AGENDA/09/38

Brussels Friday 6 November 2009

Top News from the European Commission

9 November to 6 December 2009

Background notes from the Spokesperson's service for journalists.
The European Commission reserves the right to make changes

Monday 9 November: Special Eurobarometer on discrimination

The news:

The European Commission will publish the results of the Special Eurobarometer on the perceptions and experiences of and attitudes towards discrimination in Europe.

This survey helps the Commission to monitor the trend of public opinion on discrimination issues. This year, new questions have been added to measure the extent to which the financial and economic crisis may hamper the implementation of anti-discrimination policies and on the perceptions of diversity in the media.

In addition and for the first time, the survey also covered the three candidate countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Turkey. The survey comprises a full report, a summary and 30 national factsheets. Results will also be presented during the Third Equality Summit that will take place in Stockholm on 16-17 November.

The background:

This Eurobarometer survey on discrimination is the third one issued by the European Commission on the issue. The first survey was conducted in the summer of 2006 in anticipation of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, and the second one was conducted in early 2008.

One of the fundamental values of the EU is that all its citizens should be able to enjoy a life free from discrimination. The EU takes action on discrimination in a variety of ways: through legislation, funding and by encouraging exchange of ideas and good practice. An important element is the support given to EU-level civil society networks on the different discrimination grounds as well as support to cooperation at EU level between national Equality Bodies. The EU also runs an awareness-raising campaign called “For Diversity, Against Discrimination”.

On 2 July 2008, the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive which provides for protection from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief, outside of the workplace. The proposed directive is currently being discussed in the Council.

The event:

11:15h: Technical briefing in the Press Room of the Berlaymont, Brussels.

• Covered by EbS

The sources :

More info on discrimination and 2009 results of the Eurobarometer on discrimination:

www.ec.europa.eu/antidiscrimination

Special Eurobarometer 296:

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_en.htm

For Diversity. Against discrimination campaign:

www.stop-discrimination.info

Proposed new directive on anti-discrimination:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=423&langId=en&newsId=373&furtherNews=yes

Commissioner Špidla's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/spidla/index_en.cfm

• VNR: I-057447 Europe's Forgotten Citizens Defending Roma Rights in the EU

• VNR: I-058019 Accessibility: For everyone's Benefit

The contacts:

Katharina von Schnurbein +32 2 298 14 08 katharina.von-schnurbein@ec.europa.eu

Carmel Dunne +32 2 299 88 94 carmel.dunne@ec.europa.eu

Wednesday 11 November (tbc): How should the Citizens Initiative foreseen in the Lisbon Treaty work in practice?

The news:

The Commission launches a public consultation on how the Citizens Initiative foreseen in the Lisbon Treaty should work in practice.

The background:

The Citizens Initiative is an important innovation for European Citizens, introducing an element of participatory democracy. The Lisbon Treaty provides that one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may directly request that the Commission brings forward an initiative of interest to them in an area of EU competence.

The Treaty provides that the procedures and conditions required for the Citizens Initiative should be determined by a Regulation, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on the basis of a proposal from the European Commission. The Green Paper will allow the public to suggest how the Citizens Initiative can work best and how the Regulation should be framed.

The event:

Green Paper on the Citizens Initiative

Press conference by Commissioner Wallström in the Berlaymont press room, Brussels. (Time to be confirmed)

• Covered by EbS

The sources:

For further information on the Lisbon Treaty and its provisions:

http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/faq/index_en.htm

Vice-President Margot Wallström's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/wallstrom/index_en.htm

DG Communication website:

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/communication/index_en.htm

The contacts:

Joe Hennon +32.2.2953593 joseph.hennon@ec.europa.eu

Irena Novakova +32.2.2999608 irena.novakova@ec.europa.eu

Wednesday 11 November (tbc): Excessive Deficit Procedures

The news:

The Commission is expected to assess whether France, Greece, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom have taken effective action to correct their respective budget deficits within the deadlines proposed by the Commission, in March, and agreed by the Council in April.

