Single Market enters new phase - EUbusiness Week no 378

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EUbusiness Week - Issue 378
23 November 2007
http://www.eubusiness.com
Your way through the EU information maze
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This Week's Top Stories
=======================
1. EU sees China making progress on dangerous toys
2. EU seeks to modernise farm subsidies
3. EU targets big rail projects with funding plans
4. EU plans European microcredit fund
5. BASF, Porsche give new thrust to EU business plan
6. Danish government wants new referendum on euro

Publisher's Note
================
The Single Market, now fifteen years old, is almost taken
for granted. Gaps remain, however, and the Commission has
set out a package of initiatives to "modernise the European
single market and to bring more benefits to Europeans".
These include help for consumers to exercise their
contractual rights and get redress across borders; a Small
Business Act; a "researcher passport"; and promotion of the
quality of social services across the EU.

Small business organisations welcome a push to increase
awareness of existing legal instruments and develop sector-
specific initiatives when needed. However, they note a lack
of specifics on how the EU can foster the right conditions
for SMEs. European SME employers organisation UEAPME looks
forward to "concrete steps on taxation policy, the fight
against counterfeiting and the creation of a competitive
internal market in the insurance sector".
http://www.eubusiness.com/SMEs/eu-single-market-faq

Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. EU sees China making progress on dangerous toys
--------------------------------------------------
China has made "considerable progress" in cracking down on
exports of dangerous toys, the Commission said on Thursday
after threatening a ban amid waves of mass recalls.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195731126.44
China tells EU to remove high-tech export curbs
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195723022.23
More EU companies feel pinch of China's WTO entry
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195715821.81

2. EU seeks to modernise farm subsidies
---------------------------------------
The Commission has unveiled plans to shake up Europe's farm
subsidies in a bid to make costly hand-outs more relevant
to the modern world as the sector enjoys the strongest boom
in generations.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195554721.74

3. EU targets big rail projects with funding plans
--------------------------------------------------
The Commission is to carve up more than five billion euros
for trans-European transport projects, with the lion's
share going to rail infrastructure.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195655522.51

4. EU plans European microcredit fund
-------------------------------------
The Commission has put forward plans for a new fund to
encourage microcredit or small loans popular in the
developing countries, in Europe.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195481821.94

5. BASF, Porsche give new thrust to EU business plan
----------------------------------------------------
German firms BASF and Porsche have boosted European
industrial integration by advancing toward, and in the
latter case attaining, the statute of Societas Europaea
(SE), or European Company.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195528626.0

6. Danish government wants new referendum on euro
-------------------------------------------------
Seven years after Danes firmly rejected the European single
currency, the Scandinavian country's government says it
wants to call a new referendum on whether to adopt the euro.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195745522.09

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Inside the EU Institutions
==========================

Council Watch
-------------
Myanmar: EU foreign ministers on Monday imposed fresh
sanctions on Myanmar's military regime, while pressing for
"an inclusive process of national reconciliation".
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195477325.85
Ministers call for more defence research and technology
http://www.eubusiness.com/Defence/defence-research.33
Europe to hand Mugabe tough message at summit
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195484522.06
http://www.eubusiness.com/European_Council

Commission Watch
----------------
Poland: the Commission urged Poland's incoming government
Tuesday to take additional action to cut the country's
public deficit amid evidence that it will rise above an
EU limit next year.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195560121.69
Venezuelan president must respect to be respected
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195245122.71
http://www.eubusiness.com/Commission

Euro-Parliament Watch
---------------------
The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Rwanda
said Thursday that more time was needed to cement the
economic partnership agreements. In a Conciliation meeting
with the Council, Parliament failed to reach agreement on
measures to safeguard civil aviation against acts of
unlawful interference.

