Making ICT products and services more accessible

On 10 January 2005, the European Commission launched a public consultation on how to make the benefits of Information and Communication Technologies available to the widest possible range of citizens. The aim is to remove the technical challenges and difficulties that, e.g., people with disabilities and older people experience when trying to use electronic products or services such as computers, mobile phones or the Internet. The results of the consultation will feed into a Commission Communication on e-Accessibility to be adopted by June 2005.

"Information and communication technologies can be powerful tools for bringing people together, improving their health and welfare, and making their jobs and social lives richer and more rewarding," said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. "But over 90 million EU citizens either cannot reap these benefits in full, or are effectively cut off from them because of age or disabilities. Making ICT products and services more accessible is thus a social, ethical and political imperative. At the same time, it makes sense economically. About 48 % of people over 50 years old in Europe today say ICTs do not fully meet their needs, but many of them also say that they would buy new mobile phones, computer and internet services if they knew how to use them."

Interested parties have until 12 February 2005 to comment on these proposals. For further information, visit: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/accessibility/com_ea_2005/index_en.htm

 

News from the institutions

Structural Funds were effectively used in 2004

The EU's instruments of solidarity - the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund - account for about one-third of the EU budget and are mostly spent through multi-annual programmes managed jointly by the Commission services, the Member States and regional authorities. Against this background, a few days ago (18 January 2005) Danuta Hübner, the Commissioner responsible for Regional Policy, presented the 2004 results for the Structural Funds and Cohesion instruments. Budget commitments and payments amount to €41 billion - the highest annual figure ever recorded in the history of the Structural Funds. For the second time running, payment requests by Member States exceeded budgetary resources. This made it necessary for the Council and the European Parliament to agree on the allocation of an additional €2.4 billion. The absorption of the Structural Funds in the new Member States (which have been receiving Structural Funds since May 2004) has developed rapidly. In the "old" Member States, more than €8 billion were allocated to best performing measures in 2004. These results show clearly that the rationale for the Commission's financial proposal for the 2007-2013 programming period (based on a reinforced cohesion policy with a budget of €336.1 billion, focusing on convergence, competitiveness and cooperation) is well-grounded and that cohesion policy is playing an increasing role in delivering the Lisbon objectives across the whole of the enlarged Union. For further information, read Press Release IP/05/55 on RAPID.

"Green light" for social welfare measures to accompany Czech railway restructuring

On 19 January the European Commission authorised a number of social welfare measures proposed by the Czech government to cushion the social impact of restructuring the Czech railways. Some of the employees hardest-hit by the loss of their jobs as a result of restructuring (including older workers and single parents) will receive a special grant.

The total number of employees eligible for the grant is estimated to be 11,100 in 2005-2008 (out of a total of 16,000 planned redundancies). The total amount of aid is around €61 million. The scheme will operate from 2005 to 2008 and may be extended for a further three years if necessary.

The Commission does not consider these social measures to be State aid, as the beneficiaries are salaried workers who have lost their jobs, and not the Czech railway undertaking Ceské Dráhy nor the public organisation Spravá železnicní dopravní cesty, which manages the Czech railway-infrastructure. See Press Release IP/05/59 on RAPID.

Promoting European agricultural products

The European Commission has adopted a Regulation broadening the list of products and markets that will be eligible for EU support to implement measures aimed at providing information on, and promoting, agricultural products in third countries. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine have now been added to the list of third countries. Milk products, live plants and products of ornamental horticulture, products from organic farming, products with a protected designation of origin (PDO), a protected geographical indication (PGI) or a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) will be included in the list of products which may be covered by promotional measures in third countries. Regulation 67/2005 of 17 January 2005 was published in OJ JO L 14 of 18 January 2005.

As regards information and promotion actions for agricultural products on the EU internal market, the Commission has recently finalised the list of approved projects following the second call for proposals in 2004. Twenty projects will receive a contribution of €24 million from the EU. The total EU budget available for promotion programmes in the agriculture sector is €48.5 million. The selected programmes cover organic products, olive oil, milk, meat, eggs, wine, fruit, flowers, mushrooms and potatoes, and will be managed by 11 Member States (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom). See Press Release IP/05/7 on RAPID.

