Towards a EU maritime policy

The sea is very important to the European Union. Twenty Member States have coasts stretching to almost 70,000 km. Almost half of the EU population lives less than 50 km from the coast. The EU maritime regions of the 15 Member States account for over 40% of GNP. Shipbuilding, ports, fisheries and related service industries employ two and a half million people.

The contribution that the sea makes to our livelihood and well-being is therefore considerable, as is the potential for economic growth in this sector. In order to make the most of this potential in a sustainable manner, the European Commission aims to optimise synergies between the various sea-based activities so as to boost their economic benefits while at the same time safeguarding the environment.

To achieve these aims, a special Task Force – chaired by Commissioner Joe Borg and made up of commissioners responsible for sea-related policies – will prepare a consultation paper on the future maritime policy of the Union. The publication of this document, scheduled for the first half of next year, will launch an extensive consultation exercise on possible options for the EU maritime policy. The Commission will then examine all the contributions, decide what shape and form the new policy should take and prepare appropriate proposals. For further information, visit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/fisheries

 

News from the institutions

European Commission to strength relations with national parliaments

The European Commission wishes to strengthen its relations with national parliaments and, working together with them, to publicise its policies more effectively in all Member States. This wish is an integral part of a culture where European institutions at large cooperate with each other, but it is also inscribed in a communication strategy aimed at promoting a shared ownership of the European project by “connecting with people and their elected representatives”. The Commission’s relations with national parliaments should take their starting point in three key objectives: mutual assistance, a continuous and open dialogue, and effective networking. With these aims in mind, the Commission has planned several actions: Vice-President Margot Wallström will visit all the national parliaments and attend the meetings of COSAC, the umbrella body of the parliamentary committees for European affairs in EU Member States; Commission representatives will attend the meetings of national parliamentary committees when the latter seek information on EU policies and, more generally, the Commission will monitor the national parliaments’ information and cooperation requirements; furthermore, the Commission will facilitate the electronic exchange of EU-related information between the national parliaments. Other planned measures include regular newsletters with direct information for the national parliaments; information meetings for parliamentary civil servants on specific topics; the designation of a contact person for direct requests from national parliament administrations; and annual information reports on the Commission’s relations with the national parliaments. To find out more, see Press Release IP/05/198 on RAPID.

European Parliament funds information campaign on Constitution

The European Parliament (EP) has launched an information campaign on the Constitution, i n accordance with its resolution on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, of 12 January 2005, whereby the EP reiterated its aim “that all possible efforts be deployed in order to inform European citizens clearly and objectively about the content of the Constitution”. Some €7.6 million will be assigned to the campaign this year and an additional €1 million in 2006. The funds will be shared among Member States on the basis of three main criteria: whether or not a referendum is planned; the size of the population concerned; and the size and operational characteristics of the EP Office in each Member State. Some countries, however, will not receive any funds if – as in the case of the UK – they do not wish to apply for financial assistance for this purpose. The information activities supported by the campaign will include the production of posters, the distribution of copies of the Constitutional Treaty, the holding of public information seminars, the production of radio and TV programmes, and workshops and conferences for journalists . These activities – which will be carried out by the European Parliament either independently or in partnership with national governments – w ill explain to citizens how the Constitution can benefit them in their everyday lives . For more information, visit: http://www.europarl.eu.int.

European Youth Pact

Against the background of Europe’s ageing population, the Heads of State or Government of the EU’s 25 member countries, meeting on 22-23 March 2005 (see Euclide 627), stated the need for young Europeans to benefit from “a set of policies and measures forming a fully integrated part of the Lisbon Strategy”. In order to meet this need, the summit of Heads of State or Government adopted t he Youth Pact initiative (proposed by France and endorsed by Germany, Spain and Sweden), which aims to improve the education, training, mobility, vocational integration and social inclusion of young Europeans, while at the same time facilitating the reconciliation of work and family life . The following lines of action are proposed:

In the area of “E mployment, integration and social advancement”: endeavouring to increase the employment of young people; improving the situation of the “most vulnerable” young people; inviting employers and businesses to display social responsibility by facilitating the vocational integration of young people; promoting the emergence of young entrepreneurs , etc.

