While more open trade leads to more overall benefit for growth and jobs, the EU recognises that, although European labour markets are usually capable of coping with globalisation, the consequences can also be negative e.g. job loss. In exceptional circumstances, specific support may be needed to deal with the situation.
The EGF is a new tool to help do this and is an expression of European solidarity with the people affected. What's been described as an economic shock absorber, the EGF will provide up to 500 million euros a year for those directly affected by job ... continua

Labour law is an important tool, not only in dealing with the management of the workforce, but also in providing a sense of security to workers and citizens in a world of rapid change and high mobility of capital and technology.
The Commission is not aiming for a "one-size-fits-all" approach as a miracle recipe across the EU. Taking as examples the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, the video shows how three EU member states adapt their national employment models according to the changing needs of the labour market and how they apply the concept of flexicurity.
The ... continua

The projects are located in and around Kitui and Makueni, two hour's outside Nairobi. The VNR "Water is life" profiles projects managed by two NGOs, AMREF and the German Red Cross, whose innovative technical approach to increasing access to safe water and hygienic sanitation facilities in rural Kenya is a crucial part of the EU's response to the perennial challenge of bringing water to those most in need. To illustrate this, the report shows exactly how, in contrast to previous initiatives, the local community is actively engaged in taking ownership of different water ... continua

Already effective in nine Member States, the liberalisation of gas and electricity markets comes into effect throughout the European Union from July 1, 2007. Consumers of electricity and gas across the whole EU now have the right to freely choose their supplier. Competitive prices, a quality service and consumers’ rights protection should be the benefits of this liberalisation, started more than 10 years ago by the European Commission. The liberalisation of the gas and electricity markets should also reinforce the interconnections between the Member States and ... continua

Commonly referred to by its acronym of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is a long-standing international agreement adopted in Washington in 1973, under the aegis of the United Nations. It has been in force since 1975. The 171 States (including the Member States of the European Union) who subscribe to this convention are committed to regulating international trade in wild animals and plants so as to prevent the threat of trade to species in danger of extinction. The European Union is an active ... continua