On 9 February 2017 Council and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional agreement on a decision establishing a European Year of Cultural Heritage (2018).  Cultural heritage encompasses resources from the past in a variety of forms and aspects. These include monuments, sites, traditions, transmitted knowledge and expressions of human creativity, as well as collections conserved and managed by museums, libraries and archives. The aim of this initiative is to raise awareness of European history and values and to strengthen a sense...

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UN's Sustainable Development Goals should spur EU to focus more on working with cities in developing world. Peter Bossman The European Union should increase its cooperation with local and regional authorities in the developing world if the United Nations is to achieve its goal of making cities more "inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable" by 2030, the European Committee of the Regions argues in an opinion adopted on 8 February. The opinion was drawn up at the CoR's initiative, with the aim...

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed the outcome of the first part of the informal Malta Summit held in Valetta today.   European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed the outcome of the first part of the informal Malta Summit held in Valetta today. The 28 EU leaders agreed on a set of concrete actions – proposed by the European Commission last week - to better manage migration flows and save lives on the Central Mediterranean route. The meeting continued with...

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© EU The Investment Plan for Europe is now expected to trigger more than €168 billion in total investments across all 28 Member States.  The Investment Plan for Europe is now expected to trigger more than €168 billion in total investments. This comes just two years after the Plan was launched by the Juncker Commission and represents well over half of the €315 billion target of total investments mobilised that was originally earmarked. These figures follow last week's meeting of the European...

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The rules will reflect new ways in which Europeans enjoy culture and entertainment services online when they travel around the EU. Europeans will soon be able to fully use their online subscriptions to films, sports events, e-books, video games or music services when travelling within the EU, according to the agreement reached this evening by negotiators of the European Parliament, the Member States and the European Commission. This is the first agreement related to the modernisation on EU copyright rules...

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The EU at work to bridge the investment gap in transport and stimulate the European economy Why do we need investment in transport infrastructure? Transport faces a wide range of challenges across the EU: significant investment needs to complete the TEN-T core network, removal of bottlenecks, financing gaps in certain areas, need for infrastructure upgrade and modernisation, need for adequate project preparation and development of pipeline, urban mobility challenges, and regulatory and administrative barriers. The European Commission's Investment Plan for Europe...

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Now more than ever, the EU needs to address concerns about the significant decline in productivity growth and the increasing perception of unfairness. Completing the single market would unlock the EU's growth potential. At the same time, the EU should empower member states to fight inequality by helping them better distribute the gains arising from economic integration. The slow-down in productivity and income over the past decade has weakened the European Union’s output legitimacy, which is grounded in delivering prosperity...

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The Commission today adopted the Environmental Implementation Review; a new way to help Member States apply EU rules benefits citizens, administrations and economy Today's adoption of the Environmental Implementation Review marks the beginning of a new process in improving how environmental laws are applied for the benefit of citizens, administrations and economy. The Commission will address with Member States the causes of implementation gaps and find solutions before problems become urgent in areas such as waste management, nature and biodiversity, air...

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