In the area of “E ducation, training and mobility”: expanding the scope for students to undertake a period of study in another Member State; encouraging the mobility of young people by removing obstacles for trainees, volunteers and workers and for their families; stepping up ongoing initiatives under the Marie Curie programme; etc.

In the area of “ Reconciliation of working life and family life”: expanding the childcare network and developing innovative forms of work organisation; and developing child-friendly policies in the light of discussions on the Commission’s Green Paper on demographic change .

The success of the Youth Pact will depend on the involvement of all stakeholders, including regional and local youth organisations, the European Youth Forum, regional and local authorities, and the social partners. For additional information, visit: http://europa.eu.int/youth/news/index_1 970_en.html

 

News from the networks

RESPER: facilitating t he free movementof licence holders

Around 250 million EU citizens hold a valid driving licence. These need to be mutually recognised throughout the EU if the free movement of persons is to be ensured. However, the continued existence of more than 100 different types of driving licence (differing in inherent rights, validity periods, language and layout, etc), as well as the lack of communication between issuing authorities renders such recognition difficult.

A telematic network called RESPER, financed by IDABC (Interoperable Delivery of European eGovernment Services to Administrations, Business and Citizens) with a budget of 97,000 EUR, has therefore been established to: act as a hub for the exchange of information between national authorities responsible for issuing driving licences; guarantee recognition of documents and acquired rights originating in other Member States; combat document fraud; avoid the issuance of multiple licences; facilitate t he free movementof licence holders and enhance road safety. This network is based on a system of message-exchanges between the EU Member States. A feasibility study planned for the spring of 2005 will determine the system architecture in detail. A development and implementation phase will follow the feasibility study. For more information, contact: René PLANK, email: idabc@cec.eu.int, website: http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/3989

 

Funding opportunities

Promotion of European audiovisual works

The Commission has published a Call for Proposals concerning the i mplementation of the programme to encourage the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works ( MEDIA PLUS – Development, Distribution and Promotion 2001-2005) . The Call is open to independent European production companies registered in the 25 countries of the European Union as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Bulgaria, and from 1 January 2006, Switzerland. The total budget available is € 2.7 million. Applications for this Call for Proposals must be submitted at the latest by 15 July 2005 for projects that start between 1 January 2005 and 30 June 2005; and by 16 January 2006 for projects that start between 1 July 2005 and 31 December 2005 . For more information, contact: Mr Costas Daskalakis, European Commission , DG INFSO.A.2, Office B100 – 4/27, Rue de Genève 1, B-1049 Brussels, Fax: +32 2 299 92 14. OJ C 75 of 24.03.2005.

 

Forthcoming events

14-15 April 2005, Brussels (BE)

The Milan branch of the European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA-CEFASS) is organising on 14 and 15 April an International Seminar entitled « Pension, Labour Markets and Family Responsibility - Designing a new social Security Architecture ». This event is addressed to civil servants from the EU Member States and neighbouring countries, decision makers working in the pension and employment sectors in Europe, as well as other key persons concerned with the need to change social systems in Europe. The participation fee is € 500 and includes documentation, 1 lunch and refreshments. For more information, contact: Roger Hessel, Project Leader, T: +39 02 43 90 8616, F:+39 02 43 31 78 22, e-mail: r.hessel@eipa-it.com

 14 and 15 April 2005, Aalborg (DK)

The biennial EURO SUSTAINABILITY conference has grown since its inception in 1998 and is now an established and recognised international meeting place on sustainability for business and its stakeholders. The 4 th international EURO SUSTAINABILITY conference on Business and Sustainable performance will be held on 14 and 15 April in Aalborg. During these two days, business representatives, international and national governments, organisations, academics, the media and NGO’s will address issues such as transparency, legitimacy, indicators and reporting, and the objectives and achievements of partnerships. For more information: www.euro-environment.dk

 5-7 May 2005, Poznan (PL)

