EUbusiness Week 493 top stories: EU agrees to create new budget sanctions; US, EU sign deal to end long banana dispute; EU hopes to open market, duty free, to Palestinian goods; Spain, Portugal and France agree on high-speed rail; Commission wants more biofuels, pledges vigilance; EU warns tourists warned off 500 European beaches
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EUbusiness Week – Issue 493
11 June 2010
http://www.eubusiness.com
Your way through the EU information maze
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This Week’s Top Stories
=======================
1. EU agrees to create new budget sanctions
2. US, EU sign deal to end long banana dispute
3. EU hopes to open market, duty free, to Palestinian goods
4. Spain, Portugal and France agree on high-speed rail
5. Commission wants more biofuels, pledges vigilance
6. EU warns tourists off 500 European beaches
Publisher’s Note
================
Turkey’s place in Europe was the cause of heated debate this
week, as the United States expressed its concerns that the
EU’s refusal to accept Turkey as a member swiftly has partly
caused the deterioration in its relations with Israel.
Since starting EU membership talks in 2005, Turkey has
succeeded in opening only 12 of the 35 chapters that
candidate countries must complete to join. With both France
and Germany cool on Turkish membership, the worry is that
the EU’s refusal to embrace Turkey is pushing it eastwards.
As Italy’s foreign minister said: “If we give Turkey the
impression that we don’t want them as a member of the EU
family then they will look around for other perspectives,
for example regional powers like Iran and Syria.”
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/turkey-enlargement.546
Regards,
Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness
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1. EU agrees to create new budget sanctions
——————————————-
EU finance ministers agreed on Monday to design new
sanctions that will allow partners to intervene before
countries become too laden down by debt.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-economy.52j
EU fixes first poverty reduction goal
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/social-poverty.52a
2. US, EU sign deal to end long banana dispute
———————————————-
The United States said Tuesday it had signed an agreement
with the European Union aimed at ending a longstanding
dispute over banana tariffs.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/us-wto-trade-farm.539
3. EU hopes to open market, duty free, to Palestinian goods
———————————————————–
The Commission said on Thursday it wants to see the full
opening of Europe’s market to Palestinian goods, duty free,
to help the Palestinians build an export market.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/mideast-conflict.545
4. Spain, Portugal and France agree on high-speed rail
——————————————————
Spain, Portugal and France agreed to coordinate the
development of their high-speed rail networks at a meeting
of EU transport ministers in Zaragoza in northeastern Spain.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/spain-france-rail.53q
5. Commission wants more biofuels, pledges vigilance
—————————————————-
Energy Commissioner Oettinger has called for higher goals
for biofuels use, while vowing an effective certification
system to avoid hurting the environment with the fuel crops.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/climate-energy.54d
6. EU warns tourists off 500 European beaches
———————————————
Swimmers should avoid some 500 European beaches, lakes and
rivers for health reasons, the Commission said on Thursday
after a survey of nearly 20,000 sites.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/travel-tourism.549
EUROPEAN CASE LAW
=================
Mobile cap: the European Court of Justice on Tuesday upheld
the European Commission’s decision to impose price limits
for cross-border mobile phone calls in the EU.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/telecom-mobile.52t
EU warns Italy on discriminatory pension age again
http://www.eubusiness.com/eulaw/eu-law-home
Hungary Mining Act ‘violates EU state aid rules’
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/state-aid-hungary.906
http://www.eubusiness.com/eulaw
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from national and European Courts. Free 30 day license for
EUbusiness readers – thereafter at a special introductory
discount of 20 per cent
http://www.eubusiness.com/caselex-30
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Inside the EU Institutions
==========================
Council Watch
————-
National budgets: Britain has rejected point blank EU claims
it would let Brussels vet its budgets ahead of domestic
lawmakers amid a growing row over moves towards an
“economic government” for Europe.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-economy.52s
EU may go further than UN on Iran sanctions
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/iran-nuclear-un.54e
Health ministers agree rules for high-quality healthcare
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/healthcare.806
FinMins to strengthen cross-border cooperation on VAT fraud
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/cross-border-vat.806
Libya, EU signal obstacles in partner talks
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/libya-diplomacy.53i
http://www.eubusiness.com/European_Council
Commission Watch
—————-
Bulgaria: the EC has warned Bulgaria that it has broken EU
rules on deficit forecasts, and said auditors would probe
past accounts amid “concerns” over sharp upward revisions.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/bulgaria-budget.53n
Barroso congratulates Japan’s new PM, seeks closer ties
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/japan-politics.52p
EU defends itself under Merkel, Sarkozy pressure
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-economy.53h
Spain, Portugal ‘need more cuts, reforms’
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-economy.52h
http://www.eubusiness.com/Commission
Euro-Parliament Watch
———————
Schengen: Bulgaria and Romania moved a step closer to having
border checks with the borderless Schengen area lifted when
the Civil Liberties Committee approved a Council decision
that both comply with data security requirements for
joining the border control database.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/border-controls.106
Committee meetings and political groups this week. The
political groups devoted most of the week to preparations
for the 14-17 June plenary in Strasbourg. The draft agenda
includes legislation on working time of lorry drivers and
food labelling, plus a vote on intellectual property and a
debate on plans for the 17 June EU summit.
