EU funding news from Welcomeurope

The European Commission today proposed to grant aid from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) amounting to EUR 12.78 million in the aftermath of Hurricane Dean, which caused severe damage in the French Antilles islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in August 2007

The aid will contribute to the costs of emergency measures such as rescue services, the clean-up of disaster-stricken areas, and the restoration of basic infrastructure.

In August 2007, the French overseas departments of Martinique and, to a lesser degree, Guadeloupe - two neighbouring islands of the French Antilles - were struck by Hurricane Dean, causing severe damage to infrastructure and the economy. In Martinique, banana plantations were almost entirely destroyed and sugar cane suffered severely, thus hitting the by far most important sectors of agricultural production with a knock-on impact on the processing sector. While the estimated damage of some EUR 511 million remained limited, the consequences of the storm will be felt for some time in these regions. The Commission also took into consideration their specific status as outermost regions and the handicaps they face due to their distant and isolated location.

The micro-finance institutions have chosen this year to take stock of the situation about the initiative launched by the European Commission in November 2007 “For the development of the microcredit in favour of the growth and the employment”

The Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey are launching on 9 September 2008 a new generation of projects aiming to enhance the dialogue between civil society in Turkey and in the EU

The jury in charge with the evaluation of the applicant cities to the title of “European Capital of Culture 2013″ for Slovakia met today in Bratislava recommends to attribute the title to Košice for Slovakia

Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of the Council of the European Union and Victor Yushchenko, the President of the Ukraine, will adopt a joint declaration establishing the political framework for EU-Ukraine relations.

The Ukrainian delegation will be led by President Victor Yushchenko. The European Union will be represented by the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, in his role of President of the Council of the European Union; José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission; and Javier Solana, the High Representative for the Common and Foreign Security Policy.

This summit, held in the context of deepening EU-Ukraine relations, will be the opportunity to give a decisive boost to negotiations on a new enhanced agreement that were started in 2007. The main objective of the French Presidency is to define the political framework of the new partnership between the EU and this country of major importance for European prosperity and stability.

President Barroso and the Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, met with the new Serbian President, Boris Tadic, for the first time since the formation of a new Serbian government

As the holidays draw to a close, it’s a good time to remember that €43.1 billion will be invested in education in the 27 EU member states from now until 2013 by means of the Structural Funds

Contributions from industry, ICT experts, policy-makers and the wider public will be fed into a new strategy for ICT research and innovation, to be unveiled next year

The Commission calls on donor and developing countries to use development aid more effectively

To learn and discuss about the future of mobility in cities and regions, register for Polis Conference. 2008 Polis Conference untitled “Public meets private : Towards a common agenda for mobility in cities and regions” will take place in Barcelona on 25 and 26 November 2008