Economy and the environment at the EU summitEconomic policies and financial questions – not only Greece’s – are on the top of the agenda of the next European Council. The meeting of EU27 heads of Government or State, is scheduled to take place next October 17-18 in Brussels, with three main items on the agenda. Firstly, “the European Council will discuss the external aspects of the Union’s economic policy, in conjunction with the summits which will be taking place in the autumn and as part of the follow-up to its September 2010 conclusions”. The focus, according to EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy, will be on “enhancing Europe’s competitiveness in the world”. The summit may also “set orientations on other aspects of economic policy, particularly as regards growth enhancing areas”. The second item on the agenda is the G20 summit (setting of the EU position) scheduled to take place in Cannes, France, on 3 and 4 November 2011. In that seat the European Commission intends to illustrate the pillars of the proposal of a tax on financial transactions, which until now has triggered a debate in the EU and at international level. The Council will then develop “the position of the EU for the Durban conference on climate change” due to take place from November 28 to December 9 2011.Voluntary humanitarian aid corpsIn its latest sitting in Strasbourg the EU Parliament adopted as its official position a written Declaration on a specific aspect of volunteering. On the basis of the document presented by MEPs Georgios Koumoutsakos, Hélène Flautre, Vittorio Prodi and Marian Harkin, endorsed by 388 signatories (the absolute majority of the EP), the Assembly declares “that humanitarian action is a fundamental expression of the European value of solidarity”; “stresses that the long European tradition of volunteering is an indispensable part of our common European identity;” calls on the European Parliament and the Council – as provided for in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, (Article 214) “to set up a a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps” that will bring “added value to European citizens by encouraging their active participation and contributing to a more cohesive society”. The initiative that falls within the framework of the European Year of Volunteering, Calls on the European Parliament and the Council “to determine the rules and procedures for the operation of the Corps in response to disasters and to work on setting up the Corps promptly”.European Development Days 2011The Polish rotating presidency of the EU Council of Ministers made known that the 2011 edition of the European Development Days (EDD) will take place in Warsaw next December 15-16. The Polish undersecretary of State Krzysztof Stanowski, and EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs underlined that “this year, the EDDs will focus on democracy and development in the wake of the recent Arab Spring events and the proposals of the European Commission for a new EU development policy”, including the Mediterranean partnership. Now in their sixth year, the EDDs “have become a key event on the international development calendar and a major political discussion forum which bring together current and former Heads of State and Government from Europe and many other parts of the world, especially from Africa, as well as academics, media and civil society”, the presidency-in-office declared in the press release. Commissioner Piebalgs said: “”The events across North Africa this year have confirmed that economic and social development has to go hand in hand with democratic development. The European Development Days will be a key opportunity to bring together leading voices on development from across the world to feed the EU development agenda and improve our impact”. Polish President, Bronislaw Komorowski, and Commission President, Jose-Manuel Barroso, will deliver a keynote speech at the opening of the two-day conference.Social networks and the protection of minorsOnly “two out of nine social networking sites (Habbo Hotel and Xbox Live) have default settings which make minors’ personal profiles accessible only to their approved list of contacts” according to a new round of tests undertaken for the European Commission. However, “a majority of sites tested do give youngsters age-appropriate safety information”. Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda said: “Young people enjoy and derive great benefits from social networking online but are often not conscious enough of risks such as grooming. Social networking sites need to take seriously their responsibilities towards these youngsters”. The Commissioner announced her intention to adopt “a comprehensive strategy on making the internet a safer place for children”.