The First European Non-Governmental Organisation Fair (ETOP 2005) will be organised in Poznan from May 5 to 7 May 2005. The goal of this initiative is to create a platform fostering relationships between various non-governmental organisations from 25 European countries. It will enable these organisations to promote their products and services and to establish partnerships with other sectors, and countries. The full cost of participation in the Fair by an organisation (provided it is to be represented by two persons) is 1320 EUR. The event will be translated into Polish, English, German, French, and Russian. Registration deadline is April 8. For more information, contact: Ms. Magdalena Glazinska, T: +48 501 731 134 , e-mail: etop2005@wfrr.org.pl, website: http://www.etop2005.wfrr.org.pl

 

Publications

Transposition guide: how to implement European directives effectively

The UK Government has recently published a “Transposition guide: how to implement European directives effectively”. This 34-page publication contains new guidelines for implementing EU law in the UK. One of its aims is to avoid the so called ‘gold plating’ of legislation, the process by which Member States introduce additional measures or bureaucratic rules to European laws for their own advantage. Available in English at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/docs/europe/pdf/tpguide.pdf

Freeware compilation

The city of Brest, in France, is making available a compilation of free Windows applications to local residents within the framework of a project to promote the “social ownership” of Internet tools and multimedia. O ffered by the Free-EOS project (“Espace Ouvert de Services”), which also provides other freeware, the compilation is a (legal) alternative to buying proprietary software. It was commissioned by local schools, the “Université de Bretagne occidentale” (UBO) and the adult education centres of AFPA (“Association pour la formation professionnelle des adultes”). The freeware can be downloaded from: http://sourceforge.net/projects/ fr ee-eos

EU-UN relations

 Every year, the European Union allocates some €300 million to UN agencies. If we add all the contributions from EU Member States, the EU can be considered the single largest sponsor of the United Nations! In order to better inform the general public about relations between the EU and UN, a new website, “European Union @ United Nations”, is now available in 20 languages. The site includes a wealth of information on EU policies and statements, classified by theme; EU priorities for the United Nations General Assembly; EU institutions at the UN; and EU publications on UN issues. The website also gives access to special information kits on a broad range of subjects, including EU-UN relations, development cooperation, the fight against terrorism, the environment and sustainable development, etc. Explore the new website at: http://europa-eu-un.org

 

Search for partners

 Web Accessibility

The European Internet Accessibility Observatory (EIAO) is a cooperation project carried out by 10 partners co-ordinated by Agder University College Norway. Its objective is to contribute to better e-accessibility for all citizens and to increase the use of standards for online resources. Within the framework of this project, a tool for monitoring web accessibility will be designed in order to provide indicators and possibly lists of accessible web sites, to enable policy makers to assess improvements and to encourage effective web development. In order to do so, short questionnaires targeting different group of users (web developers, website owners, etc) and taking between 10 and 15 minutes to complete will help focus the Observatory outputs. To participate in the survey, open until 22 April, you can download the questionnaire that is most relevant to your situation at http://www.eiao.net/Resources/Surveys/index_html/view?searchterm=survey and send it by email to j.craven@mmu.ac.uk or by post to: Jenny Craven, Research Associate, CERLIM, Manchester Metropolitan University, Dept. of Information and Communications, Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond Street West, Manchester M15 6LL, UK.

 

Announcements

 European Funding Officer

The Bristol City Council is searching for a European Funding Officer. The post holder will join the newly created External Relations Team and try to raise awareness of EU funding opportunities and to ensure that the Council submits high quality bids in line with corporate and departmental priorities. Applicants are required to have knowledge of European Union funding programmes and experience in developing successful bids. Closing date for the receipt of applications: 13 April 2005. For the application form and further details: T : +44 117 922 4499, email: recruitment@bristol-city.gov.uk (quoting the reference number: 9629), website: http://www.lgib.gov.uk/eis/ads

 

---

Responsible at Law: William Van Dingenen - Editor in Chief: Isabelle Mirambet - Editors: Monique Braem, Eirini Nikolaïdou, Verónica Catediano, Maylis Campbell.