The European Union took a step closer to an EU-wide patent with lawmakers voting to cut the cost of protecting inventions and a top advisor to Europe's highest court rejecting a challenge to the new scheme. Twenty-five of the EU's 27 industry ministers agreed on...
Today the Commission presented a Communication clarifying EU rules on car taxation and recommending measures to strengthen the Single Market in this area. The aim is to minimize the problems encountered by citizens and businesses moving cars between Member States and to remove obstacles for...
The EU's research budget must not be allowed to dip below a minimum of €80 billion as a result of the ongoing budget negotiations for 2014-2020, says Portuguese MEP Maria da Graça Carvalho, the European Parliament's rapporteur on the EU's proposed Horizon 2020 research programme....
After the 5 October appeal by seven member states for greater action in support of industry, the Competitiveness Council of 10 December will debate the action plan on updating Europe's industrial policy, with particular emphasis on the automotive sector. The 27 plan to adopt...
Uniting the world's largest and fourth largest economies in a wide-ranging and comprehensive economic integrated agreement (EIA) would spur growth both in Europe, which is still feeling the effects of the financial crisis, and in Japan, where last year's natural disaster dealt another blow to...
The European Commission has today agreed with international partners on new internationally harmonised rules on Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) and Lane Departure Warning Systems (LDWS) for commercial vehicles. EU legislation already sets out dates for the obligatory introduction of these safety enhancing technologies in...
A plan published last week to prop up the European auto sector made no mention of carbon regulations for heavy goods vehicles or carbon dioxide labeling to guide consumer choice, which had been flagged previously. "It looks like they will be dropped again," one EU...
With 12 million sector-related jobs the automotive industry is vital for Europe's prosperity and job creation. The EU needs to maintain a world-class car industry, producing the most energy efficient and safe vehicles globally and providing high-skilled jobs to millions. To make this happen, the...
EU ministers with research portfolios have agreed new funding procedures for SMEs so that they can more easily access funds from the EU’s next framework programme for research – called Horizon 2020 – but the exact sums remain in doubt. Ministers agreed on 11 October...
Progress in implementing intelligent transport systems is being discussed today in Vienna, at the annual ITS conference organised by the European Commission, and officially opened by Vice-President Siim Kallas. The event looks at how ICT technology can help to solve many problems affecting transport, focusing...