Last updated: 20 september 2006

Agenda 2006

September 20, 2006

Parliament demands clarity on public services

The European Parliament demands clarity on public services

On 12 September 2006, the Economic Affairs Committee of the European Parliament adopted the own-initiative report of the Socialist MEP Bernhard Rapkay (and rapporteur on this issue) explaining the need for better EU legislation and calling for a common legal framework to govern general-interest public services in order to prevent distortions of competition in the Internal Market. The European Commission is asked to clearly define the services of 'general interest' from the services of 'general economic interest' and to adopt legal rules accordingly, given the dynamic evolution of the services market and the liberalisation of a number of services, the upcoming adoption of the services directive and the impossibility to make a clear distinction between 'services of general interest' and of 'general economic interest'.

For further information:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/

Update

 

Public consultation on EU framework for health services

After the exclusion from the Services Directive of the public and the private healthcare, the European Commission decided to set up a specific EU health services framework to guarantee cross-border access to healthcare. As a first step, the Commission will launch a public consultation, based on a Communication to be drafted by the European Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner, Markos Kyprianou, providing ideas for an EU framework for safe, high-quality and efficient healthcare services. After the consultation, the Commission should make a formal proposal in 2007.

For further information:
http://europa.eu/rapid/

 

New EU qualifications framework to enhance student and worker mobility

The European Commission recently adopted a proposal for a Recommendation on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF), aiming to make national academic and professional qualifications more understandable to the Member States, employers and individuals, in order to increase student and worker mobility. The draft recommendation foresees that Member States relate their national qualifications systems to the EQF, by 2009.

To read the proposal:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/

 

Strategy to fight Europe's 'Brain Drain'

The European Commission presented on 13 September 2006 a ten-point programme for action at National and European levels to foster innovations as a main asset for the EU economy, in response to a call from the Member States' leaders during the Spring European Council of March 2006. This programme, that will be the basis for the discussion at the informal Summit to be held on 20 October 2006, in Lahti, Finland, is defined as a 'broad-based innovation strategy for Europe that translates investments in knowledge into products and services'.


For further information: http://europa.eu/rapid/