What did the Commission accomplish in 2013?

The General report on the activities of the European Union 2013 was published this week.

The focus in not on the individual member states but out of pure curiosity I've extracted the direct mentions made to Romania (excluding the graphs and maps with general statistics across the EU):

• The construction site of the second bridge on the Danube between Calafat, Romania, and Vidin, Bulgaria 
• Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, visiting the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN HH) in Romania:
• A Joint anti-terrorism exercise at EU level in 17 and 18 April as part of the EU-sponsored Atlas Network, which carried out the most complex preparation and crises response simulation so far at European level.
• an Antitrust decision : Commission sends Statement of Objections to Romanian Power Exchange OPCOM 
• and the The Cooperation and Verification Mechanism : The Commission continued to work with the Romanian authorities to address the issues raised in its report in July 2012 under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) (24). The Commission reported in January 2013 on Romania’s progress and on measures taken to restore respect for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in Romania (25). The assessment showed that Romania has implemented several but not all of the Commission’s recommendations. Cooperation continues with the Romanian authorities in the context of the CVM. The Commission continued to monitor progress under the CVM both in Bulgaria and in Romania and is due to report in early 2014 on the reform  process.

Let' start using our phone during take-off and landing !!!

The new European safety guidance establishes that passengers may use PEDs switched on in Flight Mode during all phases of the flight, unless flight crew or cabin crew instructs them otherwise.

Portable Electronic Devices (PED) include digital cameras, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, etc.

Before this change, the safety guidance stated that passengers could use their PEDs in Flight Mode (non-transmitting) in-flight, but not during taxiing, takeoff and landing.

The EU's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has given the airlines updated guidance on how to expand the use of PED’s safely in all phases of flight. The process to implement this will vary among airlines. They will need to adapt their operating procedures, but many will be expected to do so in coming weeks.

It’s not yet allowed to send emails or texts but EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas has asked EASA to accelerate a safety review of the use of transmitting devices on board, with updated guidance to be published in 2014.

Any airline may opt for a more restrictive policy on the use of PEDs. Any restrictions on the use of PEDs by passengers that may apply are at the discretion of the airline.

Industria duduie!!! or how Romania records 2nd highest industry growth in the EU ???

Romania has experienced the second biggest industrial production growth in the EU in September.

A recent Eurostat release showed, across Europe, industrial production was down by 0.5 percent in September compared with August.

Looking at annual comparisons – September 2013 against September 2012 – Romania again recorded the second biggest increase with a 8.9 percent rise, again behind Ireland which saw a 11.7 percent increase.

Romania, always surprising!!!

Male Cancers are also a woman's concern

An awareness initiative with a very smart message!

The Cancer Support Group is increasingly aware that women have really understood the message about the need for regular health checks but men, whatever their age, not so much. Male cancer sufferers also tend to react differently to the news, by keeping silent and withdrawing from social life, which can considerably diminish their ability to deal with their illness.

European Job Days 2010

locuri de muncaaaaa :)

What happens at a European Job Day? It’s simple – employers and jobseekers meet to see if they are a good fit. There are hundreds of events taking place all over Europe.

Every year, EURES (European Employment Services) teams throughout the EU organize hundreds of ‘European Job Days’ – the perfect place to recruit, to meet employers, to discuss your plans with a EURES Adviser or to find out more about how the EU can help you.

Nu cautati evenimente in Romania (in Eures Events Calendar) ca nu este...

I buy (online) so I exist (online) ???

control time!!! if the consumer rights are being compromised by the websites in a particular business sector.

Every year the Commission organizes an online raid for hundreds of websites in order to see if they comply with the EU law and impose corrective actions. These actions are called "EU sweeps"

4 sweeps were organized until now and this year the Online Ticket Sales websites were checked (for cultural and sporting events). The results were just published: from 410 ticketing websites, 59% were flagged for further investigations...

So, you had an unfortunate bad experience while buying tickets online, you can start documenting about your rights and the online DO & Dont's by accessing websites like Gimme The Info.

Fight for your rights and your tickets ;)

And don't forget to stop the online BULLying !!! drink a red bull instead ;)

Youth on the Move

un program ce vine in sprijinul celor 5 milioane de tineri care cauta joburi, fiind totodata o initiativa importanta in cadrul strategiei Europe 2020.

nu este o initiativa complet noua dar noua platforma a fost relansata acum cateva zile, accentul fiind de data asta pe calitatea programelor educative si pe promovarea mobilitatii academice pentru studenti.

