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POLITICS, POLICY AND PEOPLE Issue 403 15 December 2014

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Crafting Europe’s energy union EU council presidency

Riga to please: Latvian ministers leading from the front google

Marc Tarabella on reining in the internet giants exclusive

laimdota straujuma Latvia’s prime minister on bringing ‘new vision and dynamism’ to the European project 01 PM.indd 1

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MEP AWARDS

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Now in their 11th year, the annual MEP awards bring together members of the European parliament and EU stakeholders to celebrate the work and highlight the outstanding achievements of MEPs. This year’s awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 18 March at the Concert Noble, Brussels.

Awards timeline: Nominations open: Monday 1 December 2014 Nominations close: Friday 16 January 2015 Shortlist announced: Wednesday 28 January 2015 Voting opens: Monday 2 February 2015 Voting closes: Monday 23 February 2015 Awards ceremony: Wednesday 18 March 2015

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DEVELOPMENT THROUGH LEARNING We work with countries bordering the EU to improve their vocational education and training, because knowledge and skills mean more prosperous and better lives for all.

WHAT WE DO

WHERE WE WORK

The ETF helps partner countries to: • Improve the employability of people • Develop schools and teachers • Find their own pathways to human capital development • Broaden access to vocational education and training and improve its quality • Build qualification systems and frameworks • Smoothen the transition from education to work • Open possibilities for lifelong learning • Promote inclusive governance in education and training • Facilitate cooperation between education and business • Promote entrepreneurial learning

In 30 partner countries in South Eastern Europe, the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The ETF provides information and analysis on human capital development in its partner countries through the Torino Process policy reviews and contributes to the design and delivery of EU assistance.

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OUR PARTNERS • Policy makers, practitioners, donors and social partners in the EU, its Member States and partner countries • European institutions and bodies • International organisations

For more information, visit:

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11/12/2014 17:29:47

Issue 403 15 December 2014

newsanalysis 8 Patient safety ‘under-recognised’ by EU

Infection prevention and control measures could save ‘€5.4bn’ in public health costs, says Karin Kadenbach

11 Robotics can be a ‘revolution’ for EU economy

Robotics could be the key to enhancing European competitiveness, but workers must be protected, writes Mady Delvaux

12

12 EU gender equality legislation key to breaking the glass ceiling

Gender equality is not a luxury, it is an imperative, writes Věra Jourová

14 Google is ‘suffocating’ the internal market

It is time for sanctions on Google, says Marc Tarabella

15 News and Tweets

coverstory 24

19 A ‘new vision and dynamism’ for Europe

Laimdota Straujuma outlines Latvia’s goals and priorities for the presidency of the council of the European Union.

24 Latvian presidency and parliament must work together

37

In order for the EU to tackle key issues successfully, the presidency and parliament must cooperate as much as possible, writes Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica

to the ‘staggering’ social and economic costs of musculoskeletal disorders, says Andreas Schwarting

26 Latvia to promote EU trade and sustainable development

42 Europe needs sustainable labour market participation for all

The EU’s global standing impacts directly on its security and prosperity, explains Edgars Rinkēvičs

28 EU budget high priority for Latvian presidency

Promotion of growth will be a key economic and financial goal for the presidency, says Jānis Reirs

31 Latvia to focus on ‘long-term agricultural production’

Latvia’s ministry of agriculture will promote a sustainable approach to agriculture, fisheries and the forestry sector, writes Jānis Dūklavs

53

33 Environment represents greatest challenge for EU policymakers

Kaspars Gerhards says the Latvian presidency is committed to helping Europe find a ‘balanced and sustainable approach’ to achieving its overall objectives

35 More justice key to ensuring EU competitiveness

The Latvian EU council presidency will work towards more justice for EU citizens, promises Dzintars Rasnačs

37 Latvian presidency will promote a ‘healthy lifestyle’

65

New EU health legislation to improve patient safety and quality will be priority, says Guntis Belēvičs The Parliament Magazine’s Thought Leader: The EU must face up

40 Presidency programme The Latvian EU council presidency will emphasise the tackling of inequality in Europe’s welfare and employment systems, explains Uldis Augulis

44 Cultural diversity and creativity at heart of EU project

The Latvian presidency is an opportunity for the country to share its culture with other European citizens, writes Dace Melbārde

46 Latvia is ready to take charge

The Latvian presidency team has the experience and motivation to deliver on its priorities, writes Ilze Juhansone

policyfocus 49 Energy union can be a ‘new start for Europe’

Completion of the internal energy market can revive European industry, bringing growth and innovation, says Jerzy Buzek

53 EU needs increased access to global energy market

The EU can no longer rely on Russia as its main energy supplier, and must instead widen market access to reap economic and social benefits, argues Adina-Ioana Vălean

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40 57 EU needs ‘strong and ambitious’ position on energy

It’s up to member states to legislate individually on energy and climate change, but Europe must present a united front ahead of the Paris climate talks, writes Patrizia Toia

58 Risk of EU energy supply failure on the rise

EU member states must work together to ensure Europe has a secure supply of energy, writes Elmar Brok

61 Energy efficiency key to delivering long-term benefits

Michel Lebrun calls on the European council and commission to show the same ambition as the Committee of the Regions towards energy efficiency and renewable energy

62 Europe must invest in energy security

Reinforcing Europe’s security of energy supply will require strong economic and political support, writes François Trévoux

Special Report Twinning and citzenship 65 EU must reconnect with citizens through public action at local and regional level

The European project must be re-launched with the support of local and regional governments, writes Frédéric Vallier

15 December 2014 PARLIAMENTMAGAZINE 5

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11/12/2014 17:30:48

Sarah Stone GE HEALTHCARE Cardiff, UK

We are all fluent in innovation.

Every day over 90,000 GE employees go to work in over 800 cities across Europe.

Together, they create innovations in healthcare, aviation, energy and finance that push the world forward.

Tomorrow looks bright. And tomorrow is Made in Europe. gereports.eu

703625-35_BBDNY_ParliamentMag_1711.indd 1 ge1.indd 1

10/11/2014 15:56 11/12/2014 16:49:21

magazine editorial

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7th Floor, Rue du Trône 60, Brussels 1050 Production Head of production John Levers Tel: +44 (0)20 7593 5705 Design Matt Titley Max Dubiel Advertising and sponsorship sales Publishing Director Grant Hewston Tel: +44 (0)20 7593 5547 Email: grant.hewston@theparliament.com

Sales Manager Sandra Fernandez Tel: +44 (0)20 7593 5545

Taxing times ahead for European Union?

T

here is always a certain amount of pride and excitement from a member state when it assumes the EU council presidency for the first time, and the Latvians are no different. While this is a crucial and difficult time for the EU (how often do we find ourselves saying that?), the Latvian government seems to be viewing this presidency as an opportunity rather than a burden. Latvia begins its presidency stint on 1 January and within these pages we have contributions from nearly the entire cabinet, outlining their commitment to ensuring ‘involvement, growth and stability’ over their six months helming the European Union. These are three things the EU could certainly do with, as the European institutions head into the winter break still reeling from the impact of the ‘Luxleaks’ scandal and facing fresh uncertainty around the possible involvement of commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in any tax deals. This issue has certainly galvanised MEPs, with many from across the political spectrum insistent that the tax activities of member states be put under the microscope.

With Luxembourg quite vocal in its attempts to prevent the Grand Duchy from being singled out over its tax policies, the latest round of revelations has left the country’s former prime minister and the EU’s current commission president, in his own words, “weakened”. Juncker has already been booed during an appearance in front of MEPs in Strasbourg, where he appeared largely unruffled, saying he was “not in charge of Luxembourg anymore and won’t apologise”. Does this new admission, given his near silence on the matter previously, constitute a shift in stance? Clearly there is more to come and we will all be following with interest the developments around competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s ongoing investigation into European level tax avoidance and parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee reports on tax fairness.

The Parliament Magazine returns in late January, and with much to mull over during the holiday period, the editorial team wishes you season’s greetings and a happy new year.

Email: sandra.fernandez@dods.eu

Sales Monica Barbosa Tel: +44 (0)20 7593 5544 Email: monica.barbosa@dods.eu

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www.theparliament.com Annual subscription price: €120 Media partnerships and marketing Farah Mulla +44 (0) 207 593 5524

Desmond Hinton-Beales is deputy editor of the Parliament Magazine

ON THE COVER | Latvian EU council presidency Laimdota Straujuma, Latvia’s prime minister, begins our cover story by outlining the goals and priorities for the next six months, as Latvia takes the chair of the rotating EU council presidency. She says the work of the Latvian presidency aims to maximise the opportunity offered by the new legislative period and will focus on three main areas: competitive Europe, digital Europe and engaged Europe. Straujuma outlines her belief in the multilateral trading system, and her conviction that the EU should continue to advance trade negotiations that are already underway, including TTIP and a free trade agreement with Japan.

Find out how the presidency hopes to achieve a stronger eastern partnership, “a truly digital single market” and why Europe must become “digital by default”.

See pages 19-21

Email: farah.mulla@dods.co.uk

15 December 2014 PARLIAMENTMAGAZINE 7

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Healthcare

Patient safety ‘underrecognised’ by EU Infection prevention and control measures could save ‘€5.4bn’ in public health costs, says Karin Kadenbach

Karin Kadenbach is a member of parliament’s environment, public health and food safety committee

H

ealth is at the core of all citizens’ concerns, and when it comes to receiving healthcare, patients have a fundamental expectation that their hospital treatment will be safe. However, 8-12 per cent of patients admitted to hospital in the EU suffer from adverse events, and 37,000 of them will die each year from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), the most common type of adverse event. These infections cost European economies €5.4bn per year. Given that many HAIs are preventable, the commission anticipates that infection prevention and control measures should save public health costs. Therefore, action needs to be taken.

While we have a good understanding of patient safety and HAIs, the importance of addressing them remains underrecognised in healthcare settings. In recent years, member states have made good progress in adopting patient safety and HAI measures, but the economic crisis has slowed this process and the issue is now lower on government agendas. This is regrettable, as HAIs and patient safety measures can offer real benefits both to economies and to patients.

In light of the 2011 directive on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare, the issue of healthcare quality and patient safety has become a priority at EU level. Last year, parliament adopted a resolution which called for increased EU and member state action on patient safety and HAIs, including clostridium difficile infection (CDI). CDI is among the top 10 HAIs in European hospitals,

according to the European centre for disease prevention and control (ECDC). It most commonly results from the use of antibiotics that disrupt the normal bacteria in the bowel and allow C. difficile to flourish. Groups at particular risk of CDI include patients who are elderly, hospitalised or residents in long-term care facilities. The symptoms of CDI range from diarrhoea to severe, life-threatening complications.

Like other HAIs, it can seriously jeopardise the course of a primary treatment, extend the length of hospital stay, and in some cases it can be fatal.

CDI illustrates, in many ways, the shortcomings in existing efforts to address HAIs. It reflects weaknesses in infection prevention control measures such as antibiotic stewardship, hand washing, environmental decontamination, training and staffing. It also underscores the need to look beyond hospital settings, tackling infections in long-term care facilities and paying particular attention to vulnerable people such as the elderly and chronically ill. Solutions and best practices in infection control and prevention exist. Therefore, these must be shared and enshrined in national public health strategies as a matter of urgency.

On 2 December, I hosted an event in the European parliament, organised

by CDI Europe and HOPE, and supported by Astellas Pharma EMEA. We discussed the need for concerted action from the EU and members states on HAIs, and presented recommendations for improving CDI prevention and control to ensure the highest standards of patient safety and quality of care.

“8-12 per cent of patients admitted to hospital in the EU suffer from adverse events, and 37,000 of them will die each year from healthcareassociated infections (HAIs), the most common type of adverse event”

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11/12/2014 16:26:59

Maciej Kuczy´nski GE OIL & GAS ENGINEERING DESIGN CENTRE Warsaw, Poland

To see the brightest future, stand in Europe.

Every day over 90,000 GE employees go to work in over 800 cities across Europe.

Together, they create innovations in healthcare, aviation, energy and finance that push the world forward.

Tomorrow looks bright. And tomorrow is Made in Europe. gereports.eu

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11/12/2014 16:50:05 18/11/2014 12:31

SPARC - €2.8 billion to strengthen EU lead in robotics SPARC was officially launched at the occasion of AUTOMATICA’s opening ceremony in Munich on 3 June 2014.

Vice-President Neelie Kroes of the European Commission

“Robotics is currently one of the most dynamical developments.

Not only in factories, but in agriculture, energy, infrastructure, civil services.” with an overall market share of 35%, but efforts are needed to follow the pace of this rapidly evolving sector and making the most of it.

T

he removal of a cloth from an artist’s rendering of the SPARC logo by a robot, following the command of previous European Commission’s Vice-President Neelie Kroes, marked the formal launch of the world’s largest civilian research and innovation programme in robotics. This happened in June, 2014. Set up as a public-private partnership (PPP) between the association euRobotics AISBL and the European Commission, SPARC is to maintain and extend Europe’s leading position in this strategic area. The European Commission will invest €700 million in SPARC under its new research and innovation programme Horizon 2020. The European industry’s overall investment will amount to €2.1 billion. SPARC will increase Europe’s competitiveness in the production and use of robotics in industry, agriculture, health, transport, civil security and households. The logo of SPARC epitomises the dynamics connected with the European robotics programme.

Robotics is currently one of the most dynamical developments. Not only in factories, but in agriculture, energy, infrastructure, civil services – and with growing autonomy, learning capabilities, collaboration with humans, mobility and dexterity, many more applications are easily foreseen.

Robotics comprises pivotal technologies that will underpin the competitiveness of strategic

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European industries, the provision of solutions for many of Europe’s societal challenges and Europe’s excellence in science.

Robotics contributes to Europe’s strong position in global manufacturing. But the potential of robotics goes far beyond the factory: robots help nurses in hospitals, inspect dangerous power plant, and do tedious jobs on farms. Autonomous cars are another example where robotics technology is at work.

The Roadmapping process developed in SPARC is a transparent and rational methodology to develop ontologies, criteria, and assessments of potentials, with technology and market inputs from Topic Groups and external experts. The outcomes are recommendations to the Commissions for Calls, both in terms of targets and the most appropriate project types (instruments)

The global market for robotics amounts to €22 billion and is expected to grow to more than €60 billion by 2020. Europe is already a leader,

The Brussels-based association euRobotics AISBL represents the private side in the PPP and gathers more than 205 European companies, universities and research institutions, ranging from traditional industrial robotics manufacturers to producers of agricultural machinery and innovative hospitals. The members of euRobotics AISBL develop a “roadmap for robotics in Europe” to achieve the objectives of SPARC. To this end, delegates from member organisations work in currently 25 Topic Groups with the aim to combine technologies and market domains and scale the potential future developments with the objectives of economy and society. The resulting roadmap then is turned into recommendations to the Commission for concrete work programmes and calls for proposals for funding within the area of Robotics under Horizon 2020.

The public and private side meet regularly in a so-called Partnership Board where the joint strategy is discussed and decided, such as “Robotics and SME’s” and “Robotics and creating Jobs”. The European Commission will remain responsible within European laws for issuing funding and will be the legal partner responsible for calls, evaluations, and the contractual agreements. SPARC is dedicated to ensure openness to new stakeholders having access to the activities organised and funded under this programme.

Uwe Haass Secretary General, euRobotics AISBL

sparc-robotics.eu

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news analysis

Robotics can be a ‘revolution’ for EU economy

H

orizon 2020 aims to emphasise excellence in science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. Robotics, through a public-private partnership, has been identified as one of the flagship initiatives within Horizon 2020 to secure Europe’s global competitiveness. Indeed, robotics represents one of the most relevant technological innovations of the current century, a revolution that could impact the economy and society twofold. Countries that invest more than others in robotic applications will develop a strong industry in the field, and will soon acquire a relevant strategic advantage over latecomers and other players, who nonetheless will be making use of such devices. The advent of these technologies will also profoundly modify the societal structure, also – but not only – by reshaping the labour market.

EU regulations are either unclear or non-existent in the field of robotics. The first challenge lies in setting out clear definitions. Whereas the first robotics revolution of the 1970s saw the emergence of industrial robots, the current second robotics revolution is built around inter-connected service robots. Robotic applications are now very different from one another, ranging from automated vacuum cleaners to prosthetic limbs, personal robots, driverless vehicles or surgical robots. Differences are often more relevant than similarities.

Addressing these differences unitarily appears challenging.

First generation industrial robots were contained in a ‘cage’ to avoid any contact with humans. Second generation robotics are now moving ‘out of the cage’ to directly interact with humans.

Consequently, issues such as liability rules and insurance, standardisation and regulation of human enhancement are recurrent for new robotics.

The good news is that Europe is leading the production of high-end robotics. We have a first-mover advantage here.

China, the biggest market for robotics, is heavily investing in robotics technology to be able to compete with Europe, Japan and South Korea in the short-term. The US is doing the same.

With increased competition, Europe faces many challenges such as brain draining, a lack of economies of scale at EU level, underinvestment and limited collaboration between universities and industry. Furthermore, Europe has demonstrated over the last few decades that it has struggled to transform its innovations in the area of new technologies into commercial success.