The Commission is also expected to propose deadlines for the correction in nine other countries where the budget deficit is expected to be above 3% in 2009. The nine are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Background:

Under the EU Treaty and the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), Member States must run sound and sustainable public finances and avoid deficits in excess of 3% of GDP. Their debt levels should also be below 60% or diminish at a satisfactory pace towards that reference value if above (Article 104 of the EU Treaty). Although the present crisis has deteriorated public finances through, generally, a combination of discretionary measures and the free play of automatic stabilisers, Member States agree, in the words of the last European Council, " it is necessary to prepare a coordinated strategy for exiting the broad-based stimulus policies when recovery is secured, in the framework of the SGP". Commissioner Almunia said, on Tuesday, when presenting the autumn forecasts, that he would recommend to EU finance ministers that by 2011 all Member States should have started budgetary consolidation.

The event:

Press conference by Commissioner Almunia, Berlaymont press room, Brussels. (Time to be confirmed)

• Available on EbS

The sources:

IP/09/274 : Commission assesses Stability and Convergence Programmes of Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Latvia and Malta; presents reports under excessive deficit procedure

IP/09/458 : Commission takes steps under the excessive deficit procedure for France, Greece, Ireland, Spain and UK; assesses Stability Programme of Cyprus

IP/09/1428 : Commission adopts reports under excessive deficit procedure for Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia

IP/09/1663 : Autumn Economic Forecasts Autumn forecast 2009-2011: EU economy on the road to a gradual recovery

European Commission websites on Economic and Financial Affairs:

Autumn forecast 2009-2011: EU economy on the road to a gradual recovery

http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/thematic_articles/article16051_en.htm

Relevant legal texts and guidelines on the Stability and Growth Pact

http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/other_pages/other_pages12638_en.htm

EDP – Country-specific procedures

http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/sg_pact_fiscal_policy/excessive_deficit9109_en.htm

The contacts:

Amelia Torres + 32 2 295 4629 amelia.torres@ec.europa.eu

Marisa González + 32 2 295 1925 marisa.gonzales-iglesias@ec.europa.eu

Wednesday 11 November: Making it easier to obtain evidence in criminal matters from one Member State to another and ensuring its admissibility

The news:

The Commission is to adopt a Green Paper with a view to taking action to improve cooperation between Member States on obtaining evidence in criminal matters.

The Commission intends to replace the existing legal regime on obtaining evidence in criminal matters by a single instrument based on the principle of mutual recognition covering all types of evidence and to introduce common standards for gathering evidence in criminal matters.

The Green Paper consults Member States and relevant stakeholders on the validity of this approach and on a number of issues that are relevant in this respect.

The background:

The existing rules on obtaining evidence in criminal matters in the EU consist of a number of co-existing instruments based on different underlying principles, namely that of mutual assistance and that of mutual recognition. This makes the application of the rules burdensome and may cause confusion among practitioners. This can also result in situations where practitioners do not use the most appropriate instrument for the evidence sought. Ultimately, these factors may therefore hinder effective cross-border cooperation. Furthermore, instruments based on mutual assistance, may be regarded as slow and inefficient given the fact that they do not impose any standard forms to be used when issuing a request for obtaining evidence from another Member State or any fixed deadlines for executing the request. Instruments based on mutual recognition may also be regarded as unsatisfactory in that they only cover specific types of evidence and that they provide for a large number of grounds for refusal to execute the order.

The existing instruments on obtaining evidence in criminal matters already contain rules aimed at securing the admissibility of evidence obtained from another Member State, i.e. to avoid evidence being considered inadmissible or of a reduced probative value in the criminal proceedings in one Member State because of the manner in which it has been gathered in another Member State. However, these rules only approach the issue of admissibility of evidence in an indirect manner as they do not set any common standards for gathering evidence. There is therefore a risk that the existing rules on obtaining evidence in criminal matters will only function effectively between Member States with similar national standards for gathering evidence.

