June 28, 2006

Welcome to news@eu, the e-newsletter of the European Commission's Delegations to Australia and New Zealand.

European Union signs aviation agreement with New Zealand
European Scientists visit New Zealand
The costs of Doha failure demand we find a deal: EU Commissioner Mandelson
Eradicating hunger: Europe pledges €197 M in 2006
Climate change: More effort needed to reduce greenhouse gases
Root-and-branch reform of European wine sector
Saving nature by cutting down red tape
Keep Europe moving: a transport policy for sustainable mobility
NZ star to play against first European cricket team
Reminder: 3 July closing date for European Essay Competition
Events

European Union signs aviation agreement with New Zealand

The EU and New Zealand signed an aviation agreement on 21 June which will allow any European airline to fly to New Zealand.

In September of last year the EU made a proposal to broaden aviation negotiations with New Zealand as part of the EU's external aviation policy. The negotiations are based on two inseparable goals: opening the markets in order to increase market opportunities for the EU industry and ensuring regulatory convergence and co-operation in fields such as aviation safety, aviation security, environmental protection and competition rules.

The 21 June agreement removes nationality restrictions in the bilateral air services agreements between the EU Member States and New Zealand, and follows a similar agreement with Singapore earlier this month. An agreement with Australia has been initialled.

For more information:
http://www.delaus.ec.europa.eu\newzealand\Whats_New\nz_aviation_horizontal_agreement.htm

European Scientists visit New Zealand

A delegation of European scientists and researchers specialising in food technology, agriculture, and biotechnology are currently in New Zealand to learn more about local research projects and explore options for future cooperation between EU and NZ research institutes.

The delegation is led by Dr Christian Patermann, Director of Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food Research in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research, who is accompanied by two of his Commission colleagues and 12 experts from various European academic institutes, research consortia, private research institutes and companies. Dr Patermann said that because of its geographical and economic profile, New Zealand had unique research capabilities in areas that were of interest to EU researchers.

During their stay in Auckland members of the delegation will present at the NZ Institute of Food Science and Technology's national conference and examine research projects at Auckland University before heading to Hamilton to take a farm tour and visit AgResearch , New Zealand 's largest government owned research institute, specialising in farming, food and health. The group then travel on to Palmerston North to learn about Massey University research projects and end their travel in Christchurch , with visits to Lincoln University and Crop & Food Research.

The costs of Doha failure demand we find a deal: EU Commissioner Mandelson

EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, has offered a stark assessment of the steep costs of failure in the WTO Doha trade talks, arguing that the potential gains already on the table and the heavy systemic and political costs of failure mean negotiators must not be "tempted by the false comfort of inflexible and entrenched positions".

Speaking ahead of Ministerial talks in Geneva this week, Commissioner Mandelson said "Failure means losing the possibility of binding the EU's agricultural reform in Geneva and the possibility of locking in similar reform in the United States ."

"The world would lose new market access in farm goods - the deepest, steepest farm tariff cuts ever offered. New trade in manufactures would be lost that is not just vital for the EU and the US but for the growing industrial sectors of the developing world. To lose even a modest deal on services trade would mean foregoing the developmental benefits of foreign investment and the global flow of skills and experience to the developing world. We would lose a new multilateral agreement on duty-free quota-free market access for the Least Developed Countries. We would lose a huge new global package of Aid for Trade. We would lose the chance to rewrite the global trade rulebook in a way that opens the door to new trade and closes the door on corruption. And we would lose the conviction that the WTO system can function with a membership that reaches 150 and mirrors every increment of size, interest and capacity in the global economy."

Commissioner Mandelson also offered a complete picture of a final deal, insisting that an ambitious outcome not just in agriculture but also in services, industrial goods and trade facilitation negotiations was the key to a development Round.

He also welcomed the signal by the US President, George W. Bush in Vienna that the US is ready to make tough decisions to reach an agreement and will not allow the Doha round to fail.

"There is a three way bargain here. The G20 wants steeper cuts in US farm subsidies before it is willing to table the required cuts in industrial goods. Washington can unlock this by stepping forward with a better offer. If this happens the EU will, at the same time, meet them both with a strengthened offer" he added.

