Cidadania Italiana passo a passo (Portuguese Edition)

What is the current status of investments made to date in renewable energy in the EU? Can the Commission provide any forecasts for ? For the time being, EU investments in renewable energy appear sufficient to keep up with the early stages of the trajectory towards the targets. However, additional efforts will be needed in the forthcoming years in order to reach the final targets. For further details on the evolution of renewable energy in Europe, the Honourable Member is invited to consult the recently published Commission report.

Tem conhecimento desta importante descoberta? According to reports in the Portuguese media, two Portuguese surgeons have developed a pioneering surgical procedure for treating inguinal hernias. This innovative procedure, which enables twice the number of operations to be performed in less time than conventional procedures, is attracting the interest of specialists around the world. Is the Commission aware of this important discovery? Does it have any data that confirm these conclusions? The Commission is not following specific development in treating inguinal hernias and it does not have specific data on the reports referred to by the Honourable Member.

This Joint Action supports collaboration between European organisations responsible for assessing effectiveness of health technologies, including surgical procedures. The EUnetHTA network aims at bringing European added value through facilitating efficient use of resources available for assessments, and sharing and promoting good practice in assessment methods and processes. According to a recent report published by the World Health Organisation WHO , dengue is the only neglected tropical disease to have spread in the last decade and to represent a genuine global pandemic threat.

In the report, the WHO assesses the global impact of tropical diseases and suggests public policies that could be implemented in order to reduce or eradicate their incidence. Does it plan to offer extraordinary support to EU countries affected by dengue? The European Commission agrees with the World Health Organisation's assessment that the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades and that the disease is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.

The Commission offers technical and scientific support, through the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC , to countries which are affected by dengue and other communicable diseases, including Member States, like Portugal, currently hit by dengue outbreaks. At the start of January, 3. Real GDP is predicted to grow by 1. As part of this process, Projects of Common Interest PCI will be selected for investment along 12 priority corridors and areas. Altogether, about projects have been submitted throughout the process, of which around two thirds in electricity and one third in gas.

Oil was only covered to a minor extent, due to the limited scope given by the regulation. For the sake of transparency and inclusiveness, the projects were submitted either directly through the working groups, or through the two online consultations carried out in spring and autumn The list of submitted projects is available at http: The people of my constituency, Northern Ireland, are deeply divided politically.

This has led to street demonstrations, with many unionists — particularly those living in socially and economically disadvantaged areas — disillusioned with the political situation in Northern Ireland. What relevant EU funding opportunities may exist for a forum or organisation that aims to bring together representatives of a single identity group in a Member State to discuss how their cultural, political, social and economic interests can be consolidated? Within the remit of EU competence there are no precedents of granting emergency funding to a single identity group in a Member State with the specific purpose of increasing its political engagement and participation within a divided society.

However, all projects are required to identify how they will promote reconciliation, enable communities to work more effectively together and demonstrate outcomes in terms of good relations and understanding. As a result, millions of cattle were slaughtered and then incinerated. In the Netherlands, by contrast, a policy of vaccination was applied, after EU regulations were lifted, allowing the meat from vaccinated animals to be sold. Can the Commission confirm that no untoward effects on human health have so far been reported as a result of the change in regulations?

Scientific research suggests that tuberculosis can be transmitted between cattle and badgers. The UK Government recently announced that a cull of badgers should take place and began operating a regionally based pilot scheme to that end. The cull has now been suspended. If the suspension is lifted the number of badgers affected is likely to be, tragically, tens of thousands. It is suggested by proponents of the cull that vaccination is ineffective as a method of control. Finally, can the Commission point to any scientific knowledge as to whether it is possible to vaccinate badgers effectively against tuberculosis either directly or indirectly, for example through food pellets?

Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals that has no public health importance and it poses no risk for food safety. As regards vaccination of badgers, while there is no EU legislation in place to regulate it, EU financed research projects and field trials are ongoing. Preliminary data seems promising but full information that is necessary to properly assess their outcome is not yet available.

In none of these Member States did the occurrence of TB in wildlife cause an insurmountable problem to eradication of the disease from bovine animals. The Commission has proposed to introduce a new Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition GAEC for the protection of wetland and carbon rich soil including a ban of first ploughing.

The Commission has considered the GAEC instrument in a broad context, in conjunction with the development of the environmental legislation and with the definition of green direct payments. The assessment clearly pointed out to the need of strengthening the scope of GAEC to address climate change concerns. Based on the available data, the Commission would like to underline that the percentage of area concerned by the proposed GAEC 7 is not significant and consequently will not reduce the agricultural potential of the Member States.

Although carbon rich-soils used for farming cover a relatively small surface, these areas are considered as hotspots of greenhouse emissions from agriculture. Emissions are highest when organic soils are ploughed for the first time and therefore the GAEC will contribute effectively to mitigating climate change. The Commission wishes to highlight that the areas concerned are not usually the most productive and are often used as permanent pasture.

In addition, the proposed measure will not prevent any agricultural activity but these areas can continue to be used for animal production. The EU legislation does not foresee the conduct of an impact assessment in the procedure of authorisation of pesticide substances. Over the passed few weeks a number of retailers and food manufacturers have withdrawn food from sale after the discovery of horsemeat in ready-made meals labelled as beef.

A great deal of attention has justifiably been focused on labelling fraud in the food industry which of course constitutes an unacceptable case of misleading information for consumers. Many EU citizens are also concerned that a lot of perfectly edible food is being thrown away as a result. For instance, the Swedish producer Findus withdrew all their wrongly labelled products from shops.

In doing so, they could have broken the cold chain and could therefore have contributed to rotting in food. They claim to sustainably manage the recalls, but it would no doubt be far more sustainable from an economical, environmental and moral point of view to give the choice to consumers of eating the edible food. This is just one example among others of how food manufacturers have taken disproportionate decisions from a sustainability point of view in response to a crisis.

Instead, the food could be relabelled properly, leaving the choice with consumers of eating horsemeat. In Sweden and other EU countries, there are also companies and organisations that collect edible food for charity. This would seem a more appropriate solution for the relabelled food. I believe it is important that we let the consumer choose, raise their awareness and give them the chance to eat safe products if they so wish. There is something terribly wrong if false information and fraud on the packaging of perfectly edible food generates large amounts of food waste.

Are there any EU food safety rules forcing food manufacturers and retailers to withdraw products from stores immediately in case of incorrect information on packaging? Does any rule stand in the way of them relabelling them, selling them or giving them to charity? Is the best way of regaining consumer confidence and raising the credibility of the food supply chain to solve the problem of fraud by creating a waste problem? The Commission considers that if there is no safety concern in the foods at issue, i.

Then these correctly re-labelled food products can be placed again on the market. The generation of food waste should be avoided in cases of fraudulent labelling where there is no food safety problem. The Commission has confirmed that in response to the recent discovery of horse DNA in the human food chain, there will be a reinforcement of DNA and phenylbutazone testing across the European Union. However, following some reports that dog meat was found in the dog food chain in Spain, will the Commission confirm that random DNA testing will be applied to animal feed too?

In addition, the feeding of terrestrial animals of a given species other than fur animals, with processed animal proteins derived from the bodies or parts of bodies of animals of the same species, is prohibited ban on interspecies recycling. The competent authorities in the Member States are responsible for verifying the correct implementation of Union legislation.

Spain informed the Commission that the suspicion is being investigated and that tracing of any possible dispatch of such products to other Member States is ongoing. The Commission continues to follow this issue and awaits the conclusions of the pending investigations. If the project has ended, could the Commission provide me with a copy of the final report? Under this contract Ma'an Network completed six media actions promoting EU activities in the occupied Palestinian territory oPt. The project is ongoing. The EU does not provide global funding to non-governmental organisations NGOs but awards grants supporting specific projects and well-defined actions.

The EU is respectful of freedom of expression as a key feature of a democratic society. El desempleo juvenil ha aumentado de manera espectacular como consecuencia de la crisis. El objetivo de la Iniciativa sobre Empleo juvenil es reforzar, pero no sustituir, las medidas que cuentan con el apoyo del FSE para combatir el desempleo juvenil. The European Council conclusions on the Multiannual Financial Framework state that the Council will soon be adopting this guarantee. The figures for the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands are even more alarming: How does the Commission intend to mobilise the financial resources set aside for this initiative and, more specifically, what percentage will be allocated to tackle the youth unemployment problem in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands?

One of the main challenges Spain currently faces is the record high unemployment rate The allocation corresponding to each eligible region will be made proportionally to the number of young unemployed persons in the eligible region and the total number of young unemployed persons referred in all eligible regions. The YEI is aimed to enhance and not replace the measures supported by the ESF in the fight against youth unemployment. Already in and credits from the ESF and ERDF allocated to Spain for the period were reallocated to the support of initiatives that benefit youth both related to employment as well as education.

The increase of the Norwegian quota, which is 25 times larger than the total Danish cod quota, coincides with Norway releasing large quantities of fish on to the world market. In the past Norway has raised an import barrier on foodstuffs such as meat and cheese, and on flowers, resulting in higher prices on the European market.