The event:

Press release

The sources:

Vice-President Barrot's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/barrot/welcome/default_en.htm

The contacts:

Michele Cercone +32 2 298 0963 michele.cercone@ec.europa.eu

Riccardo Mosca +32 2 296 1404 riccardo.mosca@ec.europa.eu

Friday 13 November: We need to recognize the economic value of biodiversity and ecosystems - Launch of "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Report"

The news:

One of the key reports by the EU and Germany-supported study project on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), the Report for Policy Makers, will be launched in Brussels.

The 300-page TEEB Report for Policy Makers aims to address the needs of those taking policy decisions and shows how they can take the value of the natural world into account. The report underlines the urgency for action and says that failing to account for the value of ecosystems and biodiversity will lead to the wrong choices being made in responding to global challenges.

The background:

Biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate all over the globe, with potentially disastrous consequences, and little is being done to prevent it. Nature provides us with clean air, water, food, materials and medicines, regulates our climate and protects us from disaster, but we often take this for granted. It is extremely difficult to put a price on these benefits, but The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study is working to develop a framework to help calculate the true value of these 'ecosystem services'.

Following an interim report in May 2008, and a short Climate Issues Paper in September 2009, the Report for Policy Makers is one of the main deliverables of TEEB and the first of four reports that will be published consecutively between autumn 2009 and autumn 2010. The final results of TEEB will be presented at the 10 th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010.

The TEEB study was launched by Germany and the European Commission in response to a proposal by the G8+5 Environment Ministers (Potsdam, Germany 2007) to develop a global study on the economics of biodiversity loss. Pavan Sukhdev, a senior banker at Deutsche Bank, and a Founder-Director of the Green Accounting for Indian States Project, was appointed as the independent study leader. Several other partners are now supporting TEEB.

The event:

14:00h: Press conference with EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and the TEEB study leader, Pavan Sukhdev, who will present the results of the report, at the Hotel Sofitel, Place Jourdan, Brussels.

The sources:

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity's website (TEEB):

http://www.teebweb.org/

European Commission's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/economics/index_en.htm

• VNR: I-051194 Halting the loss of Europe's biodiversity by 2010

• VNR/ I-051244 NATURA 2000: Safeguarding Europe's biodiversity

• Video stockshots : I-044901 Environment: nature and biodiversity – 2004

The contacts:

Barbara Helfferich +32 2 298 20 10 barbara.helfferich@ec.europa.eu

Lena De Visscher +32 2 296 36 94 lena.devisscher@ec.europa.eu

Monday 16 November (tbc): P resentation of the 2009 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard"

The news:

EU Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Poto čnik, will present the main findings of the 2009 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard", which provides information on the top 1000 EU companies and 1000 non-EU companies investing in research and development (R&D) during 2008.

In addition, the Scoreboard offers detailed analysis and comparisons on trends by regions and sectors.

The background:

The Scoreboard is part of the European Commission’s monitoring activities to improve the understanding of trends in R&D investment by the private sector and the factors affecting it.

It was created in response to the Commission’s Research Investment Action Plan, which aims to help close the gap between the EU’s R&D investment and that of other developed economies.

Since its first edition in 2004, this yearly publication intends to raise awareness of the importance of R&D for businesses and to encourage firms to disclose information about their R&D investments.

The event:

12:15h: Press conference by Commissioner Poto čnik on the main findings of the 2009 "EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard". Berlaymont press room, Brussels (Time to be confirmed)

• Available on EbS

The sources:

European Commission, The Industrial Research and Innovation web site:

http://iri.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Commissioner Potočnik's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/potocnik/indexfl_en.htm

The contacts:

Catherine Ray +32 2 296 99 21 catherine.ray@ec.europa.eu

Sophie Andersson +32.2.295.02.08 sophie.andersson@ec.europa.eu

Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 November: Third Equality Summit, Stockholm

The news:

The 3rd Equality Summit will take place in Stockholm. It is organised by the Swedish Presidency of the EU and the European Commission.