In Europe, public opinion is generally afraid of robotics. The main fear is that robotics will steal people’s jobs. The impact of robotics on jobs is a real concern and studies are unclear about their effect. Whereas some studies argue that highly robotised economies are net job creators – Germany is often used as an example in this case – other studies claim that robots will destroy jobs by replacing human workers. Other studies predict that the reduction of production costs through robotics will encourage large corporations to relocate their production lines to advanced economies.

I believe that it is up to decision makers to drive awareness on robotics and inform the public. We must create a sound EU legal framework, providing the necessary economies of scale and competition for the robotics industry and enabling it to flourish. This will allow for the emergence of a real value chain and multiply economic benefits. At the same time, we need to protect workers and consumers and their fundamental rights. Finally, we have to reflect on an even more ambitious investment plan to boost the EU robotics industry and to enable our industry to remain a global leader.

I am looking forward to putting robotics high on parliament’s agenda.

“Whereas some studies argue that highly robotised economies are net job creators – Germany is often used as an example in this case – other studies claim that robots will destroy jobs by replacing human workers”

Robotics could be the key to enhancing European competitiveness, but workers must be protected, writes Mady Delvaux

Mady Delvaux is a vice-chair of parliament’s legal affairs committee

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Gender equality

EU gender equality legislation key to breaking the glass ceiling Gender equality is not a luxury, it is an imperative, writes Věra Jourová

A

s European commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality, I am strongly committed to advancing equal opportunities for men and women in the EU. The proposed directive on women on corporate boards is one of my main priorities for gender equality, as there is a direct link to economic recovery and Europe’s growth strategy.

Although I am the first European commissioner to carry ‘gender equality’ in her title, the EU’s commitment to gender equality dates back to the treaty of Rome in 1957. It has yielded commendable progress so far: 60 per cent of university graduates are women, more women work in Europe than ever before, with their employment rate exceeding 60 per cent. The EU is making more use of its talent and better use of its skills.

Women and men cannot be discriminated against on grounds of gender due to the existing legislation.

We have made progress on many aspects of gender equal-

ity but many inequalities remain. In addition to the gender pay gap of 16 per cent on average, women continue to work more unpaid hours than men at home. Women are still overrepresented in lower paid sectors in the labour market and under-represented in decision-making positions. Here, the glass ceiling remains very much intact. Despite the fact that over 60 per cent of university graduates are female, only 18.6 per cent of board members of the largest publicly listed companies in the EU are women and less than four per cent of these companies have a female chief executive officer.

It is my priority to break down the barriers that women face in their professional lives, and to increase the representation of women

“It is my priority to break down the barriers that women face in their professional lives, and to increase the representation of women in business leadership”

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news analysis

in business leadership. Gender equality at all levels of society is crucial for Europe’s economic recovery. Studies suggest that companies with higher female representation at the most senior levels deliver better organisational and financial results. Gender diversity in the boardroom is shown to lead to innovative ideas, increased competitiveness and performance, and improved corporate governance. More women in leadership positions also signals to the outside world that a company understands the complexity of world markets and is prepared to compete at the global level.

As we face the joint challenges of an ageing population and skills shortages, it is more important than ever to take advantage of everybody’s skills, regardless of their gender. We cannot afford this systematic gender imbalance at the top levels of economic decision-making.

It is a waste of talent and resources.

Gender equality is not an option, it is not a luxury, it is an imperative and it is a competitive advantage. That is why Europe needs strong rules to tackle the gender imbalance in company boardrooms.

In November 2012, the commission put forward a law which ensures that women get a fair chance in the recruitment process. This followed attempts to motivate business in 2011 to self-regulate through the ‘women on the board pledge for Europe’, which did not result in real change.

The proposed directive would set a minimum objective of 40 per cent of the under-represented sex in non-executive board positions in listed companies in Europe by 2020. It requires companies to demonstrate the application of clear and gender neutral selection criteria in their selection processes until this objective is reached. The proposal enhances fairness and transparency in board selection by pushing companies to consider a broader base of candidates from the outset. Qualification and merit remain the key criteria for choosing candidates.

This proposal follows the example shown by a number of member states who have laws on gender equality or who have had intense public debate on the issue, which are also the countries to see the biggest improvement in the share of women on boards. We do not aim to prescribe rigid targets;

“The figures show that regulatory pressure works.

Since the commission proposed a law, cracks in the glass ceiling have started to show”

the directive is smart, flexible and limited in time. It obliges member states to establish a process that improves the gender balance in company boardrooms.

The figures show that regulatory pressure works. Since the commission proposed a law, cracks in the glass ceiling have started to show. More and more companies are competing to attract the best female talent. Since October 2010, the share of women on boards has risen by 7.6 per cent.

The parliament strongly supported the proposal in November 2013, and I hope that the council will soon follow suit. Equal representation on corporate boards is well overdue.

We should now rise to the challenge and make swift progress on this draft law, which places qualification and merit centre stage. At the same time, this step towards gender equality will be a big leap forward for the competitiveness of European business.

Věra Jourová is European justice, consumers and gender equality commissioner

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Breakup of Google

Google is ‘suffocating’ the internal market It is time for sanctions on Google, says Marc Tarabella

Marc Tarabella is a substitute on parliament’s internal market and consumer protection committee

I

n late November, the European parliament voted for a resolution proposing an end to the abuse of the dominant position of certain internet search engines. They would no longer be considered as a commercial service.

The objective of the approach is twofold. First, it would permit healthier competition and second, greater transparency.

The problem would not arise if search engines were just search engines. Some also offer numerous other services or are allied to firms which they favour in their search results. That is not fair, neither to competitors or citizens who are expecting a neutral service; instead they are being remotely guided. Of course, this text has no directly repressive or restricting value, but we wanted to send a strong signal to the commission, to some companies like Google and to citizens.

Google for example, has been duping the European authorities for years, and the point of no return has almost been reached. We have constantly denounced the firm, suspected of unfair competition or of collecting and unlawfully manipulating user data. For more than four years, we threatened Google with sanctions if it did not comply with the rules of free competition or respect data protection laws. The commitments made by Google were clearly inadequate, counter-productive, and even aggravated the situation.

In early 2014, Joaquín Almunia,

the commissioner in charge of the Google case, was optimistic that a rapid resolution of the dispute would be reached. He accepted a large part of Google’s proposals, and it was at that moment that the commissioner lost all credibility. The draft agreement envisaged Google being obliged to put forward three of its competitors each time it presents search results produced from its specialist search engines (plane tickets, Google Maps). It would be better if Google indicated to internet users that the results presented are sponsored results, and then present the offers of its competitors.

It was a bad agreement. The question is on what basis should competitors’ results be presented – at random, an equation, or from negotiation with competitors? In fact, if Google has agreed to go so far in the presentation of rival offers, it is simply because it is drawing huge commercial benefit from that. The draft agreement provided that Google itself would be able to decide on a ‘pool’ of competitors equivalent to its services, according to supposedly ‘objective’ criteria, and put up for auction the inclusion of their results alongside its own. In short, Google was the big winner. It retains the right to make use of its dominant position to put forward its specialist services on its search engine, to the detriment of the competitors who are subject to the crushing weight of Google (more than 90 per cent of the searches in Europe). In addition, it will be able to make those competitors pay to display their results.

Fortunately, we fought for more transparency and justice, notions which, regarding this precise case, seemed to have totally disappeared from the vicinity of the Schuman roundabout. Therefore, that resolution comes just at the right time, and also reminds the new commissioner about the whole complexity and scale of the task. To suffocate the market is to kill creativity, prevent the expansion of countless small and medium-sized enterprises, put a brake on recruitment and deprive citizens of the possibility of making a choice.

The text voted for in the parliament must sound the bell for the end of break time. It is high time to cut the strings which make citizens, consumers and decision-makers the puppets of multinationals. It is time for sanctions.

“To suffocate the market is to kill creativity, prevent the expansion of countless small and medium-sized enterprises, put a brake on recruitment and deprive citizens of the possibility of making a choice”

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TTIP opponents from both sides of the Atlantic gathered in Brussels to discuss tactics on how to put an end to the project. GUE/NGL group president Gabi Zimmer said TTIP is “a threat to transparency and democracy and […] designed to reinforce a transatlantic power block that favours corporate power over people”. Eleonora Forenza, a member of parliament’s international trade committee, shared Zimmer’s concerns, warning that “TTIP’s liberalisation agenda will undermine public services and social rights such as public healthcare, environmental protection and labour standards”. One of TTIP’s most contentious points is the planned investor-state dispute settlement mechanism (ISDS), which grants investors the right to bring forward dispute settlement proceedings against foreign governments.

In short, under TTIP, US companies based in the EU would be allowed to sue EU member states.

Susan George, president of the transnational institute, underlined that “there is something in it for everyone - everyone has a good reason to be against this treaty”.

According to the Franco-American activist, TTIP presents “benefits for corporations, but not benefits for citizens”.

Protestors presented commission Jean-Claude Juncker with a card featuring the one million signatures gathered against TTIP, in honour of his 60th birthday.

news analysis

‘Everyone has a good reason’ to fight TTIP

From the Twittersphere @EU_EESC EESC

@MalmstromEU Cecilia Malmström

‘#taxevasion is the big black hole in our society’ says @MartinSchulz addressing #EESC #Plenary today

Commission will release report summarizing ISDS public consultation in mid-January, then discuss results w EU States, EP & stakeholders

@JeanArthuis Jean Arthuis #EUbudget finally a deal : 4.8bn allocated to outstanding payments and agreement to start a process to reduce the amount of unpaid bills.

@EP_President EP President Detaining #SakharovPrize laureate Nasrin #Sotoudeh is the worst way to mark #humanrightsday in #Iran. Keep her free

@LindaMcAvanMEP Linda McAvan MEP As Chair of @EP_Development will push for EU development work to promote human rights.

Tackling violence against women and girls a priority

@TheProgressives S&D Group There is no blank cheque for Juncker, says @GianniPittella. S&D support depends on actions taken by @EU_Commission #LuxLeaks #TaxJustice

@markdemesmaeker Mark Demesmaeker

@ManfredWeber Manfred Weber Voting fraud #Romania: other groups in @Europarl_EN block debate in plenary.

Romanian citizens want answers. @ GreensEP & @ALDEgroup against

@MartinSchulz Martin Schulz Good day for tax justice: Council takes on corporate tax avoidance & improves exchange of bank info. EP will keep pushing for more action

@EP_President EP President One year without news from 2011 #SakharovPrize laureate Razan #Zeitouneh #Syria #FreeRazan ‫جارفالا‬ ‫نازر نع‬#

@MAC_europa Miguel Arias Cañete The Paris deal must be comprehensive and balanced. This means improved provisions for climate adaptation, finance and other support #COP20

3.8 million Syrian refugees #deplorable #howmanymore? #rights365 @europarl_ EN @UNrightswire @de_NVA @ecrgroup

Russia moves in on Finnish nuclear energy market Finland has announced controversial new plans to build a nuclear reactor in cooperation with Russian firm Rosatom.

Sampo Terho, who is an MEP for Finland and a substitute member of parliament’s industry, research and energy committee, said, “I welcome [this] project as positive news, which hopefully will help to advance the project”.

He added that “nuclear power is an important part of the efforts to achieve the EU’s climate targets and this project is a step in the right direction”.

The project has posed concerns due to Russia’s involvement,

among deepening tensions between the country and the EU as the conflict in Ukraine rages on.

Last March, EU leaders asked the commission to come up with a plan to reduce the union’s energy dependence, especially to Russia.

Greens/EFA group co-president Rebecca Harms insisted that “the decision to build a new nuclear reactor is wrong; with a Russian partner, it is even worse, given the current situation in eastern Europe”.

Harms said, “seen from a European perspective the manoeuvre is totally contrary to the EU’s energy security goals, which aim to cut the EU’s damaging dependency on Russian energy”.

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ENISA - contributing today for a cyber-secure future ENISA’s 10 years them by publishing the ENISA Threat Landscape. This is essentially a compilation of threat assessment data drawn from a variety of different sources, together with an analysis of what it means for different application areas.

The work that ENISA has done to support Member States in transposing Article 13a of the Telecommunications Framework Directive of 2009 on breach notification illustrates our ability to support policy implementation. The result is a framework for supporting security breach notification in a cross-border environment and, more importantly, a yearly report analysing the most significant breaches.

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his year the Agency celebrates a decade of contribution to improving EU cyber security. One of the main strengths of ENISA is its unique ability to bring together the various actors and stakeholders in order to facilitate the collaboration and the exchange of information and best practices. This short article illustrates how the agency has used this approach to achieve concrete results in areas that are key to supporting the economic growth and well-being of the EU. Addressing the NIS challenges ENISA has a central role in supporting the Member States and the private sector in enhancing their capabilities in network and information security as well as assisting the Commission in implementing cybersecurity policy initiatives.

The agency contributes to a more secure EU environment in three different ways; (a) by producing recommendations, (b) by supporting policy development and implementation of regulation and (c) by encouraging operational communities to ‘learn by doing’ and supporting directly the Member States e.g. via training or exercises.

The ENISA Threat Landscape is an example of a set of recommendations. In considering any approach to security, it is important to first assess the exposure to threats. ENISA assists stakeholders in assessing the threats that are most relevant to

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Finally, as of 2014, ENISA has organised three large scale panEuropean cyber exercises, which became known as the Cyber Europe series. These exercises have been of crucial importance to the EU NIS community, having as one of its main outputs the streamlining of the management of large scale cyber incidents and the definition of Standard Operating Procedures for responding to incidents in a cross-border environment. In the context of the EU-US working group and in co-operation with MS, it has facilitated the exchange of lessons learned with the US within the context of the first EU-US cyber exercise, Cyber Atlantic 2011.

ENISA and the European and national digital strategies According to the European Commission’s projections in the 2010 ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’, security is of high concern in order for EU citizens to engage in e-commerce and e-Government and for Small to Medium Enterprises to offer online services. To help address this, many European Union Member States have published or are in the process of publishing a National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS).

The EU Cloud strategy, which is part of the Digital agenda action plan, establishes a clear and protective framework for the public sector, and ensures that cloud computing technology provides trusted access for international users and makes Europe a hot spot of cloud service innovation. ENISA actively contributes to EU Commission’s Cloud Computing Strategy by delivering targeted advice on cyber security matters (e.g. certification, minimum security measures, procurements, service level agreement (SLAs) and others).

The Agency will continue its work in the area of governmental clouds, assist Member States to develop their national governmental strategy and deploy ENISA’s good practice guide. ENISA believes cloud computing offers important opportunities to improve network and information security, particularly for the SMEs who often do not have the financial or human resources to ensure a high level of security. In this sense ENISA sees security as a driver for cloud adoption, not a barrier.

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At the same time ENISA is active in the area of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). The widespread establishment of CERTs throughout the EU, can be coupled with ‘baseline capabilities’ via a framework that has been designed in collaboration with the community (sustainable incident response capabilities across Europe). This further raises the bar by ensuring that nonGovernmental CERTs offer similar services and agree on similar service levels across the EU. ENISA continues its support to enable the same level of protection from cyber-threats to EU public institutions, to support the setup of a CERT for European Institutions, agencies and bodies (CERT-EU).

Contributions to securing personal data and privacy ENISA is supporting the implementation of technical measures designed to protect personal data and privacy online. The agency’s work in the areas of privacy and trust will further seek to support the implementation of the personal data protection regulatory framework on many of its key technological aspects: •

Cryptography: Working in close collaboration with experts in the Member States, ENISA will continue to provide guidelines on available algorithms and under which conditions (parameters, key sizes etc.) these algorithms are considered secure by the research community, focusing on different application areas such as cloud computing and mobile computing, the internet of things etc.

•

Privacy enhancing technologies: ENISA will support technology readiness for privacy by design to bridge the gap in understanding between policy makers, law makers and technology community.

•

Privacy on emerging technologies: ENISA provides guidance for data controllers and processors on how to manage risks, as well as recommendations on how to protect personal data, on emerging technologies such as big data, eHealth, mobile computing, social media, etc.

•

Personal data breaches: Together with Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) participating in the Article 29 Working Party, ENISA seeks to remain active in the area of data breach notifications and follow-up of this activity on data breach severity assessment methodology and tools.

•

Electronic identification and trust services: ENISA is supporting this area by issuing guidelines for Trust Service Providers (TSPs) and Conformity Assessment Bodies on TSP auditing schemes.

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Contributing to EU Economic Growth.

In at its work, ENISA promotes approaches to NIS that support economic growth throughout the EU, by a number of mechanisms: •

Assisting operational communities in translating abstract policy statements into day to day operations.

•

Making lessons learned in one community available to other affected communities – promotion of best practice.

•

Ensuring that policy can be implemented in an economically efficient way by promoting economically efficient processes.

•

Identifying gaps and barriers to EU economic development that arise out of NIS issues.

Conclusions Whilst it is almost impossible to cover the wide scope of ENISA’s activities in a single article, the examples above illustrate how ENISA focuses on collaboration and dialogue to address the challenges of a rapidly changing cyber landscape.

