And another thing the EU has done for us...
Saturday 30 April was a day when European citizens could feel a concrete benefit of the EU, with charges on phone calls, text messages and mobile internet going down before being phased out next year, reports EUobserver: euobserver.com/economic/133288
Politico says that in the final step before mobile roaming charges are abolished in Europe in mid-2017, users will pay a maximum €0.05 per minute for each call and €0.02 per SMS on top of their normal charges when traveling outside their home country within the EU. For data, users will pay an extra €0.05 per MB: dub129.mail.live.com
Efforts to link the UK's electricity grid with other European power networks would be set back if the UK decides to leave the EU, with some key projects likely to be put on hold, experts have told EurActiv.com: www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/uk-energy-links-to-europe-at-risk-from-brexit-analysts-warn/
NEW COMMISSION SURVEILLANCE ON STEEL: A "prior surveillance system for import of steel products" means you will now require an import license to bring steel into the EU for sale. The rule will expire in four years, reports Politico: dub129.mail.live.com
Europe's economy is perking up. Politico Morning Exchange reports: "First-quarter gross domestic production rose 0.5 percent across the bloc and 0.6 percent in the eurozone from the year-end quarter, beating expectations, according to preliminary results released on Friday". The bad news is that Eurostat said it expects eurozone annual inflation to be -0.2 percent in April 2016, down from zero in March: dub129.mail.live.com
Unemployment in the EU fell in March 2016 to 8.8%, down from 9.7% in the same period last year, and the lowest rate recorded since April 2009, according to Eurostat. Unemployment in the euro area as a whole also fell from 11.2% last year to its current level of 10.2%. EUobserver reports: euobserver.com/tickers/133291
The [European] Commission announced Friday that it will align EU law to International Labor Organization guidelines for the fishing sector. It will propose legislation that will define minimum ages for fishermen, proper employment contracts and occupational safety rules. Fishing is a dangerous job: The threat of drowning notwithstanding, fishermen work long hours and manipulate heavy machinery. Politico Morning Agri and Food reports: dub129.mail.live.com
India should enter into a free trade pact with the EU even if the country has to "compromise", otherwise benefits from rising wages in China will go to nations like Bangladesh and Vietnam, a top official said on Friday, reports Business Today: www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/india-needs-to-seal-fta-with-eu-even-on-compromise-kant/story/231994.html
A group of EU governments, headed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, want to avoid repeating a process first implemented in 2014 in which the European Parliament chooses a European Commission president, [the Spitzenkandidaten process] according to Süddeutsche Zeitung, which cited a Dutch EU presidency report on the issue. Politico reports:
Courtesy of Peter Morris, European Movement in North East