Following previous summits in Berlin (for the opening of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All) and in Paris (2008), the 3rd Equality Summit aims to promote dialogue and debate as well as the exchange of ideas and good practices. The main theme this year is cooperation for equality between all different stakeholders concerned and at different levels (national, regional, local).

The Summit will bring together approximately 300 high-level delegates representing EU Member States, candidate and EEA countries, international organisations, EU-level NGO networks and social partners, business sector, media and academia.

The background:

Since the first Equality Summit in Berlin in January 2007, some important milestones have been reached at European level. In November 2007, the European Council adopted a Resolution on the follow-up of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All, clearly paving the way for further activities both at European and national levels.

On 2 July 2008, the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive which provides for protection from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief, outside the workplace. The directive aims to fill the gap in legal protection from discrimination for people in Europe. In addition, the Commission adopted a policy communication giving a new impetus to the dialogue on non-discrimination policy and making more effective use of available instruments, both in general and with particular emphasis on promoting the social inclusion of Roma. The proposed directive is currently being discussed in the Council.

The events:

The 3 rd Equality Summit will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, on 16-17 November 2009 at the Stockholm city conference Centre: Norra latin, Drottninggatan 71 b, 111 23 Stockholm.

A welcome reception will be hosted by Katri Linna, the Swedish Equality Ombudsman on Sunday, 15 November at 7 pm at her offices: Torsgatan 11, 111 23 Stockholm.

A press conference will be held on Tuesday 17 November at 1pm at Norra latin.

The sources:

More info on discrimination and 2009 results of the Eurobarometer on discrimination:

www.ec.europa.eu/antidiscrimination

Third Equality Summit

http://www.se2009.eu/en/meetings_news/2009/11/16/equality_summit#

For Diversity. Against discrimination campaign:

www.stop-discrimination.info

Proposed new directive on anti-discrimination:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=423&langId=en&newsId=373&furtherNews=yes

• VNR: I-057447 Europe's Forgotten Citizens Defending Roma Rights in the EU

• VNR: I-058019 Accessibility: For everyone's Benefit

• VNR : I-060539 Waging war on the pay gap (long version)

• Video stockshots I-053188 2007 - European Year of Equal Opportunities For All

The contacts:

Katharina von Schnurbein +32 2 298 14 08 katharina.von-schnurbein@ec.europa.eu

Carmel Dunne +32 2 299 88 94 carmel.dunne@ec.europa.eu

Tuesday 17 November: Consumers - Results of EU-wide action to improve websites selling mobile phone services such as ring-tones

The news:

EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva will present the results of the enforcement action taken by Member States to correct breaches in websites selling mobile phone services such as ring-tones.

The background:

In July 2008, Commissioner Kuneva presented the first results of the Ring-tones "Sweep", carried out by EU enforcement authorities, which found that 80% of websites selling mobile phone services needed to be further investigated for suspected breaches of EU consumer rules.

Many of the websites in question targeted children and young people, and the problems found included unclear price information, misleading terms and conditions or situations whereby the consumer was lured into a contract unaware.

Enforcement authorities have spent the last 15 months following up on these findings and working to bring these sites into line with EU consumer law.

The event:

11:15h: Press conference by Commissioner Kuneva and Head of the Italian Anti-trust Authority Paolo Saba. Berlaymont press room, Brussels.

The sources:

For information on the Ringtones Sweep and the Commission's work on enforcement of consumer legislation, see:

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/enforcement/index_en.htm

Commissioner Kuneva's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/kuneva/index_en.htm

• Infoclip: I-058212 Mobile Phone Services

The contacts:

Helen Kearns +32 2 2987638 helen.kearns@ec.europa.eu

Emer Traynor +32 2 2921548 emer.traynor@ec.europa.eu

Thursday 19 November (tbc): EU Bookshop Digital Library, all free

The News

The EU bookshop stocks more than 110 000 EU publications, everything that has ever been published by the Publications Office on behalf of the European Union institutions, agencies and other bodies.

A massive scanning operation of more than 12 million pages has now made all these stocks available online, where they can be downloaded free of charge.

