Commission: safeguarding children online “Children are going online more, and younger, and are exploring an exciting digital world of opportunity. But we urgently need to step up a gear on what we do, and how we work together to empower and protect children in this ever changing digital world”. Neelie Kroes, Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda thus commented on the contents of a report that analyses how Member States are implementing EU Recommendations “ensuring children can enjoy the digital world confidently and safely”. Member States and industry are increasingly making efforts to implement EU Recommendations on the protection of minors using audiovisual and online services. But “the measures taken have been insufficient overall”. In particular, the report shows that EU countries “are not responding adequately, or have varying approaches to tackling and reporting illegal or harmful content, ensuring children access age-appropriate content, making social networks safer for children and protecting children from harmful video games”. “We need to give parents and teachers the confidence to take on their responsibilities”, Kroes added, and announced a “strategy that will tackle these problems head on” by 2011. The Commission underlined the main findings of an EuKidsOnline survey which shows that “9-10 year olds in Europe who use the Internet report that, on average, they started to go online from age 7”. 33% of those who go online use a mobile phone or a handheld device. “77 % of 13-16 year olds and 38 % of 9-12 year olds in Europe who use the Internet say they have a profile on a social networking site”. That’s why “any EU-wide strategy in this field has to take account of the global and constantly changing nature of the digital environment and respond flexibly to new challenges”.Improving research in EuropeThe EU Commission launched a public consultation “to find out how the European research environment can be radically improved”. The goal is to achieve the European Research Area (ERA) “creating a genuine single market for knowledge, research and innovation”. This will enable “researchers, research institutions and businesses to circulate, compete, and co-operate across borders, increasing growth potential”. The online consultation – open to all citizens, enterprises and research institutes – runs until 30 November 2011. The Commission will draw on input to finalise its proposal for an enhanced ERA Framework by 2014. On 13 September European Commissioner for Research and Innovation Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: “The need to boost Europe’s economy means that we have to get the very best out of our research. It is unacceptable that it is often more attractive and easier for our top scientists to cross the Atlantic than to move across the EU. We want the research community to tell us what they need, so we can work together to tear down barriers to growth and jobs”. To take part in the consultation log on: http://ec.europa.eu/research/consultations/era/consultation_en.htm.Initiatives for small and medium enterprises Making it possible to start a company in 3 days for less than 100, increasing access to finance and public procurement and reducing bureaucracy. These are the key elements agreed on September 14 in Brussels on EU27 support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), at the forefront in restoring EU economy growth. The decisions were taken during a meeting between national SMEs and the EU – in the framework of the Small Business Act for Europe – to the presence of the EU SME Envoy Daniela Calleja. The SME Envoys agreed to implement the measures by September 2012. “In this crucial moment, where the survival of European integration is directly linked to our capacity to relaunch growth, we urgently need a genuine revolution to place SMEs and the real economy at the centre of politics and public administration in order to free their potential”, said Commissioner Antonio Tajani. the European Commission and all Member States are invited to introduce “a specific SME test before any legislation is adopted”. The test “should ensure that no new obstacles arise that could hamper the smooth running of Europe’s 25 million small businesses”. Twelve countries have already made the SME test a reality, and several more are in the process of introducing it.
