AGENDA/09/40

Brussels Friday 20 November 2009

Top News from the European Commission

23 November to 20 December 2009

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

Tuesday 24 November: Presentation of the Commission working document on the Future EU 2020 Strategy

The news:

The Commission will adopt a working document as a basis for consultation on the EU 2020 Strategy, announced in President Barroso's political guidelines as the follow up to the Lisbon Strategy. The Strategy aims to entrench recovery and tackle unemployment in the immediate future and to ensure a more competitive, more sustainable and fairer economy in the longer-term.

The consultation paper will also cover the governance and implementation of the EU 2020 Strategy at European and national level

The background:

In early 2010, the new Commission will adopt detailed proposals, taking account of the consultation results, for submission to the Spring European Council.

The President said in his speech at the press conference on 12 November on the European Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation:

"I see the following four main priorities to take us towards EU 2020.

• First, policies which stem the rise in unemployment by empowering people and fighting exclusion.

• Second, new sources of growth based on the famous knowledge triangle (research, education and innovation) and on making full use of the digital economy.

• Third, making better use of scarce resources. This makes sense for business and it makes sense for the planet.

• The fourth EU 2020 priority is making Europe mobile and connected. We need to get more out of our single market. We need high-performance transport and energy infrastructures. We need to encourage labour mobility to help people take up new job opportunities."

He also mentioned two cross-cutting issues:

• "First, we need of course to have sound public finances in an age of demographic change but to achieve that we should not cut spending on education and research. Instead we must shift public support towards smarter industries.

• Second, Europe also needs financial markets to be motors of long-term investment. Not a casino where a few players take huge winnings and the rest of us pay for the losses. That is why financial market reform and supervision are so important for our programme to 2020."

The event:

Adoption by the College

The sources:

President Barroso Commission's website

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/index_fr.htm

The contacts:

Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen +32 2 295 30 70 pia.ahrenkilde-hansen@ec.europa.eu

Mark English +32 2 296 24 10 mark.english@ec.europa.eu

Tuesday 24 November: Results of international survey on teachers' professional development

The news:

The Commission will release the results of a thematic report on teachers' professional development based on the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The report will be presented at a joint technical briefing by the Commission and the OECD.

The background:

TALIS is the international survey that focuses on the learning environment and the working conditions of teachers in schools. It aims at filling important information gaps in the international comparisons of education systems.

In 2005, the Council requested the Commission to co-operate with the OECD to satisfy EU data needs on the professional development of teachers within the TALIS survey which was in preparation by the OECD. Hence, the European Commission and the OECD have co-operated closely on the survey.

The thematic report on teachers' professional development is the response to this request. It sees professional development of teachers as instrumental in furthering the quality of student outcomes and to ensure that education and training remains responsive to developments in society at large.

The report analyses teachers' participation in professional development with regards to both teachers' needs and its perceived impact. It gives clear pointers as to how school development - including appraisal and feed-back to teachers - can contribute to fostering continuous learning in schools and thus improve the quality of teaching.

24 countries have participated in this TALIS survey, including 19 countries from the EU, acceding EU countries and countries from the European Economic Area.

The event:

11.15h: Technical briefing with representatives of the European Commission, DG Education and Culture, and the OECD's Directorate for Education, in the Berlaymont Press Room, Brussels.

The sources:

European Commission: Education and training:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/index_en.htm

IP/09/926 : Teacher effectiveness hampered by lack of incentives and bad behaviour in the classroom

OECD: OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS):

http://www.oecd.org/document/0/0,3343,en_2649_39263231_38052160_1_1_1_1,00.html

The contacts:

John MacDonald +32.2.295.52.67 john.macdonald@ec.europa.eu

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

Tuesday 24 November: Juvenes Translatores Contest

The news:

Juvenes Translatores ("young translators") is a translation contest for pupils of upper secondary schools from all EU Member States.

Participating pupils from the selected schools will receive a short text that to translate from one official EU language to another according to their choice. The contest will be taking place at the same time in all countries.

A jury consisting of professional translators from the Commission's Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) will select the best translation from each Member State. The 27 winners will be invited to Brussels to receive their prize in spring 2010

The background:

The Juvenes Translatores contest gives a chance to try out what it is like to be a translator and promotes this not so well-known profession at the same time.

The first-ever Juvenes Translatores contest was organised as a trial run in 2007–2008, followed by a second in 2008-2009. Reactions from both the participants and their teachers from the two competitions run so far were so enthusiastic that a third edition has been organised.