The agency acts as a centre of expertise and achieves impact by leveraging the experience of its stakeholder communities in the Member States. By working in this way, we achieve stronger buy-in to the end result and a level of scalability that enables us to truly make a difference.

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Riga IT Demo Centre presents the entire Latvian IT sector and its achievements Contact details E-mail: rigaitdemocentre@itbaltic.com Phone: 00371 26180773 www.itbaltic.com www.facebook.com/RigaITDemoCentre www.twitter.com/RigaDemoCentre

Riga IT Demo Centre (RITDC) is a community project implemented by the Latvian IT Cluster that aims to create a leading communication platform for entire Latvian IT sector. It is the vivid result of healthy and successful Latvian IT environment that operates as proud presenter of the development and achievements ICT solutions in Latvia.

Latvian IT Cluster is initiating and leading the co-operation of Latvian IT sector, educational institutions and public sector institutions. The public sector is the highly appreciated partner for organizing different large scale conferences and events. RITDC is also hosting events for international delegations to identify co-operation, investment and export opportunities, as well ensure the interest of young generation for IT supporting

education possibilities, offering to try handson IT solutions.

RITDC is a part of project “Baltic ICT Platform� that aims to set up the effective network of Demo Centres in cooperating regions in order to increase the usage of modern ICT technologies by governments of cooperating regions to serve businesses and citizens locally and in cross-border areas.

You can visit RITDC in the National Library of Latvia starting January 2015. The exhibition demonstrates IT solutions related to such areas as society, education, culture, business, innovation, start-ups, health and governance.

As the first half of the year will be the time of Latvian Presidency of EU Council, RITDC operations will be in close cooperation of Secretariat of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

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Cover Story

A ‘new vision and dynamism’ for Europe Laimdota Straujuma outlines Latvia’s goals and priorities for the presidency of the council of the European Union.

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n 1 January 2015, 10 years after Latvia became a member of the European Union, we will assume the rotating presidency of the EU council. This six month period coincides with the end of a period of institutional change, a gradual yet delicate recovery from the economic crisis, growing competition from other regions of the world, and a difficult geopolitical situation. This presents significant challenges and many opportunities. The new legislative cycle offers an opportunity to set the policy course for the coming years.

While our ambition is to bring new vision and dynamism, the presidency is also about continuity. Our priorities are part of the agenda set together with the outgoing presidency of Italy and the next presidency to follow of Luxembourg. We have the EU’s strategic agenda and the political guidelines of commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, which need to be implemented. During our presidency, we will focus our work on three main areas – a competitive Europe to promote growth and jobs, a digital Europe to seize the opportunities provided by information and communication technologies and engaged Europe to define our role in global issues.

People in Europe complain that the economic outlook is not brilliant. It is true that many people in Europe are still suffering severely from the crisis, but let’s put that into context.

The situation is better than a couple of years ago and we continue to enjoy freedoms that many in the rest of the world are ready to give their lives for. The EU is still the world’s largest economy with strong trading power, specialising in high-end products and services.

Our job now is to use our advantages and become more competitive. That cannot be done without investment and a continued commitment to reforms that are aimed at achieving the Europe 2020 strategy.

The commission has already outlined its three-pillar plan to boost investment in Europe.

This plan will underpin much of the EU’s agenda for the years to come. Members of the European parliament have already expressed their views at the plenary session in November and this is a good basis for further discussion that will continue during the next six months as

“The new legislative cycle presents an opportunity to set the policy course for the coming years”

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Latvia will fast-track discussions on the investment package in the council. I share the view that investment should be focused, sustainable, and able to generate new additional investment through a multiplier effect.

The investment package also has to be seen in the context of wider economic reform. During our presidency, we will implement the fifth European semester – the yearly cycle of economic policy coordination on the basis of a renewed Europe 2020 strategy. We are also presented with the opportunity of strengthening the single market, by progressing the remaining single market act II proposals, developing an energy union and a clear action plan for industrial competitiveness.

An effective single market has been the basis of prosperity for Europe and still inspires many outside the EU. The challenge for us is to deepen it and adapt to social and technological change, and developments in global markets. We need to find solutions for business that are also consumer-friendly.

The key is better rather than more regulation and removal of the remaining hurdles to trading in goods and services.

Digital Europe, another priority area of our presidency, is essentially about establishing the right framework and infrastructure for a digital economy used by a digital society. Currently, there are over 50 billion inter-connected devices in the world and in the EU alone we can create 900,000 jobs in this sector.

Without a clear path towards a digital single market, we cannot contest on the world stage, nor enhance our competitiveness at home. And we have much to share. Riga is Europe’s capital of free wireless internet, with more wifi spots per square meter than any other city in the EU. We have the highest penetration of broadband internet connection, which allows us to provide the fastest internet services in the EU and to be ranked the fourth fastest in the world. So it is not surprising that many information and communication technology start-ups,

such as Infogr.am, are emerging from Latvia.

During the coming six months, we will work on initiatives aimed at developing a truly digital single market. This includes measures for removing barriers to cross-border online trade and a more coherent data protection framework. We want to find the right balance between high quality services, a competitive framework and a reasonable cost for consumers. We will also advocate measures that focus on protecting consumer and privacy rights online. In the debate on the next stage of the eGovernment action plan, we want to address easier and faster access to public administration, the use of open processes and promotion of digital skills for all. We have to be aware that in order to advance this, we must become digital by default and include digital aspects and solutions to all policy areas and initiatives.

Our third priority area is Europe’s engagement on the global stage. With conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Libya, the security situation on our doorstep is as challenging as ever. The key

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role of the council presidency in these areas is to assist the high representative of the European external action service.

At the same time, our experience and expertise can bring additional value. It is only natural that we will focus more on the eastern partnership, but we also recognise the importance of the southern neighbourhood. In the framework of the regular review of the EU central Asia strategy, we want to examine the possibilities of revitalising the EU’s approach to this region.

In May, we will host the Riga eastern partnership summit. We should send a strong signal confirming that the EU has a long lasting commitment towards this region. In the framework of a wider review of the European neighbourhood policy we want to see that the eastern partnership has a more inclusive approach to all six partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – and take into

“An effective single market has been the basis of prosperity for Europe and still inspires many outside the EU”

account their differences.

For creating jobs and growth, we face the challenge of reasserting our role as a competitive economic partner. As a strong believer in the multilateral trading system, the EU should pursue further progress of the negotiations within the world trade organisation (WTO). Yet, while working towards tangible results at the WTO, we must also continue bilateral initiatives to further facilitate trade. We will assist in the continuation of negotiations that are being carried out by the commission on the transatlantic trade and investment partnership and the free trade agreement with Japan. We also hope to obtain consent from the European parliament on the EU-Canada comprehensive economic and trade agreement in order to reach a conclusion by mid-2015 and will continue efforts to adapt the EU’s domestic trade legislation to reflect the new challenges in the global economy.

The grinding stone we have chosen as our logo was once a significant innovation and a trigger of change in households across Europe. For me, the grinding stone also means continuity and stability. I would like to see our presidency reflect the various facets of our logo. It should bring to the fore energy and growth with which Europe meets new challenges and the future.

Laimdota Straujuma is prime minister of Latvia

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LATVIA GOES TO OPEN DATA SOCIETY VIA EUROPEAN RESEARCH PROJECTS

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wo most significant Latvian ICT R&D institutions, the Latvian Open Technology Association (LATA) and the Latvian Information and Communications Technology Association (LIKTA) wholly endorse the objectives of e-Europe including the Open Data strategy.

Latvian ICT professionals agree that society needs data to be able to participate in economic and political processes. LATA’s aim is that all public sector information systems developed through the EU Funds 2014-2020 Programming Period must comply with Open Data principles.

The Open Knowledge Foundation defines these most succinctly as ‘any content, information or data that people are free to use, re-use and redistribute — without any legal, technological or social restriction.’

of Linked Open Data for spatial applications. Put most simply, Linked Data uses the concepts and technologies of the Web to model the real world. The contribution includes IMCS’s S emantic Web technologies and graphical tools for developing models and user-friendly services developed under supervision of Prof. Janis Barzdins since 2008.

It is in this spirit that the agenda for the Latvian EU Council Presidency includes an international conference “Open Europe: Open Data for Open Society” organised by LATA in Riga 18-19 February 2015. The event will showcase Latvian partners’ participation in several EU funded projects dealing with different aspects of Open Data, for example, SmartOpenData, FOODIE, SDI4Apps and OpenTransportNet.

The SmartOpenData project is focused on how Linked Open Data can be applied generally to spatial data resources and specifically to public open data portals (GEOSS Data-CORE, Copernicus, INSPIRE…) and voluntary data (OpenStreetMap, GEO-WIKI...), and how it can impact on the economic and sustainability progress in European Environment research and Biodiversity Protection.

The Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Latvia (IMCS) is participating in the top-level research project SmartOpenData (full project title: “Linked Open Data for environment protection in Smart Regions”) that has the potential to have a substantial future impact in providing opportunities for SMEs. The project will pilot new innovative products and services that can lead to new businesses in the environmental, regional decision-making and policy areas, among others.

Technically, SmartOpenData is creating a Linked Open Data infrastructure (including software tools and data) fed by public and freely available data resources. These existing sources are datasets regarding biodiversity, environment protection, research in rural, European protected areas and European National Parks. Nevertheless, in order for the SmartOpenData vision to become a reality, it is necessary to advance the publication of existing environmental data, most of which is owned by public bodies.

IMCS is contributing its expertise in both Semantic Web and spatial data technologies, helping to advance the concepts

The project will take a bottom-up and user-driven approach with a strong initial focus on rural regions, forestry and

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration and its Governance Model is specially oriented to establish long-term relationships and alliances between potential stakeholders, and to leverage new synergies in protected areas between policy makers, citizens and companies. There is a special focus on SMEs, for example, through the creation of public-private partnerships.

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environmental protected areas such as National Parks and Smart Regions with the aim to eventually cover wider European areas of interest and have a broader impact by eventually involving any area with relevant data subject to join the open infrastructure, models and governance proposed. The demonstration of impact will be carried out through the implementation of 5 pilots, driven by strategic partners in Spain, Italy, Ireland, Czech Republic and Slovakia and covering different domains: sustainable agroforestry management, water management and drinking water protection, biodiversity and habitats research, monitoring of water quality, sustainable management and utilisation of forest road network, forest site classification etc.

The SmartOpenData consortium is made up by 16 partners as Public bodies (16%), Academic institutions (29%), Industries (14%) or SMEs (41%) from nine European countries (Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and Ireland). The consortium is working closely with research institutions like JRC - Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and international associations like OGC (the Open Geospatial Consortium).

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is a project partner.

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Key technology drivers of the SmartOpenData consortium (for further information see www.smartopendata.eu) are: TRAGSA Group, coordinator of the project, is a state owned company which provides the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and other public bodies with engineering and infrastructure services, consultancy services and management-related technical and administrative support; IMCS is the biggest ICT R&D institution in Latvia playing the role of an incubator for rearing of leading specialists in Computer Science and Mathematics in Latvia.

Help Service Remote Sensing (HSRS) is a Czech SME that has been for more than 18 years involved in the Czech and European Spatial Data market; The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), hosted by ERCIM, is an international consortium where over 300 member organisations work together to develop Web standards.

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Latvian presidency and parliament must work together In order for the EU to tackle key issues successfully, the presidency and parliament must cooperate as much as possible, writes Zanda KalniņaLukaševica

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efore taking office as Latvian minister of foreign affairs, I was a member of the Latvian parliament – Saeima – where I chaired the committee on European affairs. Now that I have been made responsible for the Latvian EU council presidency’s relationship with parliament, I feel privileged to have been granted an inside look into the EU’s parliamentary work. It is true that EU council presidency related tasks impose new responsibilities. Yet in many ways, I feel at home in this role.

The council represents EU member states’ governments and the directly elected European parliament. Together, they decide on almost all European legislation and adopt the budget. The parliament is the place where all critical discussions on the EU’s future take place. It holds democratic

oversight over the implementation of EU policies. An effective and close relationship between the council and parliament will be my priority during the next six months, throughout the Latvian EU council presidency.

We have singled out three priority areas for the EU council presidency. First, we aim to stimulate a competitive Europe, to enhance economic growth and job creation. Second, we will work towards a digital Europe, which will support our competitiveness. Lastly, we will promote an engaged Europe to assert our role in the world. To this end, we will engage with the European parliament and the commission on all three priorities. This work will include debates on the investment package, economic governance, revision of the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs, including youth employment, energy union, modernising the single market and making the EU’s economy genuinely digital. This common work also comprises dealing with complex legislative dossiers. Therefore we, the representatives of the council and the parliament, will need to sit together in order to find the best solutions.

This work has already started. Besides being in contact every day, we are discussing our presidency’s agenda with the European parliament in various formats – at the conference of committee chairs, in each of the parliamentary committees in January, and during the recent meeting with the conference of presidents in Riga.

Soon after the launch of the council presidency, we will have an opportunity to discuss our priorities with MEPs at a plenary session in Strasbourg. I look forward to being involved in the discussion of our priorities during this time.

Subsequently, we will remain engaged with parliament through regular work at all levels – including expert level – in committees and plenaries.

As a former member of a national parlia-

“Our presidency takes place during a time of intense discussions on the legitimacy of policymaking in the EU”

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ment, I would also like to highlight the importance of the EU’s parliamentary dimension that brings together the European parliament and member states’ national parliaments through inter-parliamentary conferences.

During our presidency, the Latvian parliament will organise six of these conferences, in cooperation with the European parliament. Five of them will take place in Riga. These events will focus on issues which are also the focal points of the Latvian EU presidency’s agenda.

These inter-parliamentary events involving around 1000 participants from 28 EU member states and institutions will bring the EU’s agenda closer to citizens. Our government’s ministers will be there to represent the presidency of the council. We need discussions that are as wide and open as possible, involving all EU institutions, national parliaments and civil society in order to address the issues that are of concern to our citizens.

The inter-parliamentary meetings will address digital economy and inclusive growth, the participation of vulnerable groups in the labour market, social entrepreneurship and the youth guarantee initiative, which has already been implemented in Latvia and yielded encouraging results. There will also be discussions on the implications for education and employment in the digital economy, cloud computing and data privacy. The discussions will obviously address the situation in Ukraine and highlight the importance of the EU eastern partnership. All these issues are high on our presidency agenda, too.

Our presidency takes place during a time of intense discussions on the legitimacy of policymaking in the EU. Our work with the European parliament will be key to addressing this issue, which is among the most fundamental for the EU. With the intensive work and interplay we have foreseen, I am sure that democratic representation will be a pivotal point in the decision making throughout our presidency.

Zanda KalniņaLukaševica is parliamentary secretary for Latvia’s foreign ministry

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Latvia to promote EU trade and sustainable development The EU’s global standing impacts directly on its security and prosperity, explains Edgars Rinkēvičs

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or several years, Latvia has been preparing to chair the European council working groups and to reach a common understanding with other EU institutions when decisions have to be made. The Latvian presidency will work to improve the competitiveness of the European Union by promoting activities that generate growth, investment and jobs. In parallel, Latvia will encourage the application of digital technologies in a way that is more comprehensive than ever before.

We would like to see the EU become ‘digital by default’, increasing the speed and efficiency of transactions and communication. We want to see Europe’s information, business, banking, and public services profit from a borderless digital environment, and be able to take advantage of it at every opportunity. Our motto is ‘competitive Europe, digital Europe, engaged Europe’. This means that the EU will pursue objectives not only in multilateral fora and around our globalised world, but also through trade, development and cooperation.

I am looking forward to working closely with Federica Mogherini, the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, and colleagues from the European external action service. We will strive to improve engagement with transatlantic allies, with central Asian and eastern partnership neighbours, and with strategic partners across the world. The security and prosperity of the EU is directly linked to its role and influence in global affairs, and that influence and ability to face challenges will be aided by striving for consensus in foreign policy.

Promotion of trade and development cooperation projects will be of benefit not only to the EU but also to our partners. Dynamic trade and development assistance and constructive cooperation between regions and countries can multiply opportunities for people and businesses in other parts of the world. Consequently, our vision of an engaged Europe is one that is aware of what is going on around it, concerned about our partners, both outward and forward-looking.

Latvia has always believed in a rules-based multilateral trading system. In terms of trade, Latvia will be working on behalf of all EU stakeholders to enhance competitiveness and openness of the internal market. We will stand up for the EU’s

“Promotion of trade and development cooperation projects will be of benefit not only to the EU but also to our partners”

rights under existing rules while advocating access to world markets.

Latvia’s presidency will pursue further progress in the world trade organisation’s multilateral negotiations, including accession talks. Moreover, we support the fast-tracking of the commission-led negotiations on the transatlantic trade and investment partnership with the US as this agreement will strengthen our business ties. The EU-Japan trade agreement should be advanced too, while we also hope that the agreement between the EU and Ecuador can be

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signed and provisionally applied during the Latvian presidency. We will seek consent from the parliament to conclude the EU-Canada comprehensive economic and trade agreement by mid-2015. While providing the platform for Europe’s return to growth, these trade agreements also have a geostrategic value and will raise the EU’s profile on the world stage.