Will the Commission take any steps to introduce an anti-dumping duty on the import of cod from Norway under the EEA Agreement? If the Commission obtains such evidence, it will carefully analyse all facts and may initiate an investigation if all legal conditions are met. The EU cod industry is free to bring a complaint and if there is sufficient evidence, the Commission is under a legal obligation to initiate an investigation if the relevant World Trade Organisation WTO and EU conditions are met.

Finally, the Commission would like to underline that, because the European Economic Area EEA Agreement does not include the common fisheries policy, the relevant legislation on the EU's internal market does not extend to fish products imported from Norway. Das Unternehmen nutzt offensichtlich seine Monopolstellung aus. The new version of a computer program from one of the largest software companies Microsoft can, in contrast to older versions, only be run on a single computer. The licence for this version is a perpetual licence that cannot be transferred to other devices.

There is also an option of obtaining the aforementioned version on subscription. If someone opts for the subscription, the program can be run on five devices. The company is clearly exploiting its monopoly position. Consumers either have to pay a high price for the program or accept the fact that the program can only be used on a single device with no possibility of transferring the licence or that they will have to use an old version.

Is there any legislation within the European Union governing the licensing of software programs? If so, what legislation? Is it possible to take any sort action against this licensing arrangement? If so, what action can be taken? Should there not be legislation to prevent large companies forming monopolies like this so that we can protect consumers from unfair and extortionate prices?

The Commission ensures that all market players, including those in the software industry, abide by these rules. It is common practice in the software industry that software vendors offer various types of software licences in accordance with customer needs and price them accordingly. This practice does not, in itself, give rise to competition concerns, as it allows consumers to choose the licensing package at prices which best suit their needs. Consumers who believe that their rights have been violated can complain to the national enforcement authorities responsible for consumer protection, or take legal action against a trader before a national court.

Consumers may also seek assistance from a national consumer organisation to learn more about their rights and options to receive redress. In diesem Zusammenhang wird insbesondere um Beantwortung folgender Fragen gebeten:. Falls ja, konnten potenzielle juristische Schwierigkeiten bei der Umsetzung einer solchen Gesetzgebung identifiziert werden?

As some time has elapsed since then, it would be interesting to discover what conclusions the Task Force has reached following its investigations so far. In view of this, we would like to ask the following questions in particular:. Did the investigations produce evidence of the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of such legislation at EU level? If so, was it possible to identify potential legal problems in connection with the implementation of such legislation? What additional measures has the Commission taken to prevent the import of products that are presumed to have been produced in the Laogai camps?

Any potential ban of goods produced by forced or prison labour must respect World Trade Organisation WTO rules, including non-discrimination. Part of the Inter Service Group's ISG work is therefore to identify the scope of forced prison labour in third countries, as well as some of the obstacles in dealing with this complex issue, which include inter alia distinguishing forced prison labour from the forms of compulsory prison labour that is allowed if certain criteria are met according to internationally recognised standards.

All of these issues are central to the Laogai issue, and consideration of measures, if warranted, will be made in due course. Given the particularly difficult situation of the Greek economy and of producers of agricultural and livestock products, increased production costs and the steady decline in disposable income, will the Commission say:.

What has the annual change in input costs and income been for producers in Greece over the last five years? Are any comparative data available for the same period for the other Member States? Are any comparative data available for the other Member States? What are the main problems preventing the smooth implementation and take-up of the programme? What important projects have been excluded, given the increase in Community co-funding?

Data on input costs and income in Greece are available at Eurostat. The implementation rate of a measure depends on many factors amongst others, delivery structure, institutional framework, national procedures, interest of beneficiaries , which vary considerably between Regions and Member States. Progress reports prepared annually by the Managing Authority describe amongst others, the implementation problems and solutions proposed.

For Greece, these reports can be consulted at http: No information is available at Commission level on legal commitments at programme level. The Commission does not have any information on projects that might have been excluded due to the increase of co-financing rate of the programme.

De Commissie verleent op dit moment geen humanitaire of ontwikkelingssteun die de rechtstreekse levering van medische noodhulp of medicijnen aan Iran inhoudt. De huidige, beperkte steun van de Commissie aan Iran wordt via internationale organisaties en niet-gouvernementele organisaties ngo's verstrekt en is voor het Iraanse volk bedoeld. If not, why not? Can the Commission provide emergency medical supplies to Iranians in dire need using humanitarian or development funds, and assess whether the Iranian regime will accept this kind of direct medical assistance?

Any shortage of available medicines or other essential goods inside Iran is however mainly due to the inadequate allocation of existing economic resources by the Iranian Government. The Commission is currently providing no humanitarian or development assistance implying direct delivery of emergency medical assistance and medicines to Iran. The United States is our most important trading partner and trade between us has a decisive bearing on patterns of world trade overall: The launch of trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union is good news, therefore.

A transatlantic trade and investment agreement holds out the promise of growth and many new jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Both American and European leaders have signalled their strong support for the conclusion of this agreement, but this support must be sustained over time and be reflected in practical measures which are needed now. The High-Level Working Group is calling for ambitious targets to be set in areas such as market access and regulatory and non-tariff barriers and for new forms of enhanced cooperation to be developed.

The automotive industry is one of the sectors where these needs are being felt most keenly. Parliament and the Council are currently considering several documents relevant to the automotive industry, dealing for example with CO 2 emissions and fuel. If we want a genuine dialogue, steps must be taken now to set up working groups on EU-US trade, bringing together representatives of the public authorities, industry and civil society, with very specific remits.

These groups could develop into think tanks, devising proposals and channelling information. Does the Commission have any plans to set up such groups in the near future? Tackling regulatory issues, including in a number of key sectors such as the automotive sector, will be a priority. The Commission is aware of the importance signalled by the Honourable Member to establish an effective process involving all constituencies concerned, based on shared objectives, to deliver on this goal.

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• Cidadania italiana para descendentes de italianos.

This process is already underway. The EU and US automobile industries are engaged and have submitted a number of suggestions on how to address non-tariff barriers in the context of a possible trade negotiation. The Forum also gave an opportunity for a larger stakeholder group to present their views, including consumer representatives and civil society. Parliament will be immediately and fully informed at all stages of the negotiations, in particular through its Committee on International Trade. La sentenza riguarda 55 zone e agglomerati, tra cui diverse zone nel nord-est dell'Italia cui fa riferimento l'onorevole parlamentare nella sua interrogazione.

These fires are a real threat to the health of local people, because they produce huge quantities of particulates and combustion products. In addition to particulates not only PM10s but also PM2. The ruling concerns 55 zones and agglomerations including several zones in North-Eastern Italy, to which the Honourable Member refers in his question. The Italian authorities have been reporting regularly on progress in cleaning up the landfill sited to which the ruling relates. Frodi alimentari e tutela del consumatore. I cittadini sono giustamente preoccupati e si domandano se possono ancora fidarsi di quanto riportato sulle etichette dei cibi che acquistano quotidianamente.

La Commissione coordina attivamente a livello sia politico che tecnico le indagini in corso negli Stati membri interessati. Sulla base del regolamento CE n. L'imminente proposta della Commissione sui controlli ufficiali mira anche a rafforzare ulteriormente il sistema esistente, comprese le disposizioni in tema di sanzioni. Lo scandalo attuale si sarebbe verificato anche se l'etichettatura d'origine fosse stata obbligatoria per i prodotti alimentari in questione. Tuttavia, nel contesto del regolamento UE n. The public are rightly concerned and wonder whether they can still believe what they read on the labels of the foodstuffs they purchase in their everyday lives.

They have to be able to find out what is in the food they are putting on their tables. Consumer confidence is an asset that Europe cannot afford to lose, and special protection must be afforded to consumers in a period of economic crisis in which they are having to economise on food. What measures it plans to adopt to improve the transparency of consumer information in order to avoid further cases of food fraud?

What measures it plans to adopt to increase the efficiency of the checks on the rules on the labelling and traceability of products intended for use in foodstuffs? Whether, in order to avoid a repeat of these events, it plans to introduce new rules to accompany these measures, such as the requirement that food labels must show the origins of all foodstuffs? It is because of this system that the origin and the extent of the fraudulent actions in question were quickly identified. The Commission is actively coordinating the pending investigations in the Member States concerned both on a political and a technical level.

The forthcoming Commission proposal on official controls will also aim at further strengthening the existing system, including the provisions on sanctions. Mandatory origin labelling is not a tool to prevent fraud by malicious operators. The present scandal could have occurred even if origin labelling was mandatory for the foods in question. Uniforme regelgeving rond gezonde vloerbekleding. De Europese sector is voorstander van zulke reglementering.

De sector blijft trouwens ruim onder de strenge normen die worden opgelegd. Voor inter nationale producenten van vloerbekledingen is de interne markt een belangrijke afzetmarkt. Het lijkt daarom verstandig dat de normering op Europees niveau vastgelegd wordt. De Commissie heeft het mandaat met betrekking tot het CE-merk voor vloerbekledingen EN aangepast met identieke voorwaarden, maar deze zijn nog niet doorgevoerd.

Zijn er binnen de Commissie plannen om uniforme normen op te leggen voor gezonde vloerbekleding?