http://www.eubusiness.com/Europarl
EU diary
——–
14 June, General Affairs and Foreign Affairs Council
14-17 June, European Parliament Plenary Session
17 June, European Council
21-22 June, Informal Meeting of Housing Ministers
21 June, Environment Council
25-26 June, G8 Muskoka Summit
26-27 June, G20 Toronto Summit
The Week Ahead: http://www.eubusiness.com/events/EUcalendar
Long-term diary: http://www.eubusiness.com/events/eu-diary
EUbusiness Community
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Analysis
——–
Subsidies: the debate should not be between subsidy and no
subsidy, but between subsidy for low carbon energy and
energy efficiency and subsidy for high carbon energy –
Stephen Tindale, Climate Answers
http://www.eubusiness.com/Members/climateanswers/10-06-08
http://www.eubusiness.com/features
Policy Forum
————
Future of food labelling at stake
http://www.eubusiness.com/consumer/beuc.10-06-09
Bluefin tuna quota fished out for 2010
http://www.eubusiness.com/fisheries/greenpeace.10-06-09
Safer Mobile Use by Younger Teenagers and Children
http://www.eubusiness.com/telecoms/gsma.10-06-09
More press: http://www.eubusiness.com/press
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Events
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5 Jul, Hungary: Climate Change & Agriculture Training School
http://www.eubusiness.com/agri/cost.734
6 Jul, Heidelberg: Int’l Network Conference (INC2010)
http://www.eubusiness.com/research/inc-2010
More events: http://www.eubusiness.com/events
Jobs
—-
Head of Legal Team, TEN-T Executive Agency
http://www.eubusiness.com/Jobs/ten-t.10-06-08
Project Manager – Legal European Research, Icebreaker
Consortium ERICON-AB Project
http://www.eubusiness.com/Jobs/esf-icebreaker.10-06-08
More jobs: http://www.eubusiness.com/jobs
Briefing
——–
EU system for certifying sustainable biofuels
http://www.eubusiness.com/energy/biofuels-guide
EU bathing water policy
http://www.eubusiness.com/environ/bathing-water.10
EU policy on vocational education and training
http://www.eubusiness.com/Education/training.10
The Mediterranean Fisheries Regulation
http://www.eubusiness.com/fisheries/mediterranean.806
More briefings: http://www.eubusiness.com/guides
Publications
————–
A new impetus for European cooperation in Vocational
Education and Training – Communication
http://www.eubusiness.com/Education/vocational-training
2009 Eurobarometer Survey on Entrepreneurship
http://www.eubusiness.com/sme/entrepreneurship.09
More publications: http://www.eubusiness.com/EUbooks
Other news on EUbusiness this week
———————————-
Spain to label certain products in Braille 10-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/consumer-safety.106
EU sees ‘crucial’ need for Danube strategy 10-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/romania-danube.53w
EU in bid to standardise bank deposit levels 9-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/banking-consumer.53s
EU approves EUR 16m for new Fiat transmission unit 9-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/state-aid-italy.906
EU closes bluefin tuna fishing season early 9-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/environment-fishing.53f
Swiss retain 534.8 million francs in European taxes 8-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/switzerland-tax.52u
Eurozone needs ‘fundamental’ reform: IMF 8-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/imf-finance-economy.52q
Unemployment tops Europeans’ worries: poll 7-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/germany-poll.524
Lufthansa wants EU compensation for volcano disruption 7-Jun
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/germany-iceland.522
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