The millennium development goals are expiring in 2015, and all of us will be pressed to consider and agree upon a universal post-2015 framework for sustainable development and poverty eradication. Therefore, the Latvian presidency will work to position the EU as a major development policy player with a powerful voice in intergovernmental negotiations on the new development goals. If all dimensions of sustainable development, including those that are economic, social and environmental, are integrated in a balanced manner, I am convinced that the new agenda can make a visible and positive impact. The policy framework should also include human rights, good governance, rule of law and gender equality. Latvia will place high importance on these issues during our presidency, not only in the context of development cooperation, but

also from the standpoint of the EU’s internal affairs. Building a society where all are capable and able to partake of its fruits is not feasible without respect for human rights and rule of law.

In relation to the discussions on sustainable development goals, Latvia’s presidency will work to forge an ambitious position for the third international conference on financing for development in July 2015. National ownership, policy coherence and effectiveness of policy implementation, as well as monitoring and accountability, must be present and implicit in the EU’s position.

I look at the Latvian presidency of the council of the European Union as a special opportunity for a member state to prove its worth. We will work hard, and show our commitment to agreed goals while also pushing the envelope and placing an emphasis on new directions that can make the EU succeed in the long run.

The Latvian presidency comes at a pivotal and decisive moment in the history of global development policy and Latvia is ready to promote the European Union’s interests in this important field.

Edgars Rinkēvičs is Latvia’s foreign affairs minister

“The security and prosperity of the EU is directly linked to its role and influence in global affairs, and that influence and ability to face challenges will be aided by striving for consensus in foreign policy”

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

EU budget high priority for Latvian presidency Promotion of growth will be a key economic and financial goal for the presidency, says Jānis Reirs

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he Latvian presidency of the EU council coincides with a period of slow growth and low inflation in the EU. Real GDP growth in 2014 is likely to be 1.3 per cent, before gradually accelerating to 1.5 per cent and two per cent in 2015 and 2016. Over the coming months, inflation is expected to remain low and increase gradually to one per cent in 2015 and 1.6 per cent in 2016.

Promotion of growth will be a key goal in economic and financial policy for the presidency.

The investment package will be one of the most important tools in this regard, and our expectations are high. The commission has promised to come up with a proposal to establish the European fund for strategic investment by January. To make the fund operational by mid-2015 as planned, we will need to adopt the relevant legislation in a very short period of time. This plan will be one of the main tasks of the Latvian presidency, and we are committed to achieving the best result possible. The member states have already voiced a broad agreement on the issue, and we expect that this will be reinforced at the European council level.

If so, we will have a solid basis for the necessary legislation.

I would like to hope that establishing the European fund for strategic investment as one of the key tools for promoting growth is broadly in line with the vision of the European parliament. The project can only see the light of day if and when we come to an agreement. However, it is clear that the fund is not a magic wand. The path to growth also requires favourable conditions for private investments, removal of legal bottlenecks that impede them, and structural reforms.

The European semester – the EU’s annual cycle of economic policy guidance and surveillance – is one of the means for promoting reforms. We will try to implement the proposals to improve this phase and the quality of discussion on structural reform. In particular, we support the idea of making the country specific recommendations more focused and the targets more realistic. More efforts should be made towards strengthening the national ownership of this process with better

“The Latvian presidency of the European council coincides with a period of slow growth and low inflation in the EU. Real GDP growth in 2014 is likely to be 1.3 per cent, before gradually accelerating to 1.5 per cent and two per cent in 2015 and 2016”

involvement of national parliaments and social partners.

The promotion of structural reforms through country specific recommendations might not always be sufficient, because some reforms are expensive and their implementation might be difficult without breaching the stability and growth pact.

Therefore, we need to discuss to what extent the pact can encourage structural reforms that require substantial public investments.

I would support incentivising structural reforms by applying the articles which allow for a temporary deviation from the medium term objective for budget deficits or an adjustment path. However, this can only be done in cases where the implementation of reforms has a direct long-term positive budgetary effect, including the raising of potential sustainable growth. Only then will we have a verifiable impact on the long-term sustainability of public finances. Currently, this provision has been used in very limited scope and its broadening, in our view, is necessary and justified. At the same time, we think it is important to maintain the credibility of the stability and growth pact, and any watering down of rules is not in EU interests. Moreover, we expect to have a thorough discussion in the Ecofin council on these matters during our presidency.

The EU budget has a high priority in our agenda and we will pay particular attention to the revision of the multiannual budget, whose adoption has been delayed. To reach an agreement in time, all parties will have to make a collective effort with a constructive approach. If we do not, we will put at risk the implementation of cohesion, rural development, and internal security funds, which form the basis for growth by

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promoting investment in many member states.

Speaking of the EU budget, the most urgent issue in this regard is the adoption of the EU budget for 2015 – the delay of which is very worrying. Yet we have to remind ourselves that the problem of unpaid claims has been accumulating for at least four years, and it cannot be solved overnight. But, I am sure that with the right attitude, it will be possible in the years to come.

I welcome the achievements of the Italian presidency, particularly the implementation of a single global standard for the automatic exchange of tax information. It is a big step forward in tackling tax evasion. The next task, in order to implement the directive of administrative cooperation, is to reach an

“I would like to hope that establishing the European fund for strategic investment as one of the key tools for promoting growth is broadly in line with the vision of the European parliament”

agreement on the savings taxation directive during the Latvian presidency.

We have to ensure that the automatic exchange of information on various incomes across different legislations is done on the widest range of incomes. And we have to continue our work on the parent-subsidiary directive in order to resolve situations where large organisational schemes are used for aggressive tax planning.

Overall, we will do all that we can to prevent stagnation.

Close cooperation between the parliament and the council is key to achieving good results.

Jānis Reirs is Latvia’s finance minister

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8th Forum for the Future of Agriculture Meeting the Food & Environmental Challenge

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Latvia to focus on ‘long-term agricultural production’

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he European Union’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is one of the EU’s flagship policies and should be developed accordingly over time to remain sustainable. During Latvia’s EU council presidency in the first six months of 2015, the ministry of agriculture of Latvia will turn our attention towards the viability of long-term agricultural production and the future-oriented management of natural resources. To improve the EU’s competitiveness in agricultural production, the Latvian presidency will continue to promote the sustainable, innovative and environmentally-friendly development of agricultural, food and fishery sectors. We will also continue to support efforts to strengthen health and safety standards in the entire agriculture and food production chain.

The presidency will strive to reinforce a harmonised approach to protective measures against plant pests, to simple but effective veterinary legislation and simplified organic farming legislation, while safeguarding the quality of organic production. Moreover, the Latvian presidency will also work on sustainable and responsible forest management, while continuing to promote the European model of forest management globally. We will also work to ensure progress on the multiannual management plans of fisheries.

The guiding principles of our presidency are sustainability, competitiveness and growth. These three fundamental principles will also be applied to working within agricultural, fisheries, food, forestry and animal health areas of our presidency programme. The enhancement of the competitiveness of the EU’s agricultural production and food sector in the EU and in global markets will ensure the sustainability of agriculture, animal and plant health.

We will attach particular importance to making animal and plant sector legislation simple but effective. This will help to improve competitiveness and ensure health and safety standards for the whole agri-food chain.

The sustainable forest management model based on the experience of EU member states will ensure sustainability and green growth in the forestry sector. Promotion of the European forest management model at a global level emphasises the importance of sustainable and responsible forestry management.

Multiannual fisheries management plans and fisheries control will also ensure sustainability and growth in fisheries. The responsible and sustainable management of resources used in an effective way will strengthen a regional aspect and individual approach.

Sustainability, competitiveness

Latvia’s ministry of agriculture will promote a sustainable approach to agriculture, fisheries and the forestry sector, writes Jānis Dūklavs

“The guiding principles of our presidency are sustainability, competitiveness and growth”

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

“To improve the EU’s competitiveness in agricultural production, the Latvian presidency will continue to promote the sustainable, innovative and environmentally-friendly development of agricultural, food and fishery sectors”

Jānis Dūklavs is Latvia’s agriculture minister

and growth will also be at the centre of the various activities organised by the Latvian presidency. In the spring, we will organise an international seminar, primarily focused on biosafety as a guarantee for animal health. In June, the Latvian presidency will hold the ninth European organic congress where policymakers and decision makers from the presidency, the European commission, and non-governmental organisations will discuss the EU’s vision for organic farming after 2030.

That same month, the presidency will organise an informal meeting of EU forest directors to discuss the progress of the ‘forest Europe’ process and results of the 11th United Nations forum on forests. They will have an opportunity to visit the state forest service and learn about forestry in Latvia, which is an important component of our economy but also plays an important role in our culture.

The informal meeting of fisheries directors general will address questions that are relevant to sectoral stakeholders, such as the reform of the fisheries policy, the landing obliga-

tion and regionalisation.

At the informal meeting of chief plant health officers that will be organised in May, we will turn to questions such as exports to Russia, the phytosanitary situation, invasive alien species and proposals for plant health regulation.

In February, there will be a discussion at director level on how organic farming and short supply chains can contribute to sustainable rural development. The meeting will address the development of organic agriculture within the CAP, including short supply chains and necessary updates in EU legislation. This event will be in association with the international federation of organic agriculture movements.

At the informal agriculture and fisheries council to be held from 31 May to 2 June, we will focus on the relationship between competitiveness and sustainability of the European agriculture.

Of the 200 events organised by Latvian EU council presidency, 17 will be the responsibility of the ministry of agriculture of Latvia. During the presidency, Latvia will be the mediator and driving force of the negotiations among the EU member states. For the first time, we will represent the EU council in discussions on agriculture at the parliament, the commission and in global institutions.

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Environment represents greatest challenge for EU policymakers

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educing climate change and preserving the environment, while boosting growth, are among the greatest challenges of our times. As regards climate change, the Latvian EU council presidency will focus on two main areas of action – finding new, workable solutions for the EU’s emissions trading system and providing support to international climate negotiations.

Other focal points include improvement of environmental quality and resource efficiency. We will stimulate discussions that should help to find a balance between various EU policy developments, such as renewable energies and protection of biodiversity.

One of our priorities in the field of climate change is developing the legislative proposal to establish a market stability reserve, which aims at tackling the large surplus of emission allowances in the EU emissions trading system (ETS). The main objective of this proposal is to make this system more efficient and to steer market forces towards investment in low carbon technologies. A functioning carbon market will help the EU achieve its climate goals in the most cost efficient way and contribute to the overall competiveness of the EU’s economy. We will put maximum effort towards reaching an agreement on this proposal, with a consensual approach.

The presidency will also lead the preparations of the EU’s contribution to international climate negotiations, so that we can reach a new legally binding agreement on a global climate change regime in Paris at the end of 2015. At the European council in October, the heads of EU states and governments endorsed a binding target of a 40 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, allowing the EU to once again be a leader in this area. We will facilitate the preparatory process within the EU and provide the necessary support in the negotiations.

Awareness of environmental issues and understanding of their complexity has steadily evolved and led the EU to address both environmental pressures and drivers that lead to unfa-

“The EU council presidency will also lead the preparations of the EU’s contribution to international climate negotiations, so that we can reach a new legally binding agreement on a global climate change regime in Paris at the end of 2015”

vourable impacts. In this respect, the seventh environmental action programme, along with flagship initiatives, lays a solid basis for prioritising actions. The Latvian EU council presidency will strengthen incentives that lead to a better environment within the EU as well as address global challenges.

As for priorities in the field of environment, we will work on proposals for improving environmental quality and resource efficiency. As we are discussing the role of environmental policies in the EU’s growth and jobs’ agenda, it is worthwhile to reflect upon the quality of our environment and the state of natural capital. In the first quarter of 2015, the European environmental agency will publish its state of the environment report 2015, highlighting the major trends in environmental quality and providing an overview on the progress that has been made in specific environmental sectors. The report is due

Kaspars Gerhards says the Latvian presidency is committed to helping Europe find a ‘balanced and sustainable approach’ to achieving its overall objectives

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

“Our challenge during the next half of the year is to help the Europe find a balanced and sustainable approach to the overall objectives of the EU”

Kaspars Gerhards is Latvia’s minister of environmental protection and regional development

to be presented during the environment council in March and reflect whether the existing policies help addressing environmental challenges, and what can be done in this regard.

During the environmental council in March, the EU council presidency will organise a debate on the likely environmental aspects to be included in the larger context of the EU’s economic governance – the European semester process and the Europe 2020 strategy review. We intend to continue negotiations on the commission’s proposals for the review of legislation on waste, aimed to ensure that we attain our targets of resource efficiency and waste reduction.

The same goes for air quality legislation. We are ready to continue the work on the dossiers outlined in the clean air programme for Europe, in particular, the proposal for the directive for medium sized combustion plants.

In April, we invite ministers responsible for environment to the informal environmental council in Riga. At this event, we will focus on biodiversity in connection to other EU policy targets, in particular, we will discuss the promotion of sustainable use of renewable energy sources while avoiding negative side effects on the environment. At the times when

we emphasise the need for increased use of renewable energies, it is worthwhile to consider how our climate and energy policies are being balanced against the needs of biodiversity preservation.

In the second half of May, we will organise a conference in Riga on biodiversity issues, notably to assess the implementation of the EU’s biodiversity policy and outline trends related to the targets in this area. The findings of these discussions will serve as input into the mid-term review of the EU biodiversity strategy.

Finally, we aim to provide input for various international environmental processes, including sound management of chemicals, waste, biodiversity, species protection and biosafety.

There are also issues that need to be addressed by the global community jointly, acting together at international forums.

All in all, our challenge during the coming six months is to help Europe find a balanced and sustainable approach to the overall objectives of the EU. The economic and technological achievements of today must be seen in perspective – that is, we must not act at the expense of future generations by neglecting our environment. Those in charge of environment and climate in the EU must keep these realities in mind in all aspects of the policymaking process.

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More justice key to ensuring EU competitiveness The Latvian EU council presidency will work towards more justice for EU citizens, promises Dzintars Rasnačs

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uropean citizens want to live and work in an open, prosperous and safe Europe. The EU’s agenda in the area of justice is playing an ever increasing role in delivering on the Lisbon treaty’s key objectives.

The Latvian EU council presidency will continue the ongoing work towards a fully functioning common European area of justice. In particular, we will focus on the protection of personal data and on the protection of the EU’s financial interests. We will also invest our efforts to support measures that will improve the business environment in the EU and we will strive to ensure a high level of fundamental rights protection in criminal proceedings.

European legislators must address challenges in the various areas of our everyday life. Despite the vast amount of information that is available to us, we should not forget that the central point of reference for our legislative work is the human being. Personal data protection is key to a person’s privacy. In order to safeguard this fundamental freedom, we need effective tools. Therefore, we have set the data protection reform as the main priority of the Latvian presidency in the field of justice.

During the next six months, together with the other member states and the European parliament, we will seek solutions to face the rapidly changing world of technological progress and globalisation to safeguard our personal data.

We are aware that achieving substantial progress on the data protection package will be a challenge. The ambition of the Latvian presidency is to reach an agreement within the council, which would form the basis for the discussions with parliament. I believe that this is a reasonable goal. It is crucial to aim for a clear and practically applicable data protection framework that could be consistently applied across the EU. We will also devote particular attention to the regulatory framework for the exchange of personal data with third countries as regards law enforcement and prevention of serious crime.

In the area of criminal justice, we

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Dzintars Rasnačs is Latvia’s justice minister

will focus on the protection of the EU’s financial interests and on the procedural rights package. We want to achieve significant progress on the draft legislation on the European public prosecutor’s office and on the reform of Eurojust – the EU agency that deals with judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

We have to find the right balance between effectively fighting against crime and safeguarding the fundamental rights of our citizens. I am convinced that together we will achieve our goal.

Another key focus of our presidency is on the facilitation of the business environment throughout the EU. While this area is essentially in the competence of my colleagues responsible for economics and finance, I believe that the justice sector can contribute too. In the current economic and financial circumstances, the EU has to find and implement all the necessary tools that can help it become more competitive. We will therefore focus on the legislation that is currently on the table regarding intellectual property rights and company law. In the field of

“In the current economic and financial circumstances, the EU has to find and implement all the necessary tools that can help the EU become more competitive”

intellectual property rights, we will continue the revision of the trademark system and work on the protection of trade secrets.

We will also continue working on several legislative proposals in the area of company law, such as the directive on shareholders rights and the directive on single-member private limited liability companies. We will also continue the ongoing work on the proposed common European sales law.

The programme of the Latvian presidency will be officially published at the start of January. However, one has to keep in mind that the developments in the EU or globally may introduce significant changes to our common agenda.

I want to conclude by affirming that Latvians have diligently carried out the preparatory work ahead of the EU council presidency. We therefore look forward to undertaking the challenging and important task of carrying the EU agenda on justice forward. While taking full account of the diversity of our legal systems and traditions throughout the EU, we will invest all our efforts in facilitating the work of the EU legislators. The aim is more justice for our citizens, a better protection of the EU’s financial interests and generally a significant progress in the European area of freedom, security and justice.

