José Manuel Barroso has now presented his strategic objectives for the next five years to the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee – for an outline of the priorities, please see this month’s Annexe to the Brussels Brief.

(Details of the Barroso Commission may be found on: http://europa.eu.int/comm/commission_barroso/index_en.htm)

° Further milestone towards EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania: The European Commission adopted a favourable Opinion on the accession to the European Union of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania. This decision follows the successful conclusion of accession negotiations by the European Council meeting in Brussels on 17 December 2004 and the finalisation of the Treaty of Accession in February 2005.  In accordance with the timetable established by the Luxembourg Presidency, in agreement with the European Parliament and with the Commission, to enable the signature of the Treaty of Accession to take place in Luxembourg on 25 April 2005, the decision on assent of the European Parliament is planned to be taken on 13 April 2005 and the Council decision is to follow on 25 April 2005, the same day as the date of the signature.

The Accession Treaty needs to be ratified by the present and future Member States and will enter into force on 1 January 2007.

http://www.eu2005.lu/en/presidence/index.html

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

° Eurostat R&D expenditure statistics - EU25 spent nearly 2% of GDP on Research and Development in 2002: Luxembourg recorded the largest share of R&D expenditure financed by the business sector (91% in 2000), followed by Sweden (72% in 2001), Finland (70% in 2002), Ireland (67% in 2000) and Germany (66% in 2002). In 2002, in 8 of the 25 current Member States the government sector was the main provider of funds and business participation was below 1/3: Portugal (2001); Poland; Greece (2001); Hungary; Estonia; Lithuania; Latvia and Cyprus.  Latvia had the highest percentage of R&D funding from abroad (over 35%): foreign R&D funding was also important in Greece, Austria and the U.K. (more than 20% each). This publication is available (free) here.

° French researchers protest against new law on research : French researchers took to the streets again on 4 February to protest about the new Research Reform Law (LOPRI), unveiled by the government on 14 January. According to the protesters, the one billion euro pledged by President Jacques Chirac will benefit only applied research. This research investment increase would continue to the tune of an extra six billion euro over the next five years. They are therefore protesting against what they see as the over-involvement of the private sector. Throughout February, the two ministers involved, François d'Aubert and François Fillon, were scheduled to meet representatives from the Committee on Initiatives and Propositions (CIP), trade unions and public and private research institutions in an attempt to resolve the controversy surrounding the draft laws.

° European researchers collect first seafloor images of tsunami earthquake zone The seabed images were collected by the UK Royal Navy's survey ship 'HMS Scott' using a high-resolution multi beam sonar. It is the first time the seafloor has been surveyed so soon after an earthquake of this size, which measured 9 on the Richter scale. http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/soc_home2.php?pagetype=news3&idx=223

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:  

° eMobility Technology Platform partners commit to one billion euro of investment : The eMobility Technology Platform, set up to foster wireless research and reinforce Europe's leadership in mobile communications, has received substantial funding pledges from all involved. eMobility will be officially launched on 18 March.  It is an EU-wide public-private partnership focusing on European research and development (R&D) efforts and exploiting the future potential of mobile and wireless. The partners will apply for research funding from the EU and major telecoms equipment companies (Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens, Alcatel) and mobile operators (Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica).

EDUCATION:

° An additional 69 universities join the Erasmus Mundus programme: The European Commission has selected a further 17 Erasmus Mundus master’s courses, involving 69 European universities new to the scheme. 16 of these courses will start at the beginning of the next academic year (2005-2006) (one will have the status of a preparatory year) - on top of the 19 that started last autumn.  Countries most prominently represented are the United Kingdom (11 universities), Germany (8), the Netherlands (7), Sweden and France (6 each). http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/mundus/index_en.html 

° Erasmus Student numbers increased by 9.4% in the academic year 2003/2004 (a total of 135,586 Erasmus students): Reports from Socrates-Erasmus National Agencies to the European Commission  show a similar percentage rise in the number of Erasmus teachers. Most of the 30 participating countries experienced a growth in outgoing mobility. Spain (which welcomed 22,000 Erasmus students), France (19,000) and Germany (16,000) remained the most popular destinations for incoming Erasmus students:they also send the most students to other universities (around 20,000 each per year). http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/erasmus/erasmus_en.html

THE ENVIRONMENT:  

° Kyoto protocol comes into effect: The protocol calls for 35 industrialised nations (and the EU) to reduced “greenhouse gas” emissions.  Developing powerhouses such as China and India are exempt. The United States, the world's largest emitter, has not ratified the protocol but says it is committed to reducing its emissions by 18% before 2012 and will spend $5.8 billion this year on research. The EU said it would take action against Britain if it did not stick to an agreed quota of carbon-dioxide emissions.

