EU news and funding bulletin

21 January 2011

The EU news and funding bulletin is a fortnightly newsletter to keep London's businesses informed of key European funding information and business events.

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Funding opportunities
Tender opportunities
EU press releases
EU legislation and consultations
Business events

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Funding opportunities

FP7 Funding calls

There are 19 open calls for proposals under the Seventh Framework Programme, (FP7). This programme supports collaborative projects which focus on research and development in the following subject areas:

• Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology ( 5 Calls)
• Health (3 calls)
• Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) (9 calls)
• Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies (12 calls)
• Energy (8 calls)
• Environment (including Climate Change) (8 calls)
• Transport (including Aeronautics) (9 calls)
• Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities (4 calls)
• Space (1 call)

For further information contact fp7@gle.co.uk. Browse FP7 proposals and deadlines here.

Energy

Intelligent Energy Europe Funding calls are now open for projects focussing on energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy efficient transport. Grants awarded under this scheme may cover up to 75% of eligible project costs.

Proposal deadlines:
12 May 2011

Media

The MEDIA 2007 Programme of support for the European audiovisual sector - is a funding stream to part-finance the insurance and completion guarantee costs incurred in the making of audiovisual works, such as films and/or access bank financing for production costs.

Proposal deadlines:
6 June 2011 (for projects running from December 12 2010 - June 6 2011)

For questions related to any of the above calls contact eurofunding@gle.co.uk.

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Tender opportunities

Subscribe to the alert service for public sector tender opportunities in the UK and beyond

The service includes:

• creation of a unique company profile tailored to your business activity
• Daily alerts by email of (OJEU) contract notices matching your company profile
• Ad hoc searches for contract notices and procurement information
• Until the end of this year, we're offering the first 25 clients a four weeks trial subscription to this service completely free of charge.

For more information, visit www.londonchamber.co.uk or contact Tessel van Essen on 020 7203 1838.

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EU press releases

• Bank:
  • Commission makes Visa Europe's commitments to cut interbank fees for debit cards legally binding
  • Full SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) Migration
  • Commission seeks views on possible EU framework to deal with future bank failure
• Competition:
  • Commission adopts revised competition rules on horizontal co-operation agreements
• Consumer:
  • Cheaper, faster, easier ways to settle disputes without going to court.
• Culture:
  • European Commission launches € 8 million cinema loan guarantee fund.
• Economy
  • Euro area annual inflation
  • Industrial production up by 0.7% in euro area up by 0.3% in EU27.
  • GDP per inhabitant in purchasing power standards.
  • First estimate for the third quarter of 2010 Euro area and EU27 employment
  • November 2010 Euro area unemployment rate at 10.1% EU27 at 9.6
  • December 2010 Euro area inflation estimated at 2.2%
  • November 2010 compared with October 2010 Volume of retail trade down by 0.8% in euro area Down by 0.4% in EU27
  • December 2010: Business Climate Indicator improves markedly in the euro area
  • November 2010 compared with October 2010 Industrial production up by 1.2% in euro area Up by 1.4% in EU27
  • Commission sets the yearly priorities for EU growth
• Environment
  • A good day for salmon, otters and beech forests.
• IT
  • Internet access and use in 2010
  • Commission approves the acquisition of Motorola's mobile network business by Nokia Siemens Networks
  • Commission welcomes new EU standards for common mobile phone charger
• International
  • EU and US improve transatlantic business climate
  • EU and China to debate economic and trade issues
• Institutional Affairs
  • European Commission to cut red tape in cross-border court cases for businesses and consumers
• Research
  • More than three million classification and labelling notifications improve information on hazardous chemicals
• Public services
  • Towards interoperatibility for European public services
• Taxation
  • Removing cross-border tax obstalces for EU citizens
• Transport
  • Maritime port activity in the EU27

Read more EU press releases

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EU legislation and consultations

Enterprise: Enhancing the implementation of the Internal Market for motor vehicles

EC consultation
The EU motor vehicle type-approval legislation specifies safety and environmental protection requirements that new motor vehicles need to fulfil to be type-approved and to be allowed on the European Union market.

