Europe Direct information network becomes operational

From 1 May 2005 anyone looking for information about the EU can turn to a new set of local outlets called the “Europe Direct Information Network”. The network, which takes over from the old “Info-Points Europe” and rural “Carrefours”, will function as a one-stop shop for citizens who have questions about the EU . The new Europe Direct outlets or “relays” were selected by the European Commission following an open call for proposals . Their efficiency will be put to the test over the next four years.

There are now 393 Europe Direct relays based in cities and rural areas throughout the enlarged European Union , with the exception of the United Kingdom, where the relays will be selected at a later stage. The relays are typically hosted by a chamber of commerce or agriculture, a local authority, a private association or an NGO . The Commission has awarded contracts to 47 Europe Direct outlets in Germany, 43 in Spain, 39 in France and Italy, 23 in Finland and Sweden, 20 in Hungary, 19 in Greece, 13 in the Netherlands, 12 in Slovakia, 11 in Austria and Belgium, 9 in Latvia and Lithuania, 8 in Ireland, 7 in the Czech Republic and Denmark, 6 in Slovenia, 5 in Estonia, 4 in Cyprus, 2 in Luxembourg and 1 in Malta. The estimated annual budget for the scheme is €10 million, with each relay receiving a co-financing grant of €12,000 to €24,000.

The new information relays will offer a range of services, including access to publications on EU law, institutions, programmes and policies; the publication of newsletters and websites; and the organisation of events. They will also provide a public feedback mechanism (open to questions, comments or opinions that citizens would like to pass on to the Commission in writing). Many relays will also broadcast a TV programme entitled “Europe by Satellite”, thus enabling the public to keep abreast of the latest EU news .

In addition to the Europe Direct network, the Europe Direct contact centre offers European citizens a single freephone number ( 00 800 67891011) which can be reached from anywhere in the 25 EU Member States , as well as an e-mail and an on-line assistance service in real time (available on: http://europa.eu.int/europedirect).

 

News from the institutions

Improving the quality of European universities

In view of the fact that currently Europe devotes just 1% of its GDP to higher education, and considering also that scarcely 21% of the EU’s working-age population benefits from higher education, the Union cuts a poor figure in comparison with the United States (38%) and Japan (36%). In general, higher education in the EU is lagging behind in world-class research, with a lower share of scientific publications, patents and Nobel prizes than in the United States.

If Europe were to invest as much on higher education as the United States, it would need to spend an additional €150 billion each year. It should also be noted that, while European higher education continues to rely almost exclusively on (limited) public funds, American and Canadian universities rely on a variety of funding sources, with much higher contributions from industry and households.

On 20 April, the Commission unveiled a plan to “develop the potential of European universities and to make them more competitive on the world stage”. In order to equal American or Japanese levels, the Commission is encouraging European universities to enhance their attractiveness and to improve their governance. But it is also prompting them to increase and diversify their funding. For more information, visit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/programmes_en.html.

Fisheries Control Agency comes into being

On 26 April, t he Council of the European Union adopted a Regulation establishing a Community Fisheries Control Agency , whose headquarters will be in Vigo (Spain) . The objective of the agency is to organise coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by Member States . The Agency will also help Member States to cooperate in the development of control and inspection techniques and the organisation of joint deployment plans. It will also assist Member States in conveying information on control and inspection activities as well as on implementation of the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to the Commission and to third parties . The agency, which has been allocated an estimated annual budget of €5 million, is due to commence its activities in a year’s time. The Council of the EU also adopted a set of conclusions welcoming the Commission’s Communication of December 2004 on “Perspectives for Simplifying and Improving the Regulatory Environment of the Common Fisheries Policy”. More specifically, the Council endorses the Commission’s plans to improve access to Community texts by electronic means, develop information booklets for specific target areas, reduce the workload of, and restrictions on, fishers and others engaged in the fisheries sector, and decrease the administrative burden for national administrations. The Council therefore invites the Commission to develop initiatives in these fields and to achieve sustainable progress on simplification and the improvement of the regulatory framework of the CFP, “including removal of mutually incompatible legislative provisions”. To find out more about the agency, visit: http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/fr/agricult/84687.pdf .