Área de atuação

Tot er een Europese regeling is voor de normen, welke stappen zal de Commissie nemen om de verscheidenheid tussen nationale wetgevingen te beperken zodat invoeren naar EU-landen niet geblokkeerd wordt door nationale beperkingen? Zullen er controles gekoppeld worden aan het opleggen van deze normen? De Commissie heeft momenteel geen plannen voor EU-brede emissienormen voor vloerbedekkingen. De Commissie heeft een groep van deskundigen bijeengebracht, die de lidstaten en de belanghebbenden vertegenwoordigt inzake de luchtkwaliteit in gesloten ruimten.

De groep deskundigen zoekt naar zowel wetgevende als niet-wetgevende oplossingen om chronische ademhalingsziekten en vormen van kanker ten gevolge van milieuvervuiling binnenshuis te verminderen. De binnen het CEN ontwikkelde testmethoden zijn in overeenstemming met de beproefde CEN-regels, die de kwaliteit van zijn normen waarborgen. The European sector advocates such regulation. However, that sector continues to fall well short of the strict standards which are being imposed. For national and international producers of floor coverings, the internal market is an important sales market.

It therefore seems sensible for standards to be set at European level. The Commission has adapted the mandate with regard to the CE mark for floor coverings EN with identical conditions, but they have not yet been implemented. Do any plans exist within the Commission for imposing uniform standards for healthy floor coverings?

Until there is European regulation of these standards, what steps will the Commission take to limit the differences between national laws so that imports into EU Member States are not blocked by national restrictions? Will the imposition of these standards be accompanied by monitoring? If so, what form will this take, precisely? The Commission does not currently have plans for EU wide standards regarding emissions from floor coverings. The test methods developed in CEN are following the well-established CEN rules in ensuring the robustness of its standards.

Onlangs stelde de Commissie voor dat alle zonnepanelen die uit China komen verplicht geregistreerd moeten worden door de douane. Dit besluit hangt samen met de antidumpingcampagne die de Europese Unie op dit moment voert rondom Chinese zonnepanelen. De aankondiging en berichtgevingen hebben reeds tot grote onzekerheid op de markt voor zonnepanelen geleid. Daarnaast kan de maatregel volgens onderzoek van het bondgenootschap voor betaalbare zonne-energie AFASE tot fors banenverlies leiden: Erkent de Commissie dat de maatregel een protectionistische aard heeft? Hoe gaat de Commissie voorkomen dat dit een precedent schept voor meer protectionisme?

Erkent de Commissie dat de maatregelen leiden tot banenverlies? Hoe zal dit verlies opgevangen worden? Deze registratie voldoet aan de regels van de Wereldhandelsorganisatie. In sommige derde landen is registratie een automatisch onderdeel van alle onderzoeken. Het effect van mogelijke maatregelen waaronder mogelijk banenverlies hoger in de bedrijfskolom voornamelijk wie zonnepanelen installeert en lager in de bedrijfskolom producenten van apparatuur en grondstoffen alsmede op de producenten van zonnepanelen in de Unie wordt momenteel geanalyseerd op basis van onder andere de door deze partijen verstrekte informatie.

The Commission recently proposed that all solar panels originating in China should be subject to compulsory registration by the customs authorities. This decision was prompted by the antidumping campaign which the European Union is currently carrying out with regard to solar panels from China. The announcement and reports have already caused serious uncertainty on the solar panel market. Does the Commission intend to follow up the registration requirement with a levy on solar panels? Is it true that this levy will also be introduced retrospectively?

Can the Commission guarantee that people who have previously invested in solar panels will not be affected? Does the Commission acknowledge that the measure is of a protectionist nature? How will the Commission ensure that this does not set a precedent for more protectionism? Does the Commission acknowledge that the measures will lead to job losses? How will these losses be compensated?

Registration is in line with the World Trade Organisation rules. In fact in some third countries registration is automatic in all investigations. At this stage of the proceedings, the Commission cannot anticipate whether duties will be imposed and at which level, or whether duties will indeed be applied retroactively. The impact of possible measures including possible job losses on the downstream mainly solar panels installers and upstream machinery and raw material producers markets as well as on the Union producers of solar panels is currently being analysed based, inter alia , on the information submitted by these parties.

Does the Commission share the view expressed by Commissioner Oettinger and what is its position on his assessment of the situation? The Eurogroup has already taken substantive action to sustainably reduce Greece's debt burden. Moreover, the euro area Member States declared that they will consider further measures and assistance, if necessary for achieving a further credible and sustainable reduction in the Greek debt-to GDP ratio, when Greece reaches an annual primary surplus.

The same law provides for a review of the level of the minimum wage in , with the aim of improving competitiveness. Does it have any updated information on the gross minimum wage in the EU? If so, how are Member States ranked? What position does Greece occupy and how competitive is the Greek minimum wage compared to that of other Eurozone Member States in EU?

Has it contributed to the objectives of competitiveness? As for the net minimum wage, what information does it have and what position does Greece occupy relative to other Member States? The gross monthly minimum wage data are presented therein in three ways: The objective is to analyse the issue taking into account the economic and labour market situation observed up to that moment and the prospects going forward, in order to favour employment creation to help Greece overcoming the very high levels of unemployment.

Social partners have a role to play in this review. There is no pre-judgment on the outcome of that review and the Commission's position is that such a solid analysis should indeed precede any decision. La Commissione non ha avviato di recente alcuno studio per valutare il livello di carry-over nella carne di bovini, suini e polli adulti dell'aflatossina B1 presente nei mangimi. Corn production in these areas has been greatly reduced and a substantial part of it has aflatoxin levels above the limit of 0.

Has it launched any studies to assess the possible residues and level of toxicity of this toxin in the meat of cattle, pigs and adult chickens? The Commission has not launched recently a study to assess the carry-over of aflatoxin B1 present in feed to the meat of cattle, pigs and adult chickens. However it is known that the carry-over of aflatoxin B1 in feed to meat and other food of animal origin, with the exception of milk, is very limited. In Germany, the church is one of the largest social service employers in the area of childcare and nursing care. A violation of this can lead to consequences under labour law.

At the beginning of , for example, the head of a Catholic nursery school was dismissed because she had separated from her husband and lived with another man. Cases like this, and similar ones, are common in Germany on account of the employment contract provided by church employers. In addition, social institutions belonging to the church are financed almost entirely from public funds. What options does the Commission see for taking action against the enormous discrimination against employees who do not comply with church or religious rules?

Article 4 of the directive provides for an exception as to occupational activities within churches. It allows that — with regard to the specific activities or of the context in which they are carried out — in these institutions a person's religion or belief might constitute a genuine legitimate and justified occupational requirement. Churches therefore according to the assessment of the Commission in principle have a right to specify ethical occupational requirements according to their religious principles.

However, any exception clause has to be interpreted in a restrictive way taking account of the individual circumstances of each specific case and the nature and context of the occupational activities in order to determine if the use made of the exception clause complies with the conditions specified in the directive. If a person feels discriminated against by a specific occupational requirement she or he will have to seek legal redress before the competent national courts.

The Greek Ombudsman, an independent authority, has warned that thousands of borrowers are facing higher interest rates and higher bank mortgage repayments, since the reduced interest rates subsidised by the Workers' Housing Organisation, which has now been dissolved, are not being transferred to the new loans they wish to contract with the banks and they are already unable to pay existing ones. It should be noted that the OEK used to manage money from workers' contributions for that very purpose.

For this reason, they received an interest subsidy for a mortgage on their first homes; under present circumstances, since they may have lost their jobs or a large part of their salaries, they risk also losing their homes. What solution or arrangement based on EU experience in these matters would it choose in order to maintain the housing assistance programme that applied to the borrowers in question in order, firstly, to protect their homes and, secondly, to avoid any suspension of payments? What safeguards ultimately exist for those beneficiaries belonging to vulnerable groups who have entered into a specific loan agreement and are now required not only to meet their already unsustainable mortgage repayments, but also to increase them in order to be able make necessary arrangements with banks e.

Does it have any information, including best practices, about similar loan subsidy schemes for first homes for vulnerable social groups? If so, what has been done to ensure that these schemes work properly? The authorities closed the OEE and OEK funds to partly offset the budgetary consequences of lower social security contributions. The legislation foresaw that whilst no further commitments would take place, existing contractual obligations would be respected. A temporary administrative committee was set up to carry out the operational modalities for the settlement of outstanding operational obligations and rights.

The Commission is very well aware of the difficult financial situation of households due to the economic crisis. New measures to safeguard households are currently being discussed with Greek Authorities, as part of the ongoing quarterly review of the economic adjustment programme. Best practices in Europe and worldwide are being reviewed in order to find a balanced solution to safeguard the rights of households, without creating moral hazards or other potential constraints on bank lending.

Its purpose is to draw MS attention to the different mechanisms in place at national level so that best practices are developed. The Hellenic Competition Commission, acting reportedly under pressure from the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF , has carried out spot checks at the offices of major construction groups, following allegations of cartel practices during tendering. More specifically, complaints were made about practices agreed upon beforehand between the companies involving their bids for public works contracts, and also the distribution of these projects by geographical region and sector of activity.