Read Commissioner Mandelson's speech:
http://www.delaus.cec.eu.int/pressandinformation/releases/2006/doha_speech.pdf

Background on the Geneva Ministerial:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/06/246anguage=EN

Eradicating hunger: Europe pledges €197 M in 2006

€197 million has been allocated for global food aid and security as part of the European Commission's 2006 Annual Work Programme adopted on 27 June.

Hunger is the basic dimension of poverty, according to the Work Programme, and so the focus is on the integration of food security policy within the fight against poverty. The activities foreseen in the Programme also contribute to the achievement of the first Millennium Development Goal: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, said "The Commission stands ready to face food crisis situation but food aid can not and must not become the easy answer, a short term reaction which covers the shortcomings of governments and donors in facing structural problems."

Reinforcing rapid alert systems, developing national strategic stocks to prevent dramatic imbalances of local markets in case of severe drought or plagues or improving children's nutrition through schools are key actions of Commission sponsored programs.

More information on European food aid:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/europeaid/projects/foodsec/index_en.htm

Climate change: More effort needed to reduce greenhouse gases

Despite greenhouse gas emissions dropping 0.9 percent since 1990, more work is needed to meet the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol, said the European Commission following the release of the 2004 emissions data on 22 June.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the EU-15 rose by 0.3 percent between 2003 and 2004, or 0.9 percent lower than base year levels (generally considered 1990), despite economic growth of 32 percent over the same period. But greater efforts will be needed for the EU-15 to reach the Kyoto target of 8 percent below base year for the period 2008-2012.

Allocation of the emissions allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will take place shortly and are expected to be a crucial tool for ensuring Kyoto targets are achieved.

"To meet our emissions reduction target Member States need to intensify their efforts to implement the many EU measures to combat climate change that have been agreed over the past few years. With their new national allocation plans, due by the end of this month, Member States now have a major opportunity to reverse unsustainable emission trends and ensure they will achieve their Kyoto targets," said European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas. "It is very encouraging that we have broken the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions, but this decoupling needs to be accelerated."

The inventory for 2004, compiled by the European Environment Agency, shows an overall increase of 11.5 million tonnes in EU-15 emissions mainly due to higher CO 2 emissions from road transport, iron and steel production and oil refining, as well as increased emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - one of the most powerful families of greenhouse gases - from refrigeration and air conditioning.

Read more about the greenhouse gas emissions data:
http://org.eea.europa.eu/documents/newsreleases/GHG2006-en

Root-and-branch reform of European wine sector

The EU is the world's largest producer, exporter and consumer of wine, but substantial reform is needed to maintain this status in the face of stiff competition from the 'new world', including Australia .

On 22 June the European Commission announced a proposal for root-and-branch reform of the Common Market Organisation for wine, which aims to increase the competitiveness of EU wine producers, strengthen the reputation of EU wines, and win back market share. The ambitious proposal also lays out measures to deal with the growing surplus of grapes and to simplify the current rules while still preserving the best traditions of EU wine production and reinforcing the social and environmental fabric of rural areas.

"European wines are the best in the world," said Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. "Our wine sector has huge potential for further growth, but we need to use this potential actively. Despite our history and the quality of so many EU wines, the sector faces severe problems. Consumption is down, and exports from the New World are making huge inroads into the market. We in Europe are producing too much wine for which there is no market. We spend far too much money disposing of surpluses instead of building our quality and competitiveness. Over-complex rules hold back our producers and confuse our consumers. I am not advocating cutting the budget, of about €1.2 billion a year, but we must use this money more intelligently. This is a great opportunity to put the EU wine sector back at the top where it belongs - we must not waste it."

More information on reform of the Common Market Organisation for wine:
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/wine/index_en.htm

Saving nature by cutting down red tape

Existing environmental laws in the EU and its Member States have undoubtedly improved environmental protection, but can also add a significant administration cost for companies, particularly small to medium enterprises (SME).

A European Commission conference in Brussels on 22 June set out to showcase initiatives that not only make it less costly and cumbersome for businesses to obtain environmental permits, they ensure the same high level of environmental protection. The conference is part of the 'BEST Project' to reduce red-tape in environmental regulation.

European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, said "This is about better regulation, not de-regulation. The Commission is taking practical steps to help Member States to reduce the administrative burden on all fronts, including regarding environmental law. This is a significant contribution to the better implementation of legislation to remove barriers to growth and to cut unnecessary costs and red-tape. We will ensure the continuation of high standards of environmental protection that our citizens enjoy."

