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EU News and Funding Bulletin - 09 January 2009

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EU news & funding is a fortnightly bulletin to keep London's businesses informed
of key European information.

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Funding Opportunities
Tender Opportunities
EU Press Releases
EU Legislation and Consultations
Business Events

Funding Opportunities

Audiovisual Sector

MEDIA 2007 funds business in the audiovisual sector for:

Development of interactive products including computer, internet and mobile phone games, due 17 April 2009
Development of a film (animation and fiction) and /or documentary, due 17 April 2009
Contributing to costs of insurance, completion guarantees and bank financing for an audiovisual work, due 7 July 2009

For more information contact rachael.m@gle.co.uk

Research & Innovation

FP7 supports collaborative projects undertaking technology research and development in:

Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies (NMP)
- Small or medium-scale focused research projects, due 17 February 2009
- SME-targeted Collaborative Projects, due 17 February 2009
- EU-Russia, due 31 March 2009
- NMP and Environment, due 31 March 2009
Information and Communication Technologies(ICT), due 01 April 2009
Energy, due 29 April 2009
ICT and Energy Joint Call, due 31 March 2009;

For further information contact fp7@gle.co.uk

Click here for detailed briefings relating to funding for Research and Development.

Transport

Grants to actions in support of the development of sustainable urban mobility projects, deadline 31 March 2009.

For more information contact rachael.m@gle.co.uk

Subscribe to daily alerts for new tender opportunities

Subscription to the tender monitoring service (TED) includes:

Creation of a unique company profile tailored to your business activity
Daily alerts of contract notices matching your unique company profile
Ad hoc searches for contract notices
Profile adjustment to meet changing needs
Assistance and advice on tendering procedures and procurement legislation

For more information, please click here for the TED section of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry website, or contact Tessel van Essen on 020 7203 1838.

EU Press releases

Aviation: European Court of Justice establishes rules on air passengers’ rights
Chemicals: European chemicals industry agrees on safe storage rules for mercury
Consumers: Launch of new and stricter rules on toy safety
Economy: Slovakia joins the Euro EU budget 2009: gearing up for economic recovery
Employment: Results from agreement to cut stress at work
Energy: New electricity interconnectors between Ireland and Britain to increase competition
New Regulation to radically reduce standby electricity consumption
Environment: Amendments to environmental quality standards for fuel
Finance: Launch of public consultation on hedge funds
Innovation: 2009 the European Year of Creativity and Innovation
Policy: Czech Presidency of the EU presents its key priorities
Public Procurement: Commission recognises need for accelerated procurement procedure
State Aid: UK financial support measure to banks approved by the Commission

Click here for more EU press releases

EU Legislation and consultations

Chemicals:

New regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances, EC legislation This regulation repeals and amends current legislation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures. It implements the global standard developed within the UN (UN Global Harmonised System) on classification and labelling for chemicals. It also underpins the REACH Regulation, forming the rules for establishing a database of classification and labelling of registered chemicals to be maintained by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). As with the current legislation, the proposed Regulation is intended as a self-classification system for businesses. It states that the deadline for substance reclassification will be 30 November 2010 and for mixtures by 31 May 2015.

Proposed UK Chemicals Regulations 2009, HSE consultation As a consequence of the adoption of the new EC Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures, the current UK Chemical Regulations need to be amended. HSE invites stakeholders to give their views on the proposed amendments. Interested parties are encouraged to fill out a questionnaire answering questions on how they will be affected by the amendments and what the estimated costs and benefits of the proposed legislation would be.

Energy:

Regulation to Reduce Standby Energy Consumption, EC legislation The ‘Ecodesign Regulation’ 1275/2008, adopted by the Commission, lays down requirements which will reduce the standby electricity consumption of all household and office products. The measures are estimated to reduce standby electricity consumption by 73% by 2020. From 2010, energy consumption of new products has to be less than 1 Watt or 2 Watts and the levels will be reduced further in 2013. The savings will be achieved with existing technologies. Another four ecodesign regulations are expected to be adopted shortly.

Finance:

Consultation on Hedge Funds, EC consultation In the light of the current financial crisis, the Commission is conducting a wide-ranging review on the regulatory and supervisory framework of all financial market actors in the EU. As part of this review a consultation on hedge funds has been launched. The consultation relates to the activities of hedge funds, their impact on financial markets and their interaction with other market actors. The results from the consultation will be discussed at a high-level conference in Brussels in early 2009. The Commission invites all interested parties to contribute to the consultation, in particular investors, the hedge fund industry, other financial institutions, public authorities and listed companies.

Environment:

Implementation of Waste Battery Collection and Recycling Provisions, BERR consultation The UK Government has launched a consultation on the implementation of the Batteries and Accumulators Directive 2006/66/EC. The Government seeks views on proposed legislation that will implement the Directive, relating to the collection, treatment, recycling and disposal of waste portable, automotive and industrial batteries and accumulators. Producers, distributors, collectors and recyclers of batteries and accumulators, as well as other stakeholders, are encouraged to contribute.

Internal Market:

Consultation on Alternative Dispute Resolution in the area of financial services, EC consultation Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes exist to resolve disputes between consumers and financial services providers out-of-court. However, current schemes do not cover the whole sector and not all financial service providers adhere to a scheme. The Commission has therefore launched a public consultation to seek opinions on how ADR schemes in the area of financial services could be improved. All citizens and organisations are welcome to take part; especially consumer organisations, the financial services industry and public authorities.

Confused about how EU legislation affects your business? Any other queries on EU affairs or trans-European matters? Take advantage of our free enquiry service: Phone 020 7489 1992 or mail to europe@londonchamber.co.uk

Click here for the EU's Enterprise and Industry online magazine

Business Events

European Conference on Software Services, Brussels/Belgium, 13-14 January 2009

Business Clinic: Doing Business in Romania? London/UK, 15 January 2009

Coordinating EU Research Projects, Cambridge/UK, 15 January 2009

Advances in Smart Materials, London/UK, 21 January 2009

Telecoms Business Services Conference 2009, London/UK, 26-29 January 2009

Advanced-Generation Biofuels, London/UK, 27 January 2009

The Journey from Idea to Entrepreneurship, London/UK, 17 February 2009

Innovative Sensing and Security Controls, London/UK, 25 February 2009

Clean Energy Power trade fair, Stuttgart/Germany, 29-31 January 2009

EU Funding for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Berlin/Germany, 2-3 March 2009