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Latvian presidency will promote a ‘healthy lifestyle’

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ur priorities for healthcare are in line with the global priorities of the Latvian presidency: competitiveness and growth, full use of digital potential in the economy and a greater role for the European Union in the global arena. We intend to focus on each individual person in every action of our presidency, from activities to promote patient-oriented healthcare, to those encouraging a healthy lifestyle from an early age and raising awareness of the responsibility for our own health.

During the presidency, we will work towards reaching an agreement on new EU rules for medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices, enabling us to start negotiations with the European parliament on new legislation. The regulations should improve patient safety and product quality, while not creating additional obstacles for innovation. In order to reach the desired result sooner, as the upcoming holders of the presidency we will encourage all member states to be more open for compromise and to focus on the main issues and find a balanced solution.

During the next six months, we will also continue the council discussions on regulations aimed at tackling problems related to rapidly emerging new psychoactive substances used as alternatives to illicit drugs. We hope to reach a general approach in the council in order to move forward this important legislation.

To address common alcohol-related problems, we plan on continuing the work of the committee for national alcohol policy, created by the European commission to support member states in their work on alcohol policy. In Latvia, the ministry of health has already drafted several proposals and amendments of draft laws intended to decrease consumption of alcoholic beverages.

We have set the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as one of the main priorities of the presidency. Its main focus will be on nutrition policy, more specifically on the ‘taste of childhood’, the eating habits of children and young people. We plan to start a discussion during the high level conference taking place in February in Riga, on the topic,

“During the presidency, we will work towards reaching an agreement on new EU rules for medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices, enabling us to start negotiations with the European parliament on new legislation”

‘healthy lifestyle: nutrition and physical activities for children and young people in schools’. The discussion will cover healthy lifestyle habits, physical activities to fight obesity among children, the impact of school environment and nutrition but also implications of new applications and technology on education.

Another important event will be the first ministerial conference on tubercu-

New EU health legislation to improve patient safety and quality will be priority, says Guntis Belēvičs

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

“We will continue the work on the European semester processes started during the previous presidencies.

As the minister for health of the presiding country of the council of the EU, I am looking forward to engaging and successful discussions�

losis and its multi-drug resistance which will take place on 31 March in Riga, in the framework of the eastern partnership summit. The borders of the EU are open not only for people but also for infectious diseases – illnesses that were thought to be eradicated from most of Europe are now returning. Therefore, we want to raise the awareness of ministers and health policymakers on this issue.

The eHealth week that will take place in Riga in May will focus on patient-oriented healthcare, increase of patient aptitudes in using new technologies and innovations in eHealth and mHealth (mobile health). Our goal for this event is to

help each individual and patient understand that their health is primarily in their hands. Furthermore, we want to help people understand that health is not a separate feature detached from them. Everyone has to be aware that everything is in their own hands. Without awareness, there is no point in us inventing in innovative solutions as they will not work if people do not want to take responsibility for their own health. We envisage this event to be the largest annual eHealth event in Europe, bringing together policymakers and implementers, representatives of healthcare and solution developers of information technologies from all member states.

During the presidency, we are also planning to develop a thesis on patient-oriented healthcare during the joint meeting of the chief medical, chief nursing and chief dental officers in

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This thought Leader is sponsored

by Fit for Work Europe

The EU must face up to the ‘staggering’ social and economic costs of musculoskeletal disorders, says Andreas Schwarting The Parliament Magazine’s

Thought leader E

they can – the role they must – play in the prevention and early treatment of MSDs. In partnership with Fit for Work, we are working with the chemical industry employers’ association of Rhineland-Palatinate, which includes 170 small, medium and large companies. The goal of this programme is to promote prevention of MSDs through employer and employee education, screening days, workshops and prevention strategies and recommendations customised both for the individual employee and for each company. The demand from employers to implement the programme in their companies is growing.

In fact, we plan to professionalise this project in the near future in light of the high demand from companies If we look at the situation in Germany, for example, wanting a targeted approach MSDs, including back pain and arthrito preventing MSDs in the tis, cost the German economy billions “The European workplace. of euros, with one estimate suggesting urope’s workers face a debilitating obstacle to a productive work life in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is estimated to affect 100 million people in Europe, with MSDs affecting more than 40 million workers in the EU and accounting for about half of all work-related disorders. This represents an estimated cost to society of two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Indeed, the European commission estimates that MSDs account for 49.9 per cent of all absences from work lasting three days or longer and for 60 per cent of permanent work incapacity.

around €26.6bn, making MSDs one of the most costly disease categories.

The costs included in the estimate are for the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and care of the diseases only. In other words, they don’t even take into account indirect costs such as work absence and lost productivity, so in fact, the true cost of MSDs to Germany is likely much higher even than this estimate suggests.

April, in cooperation with the WHO. We will discuss issues on occupational diseases, healthcare, society and integration of a cancer screening programme in the EU. We will also organise meetings for the heads of medicines agencies and heads of the competent authorities for medical devices in February. As always, we shall welcome experts of medicines reimbursement systems to their informal meeting in Riga in April too.

In conclusion, I would like to underline that we will continue the work on the European semester processes started during the previous presidencies. As the minister for health of the presiding country of the council of the EU, I am looking forward to engaging in successful discussions. We will be able to look at the whole process on an annual basis during the next council of ministers meeting in June.

commission estimates that MSDs account for 49.9 per cent of all absences from work lasting three days or longer and for 60 per cent of permanent work incapacity”

What can be done in the face of such staggering economic and social costs? Fit for Work, a multi-stakeholder coalition working toward a better alignment between the work and health agendas in the EU strongly recommends ‘early intervention’ to curb the negative impact of MSDs on the health of individuals and on workplace productivity.

While ‘early intervention’ clinics have been implemented in various contexts throughout Europe to great effect, we at the Acura rheumatology centre in RhinelandPalatinate are particularly excited about our pilot project which focuses on the employer’s awareness of the role

We have been successful in our campaign to win the support and participation of employers in the fight against MSDs, but there remains much to be done. “Retaining skilled workers must be a policy and research priority – with an ageing workforce, it is likely that the incidence and effects of MSDs will intensify and worsen rather than improve in the medium- to long-term,” says professor Ingemar F. Petersson of Lund university, Sweden, a member of the EULAR scientific committee representing its standing committee for epidemiology and health services research.

If Germany’s workforce – and indeed, Europe’s – is to be productive and competitive in the global economy, stakeholders, from healthcare professionals and employers to policymakers and governmental agencies, must act in a cohesive way, and we must act now. Europe’s workforce depends on it, and it depends on being fit for work.

Dr. Andreas Schwarting of the division of rheumatology, university hospital Mainz and ACURA rheumatology centre in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Presidency programme Thursday, 8 January 2015

Monday, 2 March 2015

Thursday, 9 April 2015

Meeting of the Latvian government and the college of commissioners of the European commission

Competitiveness council Post-2015 and Beijing+20: women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development

Conference on rural and agricultural advisory systems (RAAS): best practices and experiences for European networking

Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Meeting of the national coordinators for drugs’ matters

Interparliamentary conference for CFSP

Friday, 17 April 2015

Opening event on the occasion of the Latvian presidency

Friday, 9 January 2015 Opening event of the European year for development

Thursday, 5 March 2015

Thursday, 22 January 2015

Conference on remotely piloted aircraft systems

Meeting of the high-level group on gender mainstreaming

Monday, 9 March 2015

Sunday, 1 February 2015

Conference on strengthening the EU audio-visual media market - for the development of the European identity

Meeting of the chairpersons of conference of the committees of the national parliaments of the European Union member states dealing with the European Union affairs (COSAC)

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs council

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Climate policy expert group on further actions (Egfa)

Sunday, 19 April 2015 Meeting of the chairpersons of the committees on the economic and digital affairs

Monday, 20 April 2015 Meeting of the European traffic police network (Tispol) operational group

Joint meeting of the national territorial cohesion contact points and the urban development group

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

Friday, 13 March 2015 E-skills conference

Meeting of the commission group of environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental impact assessment national experts

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Monday, 16 March 2015

Monday, 27 April 2015

2nd eastern partnership youth forum

Annual meeting of the regional and local authorities for the eastern partnership (Corleap) of the commitee of the regions

Presidency conference on occupational safety and health

Conference on entrepreneurship in regions to strengthen the EU competitiveness

Tuesday, 17 March 2015

International conference “evaluating smart specialisation strategy: dynamics, challenges, responsibility and practice”

Ministerial conference on the development of the multimodal Eurasian transport networks – trends, challenges, solutions

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

Employment committee (EMCO) and social protection committee (SPC) conference on inclusive labour markets Interparliamentary conference of the economic and financial governance of the European Union

Wednesday, 11 February 2015

Monday, 23 February 2015 High level conference on healthy lifestyle and nutrition for children and young people at schools

Tuesday, 24 February 2015 Meeting of competent authorities for medical devices (CAMD)

Extraordinary meeting of the CoR bureau

European consumer protection conference

Wednesday, 29 April 2015

Annual conference of the European migration network Meeting of the innovative public services group (IPSG) and human resources working group (HRWG) of the European public administration network (EUPAN) Meeting of the network of EU contact points for tackling cross-border vehicle crime (Carpol) within the law enforcement working group (LEWP)

Friday, 20 March 2015

Thursday, 26 February 2015

EU youth conference

Conference on the role of trade unions in forming sustainable growth and decent work places

Tuesday, 24 March 2015 Meeting of the European police college (Cepol) Joint meeting of chief medical, chief nursing and chief dental officers

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Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Monday, 1 June 2015

Monday, 15 June 2015

Semic 2015 - semantic interoperability conference & contact Riga 2015: the impact of ICT on the design and delivery of public services

Meeting of the monitoring committee of the European spatial planning observation network (Espon)

10th Baltic Sea science congress

Climate policy expert group on adaptation

Thursday, 7 may 2015 High level seminar on customs matters European competition day

Tuesday, 2 June 2015 European standardisation summit Meeting of the technical working group and committee of the European social fund (ESF)

Thursday, 4 June 2015

EU Latvian presidency conference on first innovative enterprise week “access to finance for research, innovation and SMEs 2015” Conference on deinstitutionalisation and further development of social care policy in Europe

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Friday, 8 May 2015

Week of innovative regions in Europe (Wire 2015)

25th congress of the Nordic association of agricultural scientists

High level conference on eHealth

Meeting of the committee for civilian aspects of crisis management (Civcom)

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

High-level meeting on disability How to improve intra-European mobility and circular migration? Fostering diaspora engagement Climate policy expert group on mitigation Eurogroup meeting of the radio communication experts group (RCEG) within the law enforcement working group (LEWP)

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Monday, 8 June 2015 Transport, telecommunications and energy council (energy)

Wednesday, 10 June 2015 Summit of the community of Latin American and Caribbean states (Celac) and European union

Meeting of the board of the European banking federation and meeting of the executive committee of the European banking federation

Thursday, 11 June 2015

Monday, 18 May 2015

Meeting of the European public administration network (Eupan) and trade unions’ national and European administration delegation (Tuned)

Education, youth, culture and sport council foreign affairs council

Thursday, 21 May 2015 Eastern partnership summit

Digital agenda assembly 2015

Thursday, 18 June 2015 The employment, social policy, health and consumer affairs council (employment)

Friday, 19 June 2015 Conference on internationalisation of innovation in SMEs

9th European organic congress - organic farming vision 2030”

Friday, 12 June 2015 Transport, telecommunications and energy council (telecommunications)

Tuesday, 26 May 2015 Conference on biodiversity and nature protection

Wednesday, 27 May 2015 International conference on ICT for information accessibility in learning

Thursday, 28 May 2015 Competitiveness council EU-US justice and home affairs ministerial meeting

Friday, 29 May 2015 EU nature directors meeting

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Europe needs sustainable labour market participation for all The Latvian EU council presidency will emphasise the tackling of inequality in Europe’s welfare and employment systems, explains Uldis Augulis

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he Latvian EU council presidency is based on three priority axes — promotion of competitiveness and development of the European Union, realising Europe’s digital potential and strengthening the EU’s role on a global scale. Priorities in the field of employment and social policy are included in the first priority axis.

The objective of inclusive growth means providing an opportunity to get a job, education and training for each and every one, and to ensure equal opportunities to benefit from social security. They guarantee stability and sustainability. Our EU council presidency will emphasise inclusive and sustainable participation in the labour market, by paying closer attention to the quality of jobs, the issue of long-term unemployment and the condition of disabled persons. EU competitiveness is the key to addressing these issues.

In the framework of the employment and social policy (EPSCO) council, we intend to highlight the importance of social dialogue in strengthening the social dimension of the economic and monetary union, within the context of the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs. I believe that the involvement of social partners plays an important role in the successful and even implementation of reforms.

During our term, we will place great emphasis on the mid-term review of Europe 2020 strategy. We will pay particular attention to the implementation of structural reforms as regards the specific recommendations of the member states in order to achieve our employment and social objectives. The EPSCO council will play a critical role in the European semester by supporting wise, sustainable and inclusive growth and underlining the importance of social dialogue.

A leading priority of the presidency is inclusive and sustainable participation in the labour market. We will address this issue throughout our six months helming the EU, in order to promote employment within various social groups which are at risk of joblessness, and to fight against poverty in the EU. During these debates, we want to emphasise the quality of jobs and the support measures for various risk groups in order to

“The employment and social policy council will underline differences in pensions for women and men and the underlying causes of this issue, such as the choice of education and profession, differences in salaries, family and work life balance”

facilitate their access to the labour market.

Many in the EU are currently worried about youth unemployment. With help from the youth guarantee initiative, much has been achieved during the last two years. However, we also want to address other risk groups whose situation is equally worrying. This pertains to long-term unemployment and especially that of disabled persons.

In the field of gender equality, the employment and social policy council will underline differences in pensions for women and men and the underlying causes of this issue, such as the choice of education and profession, differences in salaries, family and work life balance. Gender equality issues are also integrated into other sectors’ priorities, such as in development cooperation policy and the health sector. Furthermore,

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“We also need to address issues such as employment opportunities and the rights of disabled children, especially regarding inclusive education, which could put them on the road to independence”

we will apply a similar integrated approach to address disability policy. For example, in the area of interior affairs, the national firefighting and rescue service will organise a seminar for EU member state experts on disability-related issues in the cycle of catastrophe risk management. Our parliament, too, will discuss the issue of employment of persons with disability with other EU parliaments. Next year, there will also be a high level meeting on disability issues in Riga, organised with the support of the European commission. Disability policy must receive a great share of our attention. We wish to breathe life into efforts to strengthen the EU’s commitment to tackling issues of equal opportunities for disabled persons.

We also need to address issues such as employment opportunities and the rights of disabled children, especially regarding inclusive education, which could put them on the

road to independence. On top of this high level event, we will organise an expert conference about de-institutionalisation and social care policy in Europe to discuss, among others, solutions for an independent life for disabled persons. We will also pay attention to the problems of institutional child care.

Regarding the external dimension, we will ensure the EU’s presence and position in the 59th session of the UN commission on the status of women, which takes place in March 2015.

We will also coordinate the position of member states in the international labour conference.

Uldis Augulis is Latvia’s welfare minister

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Orchestra conductor Andris Nelsons

Cultural diversity and creativity at heart of EU project The Latvian presidency is an opportunity for the country to share its culture with other European citizens, writes Dace Melbārde

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reat is the one, who carries great responsibility – these are the words of classic Latvian writer Rainis, whose 150th birthday is coming up next year. These words perfectly express how Latvia currently feels, while preparing for its first EU council presidency.

I believe that cultural diversity and creativity are at the core of the European project. Culture is at the heart of European traditions and creativity and innovation are values in themselves.

In the area of culture, the presidency will look for ways to raise awareness and encourage innovation and growth, by enabling cross-sector cooperation.

With this in mind, the presidency’s aim will be to strengthen Europe as a creative and innovative union and to come up with new and effective solutions for the challenges of 21st century.

Several conferences will be organised on the sidelines of the well-established annual creativity week, RADI! (Create!), in March 2015 in Riga. The

event looks to highlight the potential and growth of creative industries, and will also include an international conference on cultural and creative crossovers, stimulating partnerships between culture and other sectors. Another conference will provide a forum to discuss how cultural heritage interacts with modern architecture and design. These events will give an important input to the upcoming council conclusions on culture and creative crossovers to stimulate innovation, economic sustainability and social inclusion.

In the audiovisual field, the presidency, in cooperation with the commission, will organise a conference that will reflect the need to strengthen the European audiovisual media market so that it can respond to rapid technological developments, increasing global competition and the current geopolitical context.

As an honest broker, the presidency will steer the process of modernising copyright rules, with an aim to boost the creation of new works and services, to improve access to content and in this

“The presidency’s aim will be to strengthen Europe as a creative and innovative union and to come up with new and effective solutions for the challenges of 21st century”

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way, invest in future generations of inspirational, challenging and entertaining talent.

It is my pleasure to embed the EU council presidency’s political agenda in a rich and colourful cultural programme, to enable audiences to get to know Latvia from its historical traditions to the most recent and innovative cultural expressions.

The programme will bridge the end of Riga’s year as European capital of culture and the beginning of the Latvian presidency. Stages and exhibition halls in 11 countries worldwide, including Belgium, Luxembourg and France, will showcase Latvia’s foremost talents and artwork.

