Press Releases from RAPID

The Commission is organising the 1st European SME Week from 6 to 14 May 2009. The SME week is an umbrella campaign aiming to promote entrepreneurship and inform entrepreneurs about support that is available to them at European, national and local level. The SME week is coordinated by the European Commission’s Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General and will be launched in Brussels on the 6th of May next year. The opening will be followed by an array of events organised by public administrations, business organisations and SME support providers at the national and local level throughout Europe.

The European Commission has proposed today a wide-ranging energy package which gives a new boost to energy security in Europe, supporting the 20-20-20 climate change proposals which should be agreed by December. The Commission puts forward a new strategy to build up energy solidarity among Member States and a new policy on energy networks to stimulate investment in more efficient, low-carbon energy networks. The Commission proposes a new EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan which sets out five areas where more action is needed to secure sustainable energy supplies. The Commission also looks at the challenges that Europe will face between 2020 and 2050. In addition, a package of energy efficiency proposals aims to make energy savings in key areas, such as reinforcing energy efficiency legislation on buildings and energy-using products, and enhancing the role of energy performance certificates as well as inspection reports for heating and air-conditioning systems.

Although we enjoy free movement of goods in the EU, national regulations can make it difficult for enterprises to sell their products in other Member States. There is however a successful tool which enables us to anticipate and fight against unnecessary barriers to trade. The tool is the notification procedure under Directive 98/34/EC and its predecessor, Directive 83/189/EC. For 25 years they have obliged Member States to provide information on any draft technical regulations on products and Information Society Services before they are adopted at the national level This system gives the Commission and other Member States - during standstill periods - the opportunity to examine draft regulations. Also enterprises can actively contribute to the fight against unnecessary administrative burdens by making use of this notification procedure. Since 1984 more than 12 000 draft regulations have been cleared.

Raw materials are an essential part of both high tech products and every-day consumer products. European industry needs fair access to raw materials both from within and outside the EU. For certain high tech metals, the EU has a high import dependency and access to these raw materials is getting increasingly difficult. Many resource-rich countries are applying protectionist measures that stop or slow down the export of raw materials to Europe in order to help their downstream industries. Many European producers suffer from such practices.

Rede von VP Verheugen - Rohstoffe wesentlich für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Europäischen Industrie" (DE).

Concerned about the employment situation in the European automotive sector CARS 21 stakeholders have met for a High Level Conference and agreed on conclusions on how to foster a competitive European car industry. All participants shared the need to position European car industry as global leader in clean, safe and affordable vehicles as they way ahead for safeguarding jobs and living up to the climate change challenge. The conference underlined that carmakers in the EU need to be able to compete on fair terms in international markets. A task force to promote "green" cars will be set up, which should bring together all relevant stakeholders to explore technical, regulatory and economic hurdles and suggest ways forward for such vehicles.

Competitive clusters are powerful engines of economic development and drivers for innovation in the European Union. They provide a fertile business environment for companies, especially Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), to collaborate with research institutions, suppliers, customers and competitors located in the same geographical area. A Commission communication published today, calls for more efforts for facilitating the emergence of world-class clusters in the European Union. It addresses key challenges to achieve this: Deepening the internal market, improving cluster policies, fostering trans-national cooperation, promoting excellence of cluster organisations, and improving the integration of innovative SMEs into clusters.

The final report of the Pharmaceutical Forum was presented today in Brussels setting out principles and recommendations on three key challenges in the pharmaceutical landscape. Firstly, how to improve information on diseases and treatments, secondly, how to compare medicines and identify the most effective ones and thirdly how to balance access and reward for innovation within limited healthcare budgets. The Pharmaceutical Forum was co-chaired by Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou. This meeting marks the end of a 3-year mandate. The Forum brought together Member States and stakeholders, including patient organisations, health professionals, industry and insurers. The final report comprises a set of principles and recommendations to increase cooperation in three key areas.

Making Europe more secure for its citizens while maintaining civil rights and liberties is the goal of European Security Research. By co-operating and coordinating efforts on a Europe-wide scale, the EU can better understand and adequately respond to risks in a constantly changing world and enhance its competitiveness at the same time. Innovative technological solutions such as advanced video surveillance in public stadium areas facilitate the action of security authorities. This is a new common research project involving 23 European security administrations and one United Nations agency to benefit from each others experience, to avoid duplication and to obtain a critical mass of resources.