The event:

The contest will take place on 24 November 2009 in the selected upper secondary schools of the EU Member States

The sources:

Juvenes Translatores website :

http://ec.europa.eu/translation/contest/index_en.htm

Website of Commissioner Orban:

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

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

Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 November: 24-hour challenge for young innovators

The news:

European Innovation and Creativity Camp is a project in the framework of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. The goal of the camp is to gather 100 students from across Europe and give them the chance to present their innovative solutions to a concrete challenge within the time limit of 24 hours. Six short-listed teams will go through to the final round at the two-hour finale on 25 November, in the Commission's Press Room, and Commissioner Šefčovič will help select the winning team.

The background:

The European Innovation and Creativity Camp is organized by JA-YE Europe (Junior Achievement Young Enterprise Europe) in cooperation with the European Commission Directorate General Education and Culture. 100 students aged from 15 to 18, from all over Europe, will meet in Brussels for an intense "innovation camp" and competition. Students will have 24 hours to solve a challenge in a new and original way. The students will be divided into multinational teams. They have access to tools, experts and advisers in order to maximize the creative and innovative outcome of their 24-hour collaboration

The European Innovation and Creativity camp offers a unique opportunity for young people to learn how to generate and shape their own ideas within a short deadline and in a multinational environment.

Upon request, the journalists can follow the teams during their 24h teamwork to solve the challenge.

The event

European Innovation and Creativity Camp

• 24 th November , 15:00-15:30: Official opening and unveiling of the "Challenge" , Bedford Hotel, Rue du Midi Zuidstraat, Brussels

• 25 th November , 15:00-17:00: Selection of winning team by Commissioner Šefčovič , with subsequent awards ceremony. Press room, Berlaymont, Brussels.

Speakers:

24 th November

• Caroline Jenner, CEO of JA-YE Europe

• Jordi Gotor Curell, Director, Lifelong Learning: horizontal Lisbon policy issues and international affairs, Directorate General Education and Culture, European Commission

25 th November

• Maroš Ševčovič, Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth

• Jan Olsson, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden (TBC)

• John Grumbar, Executive Chairman, Egon Zehnder International

• Ebs coverage: tbc

The sources:

Web site of the Directorate General for Education and Culture:

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

Commissioner Ševčovič's web site:

http://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:

12:15: 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

Tuesday 25 November: Adoption of Regulation by Council and European Parliament on Tyre Labelling

The news:

By 1 November 2012, t he fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise performances of tyres will be displayed by means of a grading to consumers and fleet managers allowing them to make an informed choice.

The background:

The Regulation is part of the energy efficiency action plan (COM(2006)545) and will contribute to achieving the objective of reducing by 20% the total energy consumption of the European Union by 2020. It complements the Regulation on general safety of motor vehicles ¹ which sets minimum requirements on tyres fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise by the end of 2012, and will require the mandatory fitting of Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TMPS) on passenger cars.

The initiative is expected to trigger fuel savings from the increased use of fuel efficient tyres between 2.4 and 6.6 Mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent) in 2020 depending on the speed of market transformation. This is more than the annual oil consumption of Hungary.

The event:

Adoption of the Tyre labelling regulation by Council and Parliament.

Press release will be issued the same day.

The sources:

MEMO/08/698 : Right set of tyres can reduce your fuel bill

European Commission's website on Energy labelling of Domestic Appliances:

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/labelling/labelling_en.htm

Commissioner Piebalg's website:

http://europa.eu/comm/commission_barroso/piebalgs/team_en.htm .

• I-057436 : VNR Eco-driving (long version)

The contacts:

Ferran Tarradellas Espuny: +32.498.966.293 ferran.tarradellas@ec.europa.eu

Marilyn Carruthers: +32 2 299 94.51 marilyn.carruthers@ec.europa.eu

Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 November: How EU countries can develop their resilience to disasters?

The news:

The European Commission will hold a Civil Protection Forum to explore how EU countries can develop their resilience to disasters.

The background:

Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of disasters and Europe has to be prepared for this challenge. Resilience to disaster means not only the ability to recover from a major disaster but also building the capability to withstand disaster into planning. Enhancing resilience depends not only on professionals, but on society as a whole.

This third edition of the Civil Protection Forum will bring together around 600 participants to debate future challenges for European civil protection, technological developments and how to involve people in preparing for disaster.

Three debates with high-level speakers from the world of politics, business and research will allow a frank exchange of ideas on when and how to prepare for disaster; risk perception and self-sufficiency among citizens; and what form a disaster management strategy in Europe should take.

Speakers will include EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Margareta Wahlstr öm, and State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence in Sweden, Håkan Jevrell.

An exhibition will run alongside the conference.

The event:

The Civil Protection Forum: Towards a more resilient society, will take place at the European Commission's Charlemagne building, 170 Rue de la Loi, Brussels.

