Various links to the EU Institutions

You can find the official site of the EU Commission here:
http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm  

The European Parliament represents the people of the European Union: through the European Parliament, some 370 million European citizens now take part in the process of European integration.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/

The Council of the European Union is an institution that exercises legislative and decision-making powers. At the same time, it is the forum in which the representatives of the Governments of the 25 Member States can assert their interests and try to reach compromises.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/homepage?lang=en 

The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration by institutions and bodies of the European Community.
http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/start.faces

The Court of Justice has jurisdiction to hear disputes to which the Member States, the Community institutions, undertakings and individuals may be parties.
http://curia.europa.eu/

The Committee of the Regions (COR) is an advisory assembly of the European Union composed of 222 representatives of local and regional authorities.
http://www.cor.europa.eu

The EIB is the European Union's long-term lending institution. It was created in 1958 as an autonomous body set up to finance capital investment furthering European integration by promoting EU economic policies.
http://www.eib.org/

The European Central Bank issues the EU Currency, the Euro. The primary objective of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) is to maintain price stability. The ESCB shall support the general economic policies in the Community with a view to contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the Community.
http://www.ecb.int/

The Citizens First initiative enables you to obtain hard facts about your rights and the opportunities available in the European Union and its Single Market according to your individual needs. It also gives you advice on how to exercise these rights in practice.
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/welcome?lg=en

At Euro-LEX you can find all EU laws and treaties. Also the Official Journal is published here. The site contains an enormous amount of information and you should be interested in legislation to find your way around.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm

The European Economic and Social Committee (ESC) is an advisory body that gives Europe's economic and social partners (its employers, trade unions, representatives of small businesses, farmers' associations, consumers and the professions, to name but a few) the chance to issue their formal opinion on EU policies and thus give them a dimension that is both pragmatic and consensual.
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/

CORDIS provides information on a vast range of research, development and innovation activities undertaken on a European level.

CORDIS is the starting point for:

• Keeping up-to-date on current research
• Establishing strategic directions and making policy decisions
• Identifying potential funding sources for research and technological development
• Finding partners to co-operate in R&D (Research & Development) activities and share expertise
• Forming transnational consortia for the exploitation of research results
• Licensing in or licensing out technology
• Promoting and locating transferable technologies

http://www.cordis.lu/

The EU Newsroom gives access to press releases from all EU institutions as well as daily ECU-rates, a calendar on upcoming events and various EU links.
http://europa.eu/newsroom/

The European Union, the biggest donor of humanitarian aid in the world, has recently seen a heavy demand for humanitarian aid resources with crises of immense proportions in the Great Lakes region, former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union.

The European Community Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) is a service of the European Commission, under the direct responsibility of Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/

In SCADplus you can find various documents and facts, for example:

• A Calendar with dates of meetings with details of subjects discussed or to be discussed by the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee or the Committee of the Regions
• Papers on European Union Policies, like Summaries and legislative follow-up, and Enlargement: preparations for adhesion
• A practical guide to the free movement of persons concerning seeking employment, residence rights, living and working conditions and social security for workers and those people who move from one Member State to another
• The SCAD DATABASE with information on legislation and Community publications; articles from periodicals from all over the world; positions of the two sides of industry
• The SCAD BULLETIN
• A very valuable "GLOSSARY: THE INSTITUTIONAL REFORM OF THE EUROPEAN UNION", containing 150 concepts for a better understanding of the challenges facing the European Union: enlargement, Economic and Monetary Union, internal and external security...
• A comprehensive guide to the Amsterdam Treaty

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/index_en.htm

Swedish Association of Local Authorities (SALA) has a very large database on EU programs on the internet. Most of it is in Swedish only, but you can see some information in English, for example on Phare/Tacis CBC Project Facility here.
www.skl.se


Links to General Directorates of the European Union

DG AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate-General is based in Brussels under the authority of Commissioner Phil Hogan. It is responsible for the implementation of agriculture and rural development policy, the latter being managed in conjunction with the other DGs which deal with structural policies. It is made up of twelve Directorates dealing with all aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) including market measures, rural development policy, financial matters as well as international relations relating to agriculture.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/agriculture/index_en.htm

