More entrepreneurs to boost growth Ensuring entrepreneurial "education" and "culture"; creating an environment in which entrepreneurs can flourish and grow; promoting entrepreneurship in specific segments of the population are the key elements of the action plan presented January 9 by the EU Commission to "unleash Europe’s entrepreneurial potentials", thus contributing to "bringing back economic growth". The plan urges Member States to undertake a set of initiatives in this realm. "The plan stresses the key role of education and training to nurture new generations of entrepreneurs, and includes specific measures to help budding entrepreneurs among young people, women, seniors, migrants, and the unemployed". The "high level of EU unemployment leaves untapped human resources", the Commission states in a release. The plan equally highlights measures to facilitate start-ups and new businesses, to decrease bureaucracy (administrative and legislative simplification) and improve access to funding. Unemployment and welfare: EU poverty risk Urgent national reforms, support to enterprises and investments are, according to the EU Commissioner for Social Affairs Lazslo Andor, the only solution to prevent the worsening of the situation in Europe and counter increasing unemployment rates. On January 8 Commissioner Andor presented the 2012 edition of the Employment and Social Developments in Europe Review commenting a "worrying trend". "It is unlikely that Europe will see much socio-economic improvement in 2013 unless it achieves greater progress also on credibly resolving the euro crisis, finding resources for much needed investment, including in people’s skills, employability and social inclusion and making finance work for the real economy". Andor, after having presented figures relating to 2012 (growing rates of unemployment, reached 11.8% last year in euro area countries, while one in four youths has no prospects of employment), underlined the "poverty risk" that involves a large portion of EU populations. Andor pointed out that some EU countries (Greece, Spain) registered over 50% of unemployment, but the situation is "serious" also in other nations. "Unemployment is hitting new peaks not seen for almost twenty years", the Commissioner said, in a situation whereby welfare systems have lost their potential of social protection". Croatia: less than six months to adhesion The youngest is Tanja Vrbat, born in 1979; the oldest, Nikola Vuljanic, was born in 1949. They are two of twelve "observers" representing Croatia at the European Parliament until June 30, as the following day Croatia will officially become the 28th State of the EU and new MEPs will sit in the European Parliaments. "Observers – states the European Parliament – take part in the works of Parliament and have the right to speak in committees and political groups. However they are not entitled to vote or to stand for election to positions in Parliament". Thus the representatives of Croatia will then be sitting in next week’s plenary session in Strasbourg (14-17 January), joining the political groups to which they belong: 7 to the Socialists and Democrats, three to the People’s Party, one of the Liberal-Democrat and one non-member. The Croatian government in office will soon appoint a member of the EU Commission. Meanwhile, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic will participate as an observer in the summit of Heads of State and Government.EU27 reaffirms it commitment for Haiti "Three years on from the dreadful tragedy that struck Haiti" (January 12 2010), a "lot remains to be done" for the inhabitants of the Caribbean island to help recover from the long-suffering worsened by poverty, epidemics, and further natural disasters. Depite the commitment of the international community, the EU’s in particular, "350,000 people still live in temporary shelters", while long term aid is needed for reconstruction and economic recovery, although encouragingly the Haitian economy is recovering at a rate of about 6-7%. EU Commissioners Catherine Ashton, Kristalina Georgieva and Andris Piebalgs drew a balance of what has been achieved until today by the EU, that intervened with humanitarian aid, civil protection staff, doctors and civil engineers. EU interventions helped improve living standards, education, (with training courses for teachers and the creation of schools.) "Today we are also reaffirming our long-term commitment to the Haitian people". The Commissioners declared in their joint statement. The EU provided more than 500,000 people with housing, and its commitment includes the establishment of infrastructures for economic recovery in the Country. EU humanitarian aid has benefited 5 million people.