 

News from the networks

Local information relays to close down

On 1st January 2005, the Commission stopped supporting the "Info Points Europe" and other local information relays, which are to be replaced by the new unified EUROPE DIRECT Information Network. Therefore, the addresses of the "Info Points Europe" and "Rural Carrefours" are no longer available on the http://www.tecis.be website. On the other hand, it is still possible to contact a member of Team Europe, a European documentation centre, or the representation of the Commission in each EU Member State. The new EUROPE DIRECT Information Network should become operational in the course of 2005 throughout the European Union. The calls for proposals concerning the selection of the new information relays were published in October 2004, with deadlines at the end of November 2004, but the results of the procedure have not yet been announced. In the meantime, the information relay landscape looks somewhat chaotic as the new year gets under way, in spite of the fact that 2005 will be a crucial time for the European Union as far as information is concerned. In Belgium, the Wallonia Rural Carrefour, one of the oldest members of the network, has already ceased operations. In France, the Ministry of European Affairs is temporarily supporting the old relays while awaiting the final selection of EUROPE DIRECT's future members. In Italy, the city of Bologna did not respond to the Commission's call for proposals but decided instead to reorient the activities of its Info Point, the aim being to broaden them to include an international dimension rather than just a European one.

Funding opportunities

Mobility in the European Research Area

The European Commission has published a Call for proposals for Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses (Activity: "Human resources and mobility") under the Specific Programme "Structuring the European Research Area". Closing date: 18 May 2005. Call Identifier: FP6-2005-Mobility-4, OJ C 13 of 19.1.2005.

Public health

The 2005 Call for Proposals concerning the programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-2008) has just been published. The programme's priority actions centre on three general objectives: to improve information on health; to enhance the capability of responding rapidly and in a co-ordinated fashion to threats to health; and to promote health by addressing "health determinants". Priority areas in 2005 include the improvement of eating habits; the fight against smoking, alcoholism and drug addiction; the fight against HIV/AIDS; the promotion of mental health; and addressing inequalities in the area of health. In addition to the 25 Member States of the European Union, the call is also open to participation by Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and by the EFTA-EEA countries within the context of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The indicative global amount for the call for proposals is estimated at a minimum of €43,484,891. Closing date: 15 April 2005. The annual work programme as well as the general principles and criteria for selection are available on:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_programme/howtoapply/call_for_propal_en.htm. Contact: "Public Health" Call for proposals 2005 Helpdesk, Tel. +352 4301 37707, Fax +352 4301 38119, E-mail: sanco-php-calls@cec.eu.int. OJ C 11 of 15.1.2005.

Coming events

31 January 2005, Brussels (BE)

The Directorate-General for Energy and Transport of the European Commission is organising an Intelligent Energy - Europe (EIE) Information Day, which will take place on 31 January 2005 in Brussels and continue on the internet via an Interactive Chat on 1 February 2005 (10:30-12:00). Participants in Brussels can use the day after the Information Day to meet EIE staff, network with potential partners and have their questions answered by a chat team consisting of European Commission representatives. If you are interested, send an email to: tren-intelligentenergy@cec.eu.int before 24 January, writing "EIE Info Day January 2005 - Request for meeting" in the subject line, and attaching a one-page outline of your proposal. Meetings will be arranged on a first-come first-serve basis. Presentations will be in English. Participation is free of charge. For more information: http://www.managenergy.net/conference/eie0501.html

3-4 February 2005, Valenciennes (FR)

An international conference, "ICT 21 - Information and Communication Technologies and Sustainable Development", will be held in Valenciennes on 3-4 February 2005 under the patronage of the United Nations, the French Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Cohesion, the European Environmental Agency and the European Commission, with the aim of contributing to the promotion of an information society geared to sustainable development. As an official event within the framework of the Global Summit on the Information Society, ICT 21 is intended for all public and private organisations, associations and actors in the area of sustainable development. The two-day event will bring together some 100 participants from over 20 countries to survey the ICT sector. They will define a number of strategies, draw up projects, and establish networks to build "an information society for sustainable development". Several demonstrations will enable participants to discover new Internet and audiovisual applications, technologies, software, services, etc. Network workshops will initiate cooperation programmes. To obtain a detailed conference programme and/or to register, visit: http://www.tic21.com For further information, contact: Ms Christel Leca, Tel. +33 1 40 20 44 05, E-mail: christel@leca.fr.

