SMEs represent more than 99% of European enterprises and account for two-thirds of the EU's GDO and 75 million jobs. They play a decisive role when it comes to economic growth and competitiveness. They comprise all types of firms ranging from one-person businesses to cooperatives. Whilst some SMEs offer very traditional services of craft products, many other are fast growing high-tech companies. Interviews:Theodius Lennon, European Commission - Research Directorate-General Visit the site: www.mostra.com Download subtitles:

Clean air is essential to our own health and that of the environment. But since the industrial revolution, the quality of the air we breathe has deteriorated considerably - mainly as a result of human activities. Rising industrial and energy production, the burning of fossil fuels and the dramatic rise in traffic on our roads all contribute to air pollution in our towns and cities - and damage our natural environment.
Centuries of treating nature like a dustbin has had disastrous consequences on our environment. For example, around 20 % of forests and lakes in ... continua

Micro and Nanotechnologies promise to be key applications in medicine and the environment in the future, but their development is still only at the beginning. Treatingdiseases at molecular level is still some way down the road, but researchers in Europe are developing the tools to make it possible one day, while also assessing the possiblerisks of these promising new technologies.
Interviews:
Guillermo Villanueva,IMB-CSIC Bellaterra, SpainJoan Bausells, IMB-CSIC Bellaterra, Spain Robert Lemor, IBMT St. Ingbert Thomas Velten, IMBT St. Ingbert
Visit the ... continua

It's the fashion show season, and in parallel Paris has been hosting the largest Textiles Show in the world: Premiére Vision. 742 exhibitors from thirty countries present their offerings for the Autumn Winter 2007/2008 season. A festival of wools, cottons and artificial fabric. And this year too, somespecial guests: so called "intelligent fabrics". Interviews:Christine Hubner ITV Jean Leonard Visit the site: www.mostra.com

With the opening of the Turin winter Olympics on February 10th, the eyes of the world will be on Europe. The games will bring hundreds of thousands of competitors, journalists and spectators to its alpine valleys.They have also meant the construction or renovation of many permanent and temporary structures which place great pressure on the environment, as this environmentalist explains.
Interviews:Ugo Pretato, Torino 2006 Organising Committee
Roberto Serra, Major of Cesana Torinese
Paolo Rovellino, I Torino 2006 Organising Committee
Fabio Caltabiano, Torino 2006 ... continua

Several measures to prevent, detect or contain the H5N1 virus in the EU have managed to stop the virus from spreading up to now. The future evolution of the situation is difficult to foresee because the H5N1 virus is stillpresent in many countries, for example in Asia. The European Commission and the Member States constantly review the state of the disease outbreaks inthe world and adapt the surveillance and the control measures accordingly.We have visited a Hungarian farm which was the departure point for an outbreak of avian flu that spread to 28 other Hungarian ... continua

In Europe, fishing is generally quite targeted. Fishermen know what they want to catch and use the appropiate methods and techniques. Despite this, when they bring their nets in, they often find other fish and marine organisms mixed up with the target species: thus is what is called the by-catch.
Everything in the net has to be sorted and only the fish that can be sold are kept. The rest are returned to the sea, ehre they stand little chance of surviving after the shock of being hauled to the surface. These are what are called discards.
Interviews:Dr. Andy Revill: ... continua

Le produit intérieur brut, qui mesure la valeur desbiens et des services produits ou fournis au cours d’une année donnée, estla mesure la mieux éprouvée des performances économiques dans le monde. Pourbeaucoup, une augmentation de la croissance économique - telle que mesuréepar le PIB - traduit une augmentation du niveau de vie et du bien-être.
Toutefois, ainsi que l’a réalisé l’un des fondateurs duconcept du PIB – le Prix Nobel et économiste Simon Kuznets –, le PIB a desérieuses limites en tant qu’indicateur du développement humain. ... continua

The video report entitled "The EU revives innovation by businesses" demonstrates the importance of stepping up investment in innovation in Europe. The film illustrates:
New technologies in the world of toys: a toy car with a hydrogen fuel cell that runs an electric motor, in response to directives on limiting the use of metals and dangerous substances. AIJU, the Toy Technology Centre in Ibi (Valencia region), which tests the quality and educational potential of toys on the market. Shots of the Valencia conference.
Interviews:Joaquín VILAPLANA, Director of AIJU ... continua

We're in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Contrary to appearances, these men are not soldiers... They are forest rangers from the ICCN, the Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation. Their job? To fight against poaching and protect the biodiversity of the Virunga National Park.
Interviews:
Samy Mankoto, President, Central Africa Protected Areas NetworkNorbert Mushenzi, Conservationist, Virunga National ParkCarlo De Filippi, Head of European Commission Delegation - Democratic Republic of CongoNorbert Mushenzi, Conservationist, Virunga National ... continua