Results of the 2014 European elections

Read also the Statement of President Barroso on the outcome of the 2014 European Parliament elections

Unleashing the Potential of Cloud Computing in Europe - Trusted Cloud Europe

European Cloud Partnership Steering Board adopted recently the TRUSTED Cloud Europe framework to support the definition of common cloud best practices, linking them to use cases, and applying them in practice. This paper presents two groups of actions in order to reach this objective: 

• Firstly, a flexible common framework of best practices needs to be created, at the legal, technical and operational level. This common framework, consisting of legal and operational guidelines as well as technical standards, can be voluntarily adopted by cloud providers to show that their offering is in compliance with the common framework, and can be used by buyers of cloud services (in the public or private sector) in order to determine more easily whether a cloud service complies with the requirements of their use case.
• Secondly, systematic consensus building is required, through public consultations, workshops, coordination groups etc., targeting all stakeholders, including citizens, public administrations, the cloud industry and cloud users. This would result in a common understanding on issues such as risk management, security requirements, privacy needs, enforcement methods, procurement practices, and any need for legislative reform, all of which can differ from use case to use case. 

The expected cumulative economic effects of cloud computing between 2010 and 2015 in the five largest European economies alone is around € 763 Bn. 

The cloud economy is growing by more than 20% and could generate nearly € 1 trillion in GDP and 4 million jobs by 2020 in Europe4, with the support of the right policy framework. 

Nobel Peace Prize 2012 awarded to European Union

The EU has received the 2012 award for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. In its announcement on 12 October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said its decision was based on the stabilizing role the EU has played in transforming most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.

The EU’s most important achievement, according to the committee, has been "the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights".

The European Union is the 21st international organisation to win the award since 1901.

Le prix sera décerné à Oslo, le 10 décembre. À l'instar des autres lauréats, l'UE le recevra des mains du président du comité Nobel. Elle sera représentée par le président du Conseil européen, le président de la Commission européenne et le président du Parlement européen. Le discours traditionnel du Nobel sera prononcé, au nom de l'UE, par les présidents Van Rompuy et Barroso. L'UE reversera le montant du prix (930 000 euros) à des projets destinés à aider les enfants victimes de guerres et de conflits.

Pentru a marca acest moment istoric, instituţiile UE şi Forumul European al Tineretului au organizat un concurs în care tinerii au avut posibilitatea să explice ce înseamnă pentru ei pacea în Europa. Câştigătorii îi vor însoţi pe liderii UE la Oslo pentru ceremonia de decernare a premiului.