Erasmus program: highest increase in Eastern EuropeAn increasing number of students and teachers avail themselves of a training period abroad in one of the 31 Countries which adhered to the Erasmus program. In the academic year 2006-2007, 160 thousand young people and 26 thousand university professors spent an average six month-period abroad. Erasmus, created in 1987, is today the most remarkable EU instrument in the field of University mobility. The Program disposes of an annual 450 million-fund, and falls within the Community’ 2007-2013 Lifelong Learning Program. According to recent data presented by the Commission, the period 2006-2007 registered a 3% increase of students and 10% increase of professors availing themselves of the Program. Peaks were registered in Turkey and East European Countries. European Culture and Training Commissioner Jan Figel’ declared: “It is necessary to improve education-related mobility and step up quality programs at all levels. The Erasmus Program represents an excellent step in this direction. It extends knowledge, spirit of cooperation along with participants’ intercultural attitude. This in turn benefits all Europeans”. The Executive submitted data showing that Germans students are those who most prefer studying abroad (over 23thousand in a year), followed by the French, the Spaniards and the Italians. Spain remains the favorite destination with over 27thousand guests, followed by France, Germany and United Kingdom. In the first twenty years since its foundation, Erasmus enabled 1.7million European youth to study abroad. Future commitments include increasing the average sum allocated to students, currently amounting to 192 euro per month. Euro 2008: EU and Uefa for supporter-consumer protection A toll-free number is available in the 23 official languages along with two specific websites and a brochure constituting a real and true “Decalogue” for supporters abroad. This was the joint initiative of the EU and UEFA Champions League in view of the European Football championship which will be held June 7-29 in Austria and Swizerland. “The Commission’s message is clear – explained Commissioner Megleva Kuneva -: EU citizens have clear and well-defined consumer rights. They should be aware of them. Football team supporters should be well-equipped when traveling for Euro 2008. It’s important they are informed of their rights”. The campaign is aimed at supplying practical information to citizens who will be arriving to the two Countries from all over Europe. The campaign provides information on the problem of false tickets, ticket transfer in case of illness, air travel, hotel accommodation, expenses for roaming phone calls and health insurance. This data will be available on-line from June 1st on the websites www.euro2008.com and www.supportersrights.eu. The toll-free number will be 00800 6 7 8 9 10 11. Michel Platini, Uefa President, declared his satisfaction for the agreement, which will “help supporters of all Countries make the most of their stay in Austria and Swizerland”. Food commodity prices: the stand of the 27Member States Foodstuffs price increase throughout Europe and in the world will be the object of Euro-Parliament debate on May 22, on the occasion of the plenary meeting in Strasbourg. The problem is strongly felt in EU27 where, according to a resolution awaiting ratification, many families can hardly cover their living expenses. The document extends its horizons to the rest of the world and in particular to developing Countries, where hunger-stricken populations are on the increase. Recent revolts in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Haiti, Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire , Mauritania, Bolivia, Uzbekistan are not accidental. According to a report by the World Bank, 33 Countries risk civil strife. Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel, had already declared in April’s meeting that since the beginning of the year, foodstuffs price increase “triggered global conscience-awareness on food shortage”. He did however point out that this is “not a recent phenomenon”. Since the year 2000, “dollar wheat prices increased three-fold while those of rice and maize doubled”. With this document, MEPs wish to identify the causes of the present situation. Some of those mentioned in the document include oil price surge, changes in food demand, production decrease and agricultural stocks (biofuels are viewed as the cause), climate-change related disasters, international trade regulations and even the consequences of the Common Agricultural Policy.