° Commission Communication on Climate change outlines core elements for post-2012 strategy

The communication sets out future policies of climate change and includes a set of proposals to structure future EU negotiations with its global partners over climate change policies after 2012 when the first commitment period under the Kyoto protocol ends.  Recommendations include the following: (1) Broader international participation in reducing emissions. During 2005, the EU should explore options for a future regime based on common but differentiated responsibilities. (2) Inclusion of more sectors, particularly aviation, maritime transport, forestry (problem of deforestation in some regions). (3) Promote EU innovation to develop and take up new climate-friendly technologies and the right decisions on long-term investments into the energy, transport and building infrastructure. (4) Continued use of flexible market-based instruments for reducing emissions in the EU and globally. (5) Adaptation of policies in the EU and globally, requiring greater effort to identify vulnerabilities and to implement measures to increase resilience. http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/future_action.htm

° European Commission sets a positive agenda for the 2005 review of the Sustainable Development Strategy: The new Commission wants to review the Strategy to sharpen its objectives and to set new milestones. In October 2004 the Commission conducted a public consultation on the strategy.  It received over 1,000 replies from individuals, organisations, private business and national and local governments. On 14 and 15 April 2005 a stakeholder conference will be organised by the European Economic and Social Committee on the review of the Sustainable Development Strategy. Later this year the Commission will present a second Communication to Parliament and Council.

° New research from Sweden points to larger role for nature in climate change:  Scientists are increasing their estimates of the impact of natural climate change on the Earth's overall climate. Currently, the most widespread view of climate variability during the past millennium is one of only minor changes before 1900, at which point a period of marked warming began. However, the latest study reveals a prolonged heat wave in the northern hemisphere during the 11th and 12th centuries, followed by a pronounced cold period around 1600.  The Commission’s ‘Cordis’ service reports that these latest findings do little, however, to improve our understanding of the impact of human activities of climate change.

° Commission decides Dutch exemption from waste tax for dredging sludge does not constitute state aid: In the Netherlands a tax is levied on waste that is offered to landfill in order to reduce the volume of waste. This does not apply to dredging sludge. Dutch public policy is to improve public waterways and maintain or even increase dredging.  The Commission took account of the fact that the tax exemption does not provide selective advantages to certain undertakings and that the supply of organic material is beyond the control of the authorities: much of it enters the country via the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Schelde.  It is rarely possible to identify and hold responsible individual polluters. Some 10% of all sludge can be cleaned so that part of it can be reused e.g. as building material. The Netherlands intends to achieve this objective by imposing a minimum treatment standard upon the operators of landfill sites.

° Environmental cases: Case against Italy for not providing for environmental impact assessment of waste disposal facilities - Case Filing C-486/04 regarding the Massafra Waste Development Facility and biomass incineration plant project.  This related to inappropriate adoption by Italy of legislation relating to Directive 85/337/EEC as amended by Directive 97/11/EEC.  Italy was ordered to pay costs for this and for Case Filing C-478/04, a Case against Italy for dereliction of duty on dangerous waste at a dump in Verona.  A further Case against Italy for failing to set ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants was withdrawn on Italy's acknowledgment of failings: order (C-100/04 1) but Italy was nonetheless ordered to pay costs.

° Legal Opinion:  Netherlands has failed to implement several provisions of directives to protect wild birds' and their habitats: (C-441/03)

See also: http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sgb/droit_com/index_en.htm#infractions

For rulings by the European Court of Justice see http://curia.eu.int/en/content/juris/index.htm

ENERGY:

° Workshop “Nuclear waste: facts and choices”Mr. Andris Piebalgs European Commissioner, responsible for Energy gave a speech in Brussels on the subject of "European Union needs a clear answer on nuclear waste".  His speech emphasised the need to inform the public of what is being done to ensure a high-level of safety for all nuclear facilities throughout the EU.  Full text of this speech is here. 

