Car emissions deal

14.12.2006 / 00:00 CET

The approval of a compromise deal in the European Parliament on 13 December should set stricter standards for pollutant emissions from cars. Green groups reacted angrily to an agreement between ministers and MEPs to give sports utility vehicles (SUVs) an extra three years to meet the ‘Euro 5' standards. The exemption was originally proposed by the Parliament's environment committee because of concerns that Euro 5 standards for SUVs would be expensive for large families.

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News in Brief

Sharing data

EU interior ministers on Tuesday (12 June) agreed to exchange DNA, fingerprints and vehicle registration data between their police forces when investigating crimes. Ministers also approved setting up the Visa Information System, a database which will store photographs and fingerprints of people who make visa applications to states in the Schengen zone.

EU-Libya talks

External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier held talks in Libya on Sunday and Monday (10-11 June) on the death sentences passed on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor. They met Libyan officials, the families of children infected with HIV and the medical workers themselves, who were convicted after being charged with deliberately infecting the children.

Organic food logo

Products containing at least 95% organic ingredients will be able to use a standard EU logo, following a deal reached by farm ministers on Monday.

Bluefin tuna catches

Member states on Tuesday adopted a recovery plan for endangered bluefin tuna, ending months of opposition from countries demanding an increase in their annual catch quota. It sets a minimum size of fish to be caught and restrictions on summer tuna fishing.

News in Brief

South Korea trade

The EU on Monday (7 May) launched negotiations for a free trade agreement with South Korea with a first round of talks in Seoul between Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and South Korea's Trade Minister Kim Hyun-Chong. The aim is to liberalise trade in goods and services and remove non-tariff barriers.

EU-Asean talks

The ten-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) and the EU have agreed to set up a working group to examine the possibility of a free trade agreement, it was announced on 4 May.

Dutch spending

The Dutch government has presented the Commission with the first national statement of assurance that it is properly spending EU funds at national level. Dutch Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos presented the declaration to Siim Kallas, the European commissioner for audit, on 4 May.

Bulgarian corruption

The Bulgarian government has asked the European Commission to provide legal experts to help investigate high-level corruption cases amid increasing concern in Brussels that Bulgaria is not doing enough. The public prosecutor has issued indictments against Deputy Economy Minister Kornelia Ninova for allegedly blocking a corruption inquiry while Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev has suspended Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov for alleged interference in corruption cases.

Turkish reform plans

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül on 10 January presented a plan to overhaul the country's laws and bring them into line with EU standards. The plan runs to 2013, an indication that Ankara thinks it will not be able to join the EU before then.

Troops reduction

The EU's special envoy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, has announced plans to reduce the number of EU troops in Bosnia from 6,000 to 2,500 in 2007. EU member states will take a final decision at the end of February.

Worker restrictions

The French government eased restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian workers as the two countries became EU members. Bulgarians and Romanians are now able to take jobs in France in the construction, hotel, catering, farming, mechanical, processing, retail and sanitation industries. In all 62 types of jobs have been opened across the eight sectors.

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