What does it know about this issue? What was the content of the complaints received by the competent authorities? Which violations are they investigating? What projects are involved? What measures does the law provide for, if the existence of cartels is proven, in respect of projects that have been completed and projects that are still in progress? As the case is pending, the following general explanations can be given.

In addition to the envisaged decision, the Commission can request access to other documents it needs to assess the case. Accordingly, the Commission does not disclose such information, any relevant public information being available from the NCA. Victims of cartels can also seek damages in national courts.

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What are the projects that have been included and are being funded under this Code? What is the take-up rate overall and in respect of individual projects? Under the shared management principle, national and regional authorities are responsible for the selection, implementation and monitoring of co-funded projects. IMA of Ionian Islands: Palaiokastritsas, Alykes Potamou, Kerkyra. The government did so purely for budgetary reasons.

In the light of the experience gained and data gathered about the implementation of this measure since , will the Commission say:. Has state revenue from VAT on catering services in Greece increased? If so, can it provide the relevant data for the years compared to revenue for ? How does it view the widespread demand in Greece for a return of VAT on catering to its previous level? More recently, the Commission services have requested additional information from the authorities in order to assess the budgetary impact of the increase of VAT on catering services more accurately.

However, very few Bushmen have since been allowed to return to the reserve, and the government is still preventing them from hunting. Can the Commission provide an update on the situation of the Kalahari Bushmen in Botswana? Is the Commission taking any action to encourage the government of Botswana to rectify this situation?

Access to water through boreholes is provided for, in line with a Court ruling that obliged the Botswanan Government to provide water for the settlements to be viable. But since no permanent structures can be erected in the CKGR by law, the Botswanan Government does face difficulties in providing basic services.

Moreover, the non-issuance of hunting licences and entry permits for Basarwa entering the reserve to visit relatives , render life in the CKGR very difficult for the remaining circa Basarwa. Access to education is provided through boarding schools outside of the central zone, though no particular impetus is given to the teaching of minority languages. The EU is closely following the situation and is regularly addressing the issue of ethnic minorities in dialogue with the Botswanan Government on Human Rights.

The EU is also interacting with Civil Society in relation to this issue. Kansalaisten suojeleminen valosaasteen haittavaikutuksilta. The hour daily cycle of light and darkness forms the basis of natural functioning for all plants and animals, including humans. This circadian cycle allows organisms to anticipate and prepare for precise and regular environmental changes and is important for, among other things, regulating and coordinating internal metabolic processes. There is growing evidence that exposure to light at night disrupts the natural circadian cycle in a manner that has adverse impacts on health.

Medical research has indicated that exposure to light at night increases the incidence of certain types of cancer, most notably breast cancer. Furthermore, circadian disruption potentially contributes to obesity and diabetes. Studies have also suggested that excessive artificial light exposure early in life may contribute to an increased risk of depression and other mood disorders in humans. Based on such research findings, a number of calls have been made for action to address the problem. For example, the American Medical Association has called for further study into the health risks of environmental exposure to light at night.

What steps does the Commission intend to take to reduce the health risks posed by light pollution for EU citizens? The Commission recognises that light exposure can affect sleep and play a role in regulating circadian rhythms which may in turn have an impact on health. Measures to control unwanted light are the responsibility of the authorities in Member States.

The Commission currently has no further plans on this matter and no further assessment is planned. Hervorming van de huidige eigen middelen uit de btw. Aangezien er in dit stadium nog te veel onbekende elementen zijn, zijn er geen gegevens beschikbaar voor toekomstige begrotingen na een hervorming van het systeem.

De verdere werkzaamheden met betrekking tot het stelsel van eigen middelen waarover de Raad en het Parlement mogelijk overeenstemming zullen bereiken in de context van het MFK , kunnen hierin meer duidelijkheid brengen. Over het huidige systeem zijn wel gegevens beschikbaar. Wat vraag 3 betreft: Zoals hierboven reeds is opgemerkt, zijn er nog geen gegevens voor de toekomst beschikbaar. Er moet worden benadrukt dat deze hervormingen niet zijn bedoeld om de omvang van de begroting te vergroten.

De voorstellen inzake eigen middelen zullen waarschijnlijk resulteren in een vermindering van het bedrag dat wordt opgehaald uit de eigen middelen die de begroting in evenwicht houden, namelijk de op het bni gebaseerde eigenmiddelenbijdragen. Data are not available for future budgets under a reformed system, as too many elements remain unknown at this stage. However, the further work on the own resource system which may be agreed between Council and Parliament in the context of the MFF may result in further light being shed on this. Data is available on the current system.

Concerning question 3, information on revenue plus the net operating balances by MS for budget years up to is accessible under http: As explained above data are not yet available for the future. It should be stressed that these reforms are not designed to increase the size of the budget. The likely outcome of all the own resource proposals would be to reduce the amount raised from the balancing own resource — that based on GNI.

Allegedly many of these timber products find their way onto the shelves of the hypermarkets of industrialised countries. Eradicating supplies of illegal and unsustainable timber production is clearly a major priority, as is reducing the disposable packaging including wooden pallets that is dumped on municipal land fields after being used just once, but which now accounts for one quarter of global timber consumption. Does the Commission regard, for example, the WWF-led Global Forest and Trade Network as a useful model for enhancing supply-chain traceability that complements recent EU legislative initiatives in the area, and what measures does the Commission believe are necessary to increase significantly the reuse of wooden pallets?

The Commission supports the objectives of initiatives such as the Global Forest and Trade Network GFTN that aim to promote business to business contacts and match suppliers of forest products from sustainably managed forests with buyers seeking such products. The EU already has measures in place to achieve the objectives suggested by the Honourable Member.

Has there been any move to include and encourage youth movements, represented in organisations such as the Al-Watan party, in the ongoing national transitional dialogue on fresh elections in ? Concerns remain over endemic corruption, which could be undermining the crucial European Union aid that is being provided to Yemen.

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How are Somali refugees in Yemen being assisted by the EU? Can the Commission say whether there is any long-term provision to help these Somalis return home or whether any plans are being put in place to help them settle and support themselves whilst in Yemen? The meeting called for rapid implementation of earlier pledges, provided information on aid already provided and some new pledges were made. FoY gave continued strong support for President Hadi. National dialogue, reconciliation and preparation of elections were recurrent themes. Civil registry remains a major issue needing coordinated international support.

The EU has already started work on assisting with the progress of birth registration and prepares further, more comprehensive actions to gear up the entire civil registration system. The EU has made great efforts from the outset to assure that the National Dialogue process is all inclusive and has concentrated on outreach in particular to youth and women. Refugees in Yemen including Somali refugees benefit from EU humanitarian aid. This support is implemented by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and addresses basic needs in terms of protection including gender-based violence, access to health, water and sanitation services, livelihood with income generating activities and vocational training.

The Commission does not specifically fund the return of Somali refugees to their home country. This category of contracts is subject to specific provisions in the directive, e. The Consumer Rights Directive therefore clarifies the regulation applicable to this particular category of products, taking into account their specific features. On the other hand, digital content supplied on CDs and other tangible media is considered as goods within the meaning of the Consumer Rights Directive. As the Commission is aware, there is widespread concern over the rapid decline in the population of honeybees, as well as of other pollinators such as butterflies.

In addition, there has been a widespread decline across Europe in the number of birds and number of species of insects. In the UK during the s, the BBC made its own special contribution to this phenomenon by broadcasting lifestyle and gardening programmes which encouraged tens of thousands of people to believe it was fashionable to concrete over the garden space in front of their houses, though increased parking restrictions no doubt played their part as well.

Recently the BBC broadcast an excellent documentary on bee decline by the distinguished political journalist and beekeeper, Martha Kearney, and subsequently a series of programmes by the gardener Sarah Raven in which she looks for ways to try to arrest the decline in pollinator numbers by encouraging an increase in the numbers of planted pollinating-friendly plants, including those rich in nectar, such as Hebes from New Zealand or Digitalis foxgloves.

A key initiative was to work together with the British Royal Horticultural Society RHS to unveil, at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, an RHS pollinator-friendly label which can be used by garden centres and other commercial retailers to assist gardeners who would like to plant pollinator-friendly flowers and plants by identifying the appropriate species. Does it believe there might be a place for an approved supplementary EU pollinator-friendly label, to be used voluntarily on an EU-wide basis and based on the UK RHS model?

The Commission is not aware of any similar initiatives from other Member States Knowledge elements are currently insufficient to indicate whether an approved, supplementary pollinator-friendly label to be used voluntarily on an EU-wide basis and inspired from the UK RHS model would be the right way forward. It is ironic now that the credit agencies are offering objective ratings for sovereign debt within the eurozone that they have come under sustained criticism from both the Commission and a number of EU governments, including France.

Failure to properly assess either the true scale of sovereign debt or the interconnectedness of bank held sovereign debt across Europe and the implications for public finances of bank bailouts were key failures and resulted in a mispricing of risk. The proposal brought forward in by the Commission and then shelved, promised a solution that risked jumping from the frying pan into the fire, since EU governments, no less than credit agencies, have a clear interest in disguising or minimising their own levels of debt.

