Croatians to elect 12 MEPsOn April 14 Croatian citizens will elect 12 representatives that will sit at the European Parliament next July 1st, when Croatia will officially join the EU. The Country is currently represented by 12 observers appointed March 11 2011 by the Croatian Parliament. Now the time has come to vote official MEPs whose mandate will be limited in time, seen that in May 2014 all of Europe will return to the polls for the renewal of the European Assembly. MEPs will be elected according to a "proportionate system". These elections carry "great symbolic importance", said Croatian president Ivo Josipovic, who stressed the relevance of election lists based on equal opportunities for men and women. The electoral regulations stipulate that in the lists presented by each political groups 40% of all candidates must be women. In the meantime other Balkan States continue the complex process that will bring them close to the EU. These include three candidate countries such as Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, while Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo, have obtained the status of "potentially candidate country". EU towards the Convention of human rights"Accession of the EU to the ECHR will strengthen the protection of human rights in Europe. This is a decisive step, paving the way to EU accession to the European Convention of Human Rights. It will contribute to the creation of a single European legal space, putting in place the missing link in the European system of fundamental rights protection". Thorbjørn Jagland, Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, welcomed the agreement reached by the CoE and the EU stipulating its adhesion to the Convention signed in 1950, whose observance lies within the responsibilities of the European Court in Strasbourg. Prior to its adoption the new CoE-EU document, a point of arrival of official negotiations ongoing since 2010, must be given the green light by the EU Court of Justice. Official talks between the two bodies were launched in the 1970s. The Lisbon Treaty (that came into force December 1 2009) stipulates that adhesion to the Convention is the EU’s legal obligation. Research in Europe, still very few women"Despite some advances in recent years, women in research remain a minority, and a glass ceiling is in particular blocking women from top positions. This is a serious injustice and a scandalous waste of talent". EU Commissioner for Science and Innovation Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, commented on the findings of the Executive’s report titled "She figures", which shows that "under-representation of women in scientific disciplines and careers still persists" even though "the proportion of female researchers in Europe is increasing", the document states. Women represent only 33% of European researchers, 20% of full professors and 15.5 % of heads of institutions in the Higher Education sector" even though in 2010, the proportion of female students (55 %) and graduates (59 %) exceeded that of male students, but men outnumbered women among PhD students and graduates (respectively 49 % and 46 %). The Commission "is focused on fostering gender equality in our research programmes", said Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn. The Commission has asked Member States "to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers".Committee of the Regions, 100th plenaryOn April 11-12 the Committee of the Regions (CoR) will celebrate its 100th edition since its creation in 1994. For the occasion the consultative body of the European Union, representing Member countries’ local bodies, cities and regions, will hold a debate on the the EU budget and the economic crisis for the period 2014-2020. President, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, will welcome the European Parliament’s President, Martin Schulz for a debate on the most pressing issues in EU affairs today. "With the European elections looming next year, ways to boost citizens’ participation will top the agenda as the two institutions consider how to further improve cooperation", the CoR writes in a release. "The challenge of European re-industrialisation and the pioneering role played by cities and regions in implementing industrial policy will also be among the highlights of the discussions". Claude Gewerc (FR/PES), President of Picardy Regional Council, will present an opinion "on the European Commission’s strategy to support a strong, diversified and competitive industrial base in Europe".