Making Europe more secure for its citizens while maintaining civil rights and liberties is the goal of European Security Research. By co-operating and coordinating efforts on a Europe-wide scale, the EU can better understand and adequately respond to risks in a constantly changing world and enhance its competitiveness at the same time. Innovative technological solutions such as advanced video surveillance in public stadium areas facilitate the action of security authorities. This is a new common research project involving 23 European security administrations and one United Nations agency to benefit from each others experience, to avoid duplication and to obtain a critical mass of resources.

The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a directive that will further reduce the administrative burdens on European public limited-liability companies in the area of mergers and divisions. Under the proposal, companies would benefit from simplified requirements on reporting and on publication of draft terms. The proposal complements the two packages of "fast track" measures that were put forward by the Commission in March 2007 and April 2008. These measures will contribute to the objective of reducing administrative burdens on EU companies by 25% by the end of 2012. The total savings potential of the measures proposed so far in the area of company law, with the current proposal, is brought to 1 billion ¿/year.

The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a directive that will further reduce the administrative burdens on European public limited-liability companies in the area of mergers and divisions. Under the proposal, companies would benefit from simplified requirements on reporting and on publication of draft terms. The proposal complements the two packages of "fast track" measures that were put forward by the Commission in March 2007 and April 2008. These measures will contribute to the objective of reducing administrative burdens on EU companies by 25% by the end of 2012. The total savings potential of the measures proposed so far in the area of company law, with the current proposal, is brought to 1 billion ¿/year.

To increase road safety, the European Commission has decided to introduce dedicated Daytime Running Light (DRL) on all new types of motor vehicles from the year 2011 onwards. Dedicated Daytime Running Lights are special lamps which are automatically switched on when the engine is started. They substantially increase the visibility of motor vehicles to other road users, and have a low energy consumption compared to existing dipped-beam head lamps. In countries which have already made DRL obligatory the experience in the field of road safety is very positive.

To increase road safety, the European Commission has decided to introduce dedicated Daytime Running Light (DRL) on all new types of motor vehicles from the year 2011 onwards. Dedicated Daytime Running Lights are special lamps which are automatically switched on when the engine is started. They substantially increase the visibility of motor vehicles to other road users, and have a low energy consumption compared to existing dipped-beam head lamps. In countries which have already made DRL obligatory the experience in the field of road safety is very positive.

European Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen awarded twenty localities with the title of “best local intangible heritage destination in Europe” on the occasion of the 7th European Tourism Forum in Bordeaux today. The European Destinations of Excellence awards promote venues where commercial success goes hand in hand with social, cultural and environmental sustainability.

European Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen awarded twenty localities with the title of “best local intangible heritage destination in Europe” on the occasion of the 7th European Tourism Forum in Bordeaux today. The European Destinations of Excellence awards promote venues where commercial success goes hand in hand with social, cultural and environmental sustainability.

As the European Commission continues its progress towards its goal of reducing administrative burdens for enterprises by 25 percent in 2012, citizens and entrepreneurs are now invited to come forward with their practical ideas for cutting red tape. The High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens (HLG AB) launched today a new competition “Best Idea for Red Tape Reduction Award”.

As the European Commission continues its progress towards its goal of reducing administrative burdens for enterprises by 25 percent in 2012, citizens and entrepreneurs are now invited to come forward with their practical ideas for cutting red tape. The High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens (HLG AB) launched today a new competition “Best Idea for Red Tape Reduction Award”.

Kopernikus is the new name of the European Commission’s earth observation activities previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) so far. The name Kopernikus was announced by Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, today at a dedicated conference in Lille, organised in cooperation with the French presidency of the EU. The objective of Kopernikus is to monitor the state of the environment on land, at sea and in the atmosphere and to improve the security of the citizens in a world facing an increased risk of natural and other disasters.

Kopernikus is the new name of the European Commission’s earth observation activities previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) so far. The name Kopernikus was announced by Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, today at a dedicated conference in Lille, organised in cooperation with the French presidency of the EU. The objective of Kopernikus is to monitor the state of the environment on land, at sea and in the atmosphere and to improve the security of the citizens in a world facing an increased risk of natural and other disasters.

The European Commission welcomes today's support of the European Parliament for its proposal to simplify the approval of hydrogen powered vehicles. This will mark a step forward in the development and marketing of clean and safe hydrogen vehicles.

As a result, they will be seen more often on Europe's streets and the European automotive industry could become more competitive by taking the lead in hydrogen technology. The EP vote is based on a compromise reached with the Member States, which is expected to adopt the package shortly.