EXME 10 / 07.05
Midday Express of 2010-05-07
News from the Communication Directorate General's midday briefing
Nouvelles du rendez-vous de midi de la Direction Générale Communication
The European Commission allocates € 1 million to tackle measles epidemic in Zimbabwe
Today, the European Commission approved an aid package of € 1 million for the vaccination of all Zimbabwean children aged between 6 months and 15 years. Since September 2009 Zimbabwe is facing a large-scale outbreak of measles and this vaccination campaign is intended to prevent further outbreaks. Since the beginning of March, the epidemic - together with the mortality rate - has spiralled with cases of the disease being reported in 45 of the country's 62 districts. Measles weakens the immune system, and can lead to the development of secondary illnesses such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, blindness, and encephalitis. All Commission-funded humanitarian projects are implemented by non-governmental relief organisations specialised UN agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. The funds are channelled through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) under the direct responsibility of Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva.
Discussions continue on EU Strategy for Danube Region in Bulgaria 10-11 May
A fourth stakeholder conference aimed at shaping plans for the Danube Region Strategy takes place in the city of Ruse in Bulgaria 10 -11 May. Commissioner Johannes Hahn, responsible for Regional Policy, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr. Boyko Borisov, will speak at the opening session. This new initiative seeks to improve environmental conditions and develop the huge economic potential of the Region. Developments in one part of this major inland waterway can have a devastating impact hundreds of kilometres away as the victims of pollution, flooding and transport bottlenecks know to their cost. The Strategy would represent a new form of cooperation for partners in the area, going far beyond existing activities. Although the strategy will not come with extra EU finance, a considerable amount of funding is already available to the Region through a host of EU programmes. The aim is to better coordinate – € 100 billion alone has been allocated from cohesion policy between 2007 and 2013 - and maximise this available support. More information: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/danube/conference/ruse_en.htm
Pototschnig first Director of European Agency for Energy Regulation
The European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has appointed Alberto Pototschnig as it's the very first executive director. Pototschnig is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mercados Energy Markets International, a specialist consultancy firm supporting clients in liberalizing energy sectors. With the appointment of the Italian national who had set up the Italian Energy Regulator, ACER has taken an important step forward towards becoming operational on 3 March 2011. ACER will have key responsibilities for implementing the 3rd Energy Liberalisation Package of 2009 with enters into force in March 2011. The Agency participates in creating European network rules und may take, under certain conditions, binding individual decisions on terms and conditions for access and operational security for cross border infrastructure. ACER will have its seat in Ljubljana, Slovenia. More information on ACER here: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/gas_electricity/acer/acer_en.htm
Between 2000 and 2009, employment in the agricultural sector in the EU27 decreased by 25%, the equivalent of 3.7 million full-time jobs, according to a new report by EUROSTAT published today. It fell by 17% in the EU15 and by 31% in the 12 New Member States (NMS). In 2009, employment in the agricultural sector was equivalent to 11.2 million full-time jobs in the EU27, of which 5.4 million were in the EU15 and 5.8 million in the NMS12. Between 2000 and 2009, real agricultural income per worker increased by 5% on average in the EU27, although the change differed significantly between the NMS12 (+61%) and the EU15 (-10%). Between 2008 and 2009, real agricultural income per worker fell by 11.6% in the EU27. Real agricultural income per worker fell in 21 Member States, remained nearly unchanged in two and rose in four. The largest decreases were found in Hungary (-32%), Luxembourg (-25%), Ireland (-24%), Germany and Italy (both -21%), and the highest increases in Malta (+8%) and Denmark (+4%). "These figures underline what a difficult year farmers faced last year, and how important CAP support was in maintaining farm incomes and stabilising prices using the existing market instruments," EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloș underlined today. "Without the basic income stability provided by direct aids, farmers would not be able to deliver the public goods that they provide. Nevertheless, we need to make our policy more efficient and more easily understood and our agriculture more sustainable and more competitive. This is why I have launched a public debate on clarifying the main objectives for further reforming the CAP after 2013 – see http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-debate
Autre matériel diffusé :
• Memo Education, Youth and Culture Council, 10-11 May
• Speech by Commissioner Potočnik 'Key challenges for EU Water Policy', Brussels - en rediffusion
• Speech by Commissioner Füle 'Inauguration of EU-Morocco Joint Parliamentary Committee', Brussels
