euro-barometrul "Esti cetatean european si ai drepturi!"

The EC published the Flash Euro-barometer regarding this famous information campaign on consumer rights in Romania.

This report analyses whether consumers in main Romanian cities recall the consumer information campaign, how they evaluate the campaign messages and measures possible changes in awareness of and trust in consumer organisations and in perceived respect of consumer rights in Romania.

The campaign "It's your right! Take Action!" was launched by European Commissioner for Health and Consumers in June 2012.

The three main campaign subjects are product guarantees, shopping online, and package travel. Campaign activities include TV, print and online advertising, campaign official website www.consumatoreuropean.ro and a programme of round tables with the business community and public events in airports, shopping centres, supermarkets and maternities, that will unfold over the course of the next 12 months.

Similar consumer rights information campaigns were conducted in other countries that joined the European Union as of 2004. The contract for the campaign was awarded after a competitive public procurement process to a consortium of companies led by Saatchi & Saatchi Romania. 

European Mobility Week

European Mobility Week 2013, under the theme Clean air - it's your move! is focusing on air quality, with a particular emphasis on the role of citizens. Air quality has a major impact on our health and our environment.

No city from Romania registered the program yet...but last year Romania had 48 cities enrolled!!!

fun fact: this year CHINA has joined the week with 152 cities!!! how European is that?

Did you pick the right mean of transport? Do the right mix of urban mobility!

The European Commission’s Sustainable Urban Mobility campaign, launched in July 2012, is a three-year initiative aiming to support sustainable urban mobility campaigners in the European Union’s 28 Member States, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The central objective of this campaign is to promote the advantages of combining different modes of transportation. 

The campaign bears the slogan ‘Do the Right Mix’, and aims to highlight and advertise the fact that by using different modes of transportation for each journey as appropriate, people can improve their health, their finances and the environment.

Check out the Mobility Map!

Romania are un proiect inscris pe harta pentru Bucuresti - I like bike! 

asa sa fie oare ?...

60 seconds movie on EU Blue Belt: Commission eases customs formalities for ships

European Union start surveilling the US surveillance programmes!

The European Parliament started the fight against the American spying practices (e.g. PRISM) and passed this week a resolution to investigate the (in)compatibility of these programmes with the EU law.

The resolution includes multiple directions:

• Civil Liberties Committee inquiry
• Protecting whistleblowers
• Suspend air passenger and bank data deals?
• Trade talks should not undermine data protection
• Stronger data safeguards urgently needed

Read more on EP press release.

PS: oare si blogul asta este urmarit?

the truth is out there...

EU-career: 2010 Administrators (AD) competition re-OPENED

The AD competitions (for Administrators, these are Mid-Management positions) for careers in the European institutions have become rare opportunities in the last years (due to EU  budget and administration rationalisation), and in the best case there is only 1 "concours" organised each year.

 

In 2013, EPSO will not organize any new AD competitions!

 

However, some old AD competition are reopened: EPSO/AD/177/10, EPSO/AD/178/10 and EPSO/AD/179/10.

 

A corrigendum was published and new tests are being organised for those candidates who were excluded from the selection process in 2010 on the basis of their results in the admission tests, either because they did not reach the pass mark, or because they were not amongst the highest-scoring candidates who could be admitted to the selection based on qualifications phase

 

The person that triggered all these rehearsals is a candidate named Dimitrios Pachtitis that challenged EPSO responsibilities and initiated a legal battle. The General Court confirmed the Tribunal’s ruling, and EPSO re-affirmed its pledge to allow participants of the 2010 general AD5 level Administrator competitions to re-take their exams in 2013.

 

So he is the one to be congratulated (in case you ere positively impacted by this decision) or blamed (in all the other cases, as you will not have a chance for an AD competition this year).

 

In my case it's a bravo Dimi ;)

 

Note: Don't forget that you can prepare for these exams by practicing Abstract Reasoning and Situatiational Judgement tests on your iPhone or iPad.

European "Silicon Valley": Skype, Spotify and Angry Birds creators promote Digital Europe

Web entrepreneurs worldwide have an enormous impact on the economy and society: the majority of new jobs are created by start-ups and 45% of Europeans would like to be their own boss if they could. 

With this mind set, the European Commission wants that young Europeans to be inspired by home-grown entrepreneurs, so their bright ideas start and stay in Europe!

So, to give a living proof example for web businesses, the EC launched the 

European "Silicon Valley" of  online entrepreneurship.

The Digital Leaders of Europe are nominated on the Startup Europe Leaders Club - the first part of Startup Europe initiative (Digital Agenda priority).

...nici un roman, din pacate...

EU budget - myth busted !!!

In the context of the European Council decision to reduce the 2014-2020 EU budget and the on-going negotiations on European budgetary cuts, the European Commission launches more communication campaigns addressing the EU budget (multi-annual financial programming, spending justification and budget lifecycle transparency). See also my previous post: Is the EU budget well spent?

The new campaign is very citizen-friendly and busts multiple EU budget related myths:

Myth: The EU budget is enormous!

Myth: The EU budget is constantly on the rise – whereas national governments reduce their spending!

Myth: The bulk of EU expenditure goes into administration!

Myth: The EU budget is riddled with fraud!

Myth: The EU budget is decided by Eurocrats without any democratic procedures!

Myth: The EU costs too much!

Myth: The EU finances silly projects like dog training centres or Elton John concerts!

Myth: The Commission wants to introduce a direct EU tax and increase the tax burden on citizens!

Myth: Most of the EU budget goes to farmers!

Myth: Cohesion policy is an expensive charity!

Download also the "EU Spending - a myth-buster" brochure.

500 EU Information Centres inform 500 million citizens across Europe

The Europe Direct Information Centers (EDIC), since their creation - 4 years ago, received about 3.3 million personal enquiries, organised more than 41,000 events and answered more than a million e-mails.

Today, the European Commission the European Parliament launched a new generation of "Europe Direct Information Centres". The new network will extend possibilities for citizens to get practical information and advice on exercising rights in the European Union.

Read more in the press release about the statistics and activities of these centres, considered "the public face, the eyes, ears and mouth of our policies and of the rights of citizens on the ground".

Romania are 31 de centre EDIC, locul 6 in functie de numarul total de centre in Europa!

Statistic vorbind, centrele din Romania, in 2012:

• au inchis 37.000 de apeluri (aproape 4% din totalul de tichete deschise in toate cele 500 de centre);
• au produs 900 de publicatii (locul 2 !!! in functie de numarul de publicatii produse de o tara UE, dupa Spania);
• si organizat vreo 250 de evenimente.

Bravo!

An Open, Safe and Secure European Cyberspace

The European Union is committed to assure that the European  fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law are protected in cyberspace. This is why the European Commission, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has published a cyber security strategy alongside a Commission proposed directive on network and information security (NIS).

 

The strategy articulates the EU's vision of cyber-security in terms of five priorities:

• Achieving cyber resilience
• Drastically reducing cybercrime
• Developing cyber defence policy and capabilities related to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)
• Developing the industrial and technological resources for cyber-security
• Establishing a coherent international cyberspace policy for the European Union and promoting core EU values

Find out more on European Cyber Security Strategy.

 

some cyber security statistics:

an estimated 150,000 computer viruses in circulation every day,

148,000 computers compromised daily,

56.8% of respondents had experienced over the past year NIS incidents with a serious impact on their activities,

12% have already experienced online fraud and 89% avoid disclosing personal information,

 while only 26% of enterprises in the EU had a formally defined ICT security policy.