Less red tape, more growth and more jobs

In order to support the “Partnership for growth and jobs” in the context of the ongoing efforts to revitalise the Lisbon process, on 16 March 2005 the Commission tabled a “Better regulation” package of measures designed to cut red tape. According to Commissioner Günter Verheugen, this initiative aims to “to put our house in order, to eliminate red tape wherever possible, and to simplify wherever appropriate”. According to a Dutch study quoted by the Vice-President of the European Commission, a 25% reduction in the administrative costs borne by companies could contribute to increasing growth by 1.2 percentage points.

The proposed measures include an in-depth review, modification or even withdrawal of pending proposals which have not made progress in the legislative process for significant time and for which impact assessments have not been carried out; improved impact assessments in order to analyse the economic, social and environmental aspects of all new proposals; simplification of the body of EU law to improve its readability and boost competitiveness; pilot projects to reduce the administrative burden which often arises from reporting and information obligations under EU legislation; alternatives to legislation, including, for example, the use of European standards as technical support to European legislation, as well as a more extensive use of co-regulation and self-regulation; the consultation of citizens via the Internet, thus giving them the possibility to have their say on how to achieve better regulation; and the active participation of Member States through the implementation of measures (impact assessment systems, simplification programmes, etc.) that are to form an integral part of the national “Lisbon action plans”.

According to a British study quoted by Mr Verheugen, 80% of the red tape encumbering the European economy does not come from Brussels but from the capitals – “quite simply because EU directives are implemented in an unnecessarily bureaucratic fashion”. “One of the reasons why many people shy away from setting up a business of their own is the jungle of national bureaucracy,” added the Commissioner, who commended, in passing, those countries – namely Denmark and Spain – which have facilitated the company start-up process by creating a “one-stop shop” where the relevant formalities can be completed in the space of a few hours. For more information, read SPEECH/05/178 available on RAPID.

 

News from the institutions

World Health Day 2005

World Health Day, on 7 April, was dedicated this year to the health of women and children. Under the slogan “ Make every mother and child count”, a call was made on governments, the international community, civil society and citizens in general to take action in order to ensure the health and welfare of all mothers and children. More specifically, the event helped to: raise awareness of the unacceptable level of illness, suffering and death among mothers and children, drawing attention, in particular, to the negative impact of this situation not only on health but also on social and economic development; highlight the fact that solutions exist to save lives and eliminate unnecessary suffering through preventive and relief services; and stimulate collective responsibility and action . On World Health Day, the Partnership for Safe Motherhood and New-born Health, the Healthy New-born Partnership and the Child Survival Partnership held a high-level meeting in New Delhi, India, to attempt to redress the fact that “maternal, new-born and child health messages and technical achievements in the field are not reaching high-level policymakers” . For more information, visit: http://www.who.int.

Results of the “Information Society for all” consultation

Requirements to make information and communication technology (ICT) goods and services accessible to elderly and disabled people should be laid down in public procurement contracts. So say 90% of the 500 respondents to the Commission’s January 2005 public consultation on the need for “e-Accessibility” measures. The public agencies, ICT goods and service suppliers, universities, business associations and user groups that participated in the consultation also say that EU institutions should take the lead in proposing these measures (88%), that ICT goods and services need to be made more fully inter-operable (74%), and that technical requirements should be harmonised within and beyond the EU for this purpose (84%). It is less clear how these requirements should be enforced: stakeholders are fairly evenly divided on whether improved e-access schemes should be voluntary, mandatory, and/or rely on self-certification with checks. The Commission will set out proposals in a communication scheduled for September 2005. For additional information, visit: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/accessibility/com_ea_2005/a_documents/com_consult_res.html

COST launches 17 new research actions

 Meeting in Brussels on 15-16 March 2005, the Committee of Senior Officials for Scientific and Technical Research (COST), which brings together 34 European countries, agreed to launch new research actions in 17 areas, including: how motorcycle helmets could be improved; the comparative study of the Roman, Mughal and Ottoman empires; physiologically based pharmaco-toxicokinetics and dynamics (the main objective of this action is to improve the utility and interpretation of scientific information obtained either during pharmaceutical product development or, subsequently, through observations in humans); obstructive sleep apnoea as a possible mechanism of increased cardiovascular risk; increasing our knowledge of the electric neuronal oscillations correlated to memory and attention; achieving a better understanding of the structure and biosynthesis of wood macromolecules with a view to developing new products based on wood, etc. The Committee also agreed to introduce a system of “continuous open call for proposals” based on a two-stage process (preliminary and full proposal) in order to achieve greater flexibility in the submission and consideration of the proposals on specific research areas. A COST call will be published from time to time in science journals and other appropriate media to raise COST’s visibility in the scientific community. For more information, visit: http://cost.cordis.lu