Thursday 26 November

11.30: Press Conference by Stavros Dimas, Environment Commissioner, Berlaymont press room, Brussels

• EbS coverage

The sources:

Site Web Civil Protection forum "Towards a more resilient society"

www.civilprotectionforum.eu .

Commissioner Dimas' website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/dimas/index_fr.htm

• I-053584 VNR: Coping in a Crisis: Europe's Civil Protection Mechanism

• I-056605 EU's disaster response

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

Thursday 26 November: Commission to overhaul EU Package Travel rules to better protect consumers

The news:

The Commission is to overhaul existing EU law on package holidays to better protect consumers. The decision to launch a review of the EU package travel directive – setting out basic consumer rights on information, cancellations, substandard service and insolvency for package holidays - will be launched by Commission Kuneva with the release of a consumer detriment study and consultation paper.

The background:

The Package Travel Directive, which dates back to 1990, is designed to protect the rights of consumers when they book pre-arranged package holidays (i.e. transport and accommodation together). This was the standard holiday booked by the majority of consumers at the time. The Directive provides measures to protect consumers in case of bankruptcy of the travel company, substandard services, eg hotels, cancellation of the trip, or misleading information about the holiday.

With the rise of internet and low-cost airlines, the way in which most EU citizens book their holidays has transformed in recent years, with huge numbers booking holidays themselves in different ways online. Many of these holidaymakers now fall outside the scope of the Package Travel Directive – leaving them without protection when things go wrong – as was seen once again, for example in the case of an airline like Sky Europe going bust.

The event:

12.15: Press conference by Commissioner Kuneva in the Berlaymont press room, Brussels

• Ebs coverage

The sources:

Commissioner Kuneva's website:

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

The contacts:

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

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

Friday 27 November: Language industry unscathed by economic crisis

The News

A study carried out for the European Commission claims that the language industry has been less affected by the economic crisis than other industry sectors.

This study is the first to analyse the size of the language industry at EU level. It covered translation, interpreting, localising and globalising, subtitling and dubbing, language technology tools, organisation of multilingual conferences and language teaching.

The background:

The study entitled “The size of the language industry in the EU” analysed the language industry in all the Member States on the basis of questionnaires sent to professional associations, national authorities, individuals, language service providers and language service departments. More than 1000 participants answered these questions.

The estimated value (conservative) of the language industry in the EU Member States was 8.4 billion € in 2008. It is expected to increase by a minimum of 10% over the next few years. Moreover, the findings suggest that the language industry has one of the highest growth rates of all industries in Europe, since its turnover is estimated to double by 2015.

The market is characterised by an increasing consolidation of big players and by low barriers to entry in the market for translation and interpretation, results in many market players and strong competition.

At the same time, the globalisation process demands translation and interpreting into new languages, as well as new language-related services.

The event:

11.30: Presentation of the Study in the Berlaymont Press room, Brussels

• Ebs coverage

The sources:

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

DG Translation:

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation

The conference for the presentation of the Study on the size of language industry

http://webcast.ec.europa.eu/eutv/portal/index.html

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

Monday 30 November: EU-China Summit

The news:

The 12 th EU-China Summit will take place in Nanjing. Participants from the side of the Commission will be the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso and Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

This Summit will build upon on a series of successful meetings in 2009, notably the 11th EU-China Summit in Prague on 20 May as well as the visit of Vice-President Xi Jinping to Brussels on 8 October, where he had a successful meeting with President Barroso.

As one of the largest and fastest growing emerging economies and the EU’s second trading partner, China is a an important international player and a vital partner for the EU in addressing global challenges such as climate change and the financial and economic crisis. Both these issues are expected to be high on the agenda of the Leaders’ meeting. Further subjects to be discussed include the state of play of EU-China relations and international issues of mutual concern.

Moreover, it is also expected that the Summit will endorse progress in our bilateral cooperation in different sectors, for example with the renewal of the Science and Technology Agreement.

The summit will be preceded by a Foreign Minister's Troika on 29 th November, which will focus on regional and international issues. Furthermore, a meeting of the Euro-zone troika (Commissioner Joaquín Almunia, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet and Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker) with their Chinese counterparts will also take place on the 29 th November.

An EU-China Business Summit will take place in parallel to the summit on the 30 th November.

The background:

This year's Summit will be able to build on the useful discussions that took place within the China-EU Strategic Partnership Forum on 18-19 November in Beijing, which was the first Summit of EU and Chinese Think Tanks. It will also be able to take into account the outcome of the “EU-China Workshop on technology cooperation and transfer in relation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Shanghai, October 26 th.