For these reasons, the Commission decided not to pursue this idea further. The idea of entrusting monetary authorities, such the Eurosystem, or specific members thereof, has not been put forward as such a concept would raise other important issues, for example regarding the compatibiltiy with the primary objectives of these institutions. Could the Commission outline what evidence base it used to classify medical devices such as substance devices as either high risk or low risk in nature? The classification of medical devices is a risk based system based on the vulnerability of the human body taking account of the potential risks associated with the devices.

These rules take into account criteria such as the duration of contact with the body, the part of the body concerned, the degree of invasiveness and the type of effect. In the proposed classification system, devices composed of substances or combination of substances intended to be ingested, inhaled or administered rectally or vaginally and which are absorbed by or dispersed in the human body are classified in class III.

This is due to the level of risk presented by this category of products. The number of restrictions or authorisation requirements under the REACH Regulation is growing and is expected to impact a significant number of substances in the coming years. In most cases, no demonstrated and economical technique exists for removing these additives from the recyclate. If every single recycler would have to ask for authorisation, this would not only be excessively costly but also administratively unmanageable.

As a result, many would stop recycling post-consumer waste due to the uncertain legal situation and to liability issues, thereby limiting the options to exportation of waste, incineration or landfill. Such an outcome is clearly undesirable, as it would be in opposition with the drive towards a more resource-efficient Europe. Is the Commission planning to propose a solution addressing the concerns of the recycling industry? After all, the difficult economic and employment situation justifies offering plastics recyclers a sustainable future. The provisions of REACH on authorisation and restriction are fully applicable to products, materials or substances once they have left the waste status and been placed back to the market.

Possibili finanziamenti per lo sviluppo e la valorizzazione della Cantina Sociale Borgo Santa Maria, in provincia di Latina. Le proposte della Commissione per la riforma della PAC sono attualmente in fase di negoziazione tra il Parlamento europeo e il Consiglio. Today it has 34 members who manage more than hectares of vines and produce some 15 quintals of grapes.

This agricultural cooperative is one of the last few remaining in the region, and its vineyards stretch from Borgo Montello, Borgo Bainsizza and Borgo Santa Maria right down to the sea at Borgo Sabotino and Torre Astura. Vines have been grown in this area ever since it was drained in the s; traditional methods trellis and pergola training are used to produce wines from international varieties, including merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah, and local varieties, such as bellone.

Production from the latter grape variety is increasing significantly and the wines have been shown at prestigious international fairs. At present the cooperative is restructuring and upgrading its entire complex of buildings so that all aspects of wine production can be dealt with on one site, with a view to increasing production and creating new jobs. What programmes are to be implemented under the new CAP in order to raise the profile of this wine-growing area and the local grapes cultivated there?

Has funding been set aside for the project outlined above during the new programming period ? It is Member States' responsibility to define, in the National Support Programme , the eligible operations for the investment measure, adapting them to the needs of the territory. Also, higher aid intensity rates can be accorded to collective investments. It is responsibility of the Member States and, in the case of Italy, of the Regions, to establish and implement rural development programmes for the period , in shared management with the Commission, and define the budget allocated to each operation and co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, on the basis of the SWOT analysis carried out in relation to the Union priorities for rural development.

Commission's proposals for a reformed CAP are currently being negotiated between the Parliament and the Council. Concerning questions 2 and 3, the Commission has no information on the individual projects approved by Member States authorities. Koska komission asetuksen EY N: Komission arvioiden mukaan hevosenlihan tuotanto EU: As a result of the discovery made during routine monitoring by the frozen food manufacturer Findus, a number of food manufacturers around Europe have reported in recent days that the products they have been selling to consumers do not accord with the product information provided to consumers.

In many cases, products have contained horsemeat instead of beef.

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It has emerged from discussions that in certain European countries several thousand more horses die each year than official statistics suggest. The majority of these horses die or are slaughtered in places other than slaughterhouses. The number of horses taken to slaughterhouses is limited, inter alia , by the low producer price of horsemeat and the length and cost of the transport involved.

Other obstacles to slaughter may be the fact that a horse is not registered or that medicines have been administered to it. State of preparedness for forest fires during the summer. Shortfall in programme funding for migrants and asylum-seekers in Greece. Quality of drinking water in the capitals of Member States.

Increase in terrorist attacks in the Middle East: Fundamental challenges for food supplements 2. Cases of violence and abuse in Europe in crisis. Investigation into Chinese telecom sector. Compensation for families of victims of factory fire in Pakistan. Compensation for victims of crime abroad. Genetic defects in donated sperm cells: Precautionary support programme for Portugual.

Possible infringement of public procurement legislation at the expense of AnsaldoBreda. Protection of bees and the temporary ban on neonicotinoid-based pesticides. Possibility of economic and social development funding being used improperly in connection with the hosting of international sporting events in Brazil. Possible distortions of competition: More accurate and less invasive screening method to detect Down's syndrome and other genetic foetal abnormalities.

Lack of transparency in subsidies to NGOs. IMD 2 proposal and subsidiarity and proportionality principles. Strengthening of communications networks. Good news about the reduction in the price of roaming and the resulting legal uncertainty. Consequences of the fourth railway package. More damaging activities at a site of Community importance.

Possible effects of pollution in the atmosphere on health. Anti-dumping tariffs against Chinese solar panels. Classification as secret of Poland's request for a derogation from the common system of value added tax with reference to motor vehicles, their fuels and other running expenses. European Arrest Warrant — changes to the Croatian law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with Member States. Compiling data on disability and education. Teacher training — embracing diversity.

Protecting small and medium enterprises against misleading advertising. German Constitutional Court to make a decision on the EU's behalf. Penalisation of Italian wine exports due to Russian import duties. Chinese workshops damaging small footwear companies in the Veneto region. Spread of slot machine arcades threatening local safety and law and order. Italian industry's response to the crisis: An innovative cap to guarantee the integrity of products and consumer safety.

E colouring Cochineal, Carmine, Carminic acid. Delays in revising the Package Travel Directive. Commission funding of sports and tourism facilities in Poland. Conflict of interest — Danish Institute of Human Rights. Compliance with rules on state aid for the financing of infrastructure projects.

Restrictions on use of social media in Turkey. Stassen to the Commission. Turkey's desire to bring Twitter under control. Proposed amendments to Poland's tax code. Support for organisations defending Christians' rights and fighting to preserve the EU's cultural foundations.

Commission measures to tackle the debt crisis in the Member States. Activities of anti-democratic parties in the EU. Reducing the marketing of alcohol in sports. Competition and Innovation Programme, large-scale pilot project. Gender equality and women's rights in Namibia. Monitoring of waste-water treatment in Prague. Incinerator at Montale Province of Pistoia: Protection of Syria's artistic heritage. Monitoring of the use of subsidies, particularly in Egypt.

Stassen to the Council. Council's intention to open a new chapter in the negotiations with Turkey. Review by the Commission of Spanish mortgage legislation. Environmental flow in the final stretch of the Ebro River. New Unesco biosphere reserve: How far is the Commission responsible for the failure of the economic strategy?

Behaviour of European companies around the world. Possible funding for the implementation of a social reintegration and public awareness-raising project. Information on the use of EU funds during the period Tuscany Region and the city of Livorno. Fruit and vegetables for children before they first start school.

Altering the maximum duration of night flights. Excess pollutant emissions from light-duty vehicles. Harmonisation of hygiene standards for materials in contact with drinking water. Large-scale compulsory expropriation affecting ethnic minorities: Clashes between Sunnis and Shias in Egypt. Vietnamese activist on hunger strike against prison conditions. Trafficking of women to China from neighbouring countries.

Privatisation of water companies in Greece. Funding of pig rearing in crates and stalls in non-EU countries. Ending of negotiations and impact on IPA funding. Invitations to tender for gas distribution. Castor project and common rules for the internal natural gas market. Human papilloma virus vaccinations in Japan. Poll on Germany's dominant role in the EU. Possible unfair business practices affecting newsagents. Merkies to the Commission. Minister of Finance's proposal to the Commission to restrict the full deduction of VAT from company car purchases for another five years.

Liquidation of Kowent sp. Wave of Syrian refugees emigrating to neighbouring countries. Concerns about violations of European values in Hungary and Bulgaria. Action against growing anti-Semitism in Europe. Riots following the presidential elections in Venezuela. The constitutional situation in Hungary. The common agricultural policy and the issue of discrimination. The common agricultural policy and fair direct payments.

The common agricultural policy and the crisis. Gender equality in securing access to goods and services. Economic competition and the crisis period. Demographic data and personal data protection. EU Member States are encouraged to adopt measures against tax evasion. Developing countries and EU trade policy. The fight against xenophobia and discrimination. Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria.

Implementation of the Working Time Directive in the context of public procurement. Correctness of the information provided in the context of the aid authorisation procedure for Berlin-Brandenburg airport. Plans to introduce EU-wide motorway tolls. Youth migration to countries outside the European Union.