 

News from the networks

Post-2012 climate strategy

The conclusions of the spring European summit, reflecting as they do the EU’s commitment to pursue the global struggle against climate change after 2012, have been welcomed by environmental organisations, which regard them as a strong signal addressed to EU Member States and to the international community at large. Environmental NGOs are urging the European Union to make a specific commitment to reducing the EU-25’s greenhouse gases. According to the global conservation organisation WWF, several decisions expected from the EU will be decisive in this respect. WWF hopes that, in the coming months, the EU will agree to introduce stricter legislation in the area of energy efficiency, raise to 25% the proportion of energy from renewable sources in the EU’s overall energy consumption by 2020, and strengthen the EU’s trading system for greenhouse gases with a view to decommissioning coal-fired power stations. For its part, Greenpeace has commended the fact that, for the first time ever, the EU’s Heads of State or Government will be taking practical steps to implement the long-term objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. On the other hand, however, Greenpeace regrets the fact that “ Germany and Austria prevented the adoption of a quantifiable long-term objective”, thus acting against the recommendations of the Environment Council (-60% emissions, decreasing to -80% by 2050). Greenpeace is calling on the EU to consider the conclusions of the European summit as its remit for the next phase of the post-2012 climate strategy. The environmental organisation is also calling on the international community to follow the EU’s example and establish an increase of 2 degrees Celsius in the average global temperature as a red line not to be crossed. To find out more about the EU’s environmental policies, visit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/env ironment/index_en.htm

 

Funding opportunities

Economic impact of open source software

The European Commission has published a call for tenders concerning a study to analyse the economic impact of open source software ( OSS) on the structure and dynamics of the ICT sector in Europe and, consequently, in the global economy. The contractor will also be expected to organise a high-level workshop with all stakeholders on OSS. Estimated budget: €350,000, out of which a maximum of €50,000 should be dedicated to the organisation of the workshop. Time limit for receipt of tenders: 17 May 2005. For additional information, contact: European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, Directorate D, Unit D4 - Technologies for innovation; ICT industries and e-business, Attn: Mr C. Andropoulos, rue de la Science 27, Office 1/053, B-1049 Brussels. F: +32 2 296 70 19. E-mail: entr-ict-e-commerce@cec.eu.int. Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/calls/calls.html. 2005/S 65-062181, OJ S 65 of 02.04.2005.

Archival processing of documents

The European Parliament has launched a c all for proposals relating to the processing of papers of MEPs accumulated in the exercise of their duties . The aim of the project, which has been allocated a maximum budget of €250,000, is to facilitate the processing of, and free access to, the papers that Members of the European Parliament have assembled in connection with and during their term of office as MEPs. These documents will have been handed over in the form of donations or legacies to an institute, association or foundation registered with the International Council on Archives – Section of Archives and Archivists of Parliaments and Political Parties (SPP-ICA) and will not yet have been archivally processed. Applicants must be members of the SPP-ICA and have proven experience in the management of documents relating to parliamentary activities. Closing date for applications: 25 May 2005. OJ C 79 of 01.04.2005.

Development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works

The European Commission has launched a call for proposals concerning the implementation of pilot projects under the programme to encourage the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works (MEDIA Plus). The proposals must relate to one of the following areas: new ways of distributing and promoting European content via personalised services; networked databases “to broaden and strengthen the access and the exploitation of archives and catalogues”; projects which have received funding under a previous MEDIA Plus Pilot Project Call for Proposals. The overall budget of the present call is €3.5 million. The final date for submitting proposals is 24 June 2005. For further information, contact: Mr Costas Daskalakis, DG INFSO.A.2, Office B100 – 4/27, Rue de Genève 1, B-1049 Brussels, F: +32 2 299 92 14. OJ C 77 of 31.03.2005.

