EU aims for smarter cities – EUbusiness Week newsletter 582 – EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 582 top stories: EU offers Spain bank aid, more time to fix deficit; EU push for car CO2 cuts faces criticism; European banks ‘broadly on target’ for raising capital; EU warns Lithuania over nuclear decommissioning; UN agency warns of 4.5m more jobless in eurozone; Czech teens, Europe’s heaviest underage drinkers

This Week’s Top Stories

1. EU offers Spain bank aid, more time to fix deficit
2. EU push for car CO2 cuts faces criticism
3. European banks ‘broadly on target’ for raising capital
4. EU warns Lithuania over nuclear decommissioning
5. UN agency warns of 4.5m more jobless in eurozone
6. Czech teens, Europe’s heaviest underage drinkers

Publisher’s Note

With Europe’s city dwellers consuming 70% of the EU’s energy and congestion costing about 1% of Europe’s GDP every year, the Commission has unveiled an initiative on ‘smart urban technologies’. The Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership will adapt cities into ‘smart intelligent and sustainable environments’, with EUR 365m earmarked to fund urban technology demonstration projects.

Energy projects will focus on high efficiency heating and cooling systems, smart metering and zero-energy buildings. CO2-free cities is the transport goal, phasing out conventionally-fueled cars, and smart charging electric vehicles and smokeless silent buses. This is the future for cities, says Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes, about “enabling new business models and empowering people”.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

PUBLIC TENDER – MACEDONIA

Granting of state-owned agricultural land under lease – Public Notice, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy in Macedonia
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1. EU offers Spain bank aid, more time to fix deficit

Finance ministers have bought Spain more time to revive its sickly economy, offering 30 billion euros to save the country’s banks and protect Europe from more debt contagion.
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Spain PM announces EUR 65bn austerity package
Spain to receive 2nd bailout payment in November

2. EU push for car CO2 cuts faces criticism

The Commission pushed Wednesday for cuts in automobile carbon emissions but environmentalists said the plans did not go far enough while car makers warned that it would hurt the industry.
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EU wants life-saver tests on cars, motorbikes

3. European banks ‘broadly on target’ for raising capital

Leading European banks are broadly on track for boosting their capital base to cushion against crises and the total funds raised exceed the target, the European Banking Authority said on Wednesday.
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4. EU warns Lithuania over nuclear decommissioning

A top European watchdog has warned Lithuania that Brussels may freeze funds aimed at helping it decommission a Soviet-era nuclear reactor unless the Baltic state improves its management.
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5. UN agency warns of 4.5m more jobless in eurozone

Eurozone countries must act now to prevent creating a further 4.5 million unemployed workers in the next four years, warns the head of the UN’s labour agency.
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6. Czech teens, Europe’s heaviest underage drinkers

Shaken awake by police on a park bench, a 12-year-old boy from Prague was so drunk he could neither walk nor talk — grim evidence of an unparalleled alcohol scourge affecting underage Czechs, confirmed by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Euro crisis tools: Germany’s top court has begun hearing challenges to euro crisis-fighting tools, in a process that could hamper Chancellor Angela Merkel’s efforts to tackle the turmoil.
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EU judges to analyse failures of key Bulgarian court cases
Latest Court of Justice judgements
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Romania: Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta promised Thursday to ease anxiety about the state of democracy in his country and fall in line with European Union demands to respect the rule of law.
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Cyprus backs Serbia to start accession talks by year end
France, Germany fete 50 years of post-war reconciliation
Euro finance ministers name Mersch to ECB board
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Commission Watch

Israel: Commission chief Barroso Monday held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Iran’s nuclear programme during his trip to Israel and the West Bank.
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EU lauds US roll-back of Myanmar sanctions
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Parliament Watch

This week, Cypriot ministers presented the priorities of Cyprus’ EU Presidency to EP committees; the Energy Committee endorsed the deal on the EU energy efficiency directive struck by MEPs and Council on 13 June; and Regional Development Committee MEPs are set to start talks with Member States on the EU’s post-2013 cohesion policy.
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EU diary

16-17 Jul, Agriculture and Fisheries Council
17 Jul, EC proposal on protection of EU financial interests
18-19 Jul, Informal Competitiveness Council (Industry)
20 Jul, Informal Competitiveness Council (Research)
23 Jul, Foreign Affairs Council
23-24 Jul, Justice and Home Affairs informal
26 Jul, Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Budget)
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary