EU Adopts Reform Treaty at Lisbon Council

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso expressed his satisfaction with the agreement concluded among the EU's 27 member countries on the Treaty of Lisbon: "The Informal European Council in Lisbon was the Council of a unified European Union. We overcame a period of six years discussing institutional issues and put our divisions behind us. We now have the Treaty of Lisbon, which will be signed on the 13th of December. I wish to pay tribute and applaud the work of the Portuguese Presidency, in particular the leadership of the Portuguese Prime Minister.

"Through this reform treaty, Europe is better equipped to assume its role in the world and to resolve issues involving the economy and Europe's citizens."

European Union Film Showcase Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

The European Union Film Showcase opens on Thursday, November 1. Presented by the American Film Institute (AFI) in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Commission and EU Member States, the Film Showcase celebrates its 20th anniversary with an internationally acclaimed selection of new European films.

The 2007 edition of the European Union Film Showcase promises to be the best in the event's 20-year history. All of the films are Washington, DC, premieres and include international festival headliners and Official Oscar Submissions. With 33 films representing filmmakers from 25 EU countries, the EU Film Showcase is the fall signature cultural event for Washington-area audiences.

Call for Applications: 2009 EU Visitors Program

The European Union Visitors Program (EUVP) provides professionals in their mid-twenties to mid-forties who have career-related interests in the EU with a unique opportunity to spend 5-8 days in Brussels learning how the EU works from the inside through an extensive program, which includes meeting specialists in fields of their choice.

Since its institution in 1974, more than 600 Americans have participated in the EUVP, which provides an invaluable career-enhancing opportunity — especially for those interested in the policy areas with which the European Union is concerned. These range from classic foreign policy issues, like the Middle East, to consumer protection, product safety, trade, anti-trust law, agriculture, public health and cross-border crimes.

All programs are coordinated and arranged by the EUVP Secretariat, taking individual participants' professional interests and future involvement with the European institutions into consideration. The deadline for 2009 participation is March 1, 2008.

EU Proposal to Attract Highly-Skilled Migrants

The European Commission has adopted two legislative proposals in the area of economic migration aimed at making Europe more attractive to highly-skilled migrants and increasing the protection of lawfully residing and working migrants. "Labour migration into Europe boosts our competitiveness and therefore our economic growth. It also helps tackle demographic problems resulting from our ageing population," underlined European Commission President José Manual Barroso. The EU seeks to set up a harmonized procedure, lay down common residence conditions and facilitate mobility throughout the EU. Potential immigrants will therefore not have to face 27 different systems, but will know, easily, the conditions to be satisfied in order to be admitted to any Member State. "We need a European approach to legal immigration if we want to be serious in becoming the most competitive, knowledge-based society in the world. We are confident that Member States will see the benefits of our proposals and that the EU Blue Card will soon be a reality," said President Barroso.

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European Commission VP Verheugen: Cutting Red Tape Top Priority

The European Commission is committed to reducing administrative barriers to entrepreneurial initiative and has launched a website which enables entrepreneurs to offer suggestions on how best to cut red tape. “I fully welcome the launch of this new website," said Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen. "The need to spend time fulfilling administrative requirements reduces the time available for entrepreneurial initiative. We need to consult and learn from those who are facing EU legislation in their daily work as they are best placed to highlight those administrative obligations which are the most time consuming and which could be simplified. We can only reach our ambitious objective of cutting 25% of administrative costs by 2012, if we can rely on the help and advice from businesses, stakeholders and Member States."

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New Sustainable Nuclear Energy Research Forum

The EU, home to the world's largest nuclear energy industry, is a natural location for innovation in the field. One-third of Europe's energy is nuclear, and with global energy consumption expected to double from 2000 to 2050, the demand for nuclear power is sure to rise as well. European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik has now launched the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP), a forum that brings together nuclear energy stakeholders to implement their vision of how the sector should develop in the future, identifying the research needed to make that vision a reality. The forum will provide advice and recommendations to the European Commission and national governments.

"For those countries that choose it, nuclear power will be a very important part of their solution to security of supply and reduction of greenhouse gases," said Commissioner Potocnik. "It is clear that we need to address two important concerns – ensuring that nuclear power is economically competitive and, more importantly, our duty to make it as neutral as possible in environmental terms and in terms of the legacy we leave future generations. The answer to both these concerns can be found in research: innovation and the next generation of nuclear power plants, with increased safety, efficiency and a significant reduction in nuclear waste as well as sound ways of recycling or storing it."

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Clean & Safe Cars: European Commission Promotes Hydrogen Vehicles

The European Commission has adopted 2 proposals that mark a step forward in the development and marketing of clean and safe hydrogen vehicles. The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) is an ambitious industry-led integrated program of research, technology development and demonstration activities. This public-private partnership will be implemented over the next 6 years with a financial contribution from the EU of 470 million euros, to be matched by the private sector. The JTI seeks to accelerate the development of hydrogen technologies to the point of commercial take-off between 2010 and 2020. Secondly, the Commission proposes to simplify the approval of a number of hydrogen cars that are ready for market introduction so that they will be seen more often on Europe's streets.

"The introduction of hydrogen vehicles has the potential to make Europe's air cleaner and reduce its dependency on fossil fuels," said Commission VP Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry. "Setting common standards will support the introduction of these vehicles and ensure high safety for citizens. It will also boost the competitiveness of European manufacturers."

New EU Focus & EU Insights

EU Focus:

The Emerging European Identity: Unity and Diversity, Peace and Prosperity

EU Insights:

The EU & New Jersey: Common Interests, Strong Transatlantic Relationship

The European Union: Doing Its Part in the Western Balkans

The European Union: Leading the Fight Against Capital Punishment

The EU & Consumer Protection

The EU & California

EU NewsBrief is an electronic publication issued regularly by the Delegation of the European Commission to the United States. To receive updates on specific issue areas, click on this link.