[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The port city of Dalian in northeast China has approved a plan to restrict sales of new cars. Dalian is the fifth city in China -- along with Beijing, Shanghai, Guiyang and Guangzhou -- to restrict vehicle sales, and others are expected to join them. With...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Renault-Nissan hopes to reach an agreement with German partner Daimler to deepen the alliance between the carmakers during the first quarter of next year. The agreement would allow Daimler to build Mercedes-Benz cars in Renault-Nissan’s factory in Mexico, increase the use of Renault engines in luxury...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council adopted the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the future funding instrument for the trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and telecommunications (76/13; statements: 16096/13. The regulation establishing the CEF determines the conditions, methods and procedures for the Union's financial contribution...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Competitiveness Council met on 2 and 3 December in Brussels. Ministers adopted the "Horizon 2020" programme for research and innovation for the years 2014 to 2020 (PE-CO_S 67/13). Horizon 2020 will replace the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7), which runs until the end of 2013. Compared with...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Guidelines to enable trainees to acquire high-quality work experience under safe and fair conditions, and to increase their chances of finding a good quality job, have been proposed today by the European Commission. The proposal for a Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The European Parliament approved the EU’s budget for 2014 on Wednesday. This budget is the result of the deal struck with the Council in last week’s negotiations. For payments €500 million were added to the 2014 budget, bringing the total compared to the initial Council...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The European Commission welcomed today's adoption of the programme COSME by the European Parliament. COSME aims to ease the access to credit problems that small businesses currently face. With a € 2.3 billion-budget over the period 2014-2020 the Programme for the Competitiveness of Small and...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For the first time since 2004, an EU company – the German carmaker Volkswagen – is the world’s largest private sector R&D investor. Volkswagen tops the European Commission's 2013 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard with an investment of €9.5bn in 2012. Overall, EU-based firms (527...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After negotiating through the night, Parliament and Council struck a deal on the EU budget for 2014, which also provides for remedying payments shortfalls in in the current fiscal year. MEPs ensured that victims of catastrophic flooding and drought in 2013 will be compensated, and...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The European Commission has appointed the 15 groups of independent experts to advise on priorities for Horizon 2020, the next EU research and innovation programme. The advisory groups are the most diverse yet, drawing on public, private and civil society sources. Nearly 40% of their...