News

05.03.2007
London plans to be EU’s greenest city
On 27 February London Mayor Ken Livingstone launched the Climate Change Action Plan, a comprehensive plan to cut the city's greenhouse-gas emissions by 60 per cent within 20 years. This could make London the greenest city of Europe.read more

02.03.2007
Urban areas richest of all EU regions
In 2004, one in six EU regions recorded a GDP (gross domestic product) per inhabitant above 125 per cent of the average for all 27 Member States of the European Union, while one in four was below 75 per cent. Regional GDP per inhabitant in 2004 range...read more

02.03.2007
One million dollar award for successful sustainability projects – Call for entries
The Alcan Prize for Sustainability 2007 is now open for entries Alcan and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). The closing date for receipt of entries is midnight 31 March 2007 (GMT). The Alcan Prize is open to all not-for-profit, non-gov...read more

01.03.2007
Multilingualism drives competitiveness
European business is losing out because of a lack of language abilities, according to the new Commissioner for Multilingualism, Leonard Orban. He made this statement at his first press conference as a Commissioner, on 23 February. Orban presented the...read more

01.03.2007
EU improves ability to innovate
Nearly all EU member states have been able to improve their innovative capacity. The growth in their capacity outpaces that of the United States, according to the recently published 2006 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard.read more

01.03.2007
Participate in consultation on clean urban transport!
The European Commission invites you to participate in the online consultation on the future Green Paper on urban transport. This consultation round closes on 30 April 2007. Aim of the online consultation is to test the water on how far the Commission...read more

01.03.2007
EUMC becomes Fundamental Rights Agency
The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) has been renamed. The new name is the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, also known as the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA). FRA was established to provide assistance and expertise to the E...read more

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

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