17-18 February 2005, Brussels (BE)

In partnership with "Groupe Alpha", the Association "Confrontations Europe" (Europe Exchange) is organising a European conference entitled "For a European Industrial Dialogue: A contribution to the Lisbon Strategy". During this two-day event, which will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 17-18 February 2005, six successive round tables will address the following themes: "The new industrial challenge", "Sectoral issues and corporate strategies", "Enlargement, an opportunity for European industry", "Restructuring in the EU's social and regional development policies", "Building the research/innovation/industry relationship" and "Coherence and effectiveness of EU Member States' policies". Interpreting services will be provided in English, French, German, Polish and Czech. To register on line, go to: http://www.confrontations.org/inscription/index.php For further information, contact: Confrontations Europe, 41, rue Emile Zola, F-93107 Montreuil Cedex, Tel. +33 1 49 88 11 94, Fax: +33 1 49 88 11 84 (Paris), Tel. +32 2 284 71 23 (Brussels), E-mail: confrontations@wanadoo.fr.

Publications

Prospects for agricultural markets and income 2004-2011

The Directorate-General for Agriculture has just published a report providing a picture of the likely developments in agricultural markets up to 2011 in the EU-25. The report comprises three chapters. The first chapter centres on the market and income prospects by the year 2011 within the EU and covers the following products: cereals, oilseeds, meat, milk and the main dairy products. Chapter II is dedicated to the impact of the 2004 EU enlargement and compares the medium-term prospects of individual new Member States against a hypothetical counterfactual scenario without enlargement. The report highlights, in particular, the high level of integration achieved between the agricultural markets of the EU-15 and those of the new Member States. Based on current trends, it also predicts a further expansion of production and trade within the EU as well as an increase in agricultural income in these countries. On the other hand, it gives no indications on future employment trends. Finally, a presentation of the medium- and long-term prospects of agricultural world markets, based on reports and projections established by various international organisations and institutes, is given in Chapter III. "Prospects for agricultural markets and income 2004-2001 and the impact of enlargement", published in January 2005, 127 pages. A pdf Version (1.6 MB) can be downloaded from: http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/publi/caprep/prospects2004b/index_en.htm

Cohesion policy: the 2007 watershed

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy has published a fact sheet entitled "Cohesion policy: the 2007 watershed", which summarises the Commission's legislative proposals on cohesion policy reform in the 2007-2013 period. The proposals include a general regulation laying down a common set of rules for the three sources of financing for structural actions during the 2007-13 period; a regulation for each of these components, namely: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund; and a proposal for a completely new regulation allowing the creation of a cross-border cooperation structure. The purpose of this fact sheet is to help the regional development actors to identify the key elements in these proposals in the context of the ongoing debate between now and the final adoption of the new legislative framework. The fact sheet is available on line, as well as in paper format, in 19 languages. It can be requested from the Inforegio Service documentation centre, E-mail: regio-info@cec.eu.int. To consult the fact sheet in electronic format: http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat/info_en.htm

New homepage of anti-discrimination unit now online

The new homepage of the anti-discrimination and civil society unit is now online. The revamped website contains extensive information on the anti-discrimination directives, including sections on rights and obligations under the new laws and on infringement proceedings against Member States. The site also includes information on the many activities funded under the Community Action Programme to Combat Discrimination. Visit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/fundamental_rights/index_en.htm.

Partners search

Young volunteers for rural areas (IE)

Young people from the west of Ireland are looking to volunteer for community projects in other rural areas of the EU. This is part of an Irish Government programme called the President's Award for young people; volunteering is an important element of the overall programme. The young people, aged between 18 and 25, have volunteered for the President's Award programme and are either students or in employment. They would be available for a week to ten days in June 2005. Projects best suited for these groups would be of an outdoor nature and would involve the young people working with volunteers from the host community. Groups of volunteers normally comprise of eight to ten young people with accompanying leaders. The groups will pay their own travel and may just require support from a host community for accommodation. The benefit for the young people is that they become part of the host community while they are working on the project. For more information, contact: Hugh MacConville, The President's Award, Wine Street, Sligo, Ireland. E-mail: pasligo@eircom.net.