EU funding news from Welcomeurope

Euros 264 million aid for 19 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries

The European Commission agreed on the first financing decisions under the EUR 264 million 2010 allocation for the so-called Vulnerability FLEX mechanism to help the most vulnerable African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries cope with the consequences of the global financial crisis and economic downturn. The V-FLEX mechanism is a short-term instrument which provided for EUR 500 million from 2009 to 2010.

Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development, said that Developing countries continued to face important difficulties, including funding gaps in their government’s budgets, as a direct consequence of the global financial crisis. This year, this EU mechanism will help 19 ACP countries maintain their level of public spending in priority areas, and therefore mitigate the social impact of the economic downturn.

The Vulnerability FLEX (V-FLEX) mechanism is the European Union’s swift response to help countries most affected by the economic downturn due to their poor resilience to external shocks. In 2010, it will provide, upon their request, support to: Antigua & Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu and Zimbabwe. The financing decisions in favour of Burkina Faso (EUR 14 million) and Grenada (EUR 3,5 million) have been adopted today. Financing decisions in favour of other countries will follow during the course of autumn 2010.

15 countries have previously benefited from EUR 236 million funding under V-FLEX: Benin, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Comoros, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Malawi, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Island, and Zambia.

Background
The V-FLEX instrument works pre-emptively, based on forecasts of fiscal losses and other vulnerability criteria, helping to ease the impact rather than acting after the damage is done. It provides rapid and targeted grants and is acting as a complement to the loan-based assistance of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and regional development banks with whose support it was developed.

V-Flex is demand-driven and targeted at countries with a high degree of economic, social and political vulnerability, the right policies in place to fight the crisis and sufficient absorptive capacity as well as a financing gap in their budgets where EU support can make a difference by closing or significantly reducing this gap.

The EUR 500 million V-FLEX comes in addition to the EUR 1 billion Food Facility adopted on 30 March 2009 and the allocation of EUR 200 million under the EDF in 2008 to help developing countries cope with higher food prices. At country level, it complements other financial instruments under the budget of the EU and the European Development Fund.

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Poland calls for solidarity as regards EU budget

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski emphasized during his first visit to Brussels, his continued support to the European assistance to the poorest regions and to the poorest farmers, ahead of budget discussions that will take place later this year.
Jose Manuel Barroso said that the European Commission supported this approach but that all Member States would have to share this attitude.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso replied that the Commission supported the solidarity approach but all member states would need to agree as well.

Speaking to the press yesterday (1 September), Komorowski said his country would be consistent in calling for further EU integration. Poland will assume the rotating EU presidency after Hungary, in the second half of 2011.

Unlike his eurosceptic predecessor Lech Kaczynski, who died in a tragic plane crash (EurActiv 10/04/10), Komorowski is seen as a strong supporter of EU integration, but like most Polish leaders, he appears no less interested in giving prominence to his country within the Union.

Komorowski said that a new political moment seemed to be opening now Poland was interested in strengthening solidarity in the European Union, using an emblematic word which has a powerful meaning in his country’s – and Europe’s – recent history.

In the early 1980s, the Solidarnosc trade union was instrumental in speeding up the collapse of the communist regime, not only in Poland but across Eastern Europe as a whole.

Komorowski said Poles were open to both participating to all decisions that would be an expression of the solidarity, and at the same time they expected cohesion funds to be maintained, in reference to EU regional policy funding. he added It was very important to make solidarity real at different phases of European integration, for different countries.

the Polish president also said Poland was ready to be engaged in certain projects that are perhaps not an obligation for them, for example those things related to membership of the eurozone.

Komorowski’s message could be seen as a sign that Poland is ready to participate in the Greek bailout plan, which was rejected by eurozone member Slovakia (EurActiv 18/08/10). In return, Warsaw would expect redistributive policies in favour of poorer regions to continue to represent a significant share of the next EU budget, he said. The Polish president also referred to direct payments to farmers, which he said should use the same rules as up to now.

