The fight against climate change has been organised in such a way that it offers developing countries opportunities for economic and social development.
With their signature of the Kyoto Protocol, most industrialised countries have agreed to limit their CO2 emissions through a quota system.
If need be, however, they may make use of a mechanism that allows them to buy additional emission rights on international markets from developing or emerging economies, which have no limits on their emission levels.
If developing or emerging countries ... continua

There are between ten and twelve million Roma living in the European Union today– roughly equal to the populationof a medium-sized EU Member State, like Belgium or Greece.
Yet despite the fact that the Roma have played an integral part in European history and culture for over seven centuries, most of us still know very little about them. And what we think we do know is more often than not based on ignorance, prejudice and stereotypes.
This has led to a situation where millions of Roma in the EU today face extreme levels of social deprivation. 
Unemployment in ... continua

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

As a general rule, health insurance administrations are obliged to issue a European health insurance card at their members’ request. The card makes it easier to obtain medical care and guarantees that it will be provided in accordance with the legislation of the Member State being visited. For example, if you are in a Member Statewhere medical care is free, you too have the right to free medical treatment. So the message is crystal clear: do not travel to another Member State of the European Economic Area without your European health insurance card. Interviews: ... continua

Each year in the European Union, 167,000 deaths are attributable to work-related accidents or illnesses, and the number of occupational accidents which result in over three days off work is estimated at 7 million.
Small and medium businesses feature prominently here, as they alone represent 82% of the total number of occupational accidents and 90% of the total number of fatal accidents. The construction, farming, transportation and health industries are among the sectors most affected.
Apart from the sometimes tragic individual consequences, the loss of earnings to ... continua

The Mediterranean is Europe's biggest sea. There are 22 countries that border it, and millions of citizens from Europe, North Africa or the Middle East call it "our sea".  Their quality of life depends largely on the state of the Mediterraneanand its shores. But in certain areas, the sea is suffocating under industrial and domestic pollution, maritime traffic and galloping urbanization.
Therefore, countries bordering the Mediterranean set up partnerships in order to implement actions that would tackle the problem of pollution on Mediterranean shores.
The HORIZON ... 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 existence of many of these species is today at risk. The red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources includes over 800 animal species and 180 plant species in Europe that are slipping at various rates down the slope towards extinction. This is the case for half the species of mammals and a third of the species of reptiles, birds and fish. 79 European animals are "in serious danger of extinction", which means that it may prove impossible to maintain them in the wild within the next ten years: such is the case for the ... continua

Over half of all European households now own a computer. But with their scanners, printers and modems, personal computers can account for up to 20% of household electricity consumption. Manufacturers, encouraged by the European Commission, are therefore looking for ways to make their products consume less energy. Consumers have a role to play too. They can buy products with the Energy Star logo for their superior energy efficiency and can develop certain elementary good habits, like switching off devices when not in use. However, the ... continua

As energy costs continue to rise and the need to fight climate change is becoming ever more pressing, more than a hundred cities in Europe are running sustainable energy use strategies based on the concept of "shining examples", joint action and shared experiences. The BELIEF project encourages all European local authorities, especially urban communities, to form "Sustainable Energy Communities" to improve local policy making, promote energy citizenship and stimulate the markets for sustainable energy. This report was filmed in two urban ... continua