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Conduct of the German Jugendamt towards Polish children. Employee vocational training in the EU. Damage caused by wild animals and strays. Possible funding for setting up a museum of vintage civil, military and commercial vehicles in Rome. Possible infringement of environmental protection and public health regulations by the Tivoli municipal authorities. Rights of children of incarcerated parents.

Illegal activities of organised criminals in games arcades. Use of derivatives by the Member States. Availability of Schengen visas in Polish consulates in Belarus. Consumer protection through high quality broadband Internet connections. Varying staff levels and absences from work in OLAF. Reduction in the special excise duty SED on heating fuel or motor fuel for the Greek islands. However, the Commission is currently assessing the recent policy measures adopted in Spain and it will consider further action from or at EU level, if necessary.

Has the Commission completed its assessment of the recent policy measures adopted in Spain? In addition, the Commission is assessing several new measures changing renewable energy support schemes adopted in , with the view to conclude its analysis on whether or not to take action at EU level, if appropriate, by the end of If not, what steps does the Commission plan to take to ensure that Spain complies with the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU?

The Commission services are in contact with the Spanish Government concerning the formulation of such new rules. En el caso de Grecia, el asunto investigado afecta a la cadena DIA. Members of the association claim that DIA has engaged in illegal and deceitful activities to serve its own interests, at the direct expense of its franchise holders. The chain is also said to have breached the labour regulations in force regarding employee working times and payment methods. It is also alleged to have subjected its franchise holders to force and coercion for defending their interests against practices such as transferring costs to franchise holders and reducing margins.

Does the Commission have evidence of any commercial activities pursued by DIA which breach the rules governing the single market? Has the Commission taken any steps, in which DIA is involved, to defend the single market and consumers? Despite the fact that there is no specific competition legislation concerning franchises, certain behaviour such as limiting franchises' freedom to price their products could constitute a violation of competition law.

However, it is likely that this might best be addressed at national level by the Spanish competition authorities. In particular, the Greek, Swedish, Finnish and Romanian NCAs have been investigating antitrust cases dealing with resale price maintenance imposed by large supermarket chains in their franchise networks. The Greek case refers to the supermarket chain DIA. Gibt es bereits Bestrebungen innerhalb der Kommission, ein solches Zentralregister oder ein vergleichbares System einzurichten? Die Kommission leistet technische Hilfe. When administering justice, the national courts may consider it significant whether the accused already has a criminal record — and if so, what offence was committed and what the sentence was.

In Germany, this information is contained in a central criminal register Bundeszentralregister. Coordinating this across borders seems to be far more difficult. In practice, exchanging data is easier with some countries than with others. Yet, as mentioned, these data are extremely important.

Is the Commission already trying to set up a central criminal register or similar system? As Member States could not agree on a central system, the European Criminal Records Information System allows for decentralized, computerised exchanges of information extracted from criminal records for criminal proceedings and other purposes between Member States, for example screening procedures for employment.

The Commission gives technical support to the system. Wie bewertet die Kommission die Verwendung von Insekten als tierische Proteine in der landwirtschaftlichen Nutztierhaltung? Consideration is also being given to the use in the future of processed animal protein from poultry in pig feed and of processed animal protein from pigs in poultry feed, as soon as validated diagnostic methods are available to monitor the ban on animals re-entering their own foodchain. However insects reared under controlled conditions before being dried and ground into meal can also make a valuable contribution to rebalancing the protein deficit in the rearing of farm animals.

Is the Commission planning to relax the feed ban on processed animal protein from dried and ground invertebrates? The Commission considers that protein of insect origin has the potential of being a useful form of protein for animal feed. The Commission is keeping this issue under review and will be prepared to propose modifications to the current rules where appropriate.

Since , the European Regional Development Fund ERDF has been able to finance programmes for housing renovation and the regeneration of urban centres in all Member States, in particular energy efficiency and integrated urban regeneration projects aimed at supporting vulnerable communities. The regulations were modified twice later in the programming period, after which housing investments became possible, to a limited extent, in all Member States. However, the available information does not permit the identification of amounts specifically allocated in favour of vulnerable communities in each area of intervention.

The Commission suggests that the Honourable Member contact directly the managing authority of the programmes, in the Ministry of Development. Can the Commission state how many students from third-level institutions in Ireland participated in the Erasmus programme during the years , and ? The participation of students from Irish higher education institutions in Erasmus student mobility has evolved over the last three years as follows. Can the Commission estimate the economic benefits for the European Union of a successful Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement, and can the Commission provide an update on the status of the negotiations that are currently ongoing between both parties?

Any comprehensive trade and economic agreement CETA between EU and Canada would cover key issues of relevance to creating a modern trade and investment environment, from ambitious new market access opportunities to clear rules for European and Canadian businesses and investors. It is also expected that once implemented, an agreement would increase two-way bilateral trade in goods and services by As regards the status of the CETA negotiations, these are now in their final phase.

The Commission has had very intense discussions with Canada during May and the first half of June. While important progress has been made, a number of key outstanding issues remain with respect to some aspects of investment protection and public procurement as well as agricultural market access and the protection of geographical indications. The Commission remains committed to finalise the CETA negotiations as swiftly as possible but in respect of the EU's negotiating mandate. Although very close to conclusion, the final agreement on CETA will require further constructive efforts from both sides and the Commission remains in close contact with Canadian counterparts to this end.

Can the Commission estimate the broad economic benefits for the European Union of a successful US-EU Free Trade Agreement, and can the Commission provide an update on the status of the negotiations that are currently ongoing between both parties, following the mandate achieved by the Irish Presidency?

Esto sigue siendo aplicable en el estado actual del proceso. This holds true at the current state of the process. Readmission agreements have been a focal point of a common European policy on migration. Are such bilateral agreements between Member States compatible with existing European legislation, such as the Schengen Code and Convention or the asylum acquis concerning the allocation of responsibility between Member States? Given that these agreements were signed before the legislation referred to above, are they still valid today?

If so, does the Commission have a regularly updated inventory of, and is it monitoring, all bilateral agreements linked to readmission concluded between Member States? There are, however, two exceptions to this rule:. It results that the application of bilateral readmission agreements which entered into force before the cut-off date of An exhaustive and updated overview of all readmission agreements between Member States is publicly available at the Return Migration and Development Platform of the European University Institute:.

Seaside tourism companies in Europe have seen significant growth over the past few years due to changes in demand by tourists longer holiday period and also the local population current fashions and a warmer climate. These companies play a key role in managing European coasts, particularly in the Mediterranean.

Seaside tourism companies play a key social role since they employ a large number of people in micro-regions and have also attempted over the past few years to move away from seasonal employment. The indirect implications for local economies are significant and should be evaluated.

Furthermore, seaside resorts are in a position to work together with municipal councils to ensure that the resorts are safe by putting in place surveillance measures and limiting the number of people on the beach. Funding opportunities for investments geared to ensure the sustainability and protection of coastal areas are available under different EU programmes, including the European Fund for Fisheries. Support for tourism investments continues to be a potential activity area of the future Operational Programmes under the European Structural and Investment Funds, if they are connected to the thematic priorities and objectives of the funds.

The Commission already encourages the exchange of best practice in the field of coastal and maritime tourism. Of those non-working persons, What action is being taken by the Commission under the European Employment Strategy to address the issue of unemployment among persons with disabilities? What progress has been made by the Commission in implementing a framework for job creation in the Health and Social Care sector?

As regards the assistance allowance, does the Commission intend to implement an employment promotion strategy to allow for investment in services for disabled persons, as set out in the Employment Package? The Employment Guidelines address the integration of people with disabilities in the labour market. In the European Semester, the Commission monitors the Member States' performance in achieving the goals of the Europe strategy. A Joint Action on health workforce forecasting and planning has kicked off. In addition, the Commission carries out studies of recruitment and retention strategies and of continouous professional development.

The Commission's social investment package provides policy advice in terms of tailoring support with regard to groups with special needs, e. The European Disability Strategy includes measures to facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities. The definitions and criteria for determining disability are a matter of Member State competence.

Around one billion people in the world are suffering from hunger and another billion are undernourished. Most of those affected are women, children and small farmers. Given its specific nature, agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by climate change. This has major implications for the security of food supply. Agricultural policy is a key factor in safeguarding food supplies, ensuring sustainable growth in rural areas and combating poverty. Effectively this means that large-scale agriculture must exist alongside small and medium-scale agriculture, which accounts for a large number of farmers, particularly in countries afflicted by food shortages, the common objective being to improve access to know-how and secure additional market openings with a view to achieving sustainable growth in these areas and thus reducing hunger in the world.

Given that the aim of the new CAP is the implementation of sustainable farming practices and rural development policies adapted to the challenges arising at local level, does the Commission intend to introduce a market management mechanism adapted to a variety of sectors and geographical areas so as to ensure the more effective and responsible involvement of farmers and their organisations and thus prevent the situation described above occurring in future?

Market management mechanisms under the CAP have evolved considerably since its beginnings and are at present considered as a means to provide farmers a safety net in times of severe market distortions. The shift in focus of the CAP from price support through market intervention to producer support through direct payments, while placing greater emphasis on environmental and territorial sustainability through rural development measures, was driven by the need to make EU agriculture more market oriented.