The official opening concert of the presidency will be held in the prestigious Bozar centre for fine arts in Brussels. This internationally renowned venue will welcome world famous Latvian artists – opera singers Elīna Garanča and Aleksandrs Antoņenko, the world stage conductors Andris Nelsons and Gidons Kremer, talented violinist Baiba Skride, the Latvian radio choir and the Latvian state choir. In addition, within the framework of the Brussels jazz festival, the Flagey cultural centre will host an outstanding programme, featuring the stars of Riga Rhythms festival, Laima Jansone Trio and Maris Briezkalns Quintet.

The Latvian days in Strasbourg are sure to surprise audiences, with a performance by classical accordionist Ksenija Sidorova in February. The exhibition ‘breakfast in Europe’ will see 30 Latvian artists sharing their impressions on travelling through Europe.

During Latvian culture week in Luxembourg, we will introduce both traditional and contemporary works and events.

The programme was developed to present our most gifted artists, who are the best ambassadors for both our culture and our country.

This is just a glimpse of the extensive and exceptional programme of cultural events offered by the Latvian presidency.

The closing event includes two grand performances – the Latvian radio big band concert with maestro Raimonds Pauls in Brussels on 16 June and the eighth Nordic Baltic choral festival 2015 in Riga on 27 June.

I hope that the experience of Latvian cultural richness offered by the presidency’s culture programme will bring you a step closer to Latvia and will demonstrate once again that culture is our greatest treasure for common growth.

“The presidency will steer the process of modernising copyright rules, with an aim to boost the creation of new works and services, to improve access to content and in this way, invest in future generations of inspirational, challenging and entertaining talent”

Dace Melbārde is Latvia’s culture minister

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Latvian EU Council Presidency

Latvia is ready to take charge The Latvian presidency team has the experience and motivation to deliver on its priorities, writes Ilze Juhansone

E

very six months an EU member state assumes the role of the rotating EU council presidency. On 1 January 2015, it will be our turn. Chairing meetings at every level in the council requires substantive preparation and a great sense of responsibility. The EU council presidency is a double challenge for those countries who assume it for the first time but it is also a good time to become known in Brussels, Europe and the wider world. For me personally, the presidency is largely about being an honest broker, a good organiser and a trustworthy partner.

We have opted for a Brussels-based presidency model. This means that most of the people involved in chairing the council’s work and taking decisions will be working from Brussels rather than commuting from Riga. This allows us to be at the heart of all policy processes and be available to other member states and EU institutions.

To enrich our day-to-day work, we even have a Brusselsbased Latvian choir, dance group and theatre. Of course, the credit for this must go to Latvian expats in Brussels rather than presidency-related efforts. It serves as great support to us.

We have been preparing for the role of presidency for a number of years in close cooperation with our trio partners, Italy and Luxembourg, and also other EU member states. The general secretariat of the council, the European parliament and the commission all provided invaluable help. To be able to chair some 1500 meetings and 230 working groups within six months, our people have participated in intensive training sessions since early 2014 and, in some cases, since 2013. The preparation has also meant that the team at the permanent representation in Brussels will increase from its usual number of 62 to 185 in 2015.

The main priority areas of our presidency are competitive Europe, digital Europe and engaged Europe. To characterise my team, I would say that we are motivated, up-to-date and engaged in our work and with the world. In many ways, the presidency team in Brussels is representative of these priorities.

‘Competitive Europe’ has several meanings. It indicates the ability to compete, but it also refers to ‘good’, ‘modest’ and ‘viable’. When we carried out a survey of our team, we discovered that 78 per cent of us have at last one Master’s degree, we

“The presidency is largely about being an honest broker, a good organiser and a trustworthy partner”

Ilze Juhansone is the Republic of Latvia’s permanent representative to the European Union

have spent on average nine years in the public sector and we speak on average 3.6 languages. This is a good mix of skills despite the relatively young average age of our personnel, which is 35.

As for ‘digital Europe’, we already have an integrated digital society. 91 per cent of us have an account with at least one

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“I can say with certainty that we have gathered the elite of Latvia’s civil servants and are ready to take charge and lead the European Union for the next six months”

social media network and 94 per cent use a smartphone – there is no doubt that we are engaged. Over 80 per cent have sung in a choir at some point of our lives and almost half of us follow events related to our national sport – ice-hockey. More seriously, one of our focuses – ‘engaged Europe’ – places an emphasis on the eastern partnership. In this area, our team can bring an additional perspective and expertise, as 59 per cent of us have been to at least one of the six eastern partnership countries –Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia or Georgia.

We have to add to these less serious statistics the expertise, experience and motivation of each of our diplomats and experts. This ensures I have a team I can rely on. Overall, we have done our best to make sure that all the people the presidency needs are in the right place. As a result, we have a motivated and dynamic team with an inherent sense of responsibility. And I can say with certainty that we have gathered the elite of Latvia’s civil servants and are ready to take charge and lead the EU for the next six months.

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The GridTech project conducts a fully integrated assessment of new grid-impacting technologies and their implementation into the European electricity system supporting the exploitation of the full potential of future electricity generation from renewable energy sources with the lowest possible total electricity system cost within the 2020, 2030 and 2050 time horizons. In detail, the main GridTech objectives are: Assessment of non-technical barriers for transmission expansion in Europe.

Development of a robust Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) methodology on investments in new technologies fostering large-scale renewable electricity and storage integration into the European transmission grid.

Application and verification of the CBA methodology for investments in the transmission grid on national level (7 European target countries have been selected in particular covering a balanced representation of the existing and future European electricity systems: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain) and European level.

Delivering tailor-made policy recommendations and action plans for several stakeholders.

Examples of the most promising and innovative technologies that directly or indirectly impact on the transmission system comprise: Electricity generation technologies, with a focus on variable renewable electricity generation: Onshore and Offshore Wind, Concentrated Solar Power and Photovoltaics.

Bulk energy storage technologies: Pumped-Hydro Storage, Compressed Air Energy Storage.

Transmission technologies directed at improvements in network control and flexible electricity system operation: High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC), Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS), Phase Shifting Transformers (PST), Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS), Dynamic Line Rating (DLR), Overhead Lines (OHL), High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS).

Demand Response Technologies/Measures.

For regular updates on our activities, events, results and deliverables follow us on www.gridtech.eu.

For more information, please contact: Prof. Dr. Hans Auer, Project coordinator Email: auer@eeg.tuwien.ac.at, Phone: +43 -1-58801-370357

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policy focus

Energy union can be a ‘new start for Europe’

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f 2014 is indeed to be the ‘new start for Europe’, this commitment of the new European commission must deliver both concrete, tangible results for European citizens, and strengthen the raison d’être of European integration – the profound sense of our community and our values. Creating jobs, ensuring economic growth and competitiveness, reviving European industry as a key engine of growth, innovation, research and exports – these different elements of EU policy will bring prosperity to citizens only if we are able to provide secure, affordable and sustainable energy.

The overarching importance of a common EU energy policy is reflected in the institutional changes introduced with the setting up of the new commission. Therefore, we now have a commissioner responsible for energy and climate policy, Miguel Cañete. I am confident that his merged portfolio will

ensure that our goal of a low-emissions economy is achieved in a sustainable way that allows energy to be the driver of European prosperity.

We also now have a vice-president of the commission responsible for the energy union, Maroš Šefčovič. By cooperating with and coordinating the work of more than 10 commissioners, the vice-president is in effect the institutional product of this overarching importance placed on energy policy. This is not only for the prosperity of our citizens, but for the wellbeing of the EU at large. Šefčovič will carry forward the proposals I put together with Jacques Delors in 2010 on the 60th anniversary of the Schuman declaration. We called for a true energy community for Europe founded on a common energy market, common energy-oriented research and a common voice for the EU in relations with our external suppliers.

Just as the pooling of resources from the outset of European integration and the introduction of the common market decades later all helped Europe make the most efficient use of the available capital – natural, financial, human – so does the completion of the internal energy market offer the very same promise in terms of our energy policy today.

Such was the rationale behind the commitment taken on by all member states in early 2011, of creating the internal energy market by the end of 2014. It laid the path to secure and stable supplies, owing to interconnected networks, crisis response mechanisms, coordination of purchases, and a stronger position in negotiations with external suppliers.

Completion of the internal energy market can revive European industry, bringing growth and innovation, says Jerzy Buzek

“Once completed, the internal energy market will drive sustainable implementation of our climate goals and stimulate development and commercialisation of new energy technologies”

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Energy market

“Our energy policy and the energy union can help tip the scales of European integration and determine the future direction of the EU as a whole”

Jerzy Buzek is chair of parliament’s industry, research and energy committee

A truly interconnected market is the key to more affordable energy, not only for businesses, but also for our citizens, with better control over their energy consumption and choice of suppliers. Once completed, the internal energy market will drive sustainable implementation of our climate goals and stimulate development and commercialisation of new energy technologies.

We might miss the 2014 deadline for the completion of the internal energy market, but we simply cannot miss out on what the market can offer. Raising our energy efficiency, ensuring energy security, economic competitiveness, savings for every household and enterprise – fully implementing the internal energy market is no less than an excellent exit strategy from the economic crisis.

But an energy policy that helps the EU deliver in all those tangible aspects, a policy worthy of a true energy union, carries a much more profound promise and hope for the European Union. Our energy policy and the energy union can help tip the scales of European integration and determine the future direction of the EU as a whole. Just as our ‘four freedoms’,

Schengen and the introduction of the euro have all delivered both concrete benefits to our citizens, as well as a more profound sense of our European community, so can the energy union. This will happen only as long as we truly understand that our energy policy must serve our fundamental value of solidarity. This value is enshrined in the Lisbon treaty as the guiding principle for EU energy policy, and it must clearly be the foundation of the energy union we are putting in place. Solidarity must equally guide our thinking, our discussions and our actions with regard to the internal energy market.

Nearly 65 years ago, the need for solidarity between the free states of western Europe gave birth to European integration. 25 years ago, solidarity among Europeans succeeded in changing our continent once again and gave new impetus to this integration. Today, we must again look to that value we all share – to solidarity – if we want to regain the prosperity and dynamism that solidarity brought Europe before. Energy policy, our energy union, founded on the value of solidarity can really be that ‘new start for Europe’ that we need.

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Local energy companies play an essential role in the European energy and climate policy CEDEC, the European federation of local and regional energy companies, represents their interests in electricity and natural gas activities at European level: •

1500 companies, most of them in public hands,

•

total turnover of 120 billion euros,

•

350.000 employees.

Essential players in competitive, customer-friendly energy markets: Local energy players are competitors with a long history, locally embedded and well-established in the national markets. Due to their local character and ownership structures, they enjoy a high-degree of consumer trust.

Active in every part of the value chain, striving for citizen’s value: Local generation (including high-efficient cogeneration, district heating & renewables), distribution network operation, metering system and data management, supply and energy efficiency services.

Small and medium sized enterprises with local shareholders: Local energy companies are mainly small and medium sized: close to their local shareholders, they are key actors in the regional economic development and contribute to the creation of local investments and local jobs.

Partners in the realization of climate and energy objectives: Local energy companies constitute an important partner for the realization of European climate objectives, through investments in local sustainable electricity production, efficient and smart networks, and energy efficiency services.

Priority themes •

Customer-friendly retail markets: CEDEC strives for customer-centric energy retail markets with relevant choice, efficient customer service, transparency on their consumption and billing, and special protection of vulnerable consumer groups.

•

Ambitious and effective climate and energy policies: CEDEC companies support European objectives on climate protection and will translate their experience in concrete measures to help to meet the 2030 targets, through sustainable local generation and a wide variety of energy efficiency services.

•

Reliable, secure and cost-efficient energy infrastructure: Distribution networks constitute 90% of all networks. The necessary investments in networks and metering systems will allow for a better integration of sustainable local production and more energy efficient energy use by network operators and consumers through related energy services.

For more detailed information: www.cedec.com or contact CEDEC at info@cedec.com CEDEC.indd 1

11/12/2014 16:55:02

HELPING EMERGING RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES TO COMMERCIALISATION

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he Earth is rich in new renewable sources, but so far only wind, solar and biomass have begun to make an impact. The oceans are the next frontier and marine renewable energy (MRE) technologies could be next in line to slake humanity’s energy thirst.

If there was an indicator for the level of innovation among MRE technologies, it would rank wave energy as first, then tidal and offshore wind. Common challenges are mainly related to survivability and moorings because of the strong wave forces and the harsh sea environment, but tidal and particularly wave energy technologies have to deal also with the design and testing of completely and often radically new power takeoff systems.

The rise of this new sector requires robust engineering and investments for open sea trials at a very early stage of development.

Let´s face it: this is a substantial difference from onshore wind or solar, where almost anything in the early days could be tested in the back yard of developers. This is our “elephant in the room”, or better…in the sea.

In this scenario comes MARINET (Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network for Emerging Energy Technologies). MARINET is an 11 mill. Euro 4 years (2011-2015) EC funded consortium of 29 world class research institutes bringing together a network of 45 specialized testing facilities for wave, tidal and offshore wind energy and cross cutting issues (electrical, moorings, materials, etc.)

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MARINET gives transnational access to these facilities at no cost to enthusiastic researchers and companies for testing their technologies in another country. Facility costs are paid by the EC and range from €1,500-€30,000/ week, covering TRL2 -7, from small to large laboratories and test sites (Fig. 1).

So far 159 testing projects were approved (of 256 applications) and granted access for 659 equivalent weeks of testing. Proposals were received from 21 countries across Europe.

UK and Ireland have the largest number of submitted proposals, followed by Spain (Fig. 2). In addition to implementing common testing standards, MARINET also provides training and networking in order to enhance expertise in the industry and avoid duplication of efforts.

The “valley of death” gets deeper and wider as the timescales for R&D increases. Reaching prototype scale, the ultimate R&D effort to determine commercial viability, is expensive: MRE technologies at this phase have invested 50-100 mill Euro in R&D during more than 15 years.

Companies backed by venture capital do not generally focus on basic R&D: venture capitalists are less willing to assume technological than institutional risks. Large energy companies fund R&D, but regulations may reduce the ability to recover costs and investors may react negatively to higher perceived risk. Finally, firms in energy related industries may lack a clear business case for replacing their current technologies which are more profitable than the new ones.

It is therefore fundamental to have public support for the R&D of MRE technologies in order to allow the private sector to make a good and educated choice when deciding where to invest its money. MARINET facilitates this process.

Fig. 2

MaRINET Coordinator: BEAUFORT, University College Cork, HMRC Building, Youngline Industrial Estate, Pouladuff Road, Cork. tel: 021 4250041. www.marinet.eu

11/12/2014 16:56:07

policy focus

EU needs increased access to global energy market

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he evolving geopolitical situation at our eastern border – with a hyperactive and expansive Russia – has not yet been enough to convince Europe to end its energy dependency on a single external supplier. That is why I salute the energy council’s decision to speed up the implementation of the crucial projects of common interest (PCI) on the north-south and southern gas corridors. I believe that central and eastern European member states should take advantage of this new strategy of developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) hubs in southern Europe and reorient their PCI lists in order to have their grids interconnected to the new hubs. By doing this, they can immediately lift their dependence on the existing Russian pipelines and gain access to the global markets.

The solution to the present state of play is therefore not confrontation, but reorientation. At this juncture, the EU’s energy supply finds itself deeply dependent on routes crossing its eastern borders. The unidirectional east-west flow, insufficient interconnectors as well as monopolised national markets, are dangerous for both security and economic reasons. The more the EU looks to the east, the greater the dependence on Russia and the less it will be able to profit from global value chains.

As the world continues to shrink, Europe must turn more decisively towards its natural gateway to the global economy.

Access to the global energy market and new supply routes are key to long-term competitiveness for our industry. That is why I believe in an extended deal on energy trade within the transatlantic trade and investment partnership agreement. European consumers should benefit from the deep discontinuities in price between the American and European markets which are, for example, set today at a three to one ratio for gas.

Besides committing to completing this groundbreaking trade deal, Europe must also restart long-term energy infrastructure financing. This is currently blocked due to the continuing financial crisis and the accelerated growth of sovereign debt levels, which has discouraged financial institutions from supporting companies and projects.

Nevertheless, funding is available on the global markets. According to HSBC, investible assets of up to €68.7 trillion are available from long-term institutional investors such as pension and insurance funds. As much as €3 trillion are globally tar-

The EU can no longer rely on Russia as its main energy supplier, and must instead widen market access to reap economic and social benefits, argues AdinaIoana Vălean

“Access to the global energy market and new supply routes are key to long-term competitiveness for our industry”

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Energy union

Adina-Ioana Vălean is a vice-president of the European parliament and co-rapporteur for the connecting Europe facility

-geted at infrastructure investments. Therefore, Europe must strengthen its competitiveness on the global equity and debt market and provide the necessary credentials for investors.

