European Commission fines Microsoft with €561m !!!

2 years ago I was blogging about this - "The EC killed Internet Explorer" and I was happy because the Commission won the case against the IT giant Microsoft for the Internet Explorer browser monopoly on Windows operating systems.

 

Today, for the first time in history, the Commission fined a private company for non-compliance and did it with a huge fine of €561 million for failing to include the browser ballot in Windows 7 SP1. With 15 million people not shown the ballot, the EC is effectively fining Microsoft €37 per user.

 

Microsoft said the failure to show the browser ballot was a "technical error" but the EC was not convinced and motivated their decision by the fact that this failure is considered a serious infringement to competition and European enforcement policy!

 

An important decision of the EC that creates a precedent and maybe a new will give ideas for new ways to increase the European budget that faced massive cuts for the first time since the EU was borne.

 

This fine practically compensates the huge costs the EC pays for Microsoft licenses, so it's like the institutions will use Windows and Office for free for a long time :) way to go !!!! the next fine it will be for Oracle ;))

 

Reflection points:

• Microsoft didn't considered seriously the Commission warnings and legal commitments, but they will from now;
• The Internet Explorer browser is a very important piece of software for Microsoft and they are not willing to sacrifice it ... cheap;
• The Commission likes big fines but gave no explanations on how the cost of €37 per impacted user was calculated?

Read more: Microsoft fined €561m for missing browser ballot |

Note: The European Commission has fined Microsoft, the global leader in PC operating systems, 2.2 billion euros (1.8 billion pounds) over the past decade, making it the world's biggest offender of European Union business rules (source Reuters.com).

Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs

"We want to empower Europeans to fill the jobs that will drive the next ICT revolution", Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

 

What does he mean?

 

Basically the EC tries to address the 900 000 job vacancies expected to exist in Europe in Information and Communication technologies (ICT) by 2015; and the fact that the number of fresh ICT graduates and skilled ICT workers is not keeping up. The ICT workforce in Europe in 2011 amounted to 6.7 million, which is 3.1% of the overall workforce.

 

With the Coalition for Digital Jobs (don't know why it's called Grand...), the Commission has sought pledges in the following key areas: Training and matching for digital jobs, Mobility, Certification, Awareness raising, Innovative learning and teaching.

 

Some linked European initiatives:

• Academy Cube - an European alliance between industrial companies and institutions; primarily intended for academics, graduates and job seekers – ideally from the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
• EU Skills Panorama - a website presenting quantitative and qualitative information on short- and medium-term skills needs, skills supply and skills mismatches.

 

Si de data asta, Romania e la coada clasamentului european cu cei mai multi cetateni fara cunostinte PC/IT, si anume peste 60%! Pare uimitor, tinand cont ca IT-istii nostri sunt vestiti in Europa; dar statisticile pulicate de Eurostat nu pot fi negate. Alte statistici (Panorama) arata ca in Romania IT-istii ,ca procent din numarul total de angajati, au un procent extrem de scazut in comparatie cu media europeana.

European Smart Borders: enhancing mobility and security

This should interest all non EU foreigners visiting Europe (the Schengen area) and the non-Schengen member countries. The new package proposed by the Commission wants to speed-up, facilitate and reinforce border check procedures for foreigners travelling to the EU.

 

Smart Borders means efficient border management by using state-of-the-art technology.

 

The package consists of

• a Registered Traveller Programme (RTP) and
• an Entry/Exit System (EES) that will simplify life for frequent third country travellers at the Schengen external borders and enhance EU border security.

Business travellers, workers on short term contracts, researchers and students, third country nationals with close family ties to EU citizens or living in regions bordering the EU are all likely to cross the borders several times a year. Making it as easy as possible for them to come to the EU would ensure that Europe remains an attractive destination and help boosting economic activity and job creation.

More information on the website of Home Affairs Directorate.

Nu este foarte clar daca o tara ca Romania care nu face parte inca din spatiul Schengen (si nici nu prea sunt perspective reale) dar care foloseste pasaportul biometric, va obliga cetatenii romani sa se inregistreze in acest program si baza de date.
Rusinica mare daca vom fi nevoiti...

e-Skills Manifesto

e-Skills Manifesto Points the Way to a Job-rich and Digitally Capable Europe

The e-Skills Manifesto deep dives into policy development opportunities and the role that all stakeholders across the European Union must play in the development of a cohesive action plan to develop and promote e-skilled labour in Europe. 

It is a result of the second e-Skills Week 2012 campaign.

In Romania aceasta initiativa este sprijinita de AsociatiaIT.

Alo? Europe? I have a question!

Do you want to find out what Europeans want to know about Europe?