DG FINANCIAL PROGRAMMING AND BUDGET

The tasks of the Budget Directorate-General are:
- Securing from the budgetary authority- the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers - the resources needed to implement the European Union's policies.
- Managing the budgetary regulatory framework. The Directorate-General puts forward proposals and implements the regulatory framework (interinstitutional agreement, own resources decision, financial regulation and its implementing rules and the internal rules) for the establishment and implementation of the budget.
- Implementing the budget in terms of both revenue and expenditure, in compliance with the rules.
- Drawing up the annual accounts of the institutions and reporting on the implementation of the budget.
- Contributing, in the form of advice and training and by providing control and management tools, to sound financial management in Commission departments. In this way the Directorate-General plays a decisive role in the administrative reform process designed to make the Commission a high-quality public administration.
DG Financial Programming and Budget is under the responsibility of the Commissioner Ms Kristalina Georgieva.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/index_en.htm

DG COMPETITION

Under the authority of Ms Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner responsible for Competition Policy, the mission of Competition Directorate General is to enforce the competition rules of the Community Treaties in order to ensure that competition in the EU market is not distorted, thereby contributing to the welfare of consumers and the competitiveness of the European economy.
Competition DG's main areas of activity are:
- Anti-trust
- Merger Control
- Liberalisation and State Intervention
- State Aid

Competition DG also deals with the international dimension of competition policy, and generally in international fora.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/competition/index_en.htm

DG EDUCATION AND CULTURE

DG Education and Culture is under the responsibility of the Commissioner Mr Tibor Navracsics.
The Education and Culture Directorate-General's mission has three main aspects:
- Building a Europe of knowledge
- Developing the European cultural area
- Involving citizens in European integration
In addition to policy and regulatory action, the Education and Culture DG implements a wide variety of programmes involving hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries every year, via the mobility and transnational cooperation projects. Through these actions, the Education and Culture DG contributes decisively to safeguarding Europe's prosperity and values, involving citizens in a very real way in European integration and strengthening their feeling of belonging to this community which is still growing.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.htm

DG DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION

DG Development is under the responsibility of the Commissioner Mr Neven Mimica. The mission is to help to reduce and ultimately to eradicate poverty in the developing countries and to promote sustainable development, democracy, peace and security. The role is firstly to initiate and formulate the EU's development co-operation policy for all developing countries as defined in Title XX of the Treaty establishing the European Community. In order to realise the potential synergies and maximise the impact of development policy, DG Development and Cooperation works towards greater coherence of Community policies having external effects.
The role is secondly to co-ordinate the Community's relations with the sub-Saharan African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) and regions, including the African Union, as well as the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT). To this end, DG Development follows political relations with these countries, programmes resources of the European Development Fund, prepares strategies for co-operation with ACP countries and Overseas Countries and Territories and monitors their implementation.

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm 

DG ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Mr Pierre Moscovici is the Commissioner responsible for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs. The main activities are:

• Economic surveillance (euro area and EU)
• Monitoring budgetary policy and public finances
• Economic policy coordination
• The euro: legal, practical and institutional aspects
• Financial markets and capital movement
• Economic relations with third countries
• Financing

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/economy_finance/index_en.htm

DG EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND INCLUSION

Ms Marianne Thyssen is the Commissioner for DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion works towards the creation of more and better jobs, an inclusive society and equal opportunities for all. EU employment and social policies bring practical benefits to citizens, for example, in finding a job, moving to another Member State for work or other reasons, upgrading skills, etc. In partnership with national authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, the Directorate-General addresses challenges linked to globalisation, the ageing of Europe's population and changing social realities.

http://ec.europa.eu/social/home.jsp?langId=en

DG ENERGY 

Energy policy directly affects everyone in Europe. Whatever age we are, and whatever activities we undertake, energy plays a fundamental role in today's world. The issues and challenges connected to this policy require action at European level; no single national government can address them successfully alone. By working in concert, European Union Member States and European industry can develop energy sectors which best meet the needs of citizens and our economy, whilst minimising damage to our environment.
DG Energy is under the responsibility of Mr Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Energy.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy/index_en.htm

DG EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY AND ENLARGEMENT NEGOTIATIONS

Mr Johannes Hahn is the Commissioner for Enlargement.

The mission of the Directorate General for Enlargement is to, among others:
- manage the process whereby countries join the European Union, under the guidance of the Commissioner for Enlargement.
- assist candidate countries and potential candidates in meeting the "Copenhagen criteria" – defined by the Treaty and the European Council – and monitor their progress.
- define and implement the EU's stabilisation and association policy in the Western Balkans.
- manage the EU's bilateral relations with candidate countries and potential candidates.
- address issues resulting from the accession of Cyprus to the EU as a divided island.
- manage the bulk of the EU’s financial assistance to candidate countries and potential candidates, as well as to new member countries during a transition period following accession.
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htm

DG ENTERPRISE AND INDUSTRY

Mrs Elżbieta Bieńkowska is the Commissioner for DG Enterprise and Industry. The Enterprise Directorate General works toward the objective set at the Lisbon European Council in Spring 2000, of transforming the EU into "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world" by 2010. The following general objectives encapsulate the aims of the Enterprise Directorate General:
- Lower barriers to entrepreneurs in Europe and encourage potential entrepreneurs;
- Foster innovation both in the technical sphere as an adjunct to research, and in the business process
- Continue to enhance the efficiency of the internal market, with particular attention paid to its operation in the new Member States, and aim to extend its benefits to other regions
- Enhance the global competitiveness of European industry within a framework of sustainable development.