 

Forthcoming events

14 April 2005, Brussels (BE)

On 14 April, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will hold a conference on “Twenty Years of European Social Dialogue: Current Situation and Prospects” to mark the 20 th anniversary of the initiation of European social dialogue by Mr Jacques Delors in January 1985. The conference, which is intended for all actors in the field of economic and social policy, including representatives of employers’ organisations, trade unions and other representatives of civil society, will be held in two sessions: The first session will address the theme of “European social dialogue – successes and limits”, and will aim to assess what has been achieved to date. The second session will focus on “The Future outlook for European social dialogue and European participatory democracy”. For further information, contact: Vasco de Oliveira, EESC Press Office, Rue Belliard 99, B-1040 Brussels, T: +32 2 546 9396/9586, E-mail: press@esc.eu.int, Website: http://www.esc.eu.int/sections/soc/conferences/14_04_05_20socialdialogue/index_fr.asp

28 April 2005, Brussels (BE)

ID’s (“Information Diffusion Europe Associations”) regularly organises training sessions on lobbying and EU funding for the not-for-profit sector. The next training session – aimed at associations, regional and local authorities, educational establishments, all kinds of institutions and other interested parties – will take place in Brussels on 28 April 2005. The working language will be English. To find out more about ID’s and/or to register, contact: ID’s (Information Diffusion Europe Associations) Rue Saint-Georges 99, B-1050 Brussels, T / F: +32 2 735 13 01, E-mail: infodseurope.org, Website: http:// www.idseurope.org/

 19 and 20 May 2005, Brussels (BE) 

In support of the revitalisation of the Lisbon agenda, which aims to make Europe into the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy by 2010, the European Commission is organising a conference on eLearning which will take place in Brussels on 19-20 May 2005. The conference will bring together a cross section of the stakeholders involved in eLearning in Europe, and will provide the perfect forum for sharing experiences, exchanging good practices and taking stock of the added value of using information and communication technologies (ICT) in education and training. Participation in this conference is free and designed for practitioners, teachers, trainers, educational authorities, ministries of education, employers, trade unions and private sector actors and IT industry professionals. The working language of the conference is English, with simultaneous French and German translation provided. For more information: www.elea rningconference.org

 

Publications

The EU-25 and migration

“Notre Europe”, an independent European studies and research group, has recently published “The Enlarged Europe and migrations”. In this 17-page study, the author, Catherine Wihtol De Wenden, analyses migratory phenomena in Europe since 1989 and the measures taken by the Member States of the EU-15 to protect their labour markets from the ten newcomers. The text is available in French and English on: http://www.notre-europe.asso.en/IMG/pdf /dewenden.pdf

Impact of Europe's changing climate

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has recently published “Impacts of Europe's changing climate”, a report showing the impact of climate change on Europe's environment and society according to 22 indicators. This publication, available only in English, highlights the need to develop strategies for adapting to climate change at European, national, regional and local level. To read the full report: http://reports.eea.eu.int/climate_report_2_2004/en/impacts_of_europes_changing_climate.pdf

Website dedicated to 2007-2013 financial perspective

A new website provides access to all the key documents concerning the EU’s budget plan for the period 2007-2013 (the “financial perspective”), focusing, in particular, on the following aspects: the f inancing of EU regional policy; the “added value” and concrete benefits for citizens of the actions supported by this policy; and the potential cost of a non-agreement on the financial perspective. Explore the new website at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/themes/finp er/finper1_en.htm

 

Announcement

Policy Officer

The European Network against Racism (ENAR) is recruiting a Policy Officer based at its Secretariat in Brussels. The successful candidate will implement and follow-up, in close cooperation with the Campaigning and Networking Officer, the ENAR work programme with regard to anti-discrimination and equal rights. The role also includes carrying out lobbying and advocacy work towards EU institutions, drafting policy statements and policy position papers and supporting the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Anti-racism and diversity. He or she should have a relevant degree in political science, law or EU studies and some previous experience in the fields of anti-racism, EU lobbying and in working for a non-governmental organisation. The post requires fluent English and a good knowledge of French. The salary offered is approximately 2700–2980 EUR per month, according to experience. If interested, you can access the application documents at www.enar-eu.org and e-mail them to info@enar-eu.org before 24 April.

 

 

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Responsible at Law: William Van Dingenen - Editor in Chief: Isabelle Mirambet - Editors: Monique Braem, Stephen Gardner, Wendy Jones, Eirini Nikolaïdou, Verónica Catediano.