The European Union
The European Constitution
In view of the adoption of the
European Constitution by the
Intergovernmental Conference, the
Commission is planning to publish two
brochures each containing 20 pages and
explaining in a clear manner the provisions
set out in the Constitution. These
documents should be available by March
2004.
The adoption of a European
Constitution will be a major event. The
European Commission firmly believes
citizens have to be aware about changes
it will have.
• The first brochure will aim to
answer the questions citizens are most
likely to ask: what is a Constitution?
why do we need a Constitution, how is
the Constitution presented, what are the
contents of the Constitution
• The second brochure “A
Constitution for Europe, a Constitution
for the Citizen” will focus on the areas
dealt with in the body of the Constitution
and which are of direct interest to the
citizen: freedom, security and justice; an
effective and well targetted regional policy,
a better protection of the environment.
These questions will be will dealt
within the European project in a general
manner.
Animals during International Transport
The European Commission adopted a
proposed Decision for the European
Union to sign the revised European
Convention for the Protection of
Animals during International Transport.
This international Convention will
increase the requirements for the protection
of transported animals both within
the EU and more widely in Europe. It
revises the existing Convention adopted
in 1968 and introduces major improvements
for animal welfare that are consistent
with the recent Commission proposal
on animal transport and existing EU
legislation. (30 Oct 2003)
Fish
Halibut: On behalf of the EU, which
is a member of the North-West Atlantic
Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), the
European Commission has welcomed
the adoption of a long-term rebuilding
plan for Greenland halibut in this area.
The decision was taken in response to
the latest scientific advice on the state of
this stock (24 Sep 2003)
Eels: Commission proposes EU
action to protect European eels. This
stock is currently outside safe biological
limits. This is mostly due to fishing at
unsustainable levels and the effects of
other human activity on the eels' habitats
and migratory patterns (2 Oct 2003)
Anchovy and anglerfish: The
European Commission has today adopted
a proposal to review fishing possibilities
for 2003 for certain stocks of
anchovy and anglerfish on the basis of
new scientific advice. (…) This advice
confirms the low state of the stock (28
Oct 2003)
Wild Birds and Habitats Directives:
The European Commission has sent
final written warnings to Austria and
Portugal for failing to improve the way
they implement EU nature conservation
legislation. Austria has failed to correctly
incorporate certain obligations
required under EU nature conservation
legislation into its regional legislation.
Portugal has failed to safeguard the
Campo Maior, a special protection area
(SPA) for wild birds, from the damaging
effects of irrigation works linked to the
Abrilongo dam project (21 Oct 2003)
Animal diseases
• The European Commission has
approved a financial package to fight
transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
(TSE) and other animal diseases
in the EU in 2004. The European Union
(EU) budget will contribute € 92.64 million
for financing BSE and scrapie monitoring
and eradication in the Member
States and Accession Countries. The
Commission also adopted funding provisions
for the 2004 programmes to eradicate
other animal diseases like brucellosis
or rabies and prevent zoonoses. The
EU will contribute € 54.29 million from
its resources in the veterinary field for
these programmes in the Member States
and some Accession Countries... (16 Oct
2003)
• €10 million advance payments for
the eradication of avian influenza in the
Netherlands
The European Commission today
decided to pay an advance of €10 million
to the Netherlands to reimburse
compensation paid to farmers for losses
they occurred during the avian influenza
epidemic in the first half of 2003. The
EU contribution to this compensation is
50%. Farmers have been compensated
for animals killed and eggs destroyed
(…) In total, more than 25 million poultry
units have been killed and 130 million
eggs destroyed in the Netherlands
during this epidemic. (24 Sept 2003)
• €1.25 million advance payments
for the eradication of avian influenza in
Belgium
The European Commission today
decided to pay an advance of €1.25 million
to Belgium to reimburse compensation
paid to farmers for losses they
occurred due to avian influenza outbreaks
in the first half of 2003. In total
eight outbreaks have been reported in
Belgium, about 3 million head of poultry
have been killed and 5 million eggs
destroyed. Farmers have been compensated
for animals killed and eggs
destroyed… (10 Oct 2003)
• Zoonoses (diseases or infections
that can be transmitted from animals to
humans) Infection usually happens as a
result of eating products of animal origin
or direct contact with an infected animal):
Commissioner David Byrne welcomed
the Agriculture Council's final
adoption today of legislation designed to
cut the incidence of food-borne diseases
in the European Union… (29 Sep 2003)
Health of Europeans
Europeans are healthier and living
longer, says European Commission
Life expectancy in the EU has
increased by 8 years since 1960, with the
average life expectancy in 2000 being 75
for men and 81 for women, one year
higher than in the US. This can be attributed
to better health and living conditions
for European citizens. So says the
report on the Social Situation in Europe
2003, released today by the European
Commission, which this year had as its
special theme the health of Europe's citizens.
(9 Sept 2003)
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