€2.9 million assigned to SHARE research project

The first detailed results of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were presented in Brussels on 28 April. SHARE, which has been allocated €2.9 million over three years by the European Commission’s DG Research, provides data on the life circumstances of about 22,000 persons aged 50 and over in 11 European countries, ranging from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. According to the survey, “Northern Europeans are healthier and wealthier but the people in the South live longer”. As far as employment is concerned, i n countries where early retirement is allowed and/or is generous, there are many early retirees . The survey also indicates that a greeable workplace conditions are conducive to later retirement and that, in the countries studied, 10% of the 65-74 age group does volunteer work . The Dutch are the most active in this respect ( 25%) , followed by the Swedes and the Danes. On the other hand, in Spain and Greece, less than 4% of the population report doing volunteer work in all age groups . In the “ Family and Social Networks” area , the study suggests that t he family unit has remained strong across generations and that the potential for everyday support is high throughout Europe, particularly in the South . The amount of t ime spent helping others or looking after grandchildren is substantial: About one-third of the persons aged 65 and over reported that they helped others or looked after grandchildren on a daily basis . According to SHARE, “p arents give in the North, while children give in the South” : 28% of senior citizens have given members of their family (or received from them) more than €250 in the past 12 months. Lastly, the survey shows that p overty is often alleviated by non-financial resources . For example, living in the same household as one’s children remains a very important mechanism of social solidarity that serves an important poverty alleviation role . For more information, visit: http://www.share-project.org .

 

News from the networks

Constitutional Charter for a Responsible, Plural and United World

The Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind has recently published a proposal for the founding Charter of an initiative in which it has been actively involved for a number of years, namely the Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and United World. The Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation was instrumental in launching the alliance in 1994. Within this framework, in 2001 it organised the first Global Assembly of Citizens, which brought together some 400 participants from different sections of civil society worldwide. The Assembly achieved three major results: It showed that the great diversity of human societies around the planet did not prevent dialogue; it formulated a common set of ethical principles, i.e. the “Charter of Human Responsibilities”; and, furthermore, it distilled all the diverse contributions to the debate into an agenda for the 21 st century, including a set of priorities and strategic guidelines. This experience profoundly marked the Foundation’s policies for the 2003-2010 period, which are based on the concept that the real challenge today is not to create new institutions (there are many already!), but rather, to devise a new organisational model – the “Citizens’ Alliance” – in order to create synergy between the existing dynamic processes. What is now required is a change of scale: the Alliance must be broadened and diversified, thus becoming a broad forum for the exchange of experiences and for joint projects between organisations, rather than between individuals. To this end, its nature and its functioning need to be more accurately formalised in the light of the lessons learned. This is precisely the aim of the proposed Constitutional Charter. For more information, contact: Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer, 38 rue Saint Sabin, 75011 Paris, T: +33 1 43 14 75 75, F: +33 1 43 14 75 99, e-mail: paris@fph.fr, website: http://www .fph.ch

 

Funding opportunities

European Voluntary Service

The European Commission has recently launched a call for proposals aimed at contributing to the consolidation and sustainability of structures of former EVS (European Voluntary Service) members in all countries covered by the EU YOUTH programme. The grants are intended to support activities of national and transnational scope. The general objective of the activities “shall be to improve support, accessibility and quality development of the YOUTH programme in general and the EVS in particular”. The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects amounts to €300,000. Applications must be posted by 6 June at the latest. OJ C 110 of 5 May 2005.

Developing communication networks

The European Commission has just published a c all for proposals for indirect RTD actions under the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration: “Structuring the European Research Area” . The aim of the call is to develop communication networks. Total indicative budget: €55 million . Applicants are invited to submit their p roposals for indirect RTD actions (only in electronic format) by 8 September 2005. For more information, contact: European Commission, FP6 Information Desk, Directorate-General RTD, B-1049 Brussels , Internet address: http://www.cordis.lu/fp6 . OJ C 111 of 11 May 2005.

 

Forthcoming events

19 May 2005, Louvain-la-Neuve (BE)

The “Fondation Rurale de Wallonie” (FRW), in partnership with the “Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et de l’Aménagement du Territoire” (Institute for Environmental Management and Town and Country Planning – ULB-IGEAT), will be holding a seminar on 19 May, in Louvain-la-Neuve, on the theme “Les coopérations transcommunales: pourquoi, comment?” (Inter-Municipal Cooperation: What for? How?”) within the framework of the SPAN project (Strategic Planning Action Network), which is supported by the European Union and the Walloon Region under the Interreg III-B Programme. This event, whose main objective is to identify factors of success as well as difficulties in conducting inter-municipal cooperation projects, is intended for anyone engaged in promoting local development in the Walloon Region and, in particular, for local elected authorities and development actors. Registration fee: € 12. For additional information, contact: Marie Bourgeois, Fondation Rurale de Wallonie, T: +32 2 81 23 40 72, +32 281 26 18 82, e-mail: m.burgeois@frw.be , website: http:// www.frw.be

22-27 August 2005, Keszthely (HU)

