Forum and Web site to favour EU integrationTwo new instruments promoted by the European Union aimed at integrating third country citizens who live in the old Continent. The European Integration Forum, organized in cooperation with the European Economic and Social Committee, “will enable European institutions, stakeholders and civic society organizations to exchange views on integration issues” and a tailored web site (www.integration.eu) “providing high-quality content from Europe and building an online community of integration experts”. The site provides: documents on reports, laws and impact assessments; innovative “best practices”; Community tools to promote partnerships and common projects; information on funding opportunities; forums for discussion; Country information sheets with the latest information on laws; updated news and events. EU Commission vice-president, Jacques Barrot, in charge of Justice, Freedom and Security said: “I believe that it is essential for the success of integration policies to put our heads together. The Forum is a “physical” platform for a dialogue on the current challenges and on future priorities of integration policies; the Web Site is a “virtual platform”, an online toolkit for all those engaging with migrants”. Future Technologies: more funds from the CommissionA mind-controlled wheelchair that moves according to signals sent by the brain, that can be potentially be used by 300 thousand Europeans with spinal-cord disabilities; safer and quicker than light computers that can process unlimited amount of information thanks to the first results of quantum information. For the EU Commission the results can be achieved through more resource and “brain” investments. During the inauguration in Prague, April 21, of The First European Conference on Future Technologies, Viviane Reding, Commissioner for information society and media explained: “Europe must absolutely coordinate its 27 member states research activities and strengthen collaboration with world partners to be cutting edge” in the research field, “that can drive radically new solutions for citizens in healthcare. climate change, aging population, sustainable development and security”. The Executive proposed to double within 2015 investments for national and European research. The Commission will pave the way increasing by 70% within 2013 the current yearly funding of 1 million euros. “The Commission spurs Member State to keep the pace of the US, China and Japan” and favouring joint research and experimenting initiatives”. Among the first initiatives, the Commission wants to invest in are bio-computers.Eurobarometer: Universities close to the labour worldEuropean University students dream of open schools, closer to the entrepreneurial world, capable of providing training courses abroad. This is what emerged from a Eurobarometer survey published on April 22, among University students of 31 countries (27 Member States plus Croatia, Turkey, Norway and Iceland). Students mainly want “broader access” to Universities and “closer cooperation ties between universities and the labour world and continuous learning”. 97% of the respondents “deem it important to provide students with knowledge and abilities they will need to be successful on the labour market”. 87% of youngsters “agrees on the importance for universities” which are more than 4 thousand in Europe, ” to promote innovation and an entrepreneurial mind-set among students and staff and the possibility of jobs in private companies as part of a training course”. The number of students who want to study abroad is increasing and many of them want “more information on the quality of University education to make better decisions”. On April 28 and 29 Lovanio (Belgium) will host an international conference among Ministers of Education of 46 European Countries to assess the Bologna process- Commissioner Jan Figel’ explained -“define a new University agenda for Europe and list of priorities for the coming decade”.