Printre initiative:

- un nou website si un parteneriat cu EURES;

- o matrice de evaluare a mobilitatii tinerilor europeni;

- un sistem global de evaluare al universitatilor;

- Move Card si un pasaport european pentru calificari;

- "youth guarantee" - obligativitatea unei experiente de lucru de cel putin 6 luni pentru orice absolvent.

- si altele...

ai carte ai parte spune parca acest program, si are dreptate, dar doar daca vor fi suficiente locuri de munca pentru toti...dar asta e cu totul alta poveste de Comisie ;)

pacat ca Youth inseamna doar pana in 28 de ani :(

EC vs IBM

It's IBM turn to be investigated for anti-trust practices for tying of mainframe hardware to its mainframe operating system. The Commission initiative sustains the complains filled by T3 and Turbo Hercules, plus a second incentive that concerns alleged discriminatory behaviour towards competing suppliers of mainframe maintenance services.

IBM is rejecting the accusations and defends by saying: "we are fully entitled to enforce its intellectual property rights and protect the investments we have made in our technologies".

Conspiracy theory is also invocated by IBM: "The accusations made against IBM by Turbo Hercules and T3 are being driven by some of IBM's largest competitors - led by Microsoft".

EC already has won against major players like Microsoft (see my old post) so let's see what will happen now...

 

PS: for more details and business context analysis, check this blog: that focusses on how patents frightens free and open source software (FOSS).

Co-decision & IT-decision

The quality of the information systems of any organization, the automation of the business processes and the successful alignment between the business and IT, depends on the maturity of the business and of the organization.


Last week, Gartner has finalized the report for the European Commission: Method for Assessing ICT implications of EU Legislation.

It's not public yet, but the objective of the study was to develop a method that can be used by the EC, by other implementing bodies at the EU level and by the Member States when assessing ICT implications of draft EU legislation and proposed or adopted EU legislation. Such an assessment should increase stakeholders' understanding of the ICT implications.

The report offers a process, impact assessment tools and explains that the Co-decision process should involve as earlier as possible the IT experts that will determine the impact, will explain the inter-operability and risks and will make recommendations so that the technical solution is feasible and will sustain the implementation and adoption of the legislation.

The CO-decision process will no longer be a 2 players game but will soon have a third referee - the IT GOVERNANCE.

Some time ago, a German European parliamentary has said that every EU legislation has an equivalent in an IT system/solution. The Commission has finally acknowledged this, has achieved the business maturity needed and will involve the IT in the strategic construction of the European Law.

That's why I love IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Travel Chaos

You already know about it: the Volcano...that created the biggest air transport crisis ever.

And because almost no one is flighing this means that everyone is onlining: the traffic has moved from the sky to the web. The EUROCONTROL (the organisation that keeps the airports closed) website mentions: Due to the current European air traffic situation, our website is experiencing heavy traffic. We apologise for any inconvenience we may cause :))

Online collaboration platforms have helped again millions of people blocked in airports: hundreds of Volcano Profiles were created on Facebook, people are searching to share cars and share available routes info on Twitter and famillies take dinner togheter via Skype.

If you were caught in this chaos and you have posted your story online please put the link as comment.

Good luck getting home!!!

PS: latest taxy fares on BBC (from Poland to Germany 800 Euro, from UK to Spain 5.000 pounds)...

Ne mai trebuie IT-isti

Cam 384.000 pana in 2015.

See this. E una din concluziile E-skills.

E de bine, nu?

Egalitate intre sexe

18% in medie :)

Ehhh, cu atat castiga mai bine barbatii decat femeile pentru acceasi munca prestata.

Comisia incepe sa promoveze campanii de combatere a diferentelor dintre barbati si femei: de salarizare, functii de conducere, reprezentare parlamentara.

Exista chiar si un calculator online: Gender Pay Gap Calculator...ce dragutz. Cat v-a iesit? ;)

PS: LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE!

Coada la lapte :)

Ghici ghicitoare mea: coada mare la laptele de la vacuta administrator hranita cu iarba de pe pajistile europene? :)

Sigur stiti: e coada de la competitia EPSO :))

Cozile de altadat' sunt glumite in comparatie cu imbulzeala de la coada AD5: 8000 de aplicatii in 24 de ore, probabil peste 100 de candidati pe un loc in final.