In committee meetings this week, the Civil Liberties
Committee gave its go-ahead to a draft regulation requiring
Member States in the Schengen area to take a facial image
and ten fingerprints from visa applicants wishing to enter
EU territory; the Industry Committee called for more science
funding to meet CO2 targets for the car industry; the
Environment Committee gave its backing to the new Director
of the EU Chemicals Agency; the Economics Committee argued
for greater flexibility on lower rates of VAT; and the
Agriculture Committee, debating wine sector reform, voted
against the automatic liberalisation of planting rights in
2014 and the transfer of funding to rural development.
http://www.eubusiness.com/Europarl

EU diary
--------
26 Nov, Agriculture and Fisheries Council
28 Nov, EU-China Summit
29 Nov, Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council
30 Nov, EU-India Summit
2 Dec, Ministerial Debate on European e-Inclusion
3 Dec, Transport, Telecoms and Energy Council (Energy)
3 Dec, ECOFIN Council / Eurogroup

The Week Ahead: http://www.eubusiness.com/events/EUcalendar
Long-term diary: http://www.eubusiness.com/events/eu-diary

EUbusiness Community
====================

Comment
-------
Commenting on our piece "Romania tells EU it did not house
secret CIA prisons", Volodimyr Entessi writes:

"Romania and Poland's denials do not mean that the secret
centers didn't exist - the Americans are quite capable of
running these operations in secret, without official or any
knowledge of the host countries where corruption (as in
many other European and non-European countries) is still
too easy."
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195139826.1
Discussion: http://www.eubusiness.com/discussion

EUpress
-------
EEB: CAP Health Check: Is there a doctor in the house?
http://www.eubusiness.com/Press/eeb-press.07-11-20

ROME I: time for EP to commit to better regulation
http://www.eubusiness.com/Press/esba-press.07-11-19

EREC: Strategic Energy Technology Plan - comment
http://www.eubusiness.com/Press/erec-press.07-11-22

Reach Europe's decision-makers! Publish your organisation's
policy papers and news directly onto EUbusiness.
Press: http://www.eubusiness.com/press

EUevents
--------
13 Dec, Bangalore: EU-IndiaGrid Conference
http://www.eubusiness.com/events/eu-indiagrid.07

17 Dec, Luxembourg: Call 3 information days
http://www.eubusiness.com/Events/call-3-cordis.07
More events: http://www.eubusiness.com/events

EUjobs
------
Senior Consultant, Weber Shandwick
http://www.eubusiness.com/Jobs/weber-shandwick.07-11-20

Press officer, WWF European Policy Office
http://www.eubusiness.com/Jobs/wwf-job.07-11-20
More jobs: http://www.eubusiness.com/jobs

EUguides
--------
European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan)
http://www.eubusiness.com/Energy/set-plan-guide

EC Stocktaking on Consumer Product Safety controls
http://www.eubusiness.com/Consumer/consumer-product-safety

Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) funding proposals
http://www.eubusiness.com/Transport/ten-t-funding.07
More guides: http://www.eubusiness.com/guides

EUlinks
-------
European Research Council (ERC)
http://www.eubusiness.com/Rd/erc

Towards a low carbon future: European SET-Plan
http://www.eubusiness.com/Energy/set-plan.01

Access to essential medicines
http://www.eubusiness.com/Trade/essential-medicines
More links: http://www.eubusiness.com/links

EUbooks
-------
The Oxford Encyclopaedia of European Community Law
http://www.eubusiness.com/Books/ec-law-encyclopedia.bk

European Union Internal Market Law
http://www.eubusiness.com/Books/eu-internal-market-law
More books: http://www.eubusiness.com/EUbooks

Other news on EUbusiness this week
----------------------------------
ASEAN, EU agree to speed up trade deal 22-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195718521.9
Cocaine use rises sharply in Europe: EU report 22-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195732021.94
European Research funding for researchers 22-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/Rd/erc-grants.20
Eurozone new industrial orders weaker 22-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195726621.93
No quick fix in Polish meat dispute: Russia 21-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195677122.15
EU business urges Japan, EU economic integration 21-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195649222.86
Commission to propose mortgage sector changes 21-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195639321.58
EU fines Sony, Fuji, Maxell for videotape cartel 20-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195559224.82
EU boosts anti-bird flu measures in Britain 20-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195570022.52
EU adopts WTO deal on access to generic medicines 19-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195479121.44
Juncker backs German bill to protect key industries 19-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195471022.35
East African bloc clinches interim EU trade deal 17-Nov
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1195246022.34

EUfunding: http://www.eubusiness.com/funding
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