EU Justice Scoreboard 2019: results show the continuing need to protect judicial independence
Today, the European Commission publishes the 2019 EU Justice Scoreboard, which gives a comparative overview of the independence, quality and efficiency of justice systems in EU Member States. It provides national authorities with information to help them improve their justice systems. The results are mixed and show relative improvements with regard to the efficiency of justice systems and the quality of justice. At the same time, the Scoreboard shows there are growing challenges with regard to the perception of judicial independence. Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: “The 2019 EU Justice Scoreboard comes at a time when challenges to the rule of law are mounting in some places in Europe. I am pleased to see that many countries continue to improve their judiciary. Sadly, some others are reversing the positive trends. There are still too many EU citizens who don’t see their justice systems as independent and who are waiting too long for justice to be served.” Since 2013, the Justice Scoreboard analyses three main elements of an effective justice system: efficiency, quality and independence. The EU Justice Scoreboard is one of the tools in the EU’s rule of law toolbox used by the Commission to monitor justice reforms undertaken by Member States and feeds into the European Semester. The Commission is also publishing today the results of two EU-wide surveys on the perception of judicial independence by the general public and by businesses. These results are taken into account in this edition of the Scoreboard. The full report is available online, as well as a press release and a Q&A. You can follow Commissioner Jourová‘s press conference online here. (For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt– Tel.: +32 229-67083; Melanie Voin – Tel.: +32 229 58659)
26th EU-Japan Summit outcome: Taking our strong partnership to a higher level
The 26th EU-Japan Summit, which took place in Brussels yesterday, focussed on the implementation of two landmark agreements concluded last year: the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement and Economic Partnership Agreement. “This is a truly historic time for Japan, with its current presidency of the G20 and the accession of Crown Prince Naruhito as Emperor next week. Japan can rely on the European Union on both counts: to strengthen multilateralism, and to support its new era of Reiwa, which means “beautiful harmony” and perfectly sums up our partnership”, said President Jean-Claude Juncker, who represented the European Union at the Summit with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, alongside the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. “Our new Economic Partnership Agreement is a landmark moment for global trade. The vast majority of the €1 billion of duties paid annually by EU companies exporting to Japan and vice-versa have been removed. This will help trade between us increase by up to nearly €36 billion. We now need to ensure that this success story continues by making sure we stay on track with the implementation”, said President Juncker.The Summit delivered a number of concrete outcomes, which are detailed in a Joint Summit Statement as well as a full press release. These include a joint commitment to strengthen cooperation on global issues and the rules-based international orderwith multilateralism, democracy, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, open markets and a global trading system with the World Trade Organisation at its core; working together on international initiatives on data protection; a new EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure; and discussions on addressing regional and foreign policy issues, and strengthening the EU-Japan security partnership. For more information on EU-Japan relations, consult the dedicated factsheet and the website of the EU Delegation in Tokyo. (For more information: Mina Andreeva – Tel.: +32 229 91382; Maja Kocijancic – Tel.: +32 229 86570; Adam Kaznowski – Tel: +32 229 89359)
Promoting innovation: €33 million to help bring top-class projects to market
The European Commission has selected 13 projects to receive a total of €33.12 million to bring innovations faster to the market. The funding comes from the pilot phase of the European Innovation Council (EIC), which targets fast-moving and high-risk innovation with strong potential to create new markets. The 13 projects, involving 54 partners in 17 countries, will receive around €2 million each with this round of the Fast Track to Innovation (FTI)under the EIC. The range of projects include recycling technology for rubber from old tyres, a magnetic ink barcode reader for anti-counterfeiting purposes, next generation photovoltaic windows, and a neuro-prosthesis that allows amputees to feel sensory feedback from the prosthesis. Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: “With the new European Innovation Council we support high-risk breakthrough innovation. Today we award support to a range of amazing projects that connect industrial partners, big corporates and innovative SMEs, creating new markets and jobs for European citizens.”The Fast Track to Innovation promotes innovative activities at the close-to-the-market stage under the EIC. It supports mature innovative concepts that have already been tested. The EIC will become a full-fledged reality from 2021 under the next EU research and innovation programme Horizon Europe. More information and a list of the beneficiaries are available online. (For more information: Lucía Caudet – Tel.: +32 229 56282; Victoria von Hammerstein – Tel.: +32 229 55040; Mirna Talko – Tel.: +32 229 87278)
Concentrations: la Commission européenne autorise l’acquisition de ProFamily par Agos
La Commission européenne a approuvé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l’acquisition de ProFamily S.p.A. , basée en Italie, par Agos Ducato S.p.A. (« Agos »), basée en Italie et contrôlée conjointement par Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance S.A. (« CACF »), basée en France, et Banco BPM S.p.A. (« BBPM »), basée en Italie. ProFamily est une filiale de BBPM, un groupe bancaire opérant dans le secteur du crédit à la consommation en Italie. CACF est une filiale du groupe Crédit Agricole qui est actif dans le secteur du crédit à la consommation en France et dans plusieurs autres pays européens. L’acquisition de ProFamily vise à regrouper au sein d’Agos l’ensemble des activités de crédit à la consommation de BBPM. Les activités de ProFamily qui ne sont pas distribuées par l’intermédiaire du réseau bancaire de BBPM ne font pas partie de l’opération et seront vendues à des tiers ou abandonnées. La Commission a conclu que la concentration envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problèmes de concurrence, compte tenu de son impact limité sur la structure de marché. L’opération a été examinée dans le cadre de la procédure simplifiée de contrôle des concentrations. De plus amples informations sont disponibles sur le site internet concurrence de la Commission, dans le registre public des affaires sous le numéro d’affaire M.9288. (Pour plus d’informations: Lucía Caudet – Tél. +32 229 56182;Giulia Astuti – Tél.: +32 229 55344)
Eurostat : Indicateurs Europe 2020 sur l’éducation en 2018 : plus de 40% des 30-34 ans dans l’UE sont diplômés de l’enseignement supérieur
Aujourd’hui, Eurostat, l’office statistique de l’Union européenne, publie les données les plus récentes pour l’UE et ses États membres concernant les progrès accomplis sur les deux grands objectifs Europe 2020 en matière d’éducation. L’un des objectifs de la stratégie Europe 2020 est qu’au moins 40% des 30-34 ans dans l’Union européenne (UE) obtiennent, d’ici 2020, un diplôme d’enseignement supérieur. En 2018, l’UE a atteint cet objectif avec un pourcentage de 40,7%. Cette part n’a cessé de croître depuis le début de la série en 2002, lorsqu’elle était de 23,6%. Cette tendance est encore plus significative pour les femmes (de 24,5% en 2002 à 45,8% en 2018, soit au-dessus de l’objectif global Europe 2020), que pour les hommes (de 22,6% à 35,7%, soit toujours en-dessous de l’objectif global Europe 2020). Dans le même temps, la part des jeunes (âgés de 18 à 24 ans) ayant quitté prématurément l’éducation et la formation a régulièrement diminué dans l’UE, passant de 17,0% en 2002 à 10,6% en 2018. Les jeunes femmes (8,9%) sont moins affectées par ce phénomène que les jeunes hommes (12,2%). L’objectif Europe 2020 est de réduire les taux de décrochage scolaire dans l’UE à moins de 10% d’ici 2020. Un communiqué de presse complet est disponible en ligne. (Pour plus d’informations: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tél.: +32 229 67083; Inga Höglund – Tél.: +32 2 29 50698)
Eurostat : Près de 20 000 mineurs non accompagnés parmi les demandeurs d’asile dans l’UE en 2018
En 2018, 19 700 demandeurs d’asile sollicitant une protection internationale dans les États membres de l’Union européenne (UE) étaient considérés comme étant des mineurs non accompagnés. Cela représente une diminution de plus d’un tiers par rapport à 2017 (31 400) et un retour à un niveau inférieur à celui enregistré en 2014 (23 100), date à laquelle une première augmentation avait été enregistrée par rapport à la période 2008-2013 durant laquelle un nombre de demandes relativement constant d’environ 12 000 par an avait été enregistré. En 2018, au niveau de l’UE, les mineurs non accompagnés représentaient 10% de l’ensemble des demandeurs d’asile âgés de moins de 18 ans en 2018. Un communiqué de presse complet est disponible en ligne. (Pour plus d’informations: Natasha Bertaud – Tél.: +32 229 67456; Tove Ernst – Tél.: +32 229 86764)
STATEMENTS
Vaccination: Time to speak out against disinformation!
On the occasion of the European Immunisation Week and the publication of the Eurobarometer survey on attitudes towards vaccination, Vice President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen said: “Vaccination is one of the most successful public health measures to date. Not only do vaccines prevent diseases and save lives, they also reduce healthcare costs. Unfortunately, those of us who read the news have undoubtedly seen striking headlines about the rise of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in recent years, resulting in severe health consequences and sometimes – avoidable deaths. The World Health Organization has named vaccine disinformation as one of the top 10 public health threats this year. But, does this mean that the trust in science is eroding? We have some good news: as shown in the first Eurobarometer on attitudes towards vaccination published today, 85 % of EU citizens believe vaccination is an effective way to prevent infectious diseases, to protect yourself and others. Herd immunity is crucial, particularly when one has a compromised immune system and cannot be vaccinated. The Eurobarometer also shows that around half of EU citizens have been vaccinated in the last five years and a large majority (79%) consult and trust a healthcare professional to get information about vaccinations. The latter data confirms the Commission’s initiative, together with the Coalition of Healthcare Workers, puts us on the right path to raising awareness effectively. We will continue to roll out all the actions included in the Council Recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases, and I am glad to announce that the Commission and WHO will be hosting a Global Vaccination Summit on 12 September 2019 in Brussels.” Read the full statement here. Read the Eurobarometer results here and vaccination overview here. (For more information: Anca Paduraru – Tel.: +32 229 91269; Aikaterini Apostola – Tel.: +32 229 87624)
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