An early version of the EU Bookshop Digital Library was presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair. A new face-lifted version will make it even easier to use.

The background:

The Publications Office's archives have long represented a veritable treasure trove of European history. These publications can once again see the virtual light of day through the Publications Office Digital Library. The EU Bookshop is a valuable information source for citizens, journalists, education professionals, students, librarians, publishers, and anybody interested in Europe, in 50 languages, including the possibility of ordering printed copies.

The Publications Office Digital Library was created to meet the demand to digitise out-of-print publications. A limited on-demand service begun in 2007 proved so successful that it was decided to scan the entire archive. The result – less than two years later – is an electronic library of more than 14 million pages of web-optimised PDFs available to the public free of charge. Public response has been overwhelmingly positive, and the numbers speak for themselves: total PDF downloads jumped from just 100 000 in 2008 to an expected 280 000 per month for 2009.

The event:

Press conference by Commissioner Orban including an online demonstration of the EU bookshop's possibilities. Berlaymont Press room, Brussels (Time to be confirmed)

• Ebs coverage

The sources:

EU Bookshop:

www.bookshop.europa.eu

Publications Office of the European Union:

www.publications.europa.eu

Commissioner Orban's web site:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/orban/index_en.htm

European Commission Languages Portal

http://europa.eu/languages/en/home

The contacts:

Julian Thompson +32 2 295 81 32 julian.thompson@ec.europa.eu

Roger Nunn +32 2 295 36 47 roger.nunn@ec.europa.eu

Thursday 19 November: Towards a creative Europe: What role for creative industries?

The news

The 7th and final Brussels Debate within the framework of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 will take place under the title: "Towards a creative Europe: What role for creative industries?" is the final debate

During this period of economic crisis, there is growing political recognition of the importance of the creative industries in the new "experience economy". However, in practice, the potential of this sector as a motor of the economy remains underexploited. This debate will take a closer look at how these industries could be better used as a conduit for innovation for society as a whole and what their place could be in the future European innovation strategy.

The background:

The European Union has declared 2009 the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. The Year aims to raise awareness of importance of creativity and innovation as a key competence of personal, social and economic development.

Throughout EYIC 2009, there has been already presented six out of seven debates on key topics around Creativity and Innovation. All of the debates are held in cooperation with the European Policy Centre as a special partner of the Year. The debates are designed to provide a platform for reflection and exchange of ideas which can contribute to policy discussion on Creativity and Innovation.

The event:

17h–19h: 7 th Brussels Debate "Towards a creative Europe: What role for creative industries?", Polak Room, Résidence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, Brussels.

Registration starts at 16h30.

Speakers:

• Françoise le Bail, Deputy Director General, DG Enterprise

• Hasan Bakhshi, NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), UK

• Telmo Faria, Mayor of Obidos, Portugal

• Ruta Prusiviciene, Director of Vilnius Festival, Lithuania

• Anne-Marie Boutin, President, APCI (Agence pour la promotion de la créativité industrielle), France

The sources:

Website of the Creativity and Innovation 2009:

www.create2009.europa.eu

Education and Culture web site:

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.html

Commissioner Šefčovič's website:

http://www.ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/sefcovic/index_en.htm

The contacts:

John R. Macdonald +32 2 295 52 67 John.Macdonald@ec.europa.eu

Sophie Andersson +32 2 295 02 08 Sophie.Andersson@ec.europa.eu

Wednesday 25 November: Education reforms in the EU - trends and data 2009

The news

The European Commission will release two major reports on Member States' progress towards their objectives in education and training, as defined under the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs.

The reports will highlight the progress made by the EU and Member States in the area of key competences and in relation to selected indicators and benchmarks in education and training.

The background:

The 2009 report on indicators and benchmarks will analyse progress in Member States' reforms of their educational systems towards the 2010 objectives in certain key areas. In particular, it uses benchmark indicators in five areas, including numbers of early school leavers, graduates in science, maths and technology subjects, and adults' participation in lifelong learning. The report helps identify which of the countries are catching up or falling behind, losing momentum or moving further ahead compared to the others.

