Media releaseOne step closer to the set-up of the European Fund for Strategic Investment29 April 2015On 29 April the European Parliament and the Council held their second political meeting to discuss the legislative proposal on the set up of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) that intends to bring an additional 315 billion euro in investments for jobs and growth.

Why is satellite navigation important to the EU?

Following a

Why increase the pre-financing rate?

The European Commission has published

EU Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella announced the winners of the European Business Awards for the Environment 2014-15 at an evening ceremony last night.

Speech by Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for TransportCommittee on Transport and Tourism, European ParliamentMister Chair, Honourable members, Ladies and gentlemenThis is a real pleasure to be here with you this morning.

A new set of rules and legislation governing the 2014-2020 round of EU investments came into force in December 2013.

Member States agreed to allocate €647 million to support key priority infrastructure projects.

Today, Turkey and the European Commission signed an agreement for Turkey to join the EU's Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Programme (COSME).

The Committee of the Regions Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy (COTER) met jointly with the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development (REGI) to discuss problems and opportunities emerging from the implementation of the reform of EU regional policy adopted last year.

The Bureau of the Committee of the Regions adopted a declaration in Turin on 12 September urging European institutions and national governments to ensure the full mobilisation of EU cohesion policy investment by excluding national and regional co-financing from the deficit calculations under the Growth and Stability Pact.

How serious a problem is youth unemployment and inactivity in the EU?

he European Commission is meeting with the coordinators of 18

The EU-funded AGROCOS project is foraging through the plant world for natural substitutes to synthetic ingredients currently used in cosmetics, and in agrochemical products such as insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.

European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, and representatives from 21 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, have co-signed the National Indicative Programmes (NIP) under the 11thEuropean Development Fund for the period 2014-2020 in Apia (Samoa), for a total amount of €339 million.

Who will become this year’s most successful European Web Entrepreneur?

The European Commission will provide additional funding for the Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) to disrupt the illegal networks that are disseminating drugs and other illicit products through smarter, more effective, well-connected and intelligence led counter-narcotic activities of participating airports.

Every single minute, the world generates 1.

Do you want to track how much ozone, black carbon and other pollutants you are exposed to when out cycling or walking?

In the last Calls of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) Programme the European Commission selected a total of 106 projects that will benefit from over €320 million in EU support for improving transport infrastructure across Europe.

The European Commission today announces the first results of its new €3 billion SME Instrument, launched under Horizon 2020 to help innovative small firms get ideas from the lab to the market.

The European Commission's 6th Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion published today shows that EU Cohesion Policy is delivering on the growth goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy by creating jobs and reducing disparities across Europe.

The adoption today of the

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe will soon have access to up to € 25 bn of additional finance, as a result of an agreement signed today between the European Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF).

The EU must stop rolling over its growing portfolio of unpaid bills from one year to the next, said MEPs in Wednesday’s debate on the alarming shortage of funds for payments due in 2014.

Public-private partnerships under Horizon 2020: launch of activities and first callsSeven public-private partnerships, established under the EU's new research funding programme Horizon 2020, are being launched today.

New funding to support education in developing countries over the next seven years, through the Global Partnership for Education, (or GPE), was today announced by European Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs.

he European Commission has adopted the "Partnership Agreements" with the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) setting down the strategy for the optimal use of European Structural and Investment Funds to benefit the countries' regions and people.

The European Commission has announced today 19 actions which will receive funding under the Sustainable Urban Mobility campaign ‘

Traumatic brain injuries affect 1.

European Commission’s President José Manuel Barroso and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today witnessed the signature of Israel's association to Horizon 2020, the new EU research and innovation programme.

To better protect the more than 217 million workers in the EU from work-related accidents and diseases, the European Commission presented today a newStrategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014 – 2020,which identifies key challenges and strategic objectives for health and safety at work and presents key actions and instruments to address these.

Turkey will get full access to the European Union's new seven year research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, under an agreement signed today in Istanbul.

The European Commission has adopted today the first Operational Programme with France to use the available funding from the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) to tackle youth unemployment.

The Commission is proposing to increase the 2014 level of payment appropriations by EUR 4.

What was the request of the ECI 'One of Us'?

Today the European Commission adopted the first annual work programme for the new anti-fraud programme Hercule III.

The European Commission has adopted a "Partnership Agreement" with Germany setting down the strategy for the optimal use of European Structural and Investment Funds in the country's regions and cities.

The European Commission has adopted a "Partnership Agreement" with Greece setting down the strategy for the optimal use of European Structural and Investment Funds in the country's regions and citiesfor 2014-2020.

The European Commission has adopted a "Partnership Agreement" with Poland setting down the strategy for the optimal use of European Structural and Investment Funds in the country's regions, cities and people.

Social innovation can be a tool to create new or better jobs, while giving an answer to pressing challenges faced by Europe.

The winners of the first Natura 2000 Awards were announced at a ceremony in Brussels last night.

The European Commission has today approved an investment of €60 million from the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) to complete the construction of the electrical grid between Poland and Lithuania.

The European Commission today set out proposals to support "Innovation in the Blue Economy" (see

European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas today signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the new €1 billion Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan programme to Ukraine, which was approved by the EU Council of Ministers on 14 April.