Furthermore, the Leaders meet just a few days after the 28 th round of the EU-China dialogue on human rights (Beijing, 20 th November 2009) as human rights issues are part of he regular political dialogue between the EU and China.

The event:

Tuesday 24/11, 12.15: Technical Briefing OFF the record

• EbS coverage of the EU-China Summit in Nanjing + photo

The sources:

European Commission's websites:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/china/index_en.htm

http://www.delchn.ec.europa.eu/

EU-China Summit 2009

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/china/summits_en.htm

• I-048765 : China – 2005

• I-049707 : EU/China Relations - 2005

The contacts:

Christiane Hohmann +32 2 29 91196 christiane.hohmann@ec.europa.eu

Amadeu Altafaj Tardio +32 2 295 2658 amadeu.altafaj-tardio@ec.europa.eu

Anja Fiedler +32 2 29 80385 anja.fiedler@ec.europa.eu

Tuesday 1 December: Fighting organised crime: European Commission breathes new life into assets seized from mafia

The news:

The Commission will present examples of former mafia-owned properties in Sicily which have been confiscated by the state and transformed into social, agri-tourism or other legal business ventures, with financial backing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The background:

The re-development initiatives are creating new jobs, especially for young people, and providing hope in areas which have long been blighted by high unemployment and crime.

Experts from the regional managing authority in Sicily and people working on the projects will be in Brussels to tell of their experiences in converting former mafia lands.

Among the examples of properties which have been renewed with the help of the ERDF are:

• the Centopassi wine store, built on a 17 000 square metre estate in San Cipirello (Palermo), which was seized from mafia boss Giovanni Genovese;

• the "Terre di Corleone” agri-tourism project in Corleone (Palermo), on land seized from Salvatore Riina;

• the “Giardino della memoria” (garden of memory) in San Giuseppe Jato (Palermo), using assets seized from Giovanni Brusca.

The event:

12:15-12:45: Press conference by Paweł Samecki, Commissioner for Regional Policy. Berlaymont press room, Brussels.

• Available on EbS

The sources:

Commissioner Paweł Samecki's website:

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

The contacts:

Dennis Abbott +32 2 29 59258 dennis.abbott@ec.europa.eu

Constantina Avraam +32 2 29 59667 constantina.avraam@ec.europa.eu

Wednesday 2 December: EU Report on safety of Christmas Lights

The news:

The Commission will publish the results of tests on the safety of Christmas lights, carried out by 5 Member States during the period 2007-2009, in which the safety of lighting chains from across the entire pricing range was checked. The results of the project show that there are serious and sometimes fatal risks associated with a significant proportion of Christmas lights sold on the EU market.

The background:

The joint project was carried out by market surveillance authorities in Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Netherlands. In order to find and identify these dangerous products on the European market or before entering it, they conducted a market survey identifying the main distribution channels for lighting chains as well as the time frame for this seasonal product (when shipments arrive and when distributed to retail shops) in close co-operation with customs authorities.

They tested at least 25 samples each, covering the entire price range and selected on suspicion of non–compliance. The project evaluated the technical results and assessed the severity of non-conformities as well as measures taken by the authorities concerned.

The event:

15.00: Commissioner Kuneva will present the results of the study to the IMCO Committee in the European Parliament, Brussels.

IP, MEMO and publication of the detailed report by the five surveillance authorities.

The sources:

European Commission's website:

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

The contacts:

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

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

Wednesday 2 December: Developing the European Road Safety Action Programme 2011-2020

The news:

Involvement in a road traffic crash is the leading cause of death and hospital admission for citizens of the European Union (EU) under 45 years. With 39,000 road traffic deaths in 2008 and socio-economic costs of around 2% of GDP (€180 billion), road safety has to continue to be a priority area for action in the EU.

The European Commission will discuss the results of the consultation on the next European Road Safety Action Programme (2011-2020) during a Conference on Road Safety on Wednesday 2 December.

Speakers from all interested parties will present their experiences and develop new ideas that could serve as an input for the next action programme. The discussion will be organised along the following major themes:

• Assessment of the results of the current European Road Safety Action Plan (2001-2010)

• First results of the public consultation on the next European action programme (2011-2020)

• Safety of vehicles and of infrastructure

• The European citizen, actor of road safety

The conference will be opened by Vice-President Tajani, Commissioner for Transport.

The background:

The public consultation launched in October and November 2009 aimed at engaging European citizens and stakeholders, governments at national, regional and local levels, as well as the business and professional sectors, in identifying the key road safety problems to be addressed by the European Road Safety Action Programme 2011 – 2020 and the priority actions to be taken to address the unacceptable and costly levels of road deaths and serious injuries across the EU.

