The rights of passengers with disabilities "Many disabled and reduced mobility air travellers still face problems of unjustified refusals, and other unfair demands when attempting to travel". On these grounds, the EU Commission published guidelines for air companies that will help facilitate air travel for disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility and thus assist air carriers and airports. It is essential that disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility (like old people) notify their needs at least 48 hours before the published time of departure. The guidelines issued by the Commission "cover travellers at all EU airports and the operations of EU carriers anywhere in the world. They also cover non-EU carriers within or leaving Europe". Mr Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum, said: "Quality assistance is very important for persons with disabilities and it is positively addressed into the interpretative guidelines". The document provide information on the use of wheel-chairs and other mobility equipment on board, on assistance dogs, and for passengers needing to travel with oxygen.Commission, transparency portal "The European Union is a unique, but complex structure. Therefore, transparent decision making is particularly important for us. Many information tools already exist in the Commission, and we have to make them easily accessible to citizens", said Maro efèoviè Commissioner for interinstitutional relations and administration. A new Transparency web portal, will provide quick and direct access on legislation, Impact assessments, experts groups and advisory committees, consultations, interest representation and lobbying, access to documents, recipients of EU funds. Sefcovic said: "The Commission has been in the lead in bringing greater openness and transparency to decision-making in the EU. But we can still improve things further. "We have listened to those who use our many transparency tools, and a common complaint is that the tools are scattered across the Europa website and are sometimes hard to find". For the transparency portal log on: http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/index_en.htm.Digital agenda: necessary "structural reforms" "Europeans are hungry for digital technologies and more digital choices, but governments and industry are not keeping up with them. This attachment to 20th century policy mindsets and business models is hurting Europe’s economy. It’s a terrible shame”, said European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes after the recent publication of the annual Digital Agenda scoreboard. Accordingly, “Europe’s citizens, businesses and innovators are generating enough digital demand to put Europe into sustainable economic growth, but failure to supply enough fast internet, online content, research and relevant skills is undermining this potential". There is the need for structural reforms throughout Europe. However, EU findings also show that Broadband 95% of Europeans have access to a fixed broadband connection, while consumers and businesses are moving fast to mobile. Problems remain regard the lack Half of European of labour force with sufficient ICT skills and diffidence towards online shopping. Per capita GDP, a European classification by EurostatPer capita wealth is concentrated in Northern European countries, while per capita GDP levels progressively decrease as we move closer to the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. These are the findings of a survey by Eurostat, which shows that per capita GDP, measured in Purchasing Power Standards (i.e. an artificial currency unit that eliminates price level differences between countries) ranges from 274% in Luxembourg – the highest level of GDP per capita, taking 100 as EU average – to 45% in Bulgaria. After Luxembourg, at the top of the richest countries’ classification figure the Netherlands (131% compared to EU average), Austria (129), Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, all ranging from 130 to 120%, Finland, Belgium and Germany, (108%) and France (107%) were between 15% and 20% above the average, while France and the United Kingdom In Italy and Spain, GDP per capita was around the EU27 average. At the bottom of the chart figure Cyprus, Slovenia, Malta… Countries with less per capita wealth are the Baltic Republics, Hungary (66%), Poland (65), Romania (49% of EU average) and Bulgaria (45).