The connecting Europe facility – on which I was parliament’s rapporteur – is the first step, but the extent of the infrastructure demand requires a global approach on long-term infrastructure funding. Therefore, I congratulate commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s intention to mobilise €300bn towards private and public investment, and we should make sure that it is targeted on key infrastructure investments. A European long-term investment fund, co-sponsored by private investors, the European investment bank and national governments and banks, can provide the momentum for unlocking the huge capital reserves that lie with institutional investors.

If we want to cover €1 trillion investment needs for EU energy, we need to be pragmatic and therefore decide to put the internal energy market at the top of our priority list. Market based financial instruments will leverage each public euro that is spent 10 to 15 times. This is why money must be directed to those

projects of EU added value, which are facing suboptimal investment conditions, in order to facilitate private involvement through equity and debt instruments. Grants must be limited, to address only those projects which lack any business case but contribute to the integration of the market.

Commissioner for climate action and energy Miguel Arias Cañete has already presented the outline of Juncker’s immediate investment plan, with a clear commitment to include energy infrastructure investment among the key priorities.

I would say this is excellent news for the energy market as a whole, but it also represents a kickstart for the planned energy union. With a true energy union, Europe can be a stronger actor on the global scene and can drive down supply costs for the manufacturing industry and for citizens alike.

Nevertheless, this energy union will be have to rely on private investments in infrastructure and we policymakers will have to ensure an effective legislative environment to attract investors. That is why I believe that a Europe that needs more energy is actually a Europe in need for a larger market.

“According to HSBC, investible assets of up to €68.7 trillion are available from long-term institutional investors such as pension and insurance funds”

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ENERGY TRANSITION IS KEY IN BOOSTING EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS

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he Dutch Provinces find that the energy transition is key in boosting European industrial competitiveness. In order to kick-start this transition, the Dutch provinces stimulate the production of renewable energy and promote an energy saving policy. Reducing our energy use tackles the issue of interdependence on other states and leaves companies with more capital to invest in jobs and growth.

On the road to Paris 2015, the EU needs to give the good example and show ambition. The House of the Dutch Provinces, the front office of the Dutch regional governments with the EU, supports an ambitious plan, which will hopefully lead the EU towards a common energy policy focusing on an energy transition in Europe.

Rob van Eijkeren Head of Office House of the Dutch Provinces Rue de Trèves 59-61, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium tel: (+32) 2 737 99 57

ELYGRID project Reducing the cost of hydrogen production

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he ELYGRID project, which is supported by the Fuel Cell Hydrogen and Joint Undertaking (FHC-JU) under the grant agreement nº 278824, has been working on the cost reduction of hydrogen produced via electrolysis coupled to wind turbines, focusing on megawatt size alkaline electrolysers. The ELYGRID project has managed to make progress in the main technology fields, with the design of a unit capacity of 2.98 t/day, 70 per cent stack efficiency and a cost of less than the objective defined by the FCH-JU in 2020 of 2M€/(t/day).

This technology is envisioned as a great promise for energy and transport applications from the perspective of meeting Europe’s energy, environmental and economic challenges but a strong support of policy makers is needed to pave the way for further market deployment. The European Union is committed to transforming its transport and energy systems as part of a future low carbon economy. It is recognized that FCH technologies have an important role in this transformation and are part of the Strategic Energy Technologies Plan (SET-Plan).

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S556 electrolyser of the company Industrie Haute Technologie

Project Coordinator Fundación para el Desarrollo de las Nuevas Tecnologías del Hidrógeno en Aragón (FHa), (SPAIN) Main contact name: Mr. Pablo Marcuello Tel: +34974215258 Email: pmarcuello@hidrogenoaragon.org www.elygrid.com

11/12/2014 17:40:24

Project duration:

March 2014 – November 2016

Project coordination: Vienna University of Technology, Energy Economics Group, Austria Web:

www.towards2030.eu

General contact:

contact@towards2030.eu

Co-funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European Union

About the project About the project

The aim of towards2030-dialogue is to facilitate and guide the RES policy dialogue for the period

The aim of towards2030-dialogue is to facilitate and guide the RES policy dialogue for the towards 2030. This strategic initiative aims for an intense stakeholder dialogue that establishes period towardsvision 2030.ofThis strategic initiative aims for an intense stakeholder dialogue a European a joint future RES policy framework. that establishes a European vision of a joint future RES policy framework. dialogue process is coupled with in-depth continuous analysis relevanttopics, topics, TheThe dialogue process is coupled with in-depth andand continuous analysis ofof relevant including renewables in all energy sectors but with more detailed analyses for renewable including renewables in all energy sectors but with more detailed analyses for renewable electricity. We base our work on previous assessments of RES policy pathways for the post 2020 electricity. We base our work on previous assessments of RES policy pathways for the period (cf. www.res-policy-beyond2020.eu) and complement, adapt and extend the analyses postto2020 period (cf. www.res-policy-beyond2020.eu) and complement, adaptpathways and extend the evolving policy process in Europe. We aim for assessing alternative policy for the 2030, analyses process in Europe.

Weschemes, aim for assessing alternative suchtoasthe theevolving (partial) policy opening of national support the clustering of regional policy pathways for 2030, as the (partial) opening national support schemes, the support schemes as wellsuch as options to coordinate and of align national schemes.

Additionally, this project offers ansupport impact assessment different target setting options and for 2030, clustering of regional schemes asofwell as options to coordinate aligndiscussing national advanced concepts for related effort sharing. schemes.

Additionally, this project offers an impact assessment of different target setting options for 2030, discussing advanced concepts for related effort sharing.

Who we are

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Based on 200 energy audits a branch concept has been created in order to guide energy experts and energy managers to tailor made solutions in industry. The final version will be available by February 2015. Special funding and financing schemes have been evaluated and will be further developed to facilitate the implementation of identified energy efficiency potentials in SMEs and to provide stakeholders and policy makers.

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• Issue Paper on the Contribution of Renewables and Energy Efficiency to Gas Security

Recently published

• Issue Paperon onthe Implementing • Issue Paper Contribution the EU 2030 Climate and Energy of Renewables and Energy Framework - a closer look at Efficiency to Gas Security renewables and opportunities forPaper an Energy • Issue onUnion Implementing the EU 2030 Climate and Energy Framework - a closer look at renewables and opportunities for an Energy Union

Who we are

he Intelligent Energy Europe initiative GREENFOODS leads the European food and beverage industry to high energy efficiency and reduction of fossil carbon emissions in order to ensure and foster the world wide competitiveness, improve the security of energy supply and guarantee the sustainable production.

Recently published

Furthermore, the GREENFOODS training module integrated as a sector-specific training module in existing energy management trainings such as the European Energy Manager as well as a standalone course will be established.

In the participating countries “Virtual Energy Competence Centres - VECC” will be installed and will work as one stop shop service centres.

Applying the on-going GREENFOODS activities reached up to now significant reductions in energy consumptions and the implementation of renewable energy in 6 European industries which will save about 2.300 tons of CO2e per year.

Further information including newsletter, training announcement and best practice examples: www.green-foods.eu www.facebook.com/GREENFOODSproject twitter.com/GREENFOODS_AEE www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4989642 Project co-ordinator: DI. Christoph Brunner AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies A-8200 Gleisdorf, Feldgasse 19 Tel.: +43 (0)3112 5886-470, Fax: DW 18 E-Mail: c.brunner@aee.at Web: www.aee-intec.at

11/12/2014 17:43:14

policy focus

EU needs ‘strong and ambitious’ position on energy

T

he European Union is facing some crucial decisions which will affect the lives of its citizens in years to come. Defining new climate and energy targets is essential for the role that the EU will play in future global balances.

These decisions concern the further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with respect to the 2020 objective, the reform of the system for trading greenhouse gas emissions – the emission trading scheme (ETS), the system for trading GHG emissions within the community, increasing the contribution of renewables to the European energy mix and improving the governance and coordination of national policies. The objective is to improve current European performance and to strengthen the EU’s global leadership in terms of energy, competitiveness and sustainability. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in the field of climate and energy, however, a lot remains to be done The commission has set two new mandatory objectives for 2030. The first of these involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent compared to the levels of 1990 and will be achieved through commitments undertaken by member states individually. The second objective relates to renewable energy sources and aims to cover 27 per cent of energy consumption at European level. Contrary to what is laid down for emissions, this objective is only applied at European level. As a result, the EU will not set national targets, giving member states greater flexibility when drawing up their energy strategies. It will be up to the individual capitals to decide how to make their energy policy more efficient and sustainable, taking into account each state’s circumstances, such as their energy mix and ability to increase the share of energy produced from renewable sources. Member states will be required to improve their energy performance without being forced to introduce heavily distortive measures, as has often been the case following the adoption of the 20-20-20 package. The future of energy policy, which needs to be carefully reconciled with the environment around us, starts in Brussels and must be implemented in all countries. We will make sure that this is done in the interest of European citizens.

The reform of the ETS sector will need to address the lowering of carbon prices that has resulted in a proliferation of permits – as many as two billion have now been delivered.

To ensure the permits market remains stable, the commission has proposed a reserve which should be established from 2021 and automatically regulate the introduction of shares to the market. An important role is reserved for improving the management of national policies at European level, by creating a new governance system and a series of new indicators to secure a competitive, sustainable and secure energy system.

Member states should draw up their plans as part of a common approach, which would ensure greater coordination and monitoring by the EU. To secure safe and sustainable energy, we will need to invest in the research and development of clean technologies.

It will be up to us as legislators to strike the right balance in order to reconcile the protection of strategic sectors for our economy with a greater protection of the environment. In my view, it is essential that the European Union adopts a strong and ambitious position in international negotiations for a new global climate agreement, to be concluded in Paris at the end of 2015. Without a clear position, we risk jeopardising our efforts. We need to become best practice models for emerging economies. If Europe plays a leading role in Paris, we will be able to reach a binding agreement for all – an objective which is absolutely essential for tackling climate change.

It’s up to member states to legislate individually on energy and climate change, but Europe must present a united front ahead of the Paris climate talks, writes Patrizia Toia

Patrizia Toia is a vicechair of parliament’s industry, research and energy committee

“It will be up to the individual capitals to decide how to make their energy policy more efficient and sustainable, taking into account each state’s circumstances, such as their energy mix and ability to increase the share of energy produced from renewable sources” 15 Decmeber 2014 PARLIAMENTMAGAZINE 57

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11/12/2014 16:38:43

Energy Union

Risk of EU energy supply failure on the rise EU member states must work together to ensure Europe has a secure supply of energy, writes Elmar Brok

E

vents in Ukraine have propelled energy security back to the top of the EU’s foreign policy agenda. Russia’s actions have led to sharper consideration of the need for energy diversification, with Moscow closing gas supplies to Ukraine and the Russian gas exporter Gazprom ceasing exports to Ukraine in June. With both energy consumption and dependency on oil and gas imports growing − the EU’s 28 member states import over 53 per cent of their energy − the risk of supply failure is rising. For the EU, this has one clear implication: it cannot continue to depend on an unreliable energy supplier, which is using energy as a political tool. Securing European energy supplies is therefore high on the EU’s agenda. It must develop the alternatives necessary

to stand up to Russia without worrying about its energy supply.

This was also one of the conclusions of the sixth EU-US energy council meeting in Brussels in the past fortnight with the goal of enhancing Europe’s energy security. The EU and the US agreed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of Ukraine’s new government and reaffirmed that energy should not be used as a political tool.

Energy security starts with an integrated energy market.

Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has endorsed the idea, proposed to Maroš Šefčovič, of creating an energy union by establishing a specific a vice-presidential portfolio in

“According to the European commission, a fully integrated gas market could save Europeans up to €30bn annually”

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policy focus

the 2014 commission. Building a functioning energy market would bring enormous benefits for European consumers and manufacturing industries. Competition would lead to lower energy prices and all member states could profit from a diversified energy supply and enhanced security of supply. According to the commission, a fully integrated gas market could save Europeans up to €30bn annually.

If member states are united and build an internal energy market together, this will not only benefit its citizens and industry, but it will also demonstrate to Russia that it has exceeded the limits of the EU’s tolerance. We should not forget that Russia needs the EU for its market and investment, more than member states need Russia. It depends on its oil and gas exports to Europe and a period of prolonged uncertainty would have serious implications for Gazprom and Russia.

The European commission’s ongoing antitrust investigation of Gazprom’s alleged abuse of its dominant position in the gas market provides a good basis for a stronger stance. It demonstrates that the EU is ready to challenge Russia to play by the rules.

This also applies to the recent deal between president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that is intended to strengthen economic ties between the two nations and make Turkey the major hub for Russian gas in the region – after Moscow abandoned the south stream project due to the lack of financial possibilities and the economic problems in Russia. The EU now has to observe if this new economic cooperation might be a threat for European energy security.

Another step is to find alternative sources of supply from outside the EU. In response to the political crisis in Ukraine and the overall importance of a stable and abundant supply of energy for the EU’s citizens and economy, the commission released an EU energy security strategy in May 2014, which includes stress tests on Europe’s gas system to assess the impact of a potential gas crisis. With the union’s reserves – at present at 90 per cent – the EU is well prepared.

Nevertheless, the tension with Russia has obliged the EU to boost its energy security mechanisms and seek alternatives to Russian gas. While environmental and safety considerations must remain the highest priority, member states should continue to explore possibilities in new technologies and the potential for unconventional oil and gas within the EU. Some options include: increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Algeria, Qatar or Nigeria, increasing gas imports from Norway and exploring the possibility to export shale gas from the US. There is a great potential in the southern gas corridor.

Azerbaijan has already committed to providing 10 billion cubic

“The tension with Russia has obliged the EU to boost its energy security mechanisms and seek alternatives to Russian gas”

metres of gas and more from Turkmenistan is possible, if negotiations on a trans-Caspian pipeline are successful.

The EU can only succeed if all member states stick together and start implementing a common energy policy. This also means that member states must include energy efficiency measures in their national energy plans. Increasing energy efficiency across the EU would not only help to decrease dependency on foreign energy imports, but would also reduce energy costs for consumers and bring down EU emissions. It is time for all EU member states to recognise that they are stronger together than alone when dealing with energy security.

Elmar Brok is chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee

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Why There Is Reason for Hope in the Battle Against Alcohol Abuse This article was originally published on The Huffington Post website on 28 March 2014

By Jean-François van Boxmeer

Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO HEINEKEN N.V.

The harmful use of alcohol is one of the biggest risks to the ongoing success of an industry in which I have worked for more than 30 years.

The issue is as acute today as ever before.

That is not the way I look at it. HEINEKEN is 150 years old. If we want it to continue and prosper for another 150 years we need to find ways to encourage people to drink differently and in some instances that means less.

A significant focus of the debate on alcohol abuse revolves around the cost to individuals and society. For many, the answer is simple: limit advertising and marketing, restrict product availability and raise taxes. However, whilst some of these measures may impact the overall consumption in a market, they fail to have a significant impact on the issue they are intended to address: alcohol abuse.

The markets with some of the highest levels of abuse also have some of the highest levels of excise tax and marketing restrictions. The reality is that those who abuse alcohol continue to do so unless the cause of their abuse is addressed.

The Italians have a wonderful saying about people who drink too much, Fai una brutta figura! Roughly translated...

You are making a complete fool of yourself ! This is a sentiment that is starting to resonate in many more countries and that is a good thing.

The global beer business cannot be viewed in isolation - it has a positive impact on agriculture, brewing, hospitality, entertainment, retailing and many more industries. A conservative estimate in Europe alone indicates that it generates 125,400 direct jobs, 1,845,500 indirect jobs and €53 billion in tax revenues per annum.

In addition, the vast majority of consumers enjoy our products responsibly. That is why we need to find new solutions that target those who misuse alcohol.

Of course brewers have a vested interest in seeing this happen. But so do governments. So do families. So does the whole of society. It is in everyone’s interests to educate consumers about the harmful use of alcohol and make moderate consumption the social norm.

Changing engrained consumer behaviours can take a generation but I am confident that it can be done for the simple reason that attitudes towards beer amongst new drinkers is changing. From Mumbai to Manchester and from Los Angeles to Lagos today’s young adults have a different set of expectations of the role beer plays in the time they spend with friends; they want to be in greater control of their actions and enjoy experiences. They are open to a different conversation on alcohol.

I often hear that as the CEO of a beer company I must want people to drink more in order to grow our business.

The challenge our industry has is getting this attitude across to more people in more countries. The common approach is to focus on getting non-branded, healthindustry-driven messages across to consumers that warn about the negative consequences of alcohol abuse. To achieve a sustainable change in attitude towards alcohol consumption, brewers need to also address this challenge by using their brands to promote moderate drinking behaviour - consumers relate to brands and are often fiercely loyal to them, so that is where we need to take this battle.

This is a tough ambition - not because our industry lacks the ambition or the means, but because we are meeting with opposition and mistrust with advertising authorities, health lobbies and regulators. They do not believe that brands can be genuine and trustworthy in promoting limited use of their products. Unless this opposition dissolves, our ambition to tackle alcohol abuse and make moderation cool will be restrained.

The industry as a whole is trying to take leadership through a set of concrete global actions and commitments.

Now we need to create a stronger movement amongst others. Governments, regulators and health bodies need to be willing to work alongside us to find better, more impactful, ways to change the unhealthy behaviours of a minority of consumers. Our criminal justice systems need to consistently enforce access laws that are in existence.