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/index_en.htm

DG ENVIRONMENT

Mr Karmenu Vella is the Commissioner for the Environment.
Its main role is to initiate and define new environmental legislation and to ensure that measures, which have been agreed, are actually put into practice in the Member States. The mission on this DG is:
- To maintain and improve the quality of life through a high level of protection of our natural resources, effective risk assessment and management and the timely implementation of Community legislation.
- To foster resource-efficiency in production, consumption and waste-disposal measures.
- To integrate environmental concerns into other EU policy areas.
- To promote growth in the EU that takes account of the economic, social and environmental needs both of our citizens and of future generations.
- To address the global challenges facing us notably combating climate change and the international conservation of biodiversity.
- To ensure that all policies and measures in the above areas are based on a multi-sectoral approach, involve all stakeholders in the process and are communicated in an effective way.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/index_en.htm

DG EXTERNAL RELATIONS

DG External Relations is under the responsibility of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, EC Vice-President Federica Mogherini. The Directorate General for External Relations is a department of the European Commission which arose from the fundamental restructuring of the Commission which took place at the end of 1999. The External Relations website provides information about the policies carried out by this Directorate General. The specific tasks of the External Relations Directorate General are, among others:

• relations with European countries which are not members of the European Union and not part of the enlargement process;
• programming Tacis assistance to Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asian Republics;
• relations with international organisations, i.e. United Nations, NATO, WEU, OSCE, the Council of Europe;
• the Commission's participation in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP);

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/index_en.htm

DG MARITIME AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES

DG Fisheries is under the responsibility of Mr Karmenu Vella, the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner. The mission of the Directorate General for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs is to ensure the delivery of the Commission's political priorities in the areas of fisheries, the Law of the Sea and Maritime Affairs. The Directorate General for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs is responsible for the management, on behalf of the Commission, of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to provide the basis for sustainable fisheries within and beyond Community waters, taking into account environmental, economic and social aspects and applying good governance principles. The most important tasks of the Directorate General for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs related to the Common Fisheries Policy are the following:
- Formulating and proposing measures for the conservation and management of fisheries resources to ensure their sustainable exploitation;
- Ensure the day-to-day management of resources through catch and fishing effort reports, exchanges and adjustments of available fishing possibilities;
- Making sure that CFP rules are effectively implemented and that Member States set up and apply appropriate systems and rules to manage, control and enforce the limitations on fishing possibilities and fishing effort required by the CFP;
- Promoting the dialogue between fishermen, scientists and fisheries managers, in particular within the newly created Regional Advisory Councils;

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_fisheries/index_en.htm 

DG HEALTH AND CONSUMERS

DG Health And Consumers is under the responsibility of the Commissioner Mr Vytenis Andriukaitis. The task of this DG is to help make Europe's citizens healthier, safer and more confident. Over the years the European Union has established EU laws on the safety of food and other products, on consumers' rights and on the protection of people's health. The Health and Consumers Directorate General has the task of keeping these laws up to date. It is national, regional or even local governments in EU countries who actually apply the EU's health and consumer protection laws. It is their job to make sure traders, manufacturers and food producers in their country observe the rules. Nonetheless, part of our job is to check that this is really happening and that the rules are being applied properly in all EU countries. The work is divided into three main areas: Public Health, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm

DG COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, CONTENT & TECHNOLOGY

The Commissioner for the Digital Agenda is Mr Andrus Ansip. The DG helps to harness information & communications technologies in order to create jobs and generate economic growth; to provide better goods and services for all; and to build on the greater empowerment which digital technologies can bring in order to create a better world, now and for future generations. To help achieve this, they:
- Support the kind of high-quality research & innovation which delivers imaginative, practical and value-enhancing results;
- Foster creativity through a European data value-chain in which anyone can share knowledge;
- Promote greater use of, and public access to, digital goods and digital services, including "cloud" computing, in order to boost the European single market;
- Ensure that those goods and services are more secure, that people can trust the rapidly evolving technologies which surround them, and that people have the right skills and confidence to use them as part of everyday life;
- Work with partners globally to support an open Internet.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/information_society/index_en.htm

