EU Council: foreign politics and economic governance”We have to send a clear message to our partners that our summits with them have a political backing of all EU 27 at the level of Heads and are not only a product of the Brussels institutions”: European Council president Herman Van Rompuy, called EU Heads of Government and State to “close cooperation”, so as to define the “Union’s strategic objectives and interests” to be developed on an international scale. The agenda drawn up by Van Rompuy for the summit held in the Belgian capital September 16, focused on two major themes: relation with EU strategic partnerships (also in view of meetings due to be held in the forthcoming weeks: the Asia Europe Meeting, the summits with China, the Republic of Korea and India, the UN Summit on Millennium Objectives, the G20) and economic governance. Debates – held to the presence of Foreign Secretaries – centered on the ways to “give fresh impetus” to EU foreign policy: in fact, on the basis of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council has new coordination powers in this area, which is also the field of action of the High Commissioner for Foreign Policy (Catherine Ashton) and the EU’s developing “diplomatic service. As relates to strengthened economic governance, Van Rompuy referred to the progress of the task-force he chairs, set up in the Council held past March. European Council conclusions will undergo European Parliament debate during the plenary in Strasbourg next September 22. Mobility week: cities without carsAn entire week devoted to “clean and intelligent mobility”. The aim is “to encourage local authorities to promote soft modes of transport and highlight their positive impact on public health and on the environment”. From 16 to 22 September 2010, hundreds of towns and cities across Europe and beyond will take part in European Mobility Week (www.mobilityweek.eu) whose slogan is “Travel Smarter Live Better”. The Week’s initiatives aim at sensibilising citizens to the use of public transport, cycling, walking and include environmental education meetings, and visiting urban centers with alternative modes of transport. Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, said: “Most of the world’s people live in urban areas. Most of our daily journeys start and end in urban areas, so we really depend on urban transport systems. We all suffer from the negative effects of urban transport such as congestion, accidents, poor air quality or noise, which clearly diminish our quality of life. These problems are not local matters but concern the EU as a whole”. Last year a record of over 2000 cities took part in the Week. According to the Commission more than 4,440 permanent measures were introduced as a result of the week-long campaign. The week culminates in a Car Free Day, officially designated as 22 September. European citizens in favor of development aid European citizens “continue to show resolute support to aid provided to developing countries” according to a special Eurobarometer survey titled “Europeans, Development aid and the Millennium Development Goals”, in view of the UN High Level Meeting on this theme that will be held in New York next September 20 to 22. The survey aims “to gauge the public commitment to development aid” in view of “the on-going economic crisis”. The poll “shows 89% of respondents consider development aid is important or very important”. Two in three Europeans “believe that the EU should honor, or even improve, on its promises to increase development aid to 0.7% of GNI by 2015, the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goal”. This support, shared by a vast majority of citizens regardless of the nationality, “has remained consistently high despite the financial crisis and the economic situation in Europe”. Eurobarometer points out: “76% of Europeans believe that there is added value in EU countries working together which contributes to avoid duplication and ensure aid effectiveness. European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs said: “European citizens sent a very clear message to all of us: despite the economic slowdown, EU’s solidarity and responsibility towards those in need must be pursued”.