And retailers need to abandon deep discounting of alcohol or below cost selling.

The door is ajar for a new type of conversation on beer and alcohol. What gives us hope is that consumers want it. Will all interested groups embrace it? The answer has to be yes.

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11/12/2014 16:57:39

policy focus

Energy efficiency key to delivering long-term benefits

E

nergy remains one of Europe’s key issues in achieving growth and getting back on track. Across the Atlantic, the United States seems to be leaving behind its economic woes, which is in part driven by low energy prices. Understandably then, the new European commission has quite rightly placed energy at the top of its agenda, with a clear commitment to creating an energy union integrating all member states’ energy markets together which, estimates suggest, could save Europe €40bn a year by 2030. A free energy market, though, cannot be an end in itself – a long-term sustainable and competitive sector must contribute to tackling climate change, increase energy efficiency and expand the renewable energy sector. Local and regional renewable energy markets can make a serious contribution to bringing down energy costs, tackling energy poverty and making Europe more competitive on the global stage. The question is how?

If Europe is to strive towards ambitious energy efficiency and renewable energy, with its sights set on becoming almost completely climate neutral by 2050, it is important to continue to refine and strengthen industrial policy by supporting sustainable energy investment. Targeted investment towards innovation will help avoid over-reliance on one single technology. That is why the Committee of the Regions (CoR) does not preach nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage or shale oil and gas as the miraculous solution for our energy security problems. Instead we should be working towards increasing energy efficiency. The ambition exists at local level, where more than 6000 towns and cities under the covenant of mayors initiative are committed to increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy use in our communities. We need a consistent national and EU-wide vision for energy efficiency, accompanied by earmarked funds, which increase confidence among citizens and businesses. Ambitious goals alone will not mobilise the public unless there is a real investment.

The new EU state aid guidelines

should also be implemented in a way that does not burden small scale projects. At the same time, we would be more cautious, investing EU funds into new pipelines and gigantic inter-continental super high voltage electricity cables. Instead, EU money must be pumped into integrating locally produced renewable energy into the grid and used to support the development of smart distribution grids with transparent data for customers, so as to empower energy consumers.

With cheap money available and the new EU investment plan focused on energy, local and regional sustainable energy projects should be able to receive a higher percentage of cofinancing from EU funds than has been the case before now.

This is because uptake of new technology, stimulation of economic activity and reduction of emissions, simultaneously with reduction of our dependency vis-à-vis unpredictable fossil fuel energy suppliers from third countries, are a way out of the crisis. Proposals for funding energy transition measures, particularly through the European investment bank could support existing or future local funding structures in addition to European funding for 2014-2020.

I call for a real commitment by the council and the commission to better adjust the funding priorities under the current financial framework to focus on our low carbon economy goals as many people feel that the efforts of the commission in this field have been at best half-hearted.

The European council conclusions on energy efficiency and renewable energy in October fell short of the level of ambition shown by the CoR. We would have preferred to see binding targets for each individual member state. The internal energy market will inevitably cost citizens and businesses before it can deliver long-term benefits. Let’s hope that when the new commission sets out its vision for an energy union it will heed this call, take the chance to support local energy projects, place a greater emphasis on energy efficiency and start creating a sustainable long-term energy market that will make Europe a major player once again.

Michel Lebrun calls on the European council and commission to show the same ambition as the Committee of the Regions towards energy efficiency and renewable energy

Michel Lebrun is president of the Committee of the Regions

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Energy union

Europe must invest in energy security Reinforcing Europe’s security of energy supply will require strong economic and political support, writes François Trévoux

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ate last year, as events unfolded in Ukraine, the security of Europe’s energy supply made its way back to the heart of the political debate. This has been further reinforced in recent months, with a growing recognition that, in the current weak macroeconomic climate across much of Europe, it is necessary to bolster investment in core infrastructure. Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s investment plan, if agreed, is likely to target investments in European gas and electricity networks.

This renewed political attention on investment in Europe’s energy network should be welcomed. But can the projects be delivered in a reasonable timeframe? There are at least two grounds for broad optimism. At European level, solid progress

First, given the macro-economic position of Europe, it is critical to select projects which bring real economic net benefits. This requires a careful assessment and can be complex for projects with an important supply security dimension. National regulators can and do play an important role in this regard.

Second, sustained high-level political support is required to accelerate delivery, particularly for interconnectors. The PCI framework is an excellent starting point, but more can always be done to align interests across borders over a period which is likely to extend beyond one electoral cycle.

Third, it is easy to underestimate the importance of environmental and social constraints. These are very real and a fine balance must be struck between local, national and European interests, supported through a streamlined administrative process.

Finally, given the capital intensive nature of many of these projects, it is crucial to reduce the cost of capital associated with raising finance – something which ultimately translates into lower energy bills for customers. In this regard, experience shows the importance of involving financiers early into the project planning and design phase. Indeed, should the Juncker plan be agreed, this may provide an additional source to accelerate financing, particularly for some of the network companies in Europe currently finding it difficult to raise commercial debt.

These elements are nicely illustrated by one recent project financed by the European investment bank (EIB) – the French-Spanish electricity interconnector (Inelfe). Given the low interconnection rate between the two countries, and significant differences in the mix of power generation and demand patterns, the project had a strong economic rationale. In spite of this, the project was held up for several decades due to resistance from the local community and environmental protection issues. The project was finally unblocked in 2007 through a combination of strong intergovernmental support, aided through the work of European coordinator Mario Monti, extensive public consultation influencing the project design – notably underground cabling of a key section crossing the Pyrenees – and subsequent financial support from the EU budget and the EIB. Construction started in March 2012, and is due to be completed in the summer of 2015.

“Given the macroeconomic position of Europe, it is critical to select projects which bring real economic net benefits”

Francois Trévoux is director of the European investment bank’s energy department

has been made over the last few years to identify investment needs. A comprehensive pipeline of 248 projects of common interest (PCI) required by 2020 has been agreed with member states. Moreover, although many of these projects are undeniably complex to deliver, the technologies involved are broadly mature, the risks are well understood and the standard financing models are, in principle, well known by financial markets. This bodes well. Nevertheless, challenges remain for many proposed projects to overcome regulatory, financial and technical barriers. We offer the following four points within this debate.

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11/12/2014 16:40:33

EUROPEAN THERMAL POWER PLANTS Reaching the EU targets on climate change and energy security requires a backbone of flexible thermal power plants. Balancing the fluctuating availability of renewables and demand as well as ensuring grid stability are essential functions which require flexible thermal power plants.

Our industry employs 70,000 people in Europe and generates worldwide annual revenues of € 120 billion. Our members stand for innovation and technology leadership.

For more information: www.euturbines.eu

EUROPEAN ENGINE POWER PLANTS

EUGINE members investing and believing in tomorrow’s flexible power system: ABB, Bosch, Caterpillar, Cummins, EC Power, Edina, GE, Liebherr, MAN, Marelli Motori, MTU, Rolls-Royce, Wärtsilä.

For more information: www.eugine.eu

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11/12/2014 16:58:14

SWFM-QF D

uring project Towards a European Qualification for Solid Waste Facilities’ Managers (SWFM-QF) the qualifications and training framework for managers employed in different types of solid waste management facilities, was developed, in alignment with EQF and ECVET tools.

according to EQF level 6 knowledge, skills and competences descriptors. For each module, all the required training courses information (concept, training units, requirements for trainers’ and trainees) were determined, organised and included in the SWFM-QF InfoTraining Toolkit (ITT).

The project was elaborated within 8 EU countries, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, UK, Poland and Bulgaria. In each participating country, a survey was carried out among waste management companies, associations, authorities and training organizations to obtain first-hand data on the work requirements and qualifications as well as the Vocational Education and Training (VET) needs and offers for solid waste management managers.

The SWFM-QF multi-national Network was created, with the engagement and active involvement of key stakeholders from all project’s short and long term target groups.

SWFM-QF Network numbers more than 390 members in 11 European countries.

Two separate suites of qualification modules (Generic and Waste Treatment Specific) were developed having the format of a matrix

The project’s outcomes are beneficial in raising transparency for required competences and mobility of professionals in the environmental protection business sector introducing an innovative clearly defined methodology for the creation of a new SWFM job profile based on the actual needs of the EU environmental labour market.

The SWFM-QF project has been funded in the framework of Lifelong Learning Programme with support from the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency.

For further information you may visit the project’s website www.swfm-qf.eu/

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special report

FINLAND

FAROE ISLANDS SHETLAND ISLANDS ORKNEY ISLANDS

ALAND ISLANDS

SWEDEN

HERBRIDES

ESTONIA

Gotland

DENMARK

LATVIA LITHUANIA

D

N ELA

IR

POLAND NETHERLANDS GERMANY BELGIUM CZECH LUXEMBOURG REPUBLIC AKIA SLOV AUSTRIA

FRANCE

HUNGARY

SLOVENIA

ROMANIA

CROATIA BULGARIA

UGAL

ITALY

PORT

EU must reconnect with citizens through public action at local and regional level

UNITED KINGDOM

Corsica FRANCE

SPAIN BALEARIC ISLANDS

GREECE

Sardinia ITALY

CYPRUS SICILY

Rhodes

CRETE

MALTA

D

eveloping a close relationship with the people and bringing them all together in the decision-making process – which elected representative would not aspire to making grassroots participation a reality, yet this now seems to have been eclipsed. Many people today feel removed from the choices being made on their behalf, with no account of their needs taken at any level by policymakers.

Local councils and administrative bodies are close enough to the local population to provide them with the services they would expect, but what people really expect from their elected representatives is a vision for the future of their area – the role elected representatives and political leaders fulfil at every level of responsibility. Mayors and local councillors are developing this vision. They do not simply administer the areas they are responsible for – their role is also to mobilise all the local players, those people engaged in civilian society, business

leaders, captains of industry, as well as in the fields of art and culture, academia and research, which is where they have a major role to play in reconnecting people with the political decision-making process.

We at the council of European municipalities and regions (CEMR) propose to build on this pool of elected representatives who have a close relationship with their people in order to reconnect citizens at every level with public action. Taking this approach a step further, we have organised a conference being held in a few days’ time in Rome, where the focus will be on active participation, bringing all the people of Europe together, including, in particular, those people from social groups that are still poorly represented in the decision-making process – especially women, young people and migrants.

In concrete terms, it is our hope that this major event will table 25 proposals designed with both elected local and regional representatives and European institutions in mind. We need to see how, together, we can reconnect the people of Europe with the European institutions.

By way of example, we are calling on the commission to make the European citizen initiative much more flexible and give everyone the opportunity to influence the process for developing policy. We are also asking the institutions to increase the budget for the ‘Europe for European Citizens’ programme to a symbolic level of €1 per citizen.

It is also our hope that the Édouard Herriot institutions will

The European project must be re-launched with the support of local and regional governments, writes Frédéric Vallier

“Countries are divided in every way, whereas local communities and the people living in them come together in every way” –

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Regional Review | Citizenship and twinning

initiate a broad, ongoing debate, involving all its citizens, on the future of Europe, supported by local district and regional councils and their representative bodies, as well as organisations within civil society, to raise awareness of the benefits of European integration.

Turning our attention to our towns, cities Jean monnet and regions, we are calling on local and regional elected representatives not only to bridge the gap between men and women in terms of political and economic decision-making, but also to offer all their citizens equal opportunities to take part in local public life and become engaged citizens.

Mobilising all the local players – public bodies, civil society, schools and universities, and businesses – in their areas is aimed at developing a genuine model of government through partnership, a model for a Europe that acknowledges its citizens and their local and regional governments as being the bedrock of European democracy. Isn’t this just what the EU should be now?

In a situation where the EU is at risk and under pressure from ever more threatening challenges – economic and social recession, inequality, scepticism, xenophobia, nationalism, populism and growing disillusion with the institutions, the question of active participation in our communities is no longer just one of a number of issues – authorities and representatives at every level are required to promote it.

Europe is, more often than not, seen by its own leaders as a union that brings member states together, forgetting that it needs to bring people together from a great diversity of regions to promote its development. The values promoted by the founders of the European project are too easily forgotten and, to quote two of the fathers of European integration, Jean Monnet, who had the following to say about the European project: “We are not bringing countries together, we are bringing people together”, and Édouard Herriot, founder of the CEMR, who said, “Countries are divided in every way, whereas local communities and the people living in them come together in every way”. Let’s

together make these two maxims our guidelines in the process of building a Europe that strives to be ever closer to its regions and citizens.

Since its founding, the CEMR has promoted a Europe based on regional development and the ability of the regions to manage their own development with the support of the member states and Europe, which is why we support the notion of a decentralised vision of society that recognises local development as being the essential driving force for economic development.

As a result of the economic and financial crisis, there are nagging doubts in various parts of Europe regarding the ability of member states to respond to current challenges.

Such doubts must invariably be resolved by implementing a new model of governance involving all levels of responsibility in a partnership approach that acknowledges diversity and solidarity.

It is our belief that European integration need not be a barrier to local and regional initiatives. Too many regulations in recent years have been coupled with a desire to deny diversity, which is why the CEMR is calling for the needs and characteristics of the regions to be given greater consideration in setting EU policy. Bolstered by the leverage and large numbers of our members and our shared expertise on a range of policy and technical issues, our focus is to be on our skill as a ‘centre of expertise’. We aim to hold constructive dialogues with organisations, contributing to each stage in the decisionmaking process and being involved in developing ambitious, sustainable public policies that promote regional economic and social development.

“We are not bringing countries together, we are bringing people together” –

Frédéric Vallier is secretary general of the council of European municipalities and regions

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Helsinki at the Crossroads TEN-T core network and its nine corridors are the new foundation of the EU transport policy. In Central Europe the TEN-T comprise a genuine network, as core corridors are close to each other and number of nodes is high. Only two core corridors reach the Northern Baltic Sea Region (BSR) and should serve a vast area. Scandinavian Mediterranean is the backbone of transportation in the Western side, and North Sea - Baltic (NSB) connects the Eastern side to the major North Sea ports. For Finland, which is a country logistically on an island, the improved access to land transportation corridors is a strategic goal. The Capital of Finland, Helsinki, is one of the few nodes in the BSR where two core corridors cross each other.

Accessibility of Finland is based on shipping and flight connections. North Sea - Baltic will provide nearly a land connection to our main trade partners in Central Europe. The Eastern part of NSB is one big bottleneck, especially the missing railway service between the Baltic States, but also flight market is based on too many short connections. New Rail Baltic railway between Tallinn and Warsaw is the answer to many challenges of accessibility and greening of transports.

North Sea - Baltic Corridor connects forerunners in green transport to regions and cities where environmental objectives in transports are not yet topical in policy making. In the East and North the overwhelming issue is still connectivity.

Helsinki is committed in greening of transports, and multimodality is in the focus of the city’s transport planning. Our challenge is to find ways how multimodal transportation chains are designed and organised. Compared to the Central Europe the difference is low transport flows within the region and to the Central Europe. Combined passenger and freight transport infrastructures are a necessity, reliance on air transportation is a must, and concentration of transport flows is not a quick answer.

For the node cities, like Helsinki, TEN-T corridors are a relevant approach because these corridors are also the main commuting directions.

Same infrastructures serve commuting and long distance transportation. In local transport planning the external connections and accessibility are often overruled by metropolitan scale objectives. TEN-T

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ŠUusimaa Regional Council, 2014

and CEF financing can really make a difference in encouraging cities to do their part by providing infrastructures and services to connect nodes and corridors to other corridors.

Helsinki region looks for optimization of its commuting area (including Tallinn as an integral part), aims to improve accessibility to Europe (Rail Baltic as the key project), and securing global accessibility (as a hub airport between Asia and Europe). The future dream is the fixed link, rail tunnel Helsinki-Tallinn. It would move Finland to the mainland, and it would make Helsinki and Tallinn a real twin-city.

More information: Olli Keinänen, Senior Advisor, City of Helsinki. olli.keinanen@hel.fi

11/12/2014 16:59:44

LPG:

Energy for Europe Today and Tomorrow

Clean Energy

As a gas, LPG helps improve air quality and emits fewer greenhouse gases than many alternatives

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LPG supply is increasing every year and it can be sourced from anywhere in the world

Portability

LPG needs no pipeline so is the perfect complement to natural gas LPG, a mixture of propane and butane, is a clean and immediately available gaseous energy that provides, heating, transport, cooking and a variety of other solution for millions of European citizens.

LPG is Europe’s leading alternative transport fuel, powering more than 7 million vehicles in the EU (an increase of 50% over the past 5 years) and more than 11 million in the wider Europe serviced by an extensive refueling network of over 30,000 stations. At the same time, LPG provides heating for 9 million homes as well as offering a portable solution in thousands of other applications, from crop drying to high-temperature industrial processes to forklifts.

LPG’s inherent properties as a clean burning, portable and versatile fuel along with its great supply prospects mean it is in a unique position to help Europe achieve its energy and transport goals.

HEATING

COOKING

TRANSPORT

INDUSTRY

To learn more, go to www.aegpl.eu or follow us on Twitter @aegpl

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