The four-year SOLAR-JET project was launched in June 2011 and is receiving €2.

Belgium (BE) 4 projects (28,7 million euros)Bulgaria (BG) 1 project (0,5 million)Czech Republic (CZ) 1 project (0,6 million)Denmark (DK) 2 projects (4.

The European Commission has approved 20 programmes to promote agricultural products in the European Union and in third countries.

On 22 December 2013 a new set of rules and legislation governing the next round of EU investments for 2014-2020 came into force.

Improving the competitiveness of European SMEs and, in particular, facilitating their access to financing was the focal point of discussions at the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, which was hosted by the Ministry of Development and Competitiveness in Athens on 24-25 April.

European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, and New Zealand Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, will undertake a joint mission to the Pacific on 23-27 April to further strengthen development cooperation in that region.

Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn has welcomed the European Parliament's vote today to endorse reform of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), strengthening the EU’s response to natural disasters across European regions.

What is the EMFF?

1.

The European Investment Bank is pleased to support future investment in low-carbon demonstration projects.

The Award categories for 2014 are:Smart Growth–SME Innovation;Sustainable Growth - Green growth and jobs through bio-economy;Inclusive Growth - Creating jobs for the younger generation;CityStar - Investment projects in sustainable urban public transport.

A new programme worth €33 million to improve land governance and help improve the food and nutrition security of family farmers and vulnerable communities in Sub Saharan Africa, was announced today by Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs.

The European Commission decided to organise something more focused, precisely to see where we are, what we should do more, how we can speed up our work, involving the stakeholders, involving you, the national experts, involving the national organisations.

Why do we need a Consumer Programme at EU level?

Ahead of World Health Day on April 7, the European Union has launched a new project which will support the fight against the production and the trafficking in falsified medicines in Cameroon, Ghana, Jordan, Morocco and Senegal, which are situated along two of the main routes for the production and trafficking in falsified medicines (from Arabian Peninsula and Middle East to West/Central Africa; from East/Horn of Africa, via Yemen and Sudan, to Central Africa).

What is crowdfunding?

One of the biggest EU-funded initiatives, the Human Brain Project (HBP), today announced the beneficiaries of its €8.

EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs will today announce over €6.

Poverty: new Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived - frequently asked questions.

The European Commission welcomes today's adoption by the EU's Council of Minister of a Quality Framework on Traineeships to enable trainees to acquire high-quality work experience under safe and fair conditions, and to increase their chances of finding a good quality job.

The European Commission welcomed today's vote of the European Parliament on the Copernicus Regulation.

The Commission has adopted its Final Simplification Scoreboard: over 120 measures to simplify the EU funding rules for Europe's businesses, towns, regions, scientists and NGOs.

“EU Aid Volunteers” will be deployed to tackle specific humanitarian needs in crises under draft legislation approved by the MEPs on Tuesday.

Aid for Europe`s poorest people has been secured until 2020 after the Parliament approved a deal with the Council on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived.

The EU launched a youth guarantee scheme to help the more than five million young Europeans who are out of work.

What is the overall aim of the new health programme?

Funding is available now for cyber security under the Commission`s Horizon 2020 research programme.

The European Investment Bank is providing a long-term loan of EUR200 million to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to help finance projects in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector in the country.

The Commission has proposed technical adjustments to the 2014 EU budget to reflect the latest decisions on the new EU expenditure programmes.

19 February 2014 – As an integral part of the European Union’s response to the crisis, the EIB Group significantly stepped up its financial support in 2013 to promote growth and jobs in Europe.

A report published today by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) calls on the EU Commission to increase the effectiveness of the LIFE programme by improving the dissemination and replication of successful environmental projects.

A summary of the 11 resource-efficiency research projects.

First loan agreement targeting youth employment signed in Italy.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending EUR 50 million to Europejski Fundusz Leasingowy S.

The signing of a credit linefosteringyouth employmentbrings the number of mediumto long-termlending agreementsin support of Italian firmsconcluded by the European Investment Bank (EIB)and the UBIBancaGroupin the past three monthsto three – for a total amount of €350 million.

To ensure an efficient and effective use of the more than €70 billion (more than €80 billion in current prices) available to Member States from the 

€59 million in loans to modernise water and waste water management in Chisinau.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) launches a selection process today to set up two new Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), with partners from higher education, research and business.

Students and academic staff from Latin America will have more opportunities to study or train in European universities thanks to increased support from Erasmus+, the new European funding programme for education, training, sport and youth.

Today, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a loan agreement for an amount of €205 million to finance ElShababpower plant project.

The European Commission is consulting the public on a draft communication on how Member States can support the execution of Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs).

The panEuropean job search network EURES would be strengthened to provide more job offers.

he European Commission has found several amendments to a UK scheme allowing publicly-backed funds to invest in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) affected by a market failure, to be in line with EU state aid rules.

Commissioners Maria Damanaki and Günther Oettinger today presented a new action plan to facilitate the further development of the renewable ocean energy sector in Europe.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia have signed in Belgrade a EUR 150 million loan aiming at financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and otherinfrastructure projects.

The European Union (EU) has recently adopted an assistance package worth €45 million to support development and cooperation with a number of southern Neighbourhood partner countries.