TRANSPORT:

° Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on international rail passengers' rights and obligations COM(2004) 143 final - 2004/0049 (COD) Full text of Opinion in MS Word file on ESC website

Reference point: Energy and Transport DG

INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING:

° European Investment Bank  

° The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing two loans totalling  EUR 79 million in Romania:
 Euro 66.4 million to finance projects in the national health sector; Euro12.6 million for investments to improve water supply services in small and medium-sized towns. The latter Programme will improve water supply services, cost savings and reduce leakage. The EIB loan will be combined with grants from the EU Phare Programme and the State budget intervention.

 

° A European Parliament report on EIB activities in 2003 from Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs proposes that ‘more realistic prudential rules’ should be drawn up.  The report (reference and hyper-link appear in the Parliament section below) suggests that in the case of major programmes, (such as funding for public transport facilities), there is an apparent contradiction between EIB efforts to offer public authorities long-term, low-cost credit and the Stability Pact which currently limits the ability of public authorities to have recourse to such loans, as its criteria do not take into account the 'sustainability' of loans. 

° EIB Group activity in 2004: In 2004, the European Investment Bank lent a total of EUR 43.2bn (2003: 42.3bn) for projects furthering the European Union’s political objectives. Financing in the EU-25 Member States totalled EUR 39.7bn (of which EUR 3.8bn in the 10 new Member States), and EUR 3.5bn was made available in non-EU countries. Lending in the Accession Countries (Bulgaria, Romania) amounted to EUR 119 million, and in the Western Balkan countries the EIB assistance to development projects totalled EUR 461 million. 

 

° To fund its lending, the EIB raised an aggregate amount of EUR 50bn on the international capital markets through 282 bond issues in 15 currencies. As at 31 December 2004, the EIB’s outstanding lending amounted to EUR 265.8bn and outstanding debt to EUR 214.8bn. Full text

Further Information on European Investment Bank loans is to be found on http://www.eib.org

° The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  

° EBRD: A Euro 26.5 million loan finances extension of Gruz harbour (Croatia), part of a plan by the Dubrovnik Port Authority to upgrade its facilities

Information on EBRD activity is to be found on: http://www.ebrd.org

° The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has published prior information on a call for tenders for research expertise related to establishing an occupational safety and health observatory. The contract is expected to run for a maximum  three years, with an approximate annual budget of around 500,000 euro. Full details: http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?REQUE ST=Seek-Deliver&LANGUAGE=en&DOCI D=036960-2005 

The European Parliament held a plenary session on 21st-24th February 2005 in Strasbourg.

Health and Safety: The European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee is asking the 
Commission to consider using the "open coordination method" in this area to help Member States, especially 
the new ones, to enact the EU's directives on health and safety at work in their national legislation. MEPs 
believe the EU's future strategy on health and safety should include the liberal professions but should focus 
above all on the construction, fisheries, agriculture and health sectors.

The session also included a visit by President Yushchenko of the Ukraine whose January visit was postponed wing to the severe snow affecting the airports of Central and Eastern Europe at that time.

An oral question to the Commission on the possible doubling of EU budgetary resources for research was put by MEP Miloslav Ransdorf of the Czech Republic.

A Working party on Services Directive is being set up by Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection. The draft directive, also known as the Bolkestein directive, is regarded as one of the most important issues coming up before MEPs in the European Parliament's current term of office.

Some reports of interest include:

Report: River Traffic Information Services on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on harmonised River Traffic Information Services on inland waterways in the Community Rapporteur: Renate Sommer MEP(Ref: A6-0055/2004)

Science and technology - guidelines for future European Union policy to support research

Rapporteur: Pia Elda Locatelli MEP

Promoting health and safety at the workplace Rapporteur: Jiří Maštalka MEP (Ref: A6-0029/2005) Click Here.