Europea Direct - that is the central contact centre of EU - might have an idea.

If we read an Europe Direct quarterly activity report of 2012 we find out:

• that each quarter almost 20.000 questions are asked by Europeans (around 10% of inquiries come from Romania);
• the top 10 subjects are: EU general, institutions and Member States; Employment and social affaire; Justice and european rights;
• UK is mostly interested by the Free Movement of Workers while Spain about Economic Crisis and budgetary issues - not a big surprise;
• the European Citizens' Initiative - it's not so popular :(
• in average there are less inquiries than in 2009 or 2010.

In Romania, Europe Direct este bine reprezentat cu centre de informare si documentare.

A se vedea harta.

Vreo intrebare din public?

is the EU budget well spent?

Some think it is! and they created also a website: http://wellspent.eu/ that tells the story of some  smart & green European projects...too few in my opinion (as the EC published last week a list with around 100 successful projects).

Nimic despre Romania pe site-ul mai sus mentionat...poate fiindca banii nu sunt bine cheltuiti? cine stie...insa Bulgaria este mentionata cu proiectul de renovare al metroului din Sofia!!! Nice, nu? ca noi nu am reusit sa atragem bani pentru metroul nostru, ba chiar lucrarile s-au amanat...

Anyway, http://wellspent.eu/, take a look at the video - it's well done ;)

Good examples of EU funded projects

"The European Union budget is relatively small (around 1% of EU GNI), but it can make a big difference." 

This is what the EC thinks and this is why last week published a list with successfully funded projects from EU budget (in the same day when the Council was negotiating the Multi Financial Framework, that is the EC budget until 2020). Smart PR trick!

The list contains references to almost 100 european projects, from which only 3 had beneficiaries from Romania:

• Major EU investment for a pan-European scientific research hub in Romania – Funding: almost EUR 180 million (ERDF) - adica super laser-ul ce se va construi la Magurele;
• Enabling the disabled of Europe – Funding: EUR 32 391.47 - ceva donatii pe la Petrosani;
• Bakery production for local community of over 85 000 people – Funding: EUR 920 107 (EAFRD) - o brutarie la Cluj.

Read about the EU funded projects in investing in our future - on press release.

European Data Protection Day - 28 January 2013

On 28 January 2013, 47 countries countries of the Council of Europe as well as European institutions, agencies and bodies will celebrate the seventh European Data Protection Day - "because your personal information is precious" !!!

This date marks the anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention 108 on the protection of personal information, the first legally binding international instrument related to the field of data protection.

This special day is promoted by EDPS (European Data Protection Supervisor) = an independent supervisory authority devoted to protecting personal data and privacy and promoting good practice in the EU institutions and bodies.

Aveti grija si nu mai partajati date cum ar fi (nume, adresa, telefon, varsta, venit, loc de nastere, numele tuturor copiiilor, al bunicilor, numarul de la pantofi sau altele) pe toate siteurile sau prin nu stiu ce formulare...nu va ajuta cu nimic si mai devreme sau mai tarziu cineva poate le va folosi impotriva voastra...

NO more smoking in EU !?!

The Commission's new plan to discourage smoking aims to ban both strong flavors that disguise tobacco and misleading claims such as ‘light’ and ‘mild’ on cigarette packets.


Statistics say that there are around 700.000 annual deaths caused by smoking!
This is why the EC proposes a more aggressive plan to put smokers out of smoking. Oh yeeeee !!!!

More on the tobacco regulation in EU.

Sper ca si in Romania sa se interzica cat mai curand fumatul in spatii publice ca m-am saturat sa respir fumul expirat de altii...it just sucks!

2013 - Anul european al cetatenilor (European Year of Citizens)

Comisia Europeană şi-a propus să desemneze anul 2013 drept "Anul european al cetățenilor", pentru a marca 20 de ani de la înființarea cetățeniei Uniunii Europene consemnată în Tratatul de la Maastricht (1993).

European  Civil society organisations and networks members of the EESC Liaison Group (European Year of Citizens 2013 Alliance) welcome Commission’s proposal to put Union citizenship at the heart of the political agenda, and launched a manifesto to raise awareness on Union citizens' rights, with a view to facilitating the exercise of the right of free movement and residence. 

Cititi acest manifest in limba romana (promovat in Romania de Asociatia Pro Democratia).

The European Year of Citizens 2013 is dedicated to the rights that come with EU citizenship. Over this year, we will encourage dialogue between all levels of government, civil society and business at events and conferences around Europe to discuss those EU rights and build a vision of how the EU should be in 2020.

it`s about EUROPE, it`s about YOU!