The present changes to the CAP agreed at political level for the period will enable further improvements in the competitiveness of EU agriculture, notably by ending remaining production limitations, abolishing certain aid schemes that artificially influence producers' decisions.

Measures to facilitate cooperation amongst producers and along the supply chain are also introduced. Overall, the new CAP should be more focused towards longer term economic and environmental sustainability of EU agriculture through better targeting direct payments e. These changes should ensure the contribution of EU agriculture to food security in a sustainable way. According to the latest reports, there is constant tension between the Frelimo Mozambique Liberation Front Government and Renamo Mozambican National Resistance , which is mounting as the elections approach.

Renamo is seeking to renegotiate the peace agreements and disputes the electoral laws adopted by the Frelimo majority, and in particular the composition of the National Electoral Committee, and is threatening to boycott the elections. The last three months have witnessed mounting political tension in Mozambique. This tension takes place in the context of the local and general elections in Mozambique, and could be linked to the political decline of the main opposition party Renamo and the positioning for the succession of President Guebuza within the ruling Frelimo party.

Tension is fed as well by a sense of exclusion from those not benefiting from the transition to a natural resource based economy and the ensuing rapid growth rates. National and international efforts are being made and multiple channels of communication used, to defuse tension, in particular to avoid violence, and to resolve the current political stalemate. The EU is supporting efforts to help the Government and the Renamo should settle their differences through dialogue. The EU EFM provided an assessment of the electoral process and pragmatic proposals on preparations for the up-coming elections.

The EU will continue to make every effort to support the holding of right of elections in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. The Commission is aware of the deteriorating food security status in Guinea Bissau and is closely monitoring the situation. At the same time, the Commission is currently preparing two new programmes aiming at addressing the root causes of malnutrition and vulnerability to food crisis in Guinea Bissau by increasing food production, supporting selected agricultural value chains and adding value to smallholder agricultural production.

It is also foreseen to support the set-up of an improved early warning system for food security and nutrition, involving UN agencies and national specialized statistic bodies, in order to have more accurate information about the evolution of the food security situation, which will be accessible to all the stakeholders. According to the report, by the end of there was a total of Children are at the heart of the EU's humanitarian work. The Commission is also developing new tools to foster and track age-sensitive humanitarian projects, bringing attention to the specific needs of girls and boys.

The EU has dedicated its Nobel Peace Prize award to help children who are growing up in, or are displaced by, conflicts. The Common European Asylum System provides for child-sensitive reception conditions including special provisions for unaccompanied minors. In addition to this, the European Asylum Support Office can promote best and harmonised practices on child related issues and the European Refugee Fund foresees special assistance for the resettlement of children at risk and unaccompanied minors. According to several international studies, the incidence of mental illness increases in times of crisis and unemployment.

According to the national mental health coordinator, people with chronic mental health problems that tend to be incapacitating are most likely to miss check-ups more than usual and, in some cases, these patients have stopped taking their medication or have significantly cut down how much they take. What figures does it have on the rise in the number of cases of depression and mental health problems in the EU? The Commission is aware of the scientific evidence suggesting that strong links exist between mental health problems, economic crisis and unemployment.

The Commission is also aware of the adverse impact which mental disorders may have on adherence to treatment. Improving adherence to treatment and medical plans is the objective of one of the 6 thematic Action Groups established under the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, a collaborative stakeholder-driven partnership under which more than voluntary commitments for action to increase the average healthy lifespan of EU citizens by two years by have been submitted.

As regards developments in the number of cases of depression and mental health problems, the Commission has no systematic data available at EU-level. Data are only available with a delay and are still particularly limited for the field of mental health. A first wave of data on mental health from the European Health Interview Survey, covering seventeen countries, was collected between and A second wave is planned for , however with slightly different questions. These show increases from 9. In the following year to , there was a slight decrease of the rate to A group of British scientists recently met at the headquarters of the UK weather agency, the Met Office, to discuss the possible reasons for the unusual weather conditions in Europe in recent years.

Thousands of people in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland were recently ordered to abandon their homes because of flooding and other risks resulting from historic floods that devastated vast swathes of central Europe, caused by the cumulative effect of days of uninterrupted torrential rain. Extreme hydrological events across Europe imply high risks for society as they often cause severe economic and environmental damage and loss of human lives. This issue has been addressed specifically in a recent call for proposals on seasonal to decadal forecasting, designed to improve prediction skills of operational forecasting systems at time scales from months to years ahead.

The UK Met Office is one of the leading institutions within these consortia and the regular exchange of information on climate change and its impacts between the Commission and the European scientific community at large is ensured. Whereas the meteorological phenomena causing extreme flooding across large parts of central Europe are well known, the basic understanding of the causes of the unusual meteorological blocking situation that Europe was facing in spring is still lacking. This is why the understanding, development and prediction of meteorological blocking systems is one of the priorities of ongoing research projects focusing on seasonal predictions.

Em Portugal, de acordo com o Regulamento CE n. Several products containing acesulfame potassium, a sweetener times sweeter than sucrose and whose effects on health have been the subject of contradictory studies, with some considering it potentially carcinogenic, are on sale alongside dietetic products and are distributed by at least one well-known Spanish brand and another Portuguese one. It was re-evaluated by the SCF in It is predicted that there will be changes in the magnetic fields in some parts of the world, particularly in western Europe, and that flows of solar particles could alter geomagnetic activity to a degree that could disrupt the functioning of telecommunication systems, such as GPS navigation devices and mobile networks particularly the latest generation of devices.

According to NASA technicians, disruptions in communications could happen within two months, particularly in western Europe. Is it planning to take any preventive or informative measures relating to possible disruptions in European telecommunications? The Commission is aware of the potential threats to space-based and ground-based infrastructure posed by space weather events including major solar storms.

Assessing the impact on Earth orbiting satellites, GNSS reception, the electric grid and other systems is an important aspect. Emerging risks such as those due to space weather will be addressed in the risk overview that the Commission has been asked to compile based on national risk assessments that Member States are preparing.

A series of measures have been implemented, including the setting up of contingency procedures and notification to users to address the risk of service outages. Complementary activities aiming at building up European space weather services are being conducted through ESA programmes. Diesel particulates, lead, mercury, methylene chloride and other pollutants are known to affect brain function and child development.

According to the study, women exposed to high levels of air pollution while pregnant were up to twice as likely to have a child with autism as women living in areas with low pollution. Does the Commission have any up-to-date figures on the link between autism and air pollution in the EU? While this study is significant and would appear to provide evidence on the need for preventive action, the scientific consensus is that autism-spectrum disorders are multifactorial and that not all causes are known. Thus there would be a need to repeat the study, also in Europe where environmental and socioeconomic conditions are different.

The Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities FP7, has funded two projects on the link between air pollutants and neurodevelopmental disorders. The recently finished ESCAPE project investigated six birth cohorts and found that traffic-related air pollution exposure during pregnancy was associated with motor development impairment in children.

The Commission does not compile statistics on the prevalence of autism-spectrum disease subjects causally linked to air pollution. According to press reports, widespread logging began early this year throughout Guinea-Bissau. In statements to the press, a young environmentalist from Guinea-Bissau said that 32 tonne containers of padauk wood had already been taken away. The EU has provided support for environmental protection in Guinea Bissau since , with the involvment of the local communities. Reaction to the reports of logging activities and the adoption by the National Assembly of a resolution urging the government to adopt a moratorium on wood exports appear to have had an impact in reducing the scale of the logging operations.

This was the first national meeting held on the subject of illegal logging, attended by government authorities, international partners and civil society organisations. A number of proposals were made to stop illegal logging and to strengthen protection of forests. Around three quarters of these children are girls and 6.

The EU is committed to the target of the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. O Regulamento UE n. An EU legislative package on the labelling and content of food intended for infants and young children was recently adopted. Based on the principles of Better Regulation and simplification, it broadly follows the approach described by the Commission in its original proposal. It repeals unnecessary and contradictory rules and replaces them with a Framework under which rules remain only where necessary to protect specific groups of the population such as infants and young children.

Food for other population groups will be covered by other more recent and appropriate measures, such as the legislation on claims. The regulation sets general principles and requirements, while specific rules for the different foods will be adopted in the coming years by delegated acts. This provision was not in the Commission's original proposal but was an important point for the European Parliament and was added by the co-legislators during the negotiations. When fully deployed, eCall could save up to lives a year and alleviate the severity of road injuries.

The basic pan-European eCall service, based on , is a public service that must be offered for free. According to a recent study by the Karolinska institute, based in Stockholm, Sweden, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , premature birth increases infant mortality, neonatal morbidity, long-term disability and the more premature the birth, the greater the risks to the child. According to a study that analysed 1. The study showed that the chances of premature birth increase in line with increased body mass index BMI , compared with births in women of normal weight, and the chances of extremely premature births double in women with a BMI of between 35 and 40 or greater than According to the researchers involved, maternal obesity has replaced smoking as one of the main causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Does the Commission have any similar studies making it possible to assess the situation in the other Member States? In addition, the report noted that more than 1 woman in 10 smoked during pregnancy in many countries despite a decline between and The need to focus on pregnant women is a priority in the strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues.