Report on the European Environment & Health Action Plan 2004-2010 Rapporteur: Frederique Ries MEP A6-0008/2005

Report on the activity report for 2003 of the European Investment Bank FINAL A6-0032/2005 Rapporteur: <Depute>Alain Lipietz MEP </Depute>Full text

Draft EP Committee Opinion and Report on the role of the EU in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals:

· DRAFT OPINION of the Committee on International Trade for the Committee on Development on the role of the EU in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2004/2252(INI))

° ICC/FIDIC Conference on International Construction Contracts and Dispute Resolution - Cairo, 9th-10th April

This conference is designed to review the procedure for claims and disputes under the FIDIC contracts and 
to explain the legal entitlements of the contractor and the employer. Discussions will focus on: What are the 
FIDIC Contracts? Who uses them and why?; The use of FIDIC conditions under Arab laws and claims 
thereunder; Latest developments for amicable settlement in construction disputes; What are the benefits of 
Dispute Boards?; What is the role of the courts and the arbitral tribunal?; What are the current practical 
issues regarding Judicial Review and Enforcement of an Award? 
http://www.iccwbo.org/home/conferences/C onf_Online.asp?

° The 2nd International Building & Construction Expo Libya, May 9th -12th 2005

Libya has recently been welcomed with into the international community and with this new era come substantial infrastructure projects.  The exhibition will be held at the Tripoli International Fair ground and will cover a wide range of construction and building material, machinery and equipment and fittings. Further details on http://www.libyabuildexpo.com  (Registration closes 12^th April 2005)  

° Advantages for Real Estate and Construction Sector, Helsinki, 13^th - 16^th June 2005

The 11^th Joint CIB International symposium aims to put modern construction management and economics into a perspective of modern real estate and construction businesses and projects.  Topics of interest include the evolving sector, firms and their businesses, projects and processes, IT and construction processes, Foundations of our thinking and practice. The call for Papers will be available in October 2003.Symposium web-site: www.ril.fi/cib2005 Tentative registration: kaisa.venalainen@ril.fi

° Inaugural Building Exchange (BEX) to be held in Athens on June 13 to 15, 2005

The keynote address at this 2 ½ day event will be given by Reinhard Klein, Head of the European Commission Construction Unit in D.G. Enterprise. BEX offers senior directors and heads of projects from leading builders, engineering consultants, architectural practices and suppliers the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas and to do business. Information/Registration: http://www.b-e-x.com

° IABSE Symposium “Structures and Extreme Events”, Lisbon, 14^th-16th September 2005 

The International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.  There is a March 15^th 2005 deadline for receipt of papers for the Symposium. Symposium themes will be: Natural disasters, man-made events (fire, explosions, impacts, etc.) and human errors (mismanagement, design mistakes, defective material, equipment malfunction, etc.) Contact: IABSE Lisbon 2005, Organising Committee, c/o LNEC, Ave. Brasil 101, 1700-066 Lisbon, Portugal | Tel: +351 21 844 3260| Fax: +351 21 844 3025 | Email: iabse.lisbon2005@lnec.pt | www.iabse.org/conferences/lisbon2005

° Communicating European Research 2005, International Conference, Brussels, 14-15 November 2005 the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research will host the second "Communicating European Research" conference. The event will focus on the manifold aspects of science communication and will provide a forum and meeting place for scientists, communication professionals and journalists. The conference will also take stock of the way towards the Seventh Framework Programme. The first announcement of the conference is now available.

Information on the Calls for Proposals for the Exhibition and Forum is now available.

° BETON 2006 Ready Mixed Concrete Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, April 2006

The congress is accompanied by an international concrete-aggregate technologies and equipment exhibition.  Paper topics are Concrete in Human Life, Special Types of Concrete, Concrete Technology, Production and Application Technology, Architectural use of Concrete, Regulations and Quality Management Systems and Marketing and Industrial Problems.  Deadline for abstract papers is 2 May 2005.  e-mail: beton2006@thbb.org Information: www.beton2006.org

°  Planning  for  minerals and major highways  in  europe - the way forward !» Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 18th – 20th. May 2006.

The 5th European  Conference, building upon the three earlier European Minerals Planning Conferences held between 1998 and 2002 and the success of the first European Conference on Raw Building Materials and Coal, held in Sarajevo on May 20.-21, 2004, will be  centred  on two main themes: construction minerals and strategic highways. ECMH:06 Secretariats in Europe in ECCE member countries are: Italy quercia@mincomes.it; Russia info@madi.ru; Poland ulalo@min-pan.krakow.ba, Czech Rep. konecpe@ugn.cas.cz ; Croatia konecpe@ugn.cas.cz ; Slovenia; matjaz.meza@i-rgo.si
  

ECCE Contact Details | ECCE Homepage