The event:

9.30 – 18.00: The conference on Road Safety will be held in the Room de Gasperi, building Charlemagne, rue de la Loi 170, Brussels.

The conference will be opened by Vice-President Tajani and will also be addressed by Mr Brian Simpson, President of the TRAN Committee of the European Parliament and Mrs Åsa Torstensson, Transport Minister of Sweden.

• Available on EbS

The sources:

Commission Website on the Road Safety Action Programme 2011-2020

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/events/2009_12_02_ersap_conference_en.htm

Commissioner Tajani's website:

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

The contacts:

Fabio Pirotta +32 229 67284 fabio.pirotta@ec.europa.eu

Andrea Maresi + 32 229 90403 andrea.maresi@ec.europa.eu

Thursday 3 December: 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:

11.15h: Press conference by Vice-president Tajani. Berlaymont press room, Brussels

• 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

Wednesday 9 December: Joint Employment Report

The news:

The Commission will present its draft for the 2009 Joint Employment Report (JER) on 9 December. The JER is the employment analysis and reporting part of the EU's Jobs & Growth Strategy. It will be discussed by employment and social affairs ministers in the Council in early-2010 and when adopted, will become a joint report by the Commission and Member States. Its recommendations then pass to the Spring European Council for endorsement by EU leaders.

The report will give an update of the employment situation in the EU - unemployment is forecast to grow next year in almost all Member States - set out the principal reforms undertaken and highlight the main challenges for the future, in particular how employment policies will need to adapt to prepare for and encourage labour market recovery. The JER will set out certain areas where progress on labour market reforms has been made as well as areas where it has been more limited or insufficient. It looks at gaps and weaknesses as well as differences in labour market outcomes from country to country.

In particular it focuses on how employment policies will need to adapt, but not too soon, to prepare for and encourage labour market recovery as part of exit strategies from the crisis, including pointers to recovery strategy.

The background:

After some years of relatively high growth and job creation (8 million new jobs alone in 2006-2008), the economic crisis has hit labour markets in Europe and affected the prospects and livelihoods of Europeans. In response, the European Commission launched a recovery plan to tackle the effects of the crisis and set three priorities for safeguarding jobs.

Evidence shows that Member States' employment measures in response to the crisis have significantly contributed to stabilise economies, and have in many cases reduced the adverse impact on employment in 2009. The key issue over coming months will be to ensure coherence between these short-term measures and longer term structural reforms.

The event:

Adoption of the report by the Commission. A press release and a MEMO will be issued.

Technical briefing in the Berlaymont press room (time to be confirmed).

The sources:

More information on EU response to the social dimension of the crisis:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=736

More information on employment:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=81&langId=en

Commissioner Špidla's website:

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

The contacts:

Chantal Hughes +32 2 296 44 50 chantal.hughes@ec.europa.eu

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

Wednesday 16 December: Designation of the first Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), in Budapest

The news:

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will designate its first two or three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) in the evening of 16 December 2009 in Budapest.

The background:

The selection of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities is the next crucial step towards a fully operational EIT. The EIT is a European flagship initiative which aims to foster innovation by bringing together higher education, research and business enterprise, thereby helping to make Europe a true knowledge economy and create sustainable growth and jobs.

The KICs are the autonomous operational base of the EIT. For the first time in Europe, top-class businesses, research centres and higher education institutions will be brought together to form highly integrated, excellence-driven partnerships, accumulating the necessary critical mass for excellence in innovation. People within a KIC will work together in co-location centres, generating a fertile breeding ground for innovative ideas and creating attractive and stimulating work environments for students, researchers and entrepreneurs.

The first call for KICs, launched on 2 April 2009, addresses three priority areas that are major societal challenges: climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable energy and the future information and communication society.

In total, 20 proposals were submitted across the three priority areas by the deadline of 27 August 2009. The proposals were evaluated by independent experts who put forward the top two proposals from each priority area. The EIT Governing Board will take the final decision following hearings with the six shortlisted candidates on 16 December in Budapest. Finally, two or three KICs will be designated based on the excellence of the proposals and partnerships.

The event:

Thursday 17 December

11.15: Press conference in Berlaymont via live, interactive video link from Budapest, Hungary, with Martin Schuurmans, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the EIT, and representatives of the winning KICs (in Budapest), and Commissioner Šefčovič (in Brussels). (Time and place to be confirmed).

• Available on Ebs

The sources:

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT):

http://eit.europa.eu

Commissioner Ševčovič's web site:

http://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

¹ :

Regulation (EC) No 661/2009