The European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is having a serious effect on the economies of developing countries, according to Oxfam. Alexander Woollcombe told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the subsidies paid to European farmers make food produced in the EU cheaper than that grown elsewhere. He commented: “When it is combined with the European Union and other rich countries forcing developing countries to open their agricultural markets, what you get is subsidised, artificially cheaper European food coming into poor countries and wiping out their own national industries.” Prime minister Gordon Brown is calling on other EU leaders to cut the trade-distorting aspects of the CAP subsidies. This would help combat the food crisis, he claims. However, French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed last month that he would continue to support the system in order to protect the interests of Europe’s agricultural industries.

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4 June 2008
© CAF

Ahead of a seminar on Monday 19th May on ‘Model Europe: Human Rights and the Global EU’ Minister for Europe Jim Murphy MP said: “Europe has a long philosophical tradition around rights and responsibilities. Europe is at the forefront of international efforts to abolish the death penalty; the EU is in the process of establishing a productive human rights dialogue with the African Union and has a dialogue with Russia, China and increasingly with countries in Central Asia. Each year the EU funds projects to tackle e.g. racism, human trafficking, torture and child labour and to promote the rights of women, minorities and indigenous people. But if we can properly harness our political and economic resources, we can achieve more. Human dignity is a value we cannot underestimate.” Representatives from the EU, UK Government, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Stonewall, Save the Children, the TUC, and other leading civil society organisations will meet to discuss how the EU can look outwards and better work for greater standards of human rights across the world.

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16 May 2008
© Foreign and Commonwealth Office (National)

The Youth Protection Roundtable, a project funded by the European Commission, and the Young Roundtable which consists of 20 young people from seven European countries, will discuss what young people are expecting from the internet of the future and what can be done to make them feel safe online when they gather at the Stempferhof near Nuremberg. Discussions take place from Wednesday 14 May to Friday 16 May. To join the Young Roundtable by listening to the podcasts and viewing the pictures visit www.yprt.eu/podcast

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15 May 2008
© Citizens Online

Dr Paul Timmers, Head of Unit - ICT for Inclusion, speaks about the latest EU policies on e-Inclusion, and the role that self-service solutions providers need to play in ensuring their success. Despite technological progress and enhanced competition, more than one in three Europeans are still excluded from fully benefiting from the digital society. In the Declaration made in Riga in 2006, EU Ministers committed themselves to clear targets, for example to halve the gaps in internet use and in digital literacy, and to achieve 100% accessibility of public websites by 2010. Progress remains fragmented and slow, despite such targets and many actions involving public authorities, industry and civil society. Most of the Riga objectives will not be met on time. Accessibility of public websites remains stuck at 5%. Only 10% of people aged over 64 are Internet users while the average in Europe is 47%. The latest assessments conducted for the Commission show that accessibility of websites, ICT-enabled emergency services, TV sets and other ICT remains problematic, with lower-educated, economically inactive and elderly people at the greatest risk of being left behind. Amongst other actions, during 2008, the Commission will raise awareness through the campaign called “e-Inclusion, be part of it!”, including a Ministerial Conference towards the end of the year, to demonstrate real progress and to reinforce commitments at all levels. All relevant players are encouraged to contribute, sharing with others their efforts to promote e-Inclusion. To read the complete interview with Paul Timmers - log on to: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=4052

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14 May 2008
© Citizens Online

The UK’s European parliament office has produced an EU quiz to encourage local authorities to celebrate Europe Day. Several local authorities have planned events for 9 May, many of which are educational and aimed at involving children. Councils are responsible for delivering many of the policy proposals debated in Brussels, from waste to migration. Europe Day provides an opportunity for people to learn more about how these decisions are taken and how they will affect their local communities.

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8 May 2008
© LGA

On 8 May, Minister for Europe Jim Murphy MP and his French counterpart Jean-Pierre Jouyet will host a roundtable discussion on “Towards a Green Collar Europe - jobs and growth in a low carbon economy”. Senior participants from business, civil society and trade unions will consider how Europe can boost employment and prosperity in the 21st Century by showing leadership on climate change. Issues for debate will include reform of the EU budget to deliver jobs and growth and designing a successor to the Lisbon strategy for jobs and growth. Jim Murphy said: “Countries that take early action in developing green technology will have a competitive advantage as this boom industry grows in the future. The Government is committed to making sure the UK is ahead of the pack - in the future we want an economy offering a mix of good blue collar jobs, good white collar jobs and good green collar jobs. Our aim is to have over a million UK workers in environmental industries within the next two decades.”

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7 May 2008
© Foreign and Commonwealth Office (National)