Komorowski insisted upon the fact they wanted to participate in such projects, because this is an expression of European solidarity.

In response, Barroso said he had been fighting all his life for EU regional funds. Indeed, his country Portugal has been one of the great beneficiaries of cohesion policy since it joined in 1986. He added that what is important now is the support of all member states of the EU.

Komorowski continued on a solidarity note, referring to relations with countries outside the Union. With Barroso, he mentioned the Eastern Partnership. Later, with European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, he said Warsaw would fight for greater EU integration with Moldova.

Speaking alongside Buzek, Komorowski also advocated the revival of the Weimar triangle, a loose group involving Poland, Germany and France, which had been active before Poland’s EU accession in 2004.

After Brussels, Komorowski is due to visit Paris and Berlin.

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Coordinate action to help the Roma

The urgent issue of Europe’s Roma population requires concrete, constructive and responsible action by the Member States and it must not become a political football: this was the conclusion of a debate at the EESC on 2 September.

The discussion came in reaction to French Government action to deport people of Roma origin residing illegally in France.

According to EESC President Mario Sepi, It is regrettable that this issue, which has serious implications for human beings and for citizenship issues, has become a political football and has been exploited for short-term political advantage. This approach creates tensions and encourages the general public to support discrimination and social exclusion.

The European Commission sat down with the French Government to discuss the issue right after the summer break; this shows the importance of the matter.

The Committee stressed that in trying to find concrete solutions to the problem of poor, uneducated and unemployed Roma communities, the EU member states must cooperate on hammering out a consistent approach to the issue throughout the EU.

A comprehensive, Europe-wide solution has to be based on European directives on free movement of Europeans, on the prohibition of ethnicity-based discrimination and on equal employment opportunities. This point was earlier emphasized by Viviane Reding, European Commission Vice-President and EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship in her response to the French government action. The EESC debate also referred to the Treaty of Lisbon’s clauses on the protection of fundamental rights. The new legal instrument includes further measures specifically forbidding discrimination of national minorities and protecting cultural diversity within the Bloc.

The EESC has been actively advocating the economic and social integration of the Roma population. Recent events at which the issue was discussed in depth include the May Biennale Conference on Education as a means to fight social exclusion and a June 2009 conference and exhibition on the integration of minorities.

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47 million to support peace-keeping operation in Somalia

The European Commission confirmed its support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) by providing an additional EUR 47 million to the African Union.

According to Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/ Commission Vice-President, the AMISOM remains crucial to prevent a severe further downfall in the security of Somalia and has proven to be key to the creation of minimum security pre-conditions for dialogue and reconciliation in Somalia.

For the EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, the EU is committed to support the African Union in creating the necessary conditions to national reconciliation, lasting peace, stability and sustainable development in Somalia. He hopes that this mission will establish an environment where human rights are respected, the protection of all citizens assured and internally displaced persons and refugees can return home in safety and dignity.

AMISON has had an uninterrupted peacekeeping presence in Mogadishu since March 2007. The renewed EU support will continue to give AMISOM the means to provide protection to the Transitional Federal Institutions; assist in the implementation of the national Security and Stabilisation plan (NSSP); facilitate humanitarian operations and provide support to disarmament and stabilisation efforts.

Background:

The EU support to AMISOM is funded under the African Peace Facility and channelled through the African Union. Today’s decision is the fourth of its kind (”AMISOM IV”): the EU funding to AMISOM has provided from the beginning of the operation predictable and continued support to key mission’s costs, including troop allowances for peacekeepers, salaries for civilian staff, transport and medical costs.

The support to AMISOM is part of a multi-level EU strategy towards Somalia which encompasses regular assistance to the security sector through development programmes and projects, humanitarian assistance, naval security operations and security training.

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The European Parliament and seven Member States oppose the European patent

The European Parliament and seven EU member countries have complained to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) about plans of the European Commission for a single patent as unacceptable, EurActiv has learned. It is a deep division within the EU on an issue inherent in efforts to stimulate innovation and competitiveness.

Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain have all lined up to argue against the Commission’s plans, insisting they are at odds with EU law.

At an ECJ hearing in May, Spain – which held the rotating EU presidency – and the European Parliament argued that the Commission’s proposal was inadmissible, branding it premature and incomplete, sources said.

The Parliament said it was too soon to discuss a single patent court before MEPs had had a chance to approve the draft regulation on the Community patent, adding that national parliaments may also need to decide whether the proposed court would be in line with their constitutions.

Fourteen countries, including France, Germany, the UK and Belgium – which succeeded Spain at the helm of the EU – backed the Commission’s plan, according to legal sources close to the matter.

The shift in competence from national courts to proposed EU patent court was seen as a major stumbling block, as is the enhanced role for MEPs set out in the Lisbon Treaty.

There are also uncertainties on the level of influence Brussels has over the Munich-based European Patent Office, which is not an EU body and has several members from outside the Union.

European Council divided on patent

The latest twist was met with some surprise from patent law experts given that all 27 member states signed off unanimously on the agreement at European Council level last December.

That agreement, brokered by Sweden, noted that the Council’s conclusions were without prejudice to member states individual submissions to the ECJ. It also referred to fundamental legal concerns from some quarters on the creation of a single patent court.

Despite this, the December text sets out details of how the proposed EU patent court would operate and a timeline for its introduction.

The role of Spain in opposing the court was highlighted by observers given that Madrid held the EU presidency at the time of the hearing and has repeatedly blocked the Commission’s efforts to break the deadlock on patent translation arrangements (EurActiv 2/7/10).

EU patent dead in the water

The latest chapter in the long-running legal wrangle over patents comes as the European Commission prepares to launch its innovation plan and drafts an Internal Market Act – both of which will stress the importance of a European patent.

In June, Margot Frohlinger, director of the Knowledge Economy at the European Commission’s internal market directorate, told a conference on intellectual property that the EU patent is dead in the water.

She was quoted as saying that the project is not in the best shape and the Commission’s own proposals to allow patents to be filed in one of three languages – English, French and German – will not fly.

It would, she said, take a miracle for the Belgian Presidency to rescue the situation. Belgium has said solving the legal and language disputes that have prevented the creation of a Community patent would be the centrepiece of its six-month tenure

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Heated debates about the negotiations for the next Financial Framework

The common agricultural policy and the budget rebate granted to the United Kingdom already ahead and sleep as the sensitive issues of the negotiations for the next EU financial framework.
After the controversy raised by his statement in support of a European tax, the European Commissioner for Budget, Janusz Lewandowski, visited Paris, Tuesday, August 31 to convince his French interlocutors, particularly reticent to the idea of a Community levy. In July, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Pierre Lellouche, had described the idea as perfectly inappropriate.

Text avaible only in French.

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The European Commission introduces the evaluation criteria for good ecological status of European seas

The European Commission adopted a decision establishing the criteria required to obtain a good ecological status for European seas. These criteria will allow Member States to coordinate their marine strategies for each regional sea, ensuring consistency and allow comparisons from one region to another, the progress made.

The definition of these criteria is a condition set by the Framework Directive Marine Strategy, which seeks to ensure that all EU marine waters reach a good ecological status by 2020.

Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, said he hoped that our seas are in a healthy and productive. He presented Today’s decision as a first step towards setting specific targets that will allow these marine waters to reach good ecological status. He finally added that adoption of this decision on the criteria for good ecological status during the International Year of Biodiversity (2010) is a further step in developing the EU strategy on biodiversity after 2010.

The decision of the Commission

The Commission decision on the criteria for Good Environmental Status of marine waters focuses on different aspects of marine ecosystems including biological diversity, fish population, eutrophication, contaminants, litter and noise.