The XXIst ESRS (European Society for Rural Sociology) Congress will take place from 22 to 27 August 2005 in Keszthely, Hungary. The Congress will take the first anniversary of EU enlargement as the starting point for examining the ongoing questions around change and continuity, diversity and cohesion in rural Europe. The main aim of the Congress is to examine the state of the ‘new’ and ‘old’ European countryside from a range of perspectives. Many questions regarding the situation in the new member states will be dealt with: how agriculture is changing in these countries and regions, how rural society is affected, how inclusive development is with regard to class, race and ethnicity and gender, what makes rural places economically, socially, culturally and environmentally healthy, how to achieve better results, etc. For more information and to register, send an e-mail to esrs2005@freemail.hu or go to: http://www.esrs.hu/keszthely2005

13 September 2005, Gloucestershire ( UK)

The Countryside and Community Research Unit at the University of Gloucestershire will be organising and hosting the 5th National Seminar on Common Land and Town and Village Greens, to be held on 13 September 2005. The Countryside and Community Research Unit has played a vital role in disseminating information on best practice in the management of common land and town and village greens, and on developments in common land legislation, through a series of seminars.  T he 2005 Seminar promises to deliver an informative discussion regarding new developments, most importantly the progress on the draft Commons Bill that was announced in the Queen’s Speech in November 2004. The cost of attending the seminar is £ 90, including refreshments and a buffet lunch . For more information contact Jill Harper, Countryside and Community Research Unit University of Gloucestershire, Dunholme Villa, Park Campus, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 2RH, T: +44 1242 54 40 83, F: +44 1242 53 62 04, email: jharper@glos.ac.uk, web site: http://www.glos.ac.uk/shareddata/dms/C9E01DADBCD42A039DD6A8F4E3DCCCC7.pdf

 

Publications

EU Funds for environment

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has recently published a handbook on “EU Funding for the Environment” in the 2007-13 programming period. This 104-page publication analyses the proposed regulations of the Structural Funds and instruments and the LIFE+ programme.The WWF analyses future funding options for different fields, such as nature and water conservation, energy efficiency and renewables, sustainable transport. The handbook also presents a series of 18 best practice projects in sustainable development, which receive support from Structural Funds and instruments in the current period. A copy of the handbook can be found at the web address below: http://www.panda.org/downloads/europe/eufundingforenvironmentweb.pdf

Poverty and Conflict in Ireland: An International Perspective

The Institute of Public Administration (IPA), the Irish national centre for development of best practice in public administration and public management, has recently published « Poverty and Conflict in Ireland: An International Perspective » to inform the future development of actions to tackle poverty and promote peace building in Ireland. This research is intended to identify and assess the relationships between anti-poverty and social inclusion measures and conflict resolution processes, drawing on national and international experiences. It seeks to contribute towards a better understanding of the two dimensions of the poverty-conflict relationship, in an Irish context: poverty as a cause and as a consequence of conflict. The price of this 96-page publication is 10 EUR. For more information, contact: Institute of Public Administration, Vergemount Hall, Clonskeagh, Dublin 6, T: +35 3 1 240 3600, F: +35 3 1 269 8644, email: sales@ipa.ie, website: www.ipa.ie

A new “matchmaking website” to find suitable business partners in the enlarged EU

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) make up much of Europe’s economy and have a crucial role to play in building bridges across borders within Europe and beyond. In view of this, a new website has recently been created to facilitate the work of the Pan-European Business Co-operation Schemes (PES). Some 4,000 SMEs from over 20 different economic sectors are being brought together at 32 matchmaking events held in the course of major international trade fairs over the next two years. This will help generate new business opportunities for SMEs from new and old Member States as well as from candidate and neighbouring countries, and will contribute to strengthening economic and social ties. The Commission allocated a total of €6 million to the projects for the period from September 2004 to September 2006. For more information, visit: http://eic.cec.eu.int/PES.

 

Announcement

Diploma in Communication and European Affairs

 Through its Diploma Course in Communication and European Affairs, the “Institut des Hautes Etudes en Communications Sociales” (Institute of Advanced Studies in Social Communication) trains multiskilled communicators who are experts in communication between policymakers and the general public as well as between lobbyists/pressure groups and policymakers. The course is held by professionals who are in daily contact with the European reality. Participants are also invited to meet EU officials responsible for planning Community actions, initiatives and policies. In recent years, DESS courses (“Diplôme d'études supérieurs specialisées” – Higher Specialised Education Diploma) have become internationalised, attracting an increasing number of students from different parts of the European Union. The teaching is in both French and English, thus reflecting to some extent the multilingual nature of the European debate. To find out more, contact: IHECS Formation, 27 rue des Grands Carmes, B-1000 Brussels, T: +32 2 549 55 91 92, F: +32 2 549 55 99, e-mail: ihecs.dess@galilee.be, website: http://www.ihecs.be.

 

 

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