Accessibility tools
Service tools
Language selector
Navigation path
- EUROPA
- Newsroom
- Highlights
- January 2013
Additional tools
Latest stories
By topic
- Choose a topic
- Agriculture, fisheries and food
- Business
- Culture, education and youth
- Economy, finance, tax and competition
- Employment and social rights
- Energy and natural resources
- Environment, consumers and health
- External relations and foreign affairs
- Institutional affairs
- Justice and citizens rights
- Regions and local development
- Science and technology
- Statistics
- Transport and travel
By month
Special coverage
The economic crisis – The EU’s response
The European Union is responding to the global economic crisis through actions on different levels.
Fast facts, background information, progress and more in depth information on main EU issues
Stories - January 2013
Commission adopts a European Retail Action Plan and consults on unfair trading practices
31/01/2013 - Business / Economy, finance, tax and competition
The European Commission has adopted a European Retail Action Plan and a Green Paper on unfair trading practices in the business-to-business food and non-food supply chain. |VIDEO|
Illicit drugs: EU report unveils new worrying trends in smuggling and consumption
31/01/2013 - Justice and citizens rights
The report unveils the ‘changing face of organised crime in Europe’: while, historically, the EU drug market has focused on specific drugs trafficked by specialised operators along well-defined routes, the contemporary market is more ‘fluid’, with new routes and multi-substance consignments becoming more common. |PHOTOS|
European Railways at a junction: the Commission adopts proposals for a Fourth Railway Package
30/01/2013 - Transport and travel
The Commission is proposing far reaching measures to encourage more innovation in EU railways by opening EU domestic passenger markets to competition, as well as substantial accompanying technical and structural reforms. |PHOTOS|VIDEO|
January 2013: Business and Consumer surveys
30/01/2013 - Business / Economy, finance, tax and competition
In January 2013, the Business Climate Indicator (BCI) for the euro area remained broadly unchanged at -1.09. The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) increased by 1.4 points in both the EU (to 90.6) and the euro area (to 89.2).
Donor Conference on Mali: EU pledges € 50 million to support an African-based peace operation (AFISMA)
29/01/2013 - External relations and foreign affairs
At a donor conference on Mali hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa, Commissioner for development, Andris Piebalgs, representing the European Union, confirmed the contribution of €50 million from the European Union to support the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). |PHOTOS|VIDEO|
Main results of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 
28/01/2013 - Agriculture, fisheries and food
As regards fisheries issues, the Presidency presented its work programme and priorities to the Council. Ministers also held an exchange of views on the common fisheries policy (CFP) reform "package". Concerning agriculture, the Presidency presented its work programme and a roadmap for CAP reform. |PHOTOS|VIDEO 1|2|
EU-CELAC Summit: Santiago Declaration
28/01/2013 - Institutional affairs / External relations and foreign affairs
Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), and the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, convened in Santiago, Chile, to renew and deepen their Strategic Partnership. |PHOTOS 1|2|3|4|5|VIDEO 1|2|
- Santiago de Chile Summit 2013 – General information
-
Remarks by Herman Van Rompuy at the closing ceremony of the EU-CELAC Summit
- Speech by Commissioner Karel De Gucht: Trade, Investment and Sustainable Prosperity
-
EU-CELAC Action Plan 2013-2015
-
Factsheet: EU relations with Latin America and the Caribbean
- More information on the EU-CELAC Summit
Commission issues action call in Davos - with IT sector and telecoms companies - to close digital skills and jobs gap in Europe
25/01/2013 - Science and technology
The Commission is issuing a call to action to companies, governments, educators, social partners, employment service providers and civil society to join us in a massive effort to "turn the tide". Young Europeans should have the tools to enter digital careers or to create jobs as entrepreneurs.
Regulatory pressure gets the ball rolling: Share of women on company boards up to 15.8% in Europe
25/01/2013 - Business / Justice and citizens rights
The Commission released mid-term figures on the share of women on boards in publicly listed companies. The new figures show an increase in the number of women on boards to 15.8%, up from 13.7% in January 2012.