The criteria and associated indicators defined in the decision have been based on scientific and technical advice provided by independent experts and have to be used by Member States to determine the environmental status of the marine ecosystem. They build on existing obligations and developments in EU legislation, covering elements of the marine environment not yet addressed in existing policies.

However, while some criteria are fully developed and operational others require further refinement. The decision highlights the need to develop additional scientific understanding for assessing good environmental status to support an ecosystem-based approach to the management of Europe’s marine waters. A revision of the criteria will therefore be necessary to take account of new scientific knowledge.

2020 target for good environmental status

Good Environmental Status means that the overall state of the environment in marine waters provides ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are healthy and productive. Use of the marine environment must be kept at a sustainable level that safeguards potential uses and activities by current and future generations. This means the structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems have to be fully considered, marine species and habitats must be protected and human-induced decline of biodiversity prevented.

To achieve the EU’s objective of good environmental status for all marine waters by 2020, Member States have to develop marine strategies which serve as action plans for applying an ecosystem-based approach to the management of human activities. Good Environmental Status must be determined at the level of marine regions or sub regions, on the basis of 11 qualitative descriptors of the marine environment specified in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Regional cooperation is required at each stage of the implementation of the Directive.

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July 2010 Euro area unemployment rate stable at 10.0% EU27 stable at 9.6%

STAT/10/125 31 August 2010 The euro area1 (EA16) seasonally-adjusted2 unemployment rate3 was 10.0% in July 2010, unchanged compared with June4. It was 9.6% in July 2009. The EU271 unemployment rate was 9….

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Flash estimate - August 2010 Euro area inflation estimated at 1.6%

STAT/10/124 31 August 2010 Euro area1 annual inflation2 is expected to be 1.6% in August 2010 according to a flash estimate issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. It was 1.7% in July3….

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EU strengthens the links with ASEAN

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht has participated last week to the 42nd ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM). It’s the first time in three years that an EU representative has participated in such a meeting.

The visit presents an opportunity to intensify trade and economic relations with ASEAN as a group, after the negotiations for a region-to-region Free Trade Agreement (FTA) were put on hold in 2009. Furthermore, the Commissioner had a number of useful bilateral meetings with Trade Ministers from various Asian countries.

Commissioner De Gucht said he went to Da Nang (Vietnam)to show Europe’s desire for greater economic and political engagement with ASEAN.

To underline the renewed sense of engagement the Commission and ASEAN Ministers agreed to meet regularly at the annual AEM. They also announced that the first ever ASEAN-EU business summit would be held in 2011. This summit is meant to raise awareness about business and investment opportunities in the EU and ASEAN.

Background

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises ten countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The region is the fifth biggest trading partner of the EU. In May 2007 the EU and ASEAN launched negotiations for a regional FTA, covering all but three members of ASEAN (the exceptions being Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar). Seven negotiating rounds were held, but the progress was slower than expected. In March 2009 finally, both sides agreed to a temporary suspension of the negotiations. The EU is now exploring bilateral FTAs with some ASEAN countries. Talks have started with Singapore, and we had encouraging discussions with Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Bilateral FTAs should ultimately provide a stepping-stone for a future agreement in the regional context.

Already now trade between the EU and ASEAN is substantial. In 2009 bilateral merchandise trade reached 118 bn Euro, more than 5% of the total EU trade. The EU is ASEAN’s 2nd biggest trading partner behind China and by far the largest investor in the region, accounting for 24.5% of total investment ahead of Japan (15%) and the US (8%).

ASEAN managed the recent crisis remarkably well. By now, all ASEAN countries have strong growth rates almost reaching pre-crisis levels. In 2010, ASEAN is poised to achieve an average economic growth rate of between 4.9 percent and 5.6 percent.

The EU finances various trade-related technical assistance projects to support ASEAN regional integration. These cover a range of topics such as intellectual property rights (ECAP II), statistical capacity building and, in the pipeline, support to FTA negotiations as well as for the development of the ASEAN Economic Community.

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