News

16.07.2007
Stricter public procurement rules likely to be forthcoming
The European Parliament has adopted a new version of the regulation on the Energy Star programme on 10 July. It requires the Member States to apply demanding energy efficiency criteria in the public procurement of office equipment. This marks the fir...read more

12.07.2007
Discrimination - Does it matter? Participate in online EU consultation
The European Commission (EC) has launched an online consultation on combating discrimination in the Member States and at EU level. The public consultation aims to help the Commission plan new measures to tackle discrimination on the basis of gender, ...read more

11.07.2007
New president for European Forum for Urban Safety
The three hundred members of the European Forum for Urban Safety (EFUS). elected a new board at their general assembly on Friday 6 July in Rome. EFUS is a network specialised in questions of security and crime prevention. Juan Alberto Belloch Julbe, ...read more

11.07.2007
Fourteen million euros funding to help manage illegal immigration
The European Commission has launched two calls for proposals to funding short-term actions to address EU Member States' difficulties with illegal immigration. One call covers actions to provide adequate reception conditions for illegal immigrants. Th...read more

09.07.2007
CoE needs participants for the Intercultural Cities Programme
The Council of Europe (CoE) is inviting applications from local authorities to join their Intercultural Cities Programme. The aim of the programme is to help cities and town across Europe manage cultural diversity as a resource for the development, c...read more

09.07.2007
“Culture-led regeneration can not resolve structural problems on its own”
Liverpool has been named European Capital of Culture 2008. The Liverpool City Council has instituted a longitudinal research programme to assess the impacts of this event. Dr Beatriz Garcia is the director of this programme – IMPACTS 08. She comments...read more

09.07.2007
European employers embrace single market initiatives
On 28 June 2007, the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) met to support efforts to relaunch the Single Market. The meeting was attended by representatives from the European Commission, BusinessEurope, EuroCommerce an...read more

09.07.2007
OECD: Migration is part of the solution for labour shortages and population ageing
Migration to OECD countries continues to rise, according to the latest edition of the OECD’s annual report on migration movements and policies, International Migration Outlook 2007 (IMO 2007). About four million new immigrants entered OECD countries ...read more

09.07.2007
US demographic core moving to the south
The demographic core of the United States is moving to the south of the country. Nearly a century ago, in 1910, each of the 10 largest US cities was within roughly 500 miles of the Canadian border. The 2006 estimates show that seven of the top 10 - a...read more

06.07.2007
EC adopts Green paper on climate change
The European Commission has adopted a green paper on how to adapt to the impacts of climate change, on 29 June 2007. The green paper sets out options for EU action to help the process of adaptation to climate change.across Europe. Adaptation means ta...read more

02.07.2007
German EU Presidency successful in the field of Justice and Home Affairs
German Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble declared the German Council Presidency in the field of European home affairs policy "a great success ". He mentioned the extension of Prüm Treaty – EU wide access to Member States’ DNA and fingerprin...read more

29.06.2007
“Neighbourhood ecology is not strongly related to successful youth development”
The quality of a neighbourhood does not determine the chances of future success for young people growing up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This is the main finding of ‘Good kids from bad neighborhoods’, a publication by the of the University of Col...read more

26.06.2007
Will these cities still exist in the year 2100?
Today, much is said about the growth of urban areas and the dramatic rise in population of so called mega cities. However, at the same time, many urban areas are faced with declining numbers of inhabitants. Other now booming cities are threatened by ...read more

20.06.2007
DG Justice calls for transnational projects in the prevention of and fight against crime
The European Commission’s DG Justice calls for trans-national projects in the field of the prevention of and fight against crime. Law enforcement agencies, local, regional and national authorities, social partners, universities, statistical offices, ...read more

19.06.2007
“Physical interventions can improve neighbourhoods, not people”
Physical interventions can improve a neighbourhood, but not the socioeconomic position of its residents, or at least not the original residents. This is the opinion of professor Ronald van Kempen, director of the Urban and Regional Research centre Ut...read more

14.06.2007
Will your city win the Eurosolar Award?
Eurosolar – the European Association for Renewable Energies – will award the best European projects promoting the use of renewable energies. Municipalities, municipally owned entities, individuals, engineers, architects, owners of installations using...read more

13.06.2007
Commissioner Wallström: "Cities hold key to solving environmental problems"
Cities hold the key to solving the world’s environmental problems, according to European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström. She presented the Commission’s vision on environmental sustainability on the occasion of the opening of the Green Wee...read more

13.06.2007
Green Paper on Urban Transport is well on track
The European Commission is to push forward in drafting a Green Paper on Urban Transport. The preparation phase of the paper, in which stakeholder consultation was central, is drawing to a close. The Green Paper seeks to see whether obstacles to succe...read more

11.06.2007
Call for entries for the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage
The “Europa Nostra Awards” are granted annually to identify and promote best practices in the conservation of tangible cultural heritage. Four projects will be presented with an award and a monetary prize of 10,000 euros. Deadline for submitting your...read more

11.06.2007
Portugal to push for “realistic” EU immigration policy
Portugal will push for a "realistic" approach to legal migration in its upcoming EU Presidency, starting 1 July 2007. In the view of the Portuguese, a realistic immigration policy complements strict border control with a focus on social inclusion. It...read more