The second report is the Commission's contribution to the forthcoming Joint Progress Report of the Council and the Commission, which will be published in 2010. It assesses the implementation of the “Education & Training 2010 work programme”, which is the over-arching framework for policy collaboration in education & training in the EU during this decade. The Joint Progress Report will look at areas where co-operation between EU countries has led to improvements as well as those where progress remains insufficient. The focus will be on key competences (of young people and adults). But information is also provided on the implementation of lifelong learning policies (e.g. qualification frameworks and the validation of non-formal learning), vocational education and training and higher education .

The event:

12:15h: Press conference by Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth. Berlaymont press room, Brussels.

• Available on EbS

The sources:

European Commission - European strategy and co-operation in education and training:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc28_en.htm

Reports on the implementation of the Education & Training 2010 work programme [includes 2008 Joint Council/Commission Report plus national reports]:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc1532_en.htm

Report on Benchmarks and Indicators:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc1522_en.htm

Commissioner Šefčovič's website:

http://www.ec.europa.eu /commission_barroso/sefcovic/index_en.htm

The contacts:

John R. Macdonald +32 2 295 52 67 John.Macdonald@ec.europa.eu

Sophie Andersson +32 2 295 02 08 Sophie.Andersson@ec.europa.eu

Thursday 3 December (tbc): Entry into force of the Rail passenger rights regulation

The News

Following the strengthening of passenger rights in the air transport sector, the European Commission turned its attention the protection of rail passengers' rights. This was ensured with the adoption of a set of basic rights for rail passengers, adopted on 23 October 2007 - EU Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007. Rail passenger’s rights and obligations come into force on 3 December 2009 in all EU Member States.

The background:

The Regulation lays down a set of basic rights, which can not form the object of derogation by Member States, plus other rights which under certain conditions can form the object of derogations, and rules on the enforcement of such rights.

Passenger rights which can not be derogated concern:

• availability of tickets, through tickets and reservations, via ticket offices or selling machines; telephone, the internet or any other widely available information technology or on board trains;

• liability of railway companies for passengers and their luggage, to be established in accordance with the Convention;

• insurance in case of liability for passengers and minimum amount of insurance for railway undertakings;

• non discriminatory access rules for disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility and information to be provided to such persons;

• obligation on railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and station managers.

The additional set of rights, which may be the object of derogations by Member States, in particular in case of urban, suburban, regional and domestic rail passenger services, concern:

• conditions governing the conclusion and performance of the rail transport contract;

• the carriage of bicycles on trains;

• minimum information to be provided to passengers before and during the journey;

• the "Computerized Information and Reservation System for Rail Transport" (CIRST), a telematic application containing information according to a common standardized format about rail services offered by each railway company;

• right to advance payments in case of death or injury to passengers, (minimum 21.000 EUR in the event of death) to meet the immediate economic needs in case of accidents;

• liability for delays, missed connections and cancellations:

The regulation sets also rules for reimbursement in case of delays in the arrival or departure at the final destination of more than 60 minutes.

Concerning the overall implementation of the Regulation and the effective protection of the passengers' rights (the "core" and the 'additional' ones) it pursues:

• each railway undertaking should put in place a complaint handling mechanism.

• each Member State should designate the national enforcement body 'NEB', in charge of the supervision of the compliance with the rules of the Regulation, and set penalties applicable in case of infringements of the provisions of the Regulation.

The event:

Press conference by Vice-president Tajani. Berlaymont press room, Brussels (Time to be confirmed)

• Available on EbS

The sources:

European Commission websites:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passengers/index_en.htm

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:315:0014:0041:EN:PDF

• Memo-clip: I-062526 Passenger transport

• Info-clip: I-044902 Rail Transport: Passenger Rights

The contacts:

Fabio Pirotta 0032 229 67284 fabio.pirotta@ec.europa.eu

Andrea Maresi 0032 229 90403 andrea.maresi@ec.europa.eu