Recently, this legislation has been considerably amended and updated to provide a coherent and robust framework fully adapted to the principles of "better regulation" and "simplification", and to respond adequately to societal concerns on the protection of citizens and the environment.

Environmental: Auctioning third phase EU Allowances prior to 2013

EC consultation
Under the revised Emission Trading System (EU ETS) a significant share of the allowances will be auctioned rather than allocated free of charge. This will apply as from the third trading period starting in 2013.

The Commission recently adopted an "Auctioning Regulation", which provides inter alia the possibility to auction third phase allowances prior to 2013, so-called "early auctions".

Such auctions appear desirable in order to ensure a smooth transition of the market from the second to the third trading period of the EU ETS.

Funding: Consultation on EU funding in the area of home affairs after 2013

EC consultation
The Commission's responsibilities in the area of home affairs have been steadily growing over the last years and have been confirmed by the Stockholm Programme and its Action Plan.

Home affairs policies currently include security (prevention of and fight against terrorism and organised crime; police cooperation), migration (legal and irregular immigration; integration; asylum; visa policy) and management of the external borders including return.

Internal market: Legislative changes to the UCITS depositary function and to the UCITS manager’s remuneration

EC consultation
A public consultation is launched in order to gather evidenced views to complete the cost and benefit analysis of the changes which are intended to be introduced in the UCITS Directive.

Internal market: Consultation on technical details of a possible European crisis management framework

EC consultation
The objective of the Consultation is to get the views from stakeholders on the future legislative framework for crisis management.

Internal market: Consultation on the review of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive

EC consultation
The objective of the Consultation is to get the views from stakeholders on the future legislative framework for crisis management.

Internal market: Public Consultation on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive

EC consultation
This Directive, adopted in 2005, sets the rules for mutual recognition of professional qualifications between Member States. Beyond a few innovations, it mainly consolidated and simplified 15 previous Directives, some of which dated back to the 1960s.

Internal market: Consultation on the Commission Report on the enforcement of intellectual property rights

EC consultation
The objective of the consultation is to prompt the views of other European institutions, the Member States and private stakeholders on the findings reflected in the report on the application of the Directive and the technical paper attached to it.

The consultation in particular is aimed at verifying the information provided in the report and at identifying additional issues that should be addressed in the context of a possible review of the Directive.

Internal market: Consultation on central securities depositories (CSDs) and on the harmonisation of certain aspects of securities settlement in the European Union

EC consultation
CSDs in the European Union should operate under a common regulatory framework that ensures the robustness of their operation.

Such a framework should include common definitions of CSD services, common rules on authorisation on ongoing supervision of CSDs, high prudential standards for CSDs and rules on access and interoperability.

The Consultation seeks stakeholders' comments on the proper design of such a common regulatory structure.

Justice: Less red tape for citizens: Promoting the free movement of public documents and recognition of the effects of civil status documents

EC consultation
To obtain views from stakeholders and the public on ways to reduce red tape in administrative procedures related to documents for citizens living, working and travelling in other EU countries.

The Green Paper is the first stage in a process to make sure that public documents – such as a contract or deed to a property – circulate without the need for additional procedures, and that the effects of civil status documents – such as a birth certificate – are recognised wherever citizens are in the EU.

Business events

• Renewable Energy & Carbon Reduction Conference, London, 25 January 2011
• Eurozone in Danger: Mitigating Your Foreign Exchange Risk , London, 24 February 2011

Reach out to new business partners in Europe using our online matchmaking forum

• Upload your company profile and business cooperation offers and requests onto our pan-European database.
• Search on the database for existing overseas companies looking for UK partners.
• Receive regular updates on companies in your business sector.

For more information contact Owen Hunt on 020 7203 1929 or by email at ohunt@londonchamber.co.uk.

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