EU27 towards a summit that is decisive for the economyAfter the Eurogroup and Ecofin meetings held the beginning of the week, European institutions focus on themes related to economic governance, financial stability (Greece is still under the limelight), as well as to rigorous national budgets. The European Parliament, gathered in plenary meeting in Brussels on June 22-23, put on top of the agenda the debate with EU Commission and Council representatives in view of the two-day summit that will bring together 27 Heads of Government or State and community governments. The Assembly will also be voting on legislative provisions aimed at renewing common regulations on economic coordination. MEPs are called to vote on the appointment of the next President of the Central Bank of Frankfurt (the only candidate is the governor of the Banca d’Italia, Mario Draghi). The agenda of the European Council of June 23-24 presents a wide range of topics: economic policies (governance, national reform programmes, EU Commission recommendations for Member States); migrations (common policy, reinforcing external borders, European Asylum system, Schengen, partnership with the Mediterranean area countries); the calendar for Croatia’s EU adhesion; Roma integration; strategy for the Danube region.Food poverty, the EU’s provisions”Although the EU has, on average, among the highest living standards in the world, some people are unable to feed themselves adequately. An estimated 43 million people in the EU are at risk of food poverty, meaning that they cannot afford a proper meal every second day”. The statement is reported in the document with which on June 20 the Commission made known the total value of funds for the 2012 programme for the supply of food for the most deprived persons, that has been set at set at 113 million with precise allocations for Member States. The allocations are based on all the available existing intervention stocks of cereals and Skimmed Milk Powder. The sum is reduced to less than a quarter as compared to recent years because of a problem in the interpretation of the current regulation that is deadlocked in Council, requiring the green light by its Member State representatives (EU Commission and Parliament have already agreed a rapid solution to the problem). Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Ciolos, underlined: “We remain politically committed to this scheme – and its importance is recognised by many charity organisations and NGOs around the EU. We must therefore find a way of continuing the scheme in the medium to long term which is clearly in line with the legal situation”.Beaches and bathing water: European figuresAccording to the EU Commission, 9 out of 10 coastal sites waters’ quality is high, although “the quality of bathing water across Europe declined slightly between 2009 and 2010”. The annual “Bathing Water Report” provides data on water quality published by the European the European Environment Agency (EEA) for the European Commission. This year’s edition (with figures related to 2010) compares water quality in more than 21,000 coastal and inland bathing sites across the EU-27. “Cyprus was the star performer, with 100% of its bathing water sites meeting strict guide values, followed by Croatia (97.3%), Malta (95.4%), Greece (94.2%) and Ireland (90.1%)”. Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, said: “Clean water for swimming is very important for EU citizens, and this information will allow them to demand the highest quality water in lakes, rivers and beaches”. “Public participation is essential for the continued monitoring of Europe’s bathing water, especially as the effects of climate change become more visible”. The Commission has also adopted new signs and symbols “that will be used to inform the public on bathing water classification and on bathing restrictions”. Further information on the report is available on website of the Agency www.eea.europa.eu. European citizens can find out about the water quality at their favourite swimming spot by checking the Water Information System for Europe (WISE). The site “allows users to download data and check interactive maps, from the European level down to the individual monitoring station level”. People “can also report the state of their local water” using the Eye on Earth website. Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik said: “Clean water is a priceless resource, and we should not take it for granted. I would encourage Member States to ensure we turn the slight decline we experienced last year into an upward trend”.