Since the re-launched Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs in spring of 2005, better regulation has moved up the political agenda. Member States and candidate countries have been developing national simplification programmes aimed at reducing administrative burdens on industry by simplifying legislation and the framework for its implementation.

Details of the conference and the BEST project:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/environment/index_home/best_project/intro.htm

More information on the improving regulation within the EU:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/regulation/better_regulation/index_en.htm

Keep Europe moving: a transport policy for sustainable mobility

Mobility - the free movement of people, goods and services - is one of the basic tenets of the EU. The European Commission adopted a new position on the future of EU transport policy on 22 June, reaffirming the importance of mobility to Europe 's prosperity, and recognising the need to reduce the negative impacts of transport, particularly increased energy consumption and environmental degradation.

The Commission's new position, based on a review of the 2001 transport White Paper, builds on previous recommendations to boost rail and maritime connections for long distance freight transport but says additional instruments are needed. The list of proposals is extensive: a freight logistics action plan; intelligent transport systems to make mobility greener and more efficient; a debate on how to change mobility of people in urban areas; an action plan to boost inland waterways; and an ambitious programme for green power in trucks and cars.

Commission Vice-President in charge of Transport, Jacques Barrot, said "Mobility is essential for free movement of European citizens and economic growth. The EU will continue to boost rail and waterways for long distance connections. We also need to step up our efforts to make road transport and aviation more efficient and greener. That is why I want to focus on logistics, green propulsion and intelligent transport systems which use the latest technologies".

More information on the 2001 White Paper review:
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/transport_policy_review/index_en.htm

NZ star to play against first European cricket team

The first-ever European cricket team will take on the Marylebone Cricket Club in the Netherlands on 29 June, with former New Zealand all rounder Chris Cairns among the MCC line-up.

Scotland captain Craig Wright will lead the European squad, which includes four players from Scotland, three from Ireland and two from the Netherlands, all of them in contention to take part in next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean after their sides qualified for the tournament during last year's ICC trophy in Ireland. The Danish wicketkeeper and two players from Guernsey make up the remainder of the squad.

ICC regional development manager Richard Holdsworth said "The concept of a European team is one we have been looking into for some time to give players extra exposure and this match is an excellent opportunity to put it into practice. It gives some of the best players from our region the chance to come up against some top-quality opposition, which will do those of them hoping to head to the Caribbean for next year's ICC Cricket World Cup no harm at all."

The match is part of the MCC tour of the Netherlands.

Reminder: 3 July closing date for European Essay Competition

The Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA) is reminding students from all Australian tertiary education institutions that entries for to the European Essay Competition close next Monday 3 July. Students can submit an essay that has already been assessed by an academic and the essay can be from any discipline (history, politics, law, economics, business, sociology, cultural studies, etc) so long as it deals with contemporary (post-war) Europe and/or the European Union.

There are three categories in the Competition:

• best essay by an undergraduate (2 - 3,000 words);
• best essay by an honours student (3 - 5,000 words); and
• best essay by a postgraduate (4 - 6,000 words).

• undergraduate $150;
• honours $200; and
• postgraduate $300.

Winners will also receive a year's free membership of CESAA and winning and highly commended essays will also be considered for publication in the CESAA Review, a refereed journal.

To enter:

Send an electronic version of your essay to: cesaa@cesaa.org.au by Monday 3 July 2006. (There is an equivalent competition in Semester 2, which closes on Monday 4 December 2006). Students can enter in both semesters but cannot enter the same essay twice.

The essay should have on a separate page your name, full address, institution, category (undergraduate or honours/post-graduate) and a contact phone number and email address. Your name should not appear anywhere else on the essay.

Winners will be notified formally by mail and the results will be publicised on the CESAA website and in the CESAA Review. The essays will be judged by a panel of judges selected by CESAA. The judges' decisions are final and CESAA judges reserve the right not to award a prize.

Please contact Katrina Stats, kstats@unimelb.edu.au with any questions.

Contacts:

For more information on the items covered in news@eu, contact Roger Camilleri  -
PH: +61 2 6271 2744 or  roger.camilleri@ec.europa.eu
or PH - +61 2 6271 2746 patrick.flynn@ec.europa.eu

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Updated June 28, 2006