E si normal: la asa job, asa competitie! Cica doar cei mai buni reusesc....hmmm

Vacuta AD5 a agitat multa lume pe aici: mai toti vorbesc despre noul sistem de evaluare, despre sanse, procente, reasoning de toate felurile, e bataie pe sesiunile si trainingurile de pregatire de la sindicate, emotii, vise si sperante demarire. De la mic la mare, unii aplicand prima data iar altii a 5-a oara, chiar si functionarii AST, cu totii practicam noul sport european al competitiilor.

va urez HAPPY REASONING!

PS: Nu va spun site-ul ca sa mai reduc din concurenta :))

PS1: Bafta mare :) si daca nu reusiti sa luati lapte de la vacuta EPSO ... putem oricand sa cumparam lapte praf de la privati ;)

Comisia avertizeaza Romania pe probleme de mediu

Preluare Rombel.

Numai vesti bune. Acum acum ajungem in fata Curtii de Justitie pentru 60.000 tone de formaldehidă ilegala.

Mori de ras nu alta...

Romania si Inovarea

INOVÁ, inovez, vb. I. Intranz. A face o schimbare, a introduce o noutate într-un domeniu, într-un sistem etc.; a înnoi. ♦ A introduce, a adopta, a propaga o inovație. – Din fr. innover, lat. innovare.

Da, pai e minunata dar lipseste cu desavarsire :)

Asa spune ultimul European Innovation Scoreboard pentru 2009, realizat de PRO INNO Europe, un instrument de benchmarking pentru competitivitate si inovare coordonat de DG Enterprise & Industry.

Suntem pe locul 3 din coada (adica din coada EU-27).

Avem insa sperante - citez mai jos. Gasiti raportul complet aici.

Romania is one of the growth leaders among the Catching-up countries, with an innovation performance well below the EU27 average but a rate of improvement that is one of the highest of all countries. Relative strengths, compared to the country’s average performance, are in Innovators and Economic effects and relative weaknesses are in Finance and support and Throughputs.

Hai, succesuri ;)

European SME Week 2010

Hi,

trebuie sa mai postez o data despre SME Week. De data asta ca sa va spun ca acum avem site-ul in 21 de limbi, am inceput sa publicam evenimente, in curand apar si filmuletele iar pe Twitter avem aproape 70 de followers :)

Join us ;)

PS: am ramas dator si cu o poveste tipic "romaneste" despre acest proiect dar va spun cand apar si brosurile.

Sper sa nu va intristati ;)

IT involvement

oauuu de cand nu am mai postat !!!!

Cateva proiecte interesante pentru la toamna. Le pun de acum sa aveti timp sa va pregatiti ;)

ICT 2010 Networking

E-Challenges 2010

think smart!

Nu lasa Romania sa-si piarda mintile!

Ia uite domle ce filmulet interesant!!!

Mesajul frumos si realizarea de exceptie!

si apoi ce...poate am sa ma intorc si eu acasa, nu? :)

No more BILL SHOCKS!!!

Internet & Roaming: a dangerous combination !!!

Not any more! because from 1 March 2010 the Commission has adopted the law that forces the European mobile phone operators to offer their customers a cut-off limit facility to protect them from 'bill shocks' for surfing the Internet with their mobile phones and laptops while travelling in other EU countries.

By default, every one of us will receive a warning when the data roaming usage exceeds in value 50 Euro!

You can read more here. Also, you can change this minimum limit of 50 euro ;)

Safe roaming browsing from now on !!!

PS: this law was justified by the famous case of the UK student that received a 9.000 Euro invoice for data roaming while studying abroad...

2020 - the EU future

Gata! Dezbaterile publice s-au terminat iar Comisia a adoptat directiile strategice pentru dezvoltarea Europei pana in 2020. Noua strategia economica a Europei este concentrata pe 3 directii:

- crestere prin cunoastere, inovatie, cercetare si educatie;

- o societate moderna, bazata pe o piata a muncii performanta si high-skilled, competitivitate si colaborare;

- o dezvoltare intensiv bazata pe tehnologie verde, prin protectia mediului si cu imbunatatirea calitatii vietii. 

China, India, SUA - here we come :)

Planul de lupta il gasiti aici...