EU launches clean fuel strategy
24/01/2013 - Environment, consumers and health / Transport and travel
The European Commission announced an ambitious package of measures to ensure the build-up of alternative fuel stations across Europe with common standards for their design and use. |PHOTOS|VIDEO|
January infringements package: main decisions
24/01/2013 - Institutional affairs
The Commission has taken today 173 decisions, including 24 reasoned opinions and 10 referrals to the European Union's Court of Justice, out of which 7 include financial penalties. |VIDEO|
The EU launches enhanced cooperation on the financial transaction tax
22/01/2013 - Economy, finance, tax and competition
The Ecofin Council adopted a decision authorising eleven member states to go ahead with enhanced cooperation on a financial transaction tax (FTT). |PHOTOS|VIDEO|
Mr Dijsselbloem appointed new Eurogroup president
22/01/2013 - Economy, finance, tax and competition / Institutional affairs
The Eurogroup appointed its new president, Dutch Minister of Finance Jeroen Dijsselbloem. Mr Dijsselbloem takes over from Jean-Claude Juncker and will hold the post for two and a half years. |PHOTOS|VIDEO|
Road Transport: New European Driving Licence
18/01/2013 - Transport and travel
All new European driving licences will be issued according to a new format, a plastic "credit card", with a photo and standard information requirements - easy to recognise and read across the EU. All new licences will be issued in this format from January 19th 2013. |PHOTOS|VIDEO|
Things we learnt in the January plenary
18/01/2013 - Institutional affairs
Tougher rules on credit rating agencies and EU plans to tackle youth unemployment received EP support. The outgoing Cyprus presidency and the priorities of the Irish EU Council presidency were also debated, as was the situation in Syria and Mali. MEPs backed a cooperation deal with Iraq and called for a careful pooling of sovereign debt.
The EU brings forward the deployment of its training mission in Mali
17/01/2013 - External relations and foreign affairs
In the light of the recent developments in Mali, the EU's Foreign Affairs Ministers decided to speed up the deployment of the military training mission in Mali (EUTM Mali). |VIDEO 1|2|PHOTOS 1|2|
-
Main results of the Foreign Affairs Council
-
Council conclusions on Mali
-
EU training mission in Mali established
-
FACTSHEET. EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali)
-
FACTSHEET. The European Union and the Sahel
- Mali: France must get European backing, says Parliament (16 January 2013)
- EU relations with Mali
Tougher credit rating rules confirmed by Parliament's vote
16/01/2013 - Economy, finance, tax and competition
New rules on when and how credit rating agencies may rate state debts and private firms' financial health were approved by Parliament. |VIDEO|
December 2012: Euro area annual inflation stable at 2.2% EU down to 2.3%
16/01/2013 - Economy, finance, tax and competition / Statistics
Euro area annual inflation was 2.2% in December 2012, the same as in November. A year earlier the rate was 2.7%.
Where the European Commission's humanitarian aid will go in 2013
10/01/2013 - External relations and foreign affairs
The European Commission has adopted its plan for the allocation of over €661 million in humanitarian aid funding for 2013.
New EU initiative to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
10/01/2013 - External relations and foreign affairs
The Critical Maritime Routes in the Gulf of Guinea Programme (CRIMGO) will help governments across West and Central Africa to improve safety of the main shipping routes by providing training for coastguards and establishing a network to share information between countries and agencies across the region.
European Central Bank keeps interest rates unchanged
10/01/2013 - Economy, finance, tax and competition
The Governing Council of the ECB decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 0.75%, 1.50% and 0.00% respectively.
Unleashing Europe's entrepreneurial potential to bring back growth
09/01/2013 - Business / Employment and social rights
The European Commission presented an action plan to support entrepreneurs and revolutionise entrepreneurial culture in Europe.
Employment and Social Developments: growing divergence and higher risks of long-term exclusion
08/01/2013 - Employment and social rights
After five years of economic crisis and the return of a recession in 2012, unemployment is hitting new peaks not seen for almost twenty years, according to the 2012 edition of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe Review. |PHOTOS|VIDEO 1|2|
Customs: strengthening the security of the supply chain
08/01/2013 - Business / Economy, finance, tax and competition
The Commission adopted a Communication on Customs Risk Management and the Security of the Supply Chain. It sets out a strategy to enable customs to better tackle risks associated with goods being traded in international supply chains.
December 2012: Business and Consumer Surveys
08/01/2013 - Economy, finance, tax and competition
In December the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) improved by 1.3 points in the euro area, to 87.0 and remained broadly unchanged (+0.3 points) at 88.4 in the EU. The Business Climate Indicator (BCI) for the euro area increased slightly by 0.05 points to 1.12.
European Commission kick-starts the 2013 European Year of Citizens
02/01/2013 - Institutional affairs / Justice and citizens rights
To mark the European Year of Citizens 2013, a range of events, conferences and seminars will be organised across the EU at Union, national, regional or local level.
Irish presidency priorities
02/01/2013 - Institutional affairs
At midnight on 1 January, Ireland took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). Their presidency will focus on stability, jobs and growth.