22.02.2007
Cities can make you skinny
People who live in the densest, pedestrian-friendly parts of New York City have a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) compared to other New Yorkers, a new study finds. Lower BMI indicates less body fat. The researchers say placing shops, restau...read more

21.02.2007
Transposition of EU equal treatment directive not without difficulty
All EU Member States have now transposed the EU directive on equal treatment into national law, but not without difficulty. This is one of the findings of a European Commission report on the progress made with the implementation of the directive, for...read more

21.02.2007
Call for projects to test the first-ever rating system for sustainable urban neighbourhood development
At the beginning of February, the pilot version of the first-ever rating system for sustainable urban neighbourhood development, LEED-ND, was released. Through a multi-year research and review process, the US-based LEED-ND partners have put together ...read more

21.02.2007
Social NGOs: EU needs to put social concerns at the heart of its political agenda
The Social Platform has presented a three-point plan to reinforce social Europe. The Social Platform, which brings together more than 40 European social NGOs, urges the European Union's political leaders to put social concerns at the heart of its pol...read more

21.02.2007
Commission to award best European broadband projects – entries sought
The European Commission is organising a conference on ‘Bridging the Broadband Gap: Benefits of broadband for rural areas and less developed regions’. Aim of the conference is to investigate how the strategic use of Information & Communication Technol...read more

21.02.2007
Towards the Spring Council: Ministers discuss education, competitiveness
Ministers have reiterated the key role that education plays, together with increased spending for research, towards achieving the Lisbon strategy goals of more competitiveness and sustainable economic growth. The Competitiveness Council discussed suc...read more

21.02.2007
“Regional policy should focus on growth potential, not redistribution”
European regional policy should focus on regions that have potential for growth and an underexploited comparative advantage. Its focus should not be on redistributing resources to relatively poor regions. This is the opinion of Mario Pezzini, working...read more

16.02.2007
Europe wide broadband access should be EU target
Broadband access at affordable rates should be as easily available as drinking water or electricity – in all areas of the European Union. This is the opinon of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), which adopted a report on the issue on 13 February. It...read more

16.02.2007
Europe deepens Member States' police cooperation
During the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 15 February, EU ministers reached an agreement on the Treaty of Prüm and the transfer of prisoners. ‘Prüm’ provides for cross-border exchange of data between the police and the intervention o...read more

15.02.2007
“Cities often underestimate the potential of walking and cycling in achieving sustainable urban transport"
An effective sustainable urban transport system both improves access to essential resources (jobs, services, social contacts) and curtails the negative impacts of mobility (noise, air pollution, obesity). Developing such a system, however, remains th...read more

14.02.2007
CoR report: Decent housing is fundamental to competitiveness
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) has adopted a report on housing and regional policy. The report endorses the European Parliament’s calls for a European Charter on Housing, aimed at securing decent and affordable housing for all. The CoR stresses t...read more

13.02.2007
Entries sought for green housing design competition
Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, North Hertfordshire Homes, and the Royal Institute of British Architects, are organising “Tomorrow’s Garden City: A Sustainable Approach to Modern Living”. This housing design competition should result in h...read more

13.02.2007
Strict EU environmental policy to create competitive advantage for EU businesses
European businesses will be in a better position than Chinese and US competitors to reap the full benefits of the low-carbon economy if the EU undertakes ambitious measures, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told in a recent interview.read more

13.02.2007
DEMOS report identifies conflicting demands to urban planners
A consortium of building and planning stakeholders calls for a radical revaluation of the planning profession. The report ‘Future Planners: Propositions for the next age of planning’ argues that old-fashioned notions of private and public value have ...read more

13.02.2007
EP addresses 'mountain of municipal waste'
Across the EU, 3.5 tonnes of waste is produced per person per year. Currently 49 per cent of municipal waste is sent to landfill sites while 33 per cent is recycled or composted. The amount of household and industrial waste keeps on increasing in Eur...read more

12.02.2007
Joint EREC-Greenpeace report: renewables deliver half of the global energy demand in 2050
By 2050, fifty per cent of the world's primary energy need can be answered by renewable sources, according to a report of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and Greenpeace. This high level of renewable energy use can, however, only be reach...read more

12.02.2007
Italian and Swiss regions join forces to reduce air pollution
Five Northern-Italian regions and one Swiss canton bordering Northern Italy have signed a common anti-air pollution strategy. The pact formalises the cooperation between Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Trentino, Bolzano (Italy) and Tessin (Switzerland) t...read more

06.02.2007
Town twinning: "Europe for citizens" programme officially adopted
The European Commission has officially adopted the new "Europe for citizens" programme which aims to promote active European citizenship through different actions, including town twinning.read more

06.02.2007
“Collective violence and human trafficking to become pressing safety issues”
In the coming years, collective violence and human trafficking will be the two most pressing challenges for cities. Mr Marcus, director of the European Forum for Urban Safety, expressed this opinion when talking about urban security and crime prevent...read more

05.02.2007
“Burden of Crime” highest in Ireland, followed by the UK, Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark
Ireland has the highest crime rate of eighteen EU countries, according to the EU International Crime & Safety Survey (EU ICS). The survey compared levels of crime and analysed the EU’s citizens’ views and concerns about crime in the EU-15 plus Estoni...read more