In addition, the Commission has launched pilot projects aimed at promoting healthy diets and increasing consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables amongst pregnant women. Guinea-Bissau is one of 27 countries that have still not signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. According to a Unicef representative in the country, most of the disabilities found in children in Guinea-Bissau could be prevented by vaccination and by following good hygiene practice, but families often hide disabled children, which means the priority is to overcome the barrier of discrimination.

A study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell has identified the proteins responsible for producing blood stem cells, from undifferentiated tissue cells. This discovery may make it possible to produce blood products that are tailored to each patient, preventing rejection after transfusion. In the work mentioned by the Honourable Member, four new gene factors have been used for generating blood stem cell precursors,.

The discovery reported is innovative but still in its infancy and confirmation and development will be required before any potential clinical applications could be considered. According to a report published by the United Nations UN , the global population will grow to 8. Demographic change is a major driver of change in society and must be taken into consideration in the long-term impact of our policies.

The White paper on pensions furthermore put forward initiatives to help create the right conditions so that those who are able can continue working — leading to a better balance between time in work and time in retirement. The European Year of Active Ageing and solidarity between generations gave political momentum to policy initiatives in this area. Within the European Semesters the Commission has been proposing country-specific recommendations, including some concerning pension sustainability and adequacy, as well as improving access to education and training and fostering the reconciliation between work and private life.

Water fluoridation involves adjusting the concentration of natural fluoride in water to the recommended levels for optimal dental health. Does the Commission have any up-to-date figures on the benefits and risks of water fluoridation? According to the information available to the Commission, the practice of water fluoridation is still applied in the UK, Ireland and parts of Spain Basque Country. The device can identify up to 15 strains of influenza and all it requires is 0. The speed of diagnosis could greatly help to reduce the potential for the disease to spread.

The Commission is aware of a number of important developments in the field of medical diagnostics including Japanese research on the rapid detection of, and differentiation between, different strains of Influenza. The Commission fully agrees that the development of new, rapid and effective diagnostic tools could greatly help reduce the potential for the disease to spread. Therefore, the Commission is funding research in this sector, which is not only of paramount importance for public health but also presents excellent business opportunities for science-driven European enterprises.

Daniel is calling for another deep labour reform to be carried out in order to create jobs, as he believes the last labour reform undertaken by the government under his orders was a success. The mission chief has stated that salaries in Spain are the same as in , when statistics from the Spanish National Statistical Institute INE itself show that wage income has fallen below business income in the distribution of GDP.

At a time when poverty rates are skyrocketing and the quality of life is in freefall for Spanish workers, who are the ones suffering as a result of welfare cuts, this comes as another blow for them. Workers, because of their greater marginal propensity to consume, are now the only ones who can consume and stimulate domestic demand in the country in order to generate economic activity for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Trying to create more unemployment and reducing their income even further will destroy any hope of creating work in the country. Does the Commission agree with the conclusions of the report presented by the IMF mission? Does the Commission believe, in the light of the different statistics available, that the IMF is right in stating that Spanish wages are the same as in ?

The Commission is monitoring closely Spanish labour market developments and reforms. Moreover, the cooperation between national and regional public employment services and between public employment services and private placement agencies should be made fully operational. A comprehensive reform of active labour market policies ALMPs needs to be implemented and additional action taken to modernise and reinforce the Public Employment Service itself. Specific attention should be also paid to young people not in employment, education or training, the low-skilled, older workers and the long-term unemployed.

EUR zu Preisen von , je nachdem, welcher Wert niedriger ist. Die Berechnungsmethode der Kommission basiert auf einem progressiven System mit zwei Komponenten: Dieses Verfahren kann einige Monate in Anspruch nehmen. How much can the countries concerned expect to receive, and how quickly will they get it? Major disaster thresholds are based on recent Eurostat figures for GNI. Applications for EUSF support are based on a solid assessment of the direct damage caused by the disaster and the responsibility of the national authorities. Total direct damage is the basis of determination of the aid amount.

The calculation method applied by the Commission is based on a progressive system in two brackets whereby a country affected by a disaster receives a rate of aid of 2. The two amounts are cumulative. For extraordinary regional disasters, the same method is applied. Countries affected by those disasters, meaning they remain below the threshold, receive 2. This procedure can take a few months.

Once the budget appropriations are made available, and following the conclusion of the implementation agreement between the Commission and the beneficiary country, the aid is paid out in a single instalment. Wenn ja, wer koordiniert den Austausch zwischen den Regionen, und wie werden etwaige Koordinierungsprogramme finanziert? Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were particularly badly affected by the storms.

Some countries were forced to evacuate areas because of large-scale flooding. Does the European Union have an evacuation plan at European level for use in natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions or major floods? Does the Commission support the exchange of evacuation experiences between European regions?

If so, who coordinates such exchange and how are any coordination programmes funded? The Mechanism furthermore facilitates the exchange of experience and good practice in disaster management. Under the future legislation it will assess significant risk scenarios and possible response situations with the objective of preparing coordination plans for mutual assistance at EU level. There is currently no legislation at EU level on evacuation in case of natural disasters to protect citizens, which is a Member State's responsibility.

Im Februar gab es in Deutschland nur noch 21 deutsche Solarunternehmen. Experts believe the German solar industry has been hard hit by imports of cheaper solar cells and modules from China and by the removal of subsidies for photovoltaics. Does the Commission know how many manufacturers of solar cells and modules there are in other Member States?

If so, what are they? Apart from the punitive tariffs, what other action is the Commission taking to keep the European solar industry competitive? Detailed data on Photovoltaic PV item production is not readily available from public sources. Different sources suggest that more than 80 companies are active in Italy.

The consolidation phase of the PV manufacturing industry is being felt globally: Developments vary per subsector. In particular polysilicon and thin-film production in Europe remain competitive. Recent developments in Germany and globally are analysed in the annual Photovoltaic Status Report.

It will provide information to assess whether additional policy measures would be required to complement the existing ones. Der Deutsche Bundestag verabschiedete am 7. Is the Commission introducing initiatives to carry out such assessment or to establish a legal framework for this? The Commission fully supports the objective of dynamic innovation in the software sector and carefully follows discussions in this area. European patents can only be granted for an invention, provided that it is new, involves an inventive step and is susceptible of industrial application.

Computer programs as such generally do not have the required technical character and thus cannot be patented. This is confirmed by Art. Computer programs are excluded from patentability as far as they do not fulfil the general patentability criteria. By contrast, inventions, which do fulfil these requirements, are not excluded from patentability merely because they are implemented by a computer.

Against this background, at this stage, the Commission does not dispose of any evidence which would point to questionable practices of European patent authorities, and does not see any compelling need for reviewing European patent law in relation to software. However, it will follow this important topic attentively and is grateful for any analysis which stakeholders would be ready to share with the Commission. Erfindungen, die die Verwendung eines Computers umfassen, viele Bereiche betreffen, z. Smartphones, Sicherheitsvorrichtungen in Autos usw.

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The authors of the bill state that it is estimated that the [European Patent Office] alone has awarded tens of thousands of software patents. How many software patents does the Commission estimate that the European Patent Office has awarded since the European Patent Convention entered into force? How often are software patents awarded by the European Patent Office subsequently revoked? How often are software patents awarded by the European Patent Office thrown out by the courts? Computer programmes as such generally do not have the required technical character and can thus not be patented.

Yet computer programmes are only excluded from patentability as far as they do not fulfil the general patentability criteria. By contrast, inventions which do fulfil these requirements are not excluded from patentability merely because they are implemented by a computer. The Commission does not have any statistics on the grant of European patents for such computer-implemented inventions. Information on patents granted per field of technology can be found at:. Yet given that computer-implemented inventions may occur in several of these fields and not all patents granted in specific fields are necessarily computer-implemented inventions, these statistics do not allow any conclusion on the number of patents granted for computer-implemented inventions.

This practice means that large pharmaceutical companies pay — in effect, buy out — smaller ones in order to ensure that the production of generic, and hence cheaper, drugs is delayed. As a result, all pharmaceutical companies benefit the larger ones because they continue to sell their expensive drugs and the smaller ones because they are paid by the larger ones to delay the production of generic drugs ; it is consumers States, insurance funds, patients who lose out in this arrangement. It is aware of this practice? Has it found that similar practices exist among European pharmaceutical companies?

Have similar cases have been referred to the European Court? Has it investigated whether the rules of fair competition and the transparent functioning of the internal market are being observed in the pharmaceuticals sector for the benefit of European consumers? If so, what are the conclusions? If not, does it intend to do so in the near future? As the Commission's enforcement action shows, these types of agreements, like in the U. Could it describe what procedure is used to draw up the sets of questions used in the computer-based test CBT? What is the original language of the questions and how are they then translated and communicated to the examination centres throughout Europe?

Can it explain how it ensures the quality of the translations of the texts of the questions? More specifically, what means of quality control are used to ensure that the meaning and style of the text are not altered by the translation and that the text is the same in all languages?