EU boost for open data – EUbusiness Week newsletter 670

Publisher’s Note

Europeans have a right to re-use open public information (PSI). And this week’s Commission guidelines to help Member States take advantage of a revised Directive on PSI should pave the way for fewer licensing restrictions and cheaper or free access to data such as weather, traffic, property assets and maps.

Opening and re-using such data will boost the economy and encourage innovation. Member States now have a year to pass the rules into national law. These guidelines should help.
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Summer service: EUbusiness now moves to its usual reduced service over the summer. Newswires start again in September. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our RSS news feed at
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

1. Summit fails to reach deal on top jobs

EU leaders failed to reach agreement as their summit ended early on Thursday over who should get the top jobs to steer the bloc over the next five years.
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EU toughens Russia sanctions over Ukraine

2. IMF cuts eurozone 2014 growth forecast

The IMF has cut its 2014 growth forecast for the eurozone, warning that the recovery is “neither robust nor sufficiently strong”.
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European car market recovers, Peugeot picks up speed

3. EU to tighten up online gambling rules

The EU says it wants tighter rules to regulate the fast developing online gambling industry in an effort to better protect minors and coordinate a huge but fragmented market.
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4. Ecuador, EU reach long-delayed trade pact

Ecuador, the world’s top banana exporter, and the EU reached a long-delayed trade agreement, the Ecuadorian Minister of Trade Francisco Rivadeneira said on Thursday.
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5. Bulgaria plans to join EU banking union

Bulgaria is to seek to join the new EU set of rules known as the ‘banking union’ after poor bank supervision led to the collapse of its fourth-biggest lender.
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6. Bing offers to ‘forget’ links in Europe searches

Microsoft is following in Google’s footsteps by letting people in Europe ask to have links related to them ‘forgotten’ on its search engine Bing, under the auspices of the ECJ court ruling.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Stem-cell patents: a human egg used to produce stem cells but unable to develop into a viable embryo can potentially be patented, an Advocate General said on Thursday.
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EU states cannot jail foreigners awaiting expulsion: court
Former Ukraine president sues EU over sanctions
Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

UK: David Cameron has dramatically hardened his government’s eurosceptic stance for a battle with Brussels, but may have weakened his hand while increasing the risk that Britain could crash out of the EU.
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Merkel gives pep talk to Balkan EU hopefuls
Serenades and some advice for Merkel on her 60th birthday
Council …

Commission Watch

Juncker: Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker won the backing of Euro-MPs on Tuesday to head the EU’s powerful executive for the next five years, despite a British-led campaign to block his appointment.
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Juncker: veteran EU insider
Juncker to halt enlargement as Commission head
EU resumes cooperation with Guinea-Bissau
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Parliament Watch

EC president: Jean-Claude Juncker, the next head of the Commission, faced down jeers by British eurosceptics on Tuesday as he argued that the euro was a blessing for Europe and called for more spending to spark growth.
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Polish MEP’s ‘n-word’ remark sparks anger
This week the newly-elected MEPs called on Russia to cooperate with the Ukrainian peace plan, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and resumption of peace talks.
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EU diary

22-24 Jul: European Parliament Committee Meetings
22 Jul: Foreign Affairs Council
23 Jul: General Affairs Council
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary

RESOURCES

EU Law Firms
Summaries of EU Legislation
EU Decision-Making
Treaties of the European Union
Key EU Legal Terms

Other news on EUbusiness this week

Pro-Russia charge against FM Mogherini riles Italy 17-Jul
Bulgaria under fire over anti-refugee border fence 17-Jul
IMI2 1st call for proposals 2014 16-Jul
Eurozone trade surplus higher in May 16-Jul
Emergency data law passed in British lower house 16-Jul
China genes stopped Euro-pigs from being total boars 15-Jul

EUbusiness Community

Press

ALTER-EU welcomes Juncker’s commitment to a mandatory lobby register and proactive transparency
EPHA calls on new Commission president to put people’s needs first
EBF reacts to EU Parliament President Schulz’s call for more lending by banks
Commission Adopts New State Aid General Block Exemption Regulation
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Jobs

Legal Officer, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
Senior Advisor Communication (FMO), EFTA Secretariat
Communications and Marketing Officer, Vesalius College
Communications & Project Officer, Forest-based Sector Technology Platform
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Guides

Guidelines on the re-use of public sector information
Annual Report on the Protection of the EU’s Financial Interests
Study maps EU school food policies
EC consults on protection of geographical indications for non-agricultural products
Unfair trading practices in the food supply chain
European Trust Fund for the Central African Republic
More guides …

Events

25 Aug, Slovenia: SMARTRAIL final conference
28 Aug, Vienna: International Conference on E-Business
7 Sep, Warsaw: Symposium on Service Systems for Social Innovation
9 Sep, Hildesheim: Conference on Cultural Policy Research
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Publications

Mapping of National School Food Policies across the EU
A Casebook on European Consumer Law
Eurofound yearbook 2013: Living and working in Europe
More publications …

Links

Interconnected insolvency registers search

More links