable energy sources is being speeded up through
co-operation, legislation, investment and dissemination, in
Already moving forward with biomass
Here’s a great example of a renewable energy source with real potential: biomass. This is the collection of organic non-fossil material, including all biological organisms. In a way, biomass represents a form of solar energy, captured by plants through photosynthesis. Under-used biomass, like chaff and animal waste, can be burned to produce electricity and heat. It can also be transformed into biofuels.
Thanks to EU
support, biomass and bio fuels are already being used to power buses and trains
in countries like
Quality TV – across European borders
The free
movement of workers, ideas and products are well-known concepts in
‘Television
without Frontiers’ is the cornerstone of European television policy – aimed at
safeguarding competitiveness and cultural diversity while protecting young
people from overly violent or pornographic imagery and preventing us all from
an overload of advertising. Television is a successful industry in
We care for the content
The rules want to make sure that European public interest is maintained on television and that you, as a European citizen, have a right to reply to what is reported on television. Programmes which might “seriously impair” the development of minors are prohibited
The rules also require television channels to reserve over half of their broadcasting time for European programmes, and they allow Member States to draw up a national list of major events which must be shown on free TV (like the Football World Cup final).
Keeping an eye on adverts
And it’s not just the content of television programmes themselves that are under the gaze of Television Without Frontiers: rules on the content and frequency of television advertising have also been introduced. As a consequence, no TV channel is allowed to broadcast more than 12 minutes of advertisement an hour, and this differentiates European television from many US-channels, for instance.
Have euro, will travel
Everyone has probably heard of the euro – the single currency for the euro area – by now. But perhaps the advantages, such as easier travelling and lower prices, are less well known.
Before the euro was launched, the countries that are now in the ‘euro area’ had 12 different national currencies – an exotic touch that made travelling between countries a bit more interesting, but also quite a bit more expensive.
Every time a traveller changed currency there was a cost. In fact, an individual with 1 000 German Deutschmarks in his or her pocket who travelled through 15 Member States changing money in each one would have less than 500 left on returning home – without spending anything!
Those days are gone for the euro area. Citizens who travel, for holiday, study or work, no longer have to pay these ‘transaction’ costs of changing money. They can just pay in euro everywhere.
Cross-border business
For businesses that traded with the EU, these transaction costs were also high before the euro came on the scene. With the disappearance of these costs, this money is released for more productive investments in growth and jobs across the euro area.
In addition, euros
allow much easier price comparisons across borders. So someone in
It also stimulates greater efficiency in companies – making them better able to compete globally. So, overall, everyone wins.
A
What has Economic and Monetary Union, or EMU for short – ever done for Europeans? How about cheaper mortgages, better pensions and cheaper loans, for starters!
To many, EMU just appears as a bunch
of rules and regulations for economists, and there is an element of truth in
that. But much more important are the impacts of EMU on the European economy,
businesses and citizens. My main purpose is helping to bring stability and
sustainable economic growth to
So how does it achieve this? Well, in three ways. First, the euro area has an independent central bank that manages price inflation. Second, through the single currency, the euro promotes integration and efficiencies in the single market. For example, by making prices transparent, which encourages cross-border trade and purchases and also brings more competition and lower prices. And finally, through the Stability and Growth Pact which ensures that Member States do not spend more than they earn overall, as this would affect all euro area countries in the long run.
Multiple benefits
A key feature of EMU is the clear commitment to sustainable national budgets and the fight against price inflation. Since EMU was launched, interest rates and inflation have been reduced to historically low levels. This, in turn, offers benefits at all levels of society.
Interest repayments on national debt are lower, releasing more taxpayers’ money for investment in hospitals, pensions, infrastructure and/or lower taxes. With low stable inflation, businesses can make longer-term plans and invest more with lower risks – encouraging trade, growth and more jobs. And borrowing is cheaper and less risky – so more citizens can afford to borrow, for their own home for instance. Interest repayments on national debt are lower, releasing more taxpayers’ money for investment in hospitals, pensions, infrastructure and/or lower taxes. With low stable inflation, businesses can make longer-term plans and invest more with lower risks – encouraging trade, growth and more jobs. And borrowing is cheaper and less risky – so more citizens can afford to borrow, for their own home for instance.
Economic
instability and high inflation caused much misery in the past. However, within
Economic and Monetary Union,
More choice for consumers
A Slovak engineer with a Spanish University degree working for a German car company in a factory based in the United Kingdom that was funded by an Italian Bank and runs on electricity generated in France – welcome to the Single Market!
The free movement of goods, services, capital and people is what the Single Market is about, and as such, it is one of the greatest achievements of the European Union. The Single Market is about ‘More Choice’ – more choice for consumers about what and where they buy and for how much. More choice for students and workers about where they study and work. And more choice for investors and businesses about where they invest, purchase and sell.
More Choice?
Why is more choice important? The answer: because it makes life, work and play more effective and more efficient – which helps growth and employment and well-being for all. More effective because, for example, a student can choose exactly the course they want to study in another country when it is not available in their own, or a bank can invest abroad in projects that are more suited to the needs of its customers.
And more efficient because, for example, consumer electronics, or energy, or construction services, can be purchased in a country that can provide them at the lowest price, and consumed in the country that needs them – just as if they had been purchased at home. And they all conform to the same health and safety standards. This improved efficiency arises because there are fewer barriers to competition in the larger single market.
And there is more
The size of the EU Single Market makes it very attractive for third countries from around the world to do business with the EU – so the Single Market supports trade with the rest of the world. And last but not least, the ease of shopping and doing business in the Single Market helps us all expand our horizons as we talk into our Finnish mobile phones, wear our Italian suits, drive our Czech cars, eat in Athenian restaurants, and invest in the Irish stock market.
Safe European consumers
European product
safety rules ensure the safety of all EU citizens by making sure that everyone
benefits from the same high level of consumer protection and safety. High
standards have been set and defective products must be withdrawn from the
market. A rapid information exchange service (RAPEX) has been established that
means consumers across
Freedom to shop
The main aim of the product safety rules is to enable European shoppers to buy where they wish with confidence, whether online, from a market stall or from a traditional shop. But besides setting general rules for all products, the rules also establish additional special safety regulations for products like toys, electrical and gas appliances, machinery and recreational vehicles.
The science of safety
These special rules are only made if they need to be, or if science brings new knowledge of a potential risk. A good example is the ban on the use of phthalates. Phthalates were chemicals used in toys and other childcare products to make plastics softer. But they were also associated with potential health-risks for children. Phthalates are now banned.
Naturally, these types of decisions are based on a careful scientific assessment. After all, when it comes to consumer safety: it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Keeping
Going places?
Then the Trans-European Network, or TENs for short,
can help. TENs moves goods and people right across
Carrying
Rail, road, air,
waterways - Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) have been improving them
all. And then they link up all the different types of transport, making the
best use of each. All of that takes quite some intelligence and, without
wishing to boast, the TENs are pretty smart.
TENs also helps
There are still
some gaps in
Energising
The
Trans-European Energy Networks (TEN-E) cover the electricity and natural gas
sectors. They help to create a single energy market within
Communicating
The
Trans-European Telecommunications Networks (eTEN) link
up
Waste away!
The EU strategy on waste and recycling might be a strange success story for some, but it certainly makes a vital contribution to the quality of life of EU citizens, both today and for tomorrow.
Economic growth and the wealth it brings is one of the main objectives of the European Union. But economic growth often has a nasty side effect – it produces more waste. As factories produce more, and people consume more, so more waste is produced that must be disposed of somewhere. However, European Union waste prevention measures, such as taxes on non-recyclable packaging, are already helping decouple waste production from economic growth. Similarly, recycling is growing; in 2002, 58% of glass and 57% of metal waste was recovered and recycled on average.
Inefficient consumers
In the EU we produce two billion tons of waste every year – that’s around 3.5 tons of solid waste for each citizen. This waste is dumped in landfill sites or burned in incinerators, which creates environmental damage. Landfill causes air, water and soil pollution, discharging carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere and chemicals and pesticides into the earth and groundwater. This, in turn, is harmful to human health, as well as to plants and animals.
> Breaking the wealth-waste link
As a top priority of the EU's Sixth Environment Action Programme, the primary objective is to decouple waste generation from economic activity, so that EU growth will no longer lead to more and more rubbish. This is being done in three ways, through waste prevention, more recycling and improved disposal.
Of course,
Getting
mobile working in
Did you know that being a citizen of an EU country entitles you to live and work in any other EU country under the same terms and conditions as that countrys own nationals? Although over 53% of you consider this right one of the most important things about the EU, only around 1.5% of you actually do it and this figure hasnt really changed in 30 years.
Working in a country other than your own is usually a great experience. It gives you the chance to learn a new language, discover a new culture and develop new skills. I have been helping for many years now to make it easier for you to take up a job abroad and to break down some of the barriers – both real and psychological – to living and working in a ‘foreign’ country.