DG INTERNAL MARKET AND SERVICES

DG Internal Market is under the responsibility of the Commissioner Michel Barnier. The Internal Market Directorate-General coordinates the Commission's policy on the European Single Market, which aims to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the Union. In its first ten years of existence (since 1 January 1993) the Single Market has created 2.5 million jobs and 877 billion euros of extra prosperity. In addition to its general responsibilities for making the Single Market work, the Internal Market Directorate-general is tasked with developing the Single Market in certain specific sectors, for example, financial services, postal services, electronic commerce and media. It is also responsible for proposing and - once laws are adopted by the European Parliament and Council - implementing a European legal framework for company law, public procurement, intellectual property (copyright etc), industrial property (for example patents, trademarks and designs), the protection of personal data and the recognition by Member States of professional qualifications gained elsewhere in the EU.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/internal_market/index_en.htm 

DG JUSTICE

Commissioner Vĕra Jourová is responsible for Justice, Fundamental rights and Citizenship. The mission of the DG is to build a European Union area of Justice which ensures:
- Respect for your fundamental rights by the EU and by member states at national level
- Equal treatment on the basis of sex, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation
- Protection for your personal data anywhere in the EU
- Access to justice in case of legal difficulties anywhere in the EU

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/justice_home/index_en.htm

DG REGIONAL AND URBAN POLICY

DG Regional and Urban Policy is under the responsibility of the Commissioner Corina Creţu. The Regional and Urban Policy Directorate-General is the department in the European Commission responsible for European measures to assist the economic and social development of the less-favoured regions of the European Union under Articles 158 and 160 of the Treaty. Supporting regional development is vital for stability in the European Union. The aim is to promote a high level of competitiveness and employment by helping the least prosperous regions and those facing structural difficulties to generate sustainable development by adapting to change in the labour market and to worldwide competition.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/regional_policy/index_en.htm

DG RESEARCH & INNOVATION

Under the authority of Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner responsible for research. The Directorate General's mission is evolving as work on the European Research Area (ERA) continues. It can be summarised as follows:
- to develop the European Union's policy in the field of research and technological development and thereby contribute to the international competitiveness of European industry;
- to coordinate European research activities with those carried out at the level of the Member States;
- to support the Union's policies in other fields such as environment, health, energy, regional development etc;
- to promote a better understanding of the role of science in modern societies and stimulate a public debate about research-related issues at European level.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/research/index_en.html

DG TAXATION AND CUSTOMS UNION

Under the authority of Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, the Directorate-General takes an active part in the achievement of the strategic aims of the European Union.
In this context it aims to:
- manage, defend and develop the customs union as a vital part of protecting the external borders of the EU
- tackle the tax obstacles that currently prevent individuals and companies from operating freely across borders and from exploiting the full benefit of the Internal Market and encourage changes to tax systems so that they support Community objectives such as competitiveness and sustainable development ;
- Respond effectively to the international challenges associated with customs and tax policies;
- Facilitate better co-operation between Member States to combat tax and customs fraud.
- It engages regularly in open dialogue with stakeholders and interested parties in order to ensure that rules and proposals keep pace with the reality of rapid change.

http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/index_en.htm

DG TRADE

DG Trade conducts the European Union's common trade policy under the authority of EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. The Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission is in charge of implementing the external trade policy of the European Union.

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/index_en.htm

DG MOBILITY AND TRANSPORT 

DG Mobility and Transport is under the responsibility of the Vice-President Mr Violeta Bulc, Commissioner for Transport.

Under the political guidance of Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport is in charge of developing transport policies for the
European Union. Its remit is to ensure mobility in a single European transport area, integrating citizens' needs, environmental policy, and competitiveness. DG Mobility and Transport aims to ensure that this policy is designed and implemented for the benefit of all sectors of society, including industry and citizens. For this reason, it works in close dialogue with EU citizens and stakeholders.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/transport/index_en.htm

THE EURACTIV INFORMATION SYSTEM

The system helps to:

• Read news on line in fields that might interest you
• Get regular news on e-mail on subjects that interest you
• Use an extensive link list
• Have access to a register of 10 000 EU actors on their homepage

http://www.euractiv.com

TAIEX

TAIEX is the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument managed by the Directorate-General Enlargement of the European Commission. TAIEX supports partner countries with regard to the approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation. It is largely demand driven and facilitates the delivery of appropriate tailor-made expertise to address issues at short notice.

http://taiex.cec.eu.int/

If you have suggestions on additional links, send them to info@ubc.net