The European
Year of Workers Mobility in 2006 put the spotlight on the need for greater
worker mobility and supported activities aimed at encouraging more Europeans to
move around for work. It also paved the way for a wider ranging European policy
on worker mobility, due to be adopted in 2007, which will aim to develop a real
‘mobility culture’ in
Already, the
free movement of workers in
Leading the way
Of course, certain sectors, like tourism and agriculture, are more ‘mobile’ than others. One that is leading the way in worker mobility, however, is science and research – in large part thanks to the European Union. Since 1984, researchers wanting to expand their experience by working abroad have been supported by European schemes, such as the Marie Curie fellowships and Research Training Networks.
A bright energy future
The ITER nuclear fusion project is less than a year old, but people first started working on the ideas behind it over 50 years ago. And it might take another 50 years to become a reality. But it could be worth waiting for because it offers one of the greatest prizes of all: access to the unlimited power of the Sun through nuclear fusion.
ITER means ‘the
way’ in Latin and it is being built in the south of
Fusion is the energy that drives the Sun – energy that makes all life on Earth possible. Fusion works by squeezing two light atoms of hydrogen together to form one atom of helium and energy. In the Sun, 600 million tonnes of hydrogen is ‘burned’ every second. ITER has to work on a smaller scale than the Sun – but this means it has to be even hotter!
To do this, it uses a donut-shaped machine, called a ‘tokamak’, to heat hydrogen gas to 100 million degrees and squeeze it with special magnets. This takes a lot of energy, but when the hydrogen fuses, it will generate ten times more. Imagine how important it could be for an increasingly energy-hungry world?
Big energy
ITER is the
biggest energy research project in the world and a truly international project
with
Without MEDIA
funds, some of
Have you seen
Lars von Trier’s Dogville, the European Film
Award-winning Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie
Poulin by Jean-Pierre Jeunet,
Michael Haneke’s Palme d'Or Caché
(Hidden) or the recent Oscar-winning film The Lives of the Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck? These are just some examples of many
successful European films seen by audiences across
Over the last 18 years, MEDIA has been able to stimulate the creative aspects of film development and training, while never losing sight of the business side of the audiovisual sector, including production and distribution.
The European
Commission, which provides the funding, describes the film industry as “a
vector for the expression of European citizenship, culture [and] identity”,
especially for young people. When some countries in
Let the results speak for themselves
In 2005 alone, MEDIA provided €9.5 million to promote films, events and festivals. Nearly 300 projects have received some €17.6 million to develop scripts. More than €60 million has been spent on the distribution of 1 554 film and TV projects which, thanks to this money, could also be seen in other countries than the one where they had been produced. This generates cross-cultural understanding and is good for shaping European identity, don’t you think?
MEDIA has also given money for training and pilot projects and supports the Europa Cinemas' network of 670 independent theatres with more than 1 500 screens in some 340 cities and 50 countries worldwide. With all this, keep in mind that each euro from the EU budget generates about €6 from private investment in the industry.
The coming years
look bright, too. The MEDIA 2007 programme has a budget of €755 million lasting
until 2013. A clear priority remains the distribution and promotion of European
films outside their originating country, across
More than a label, it’s an eco-statement
With droughts in half the world and floods in the rest, people are worrying more about the environment and especially climate change. What the European Union’s Eco-label does is give manufacturers a chance to show their ‘green’ inner self and for consumers to support them by looking out for the distinctive flower symbol.
The Eco-label –
with its distinctive flower emblem logo – was first introduced in 1993. It is
The Eco-label helps manufacturers, retailers and service providers gain deserved recognition for respecting high standards throughout their products’ lifecycles. On seeing the symbol, consumers can make an informed choice knowing that an Eco-label must be earned. It is based on solid, up-to-date science and takes into account consumer health issues and the way that a product is developed.
Lighten your carbon footprint
The brand applies to diverse sectors, such as cleaning products, appliances, home and garden items, clothing and even tourism. It doesn’t cover food and beverages, the medical or pharmaceutical sector, or any good made by processes “likely to significantly harm human beings or the environment”.
The Eco-label scheme aims to encourage more organisations to apply for the award and, if they succeed, to publicise the fact. This will help promote the availability of eco-labelled products and improve consumer awareness of our fragile environment.
In 2006, more
than 300 products in the EU proudly wore the Eco-label – 92 of them in
As Europeans look for new ways to lower their impact on the planet – by lightening their carbon footprint – it is likely that the Eco-label will become even more important.