http://www.eubusiness.com <p><strong>Latest news about Living & Working in the European Union.</strong></p><p>One of the fundamental objectives of the European Union, as stated by the Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed in 2007 and came into force in 2009, is to offer its citizens an area of freedom, security and justice without internal borders. Since the Schengen acquis was integrated into Community law, the concept of “free movement” is used in two senses. First, in the traditional sense of free movement for EU citizens, i.e. the right to enter, stay and remain in another Member State; second, in the sense of anyone being able to cross the internal borders without undergoing checks. Today, over 400 million people live in the Schengen area. In order to ensure the well-being of all EU citizens who live and work abroad, the EU has to coordinate all European countries’ social security schemes. EU rules on social securty were updated and a new, improved coordination system will enter into force in May 2010. </p><p><strong>FACT SHEETS</strong></p><p><strong>Living in the EU</strong></p><ul><li><a href="free-movement/ ">Free movement of people</a></li><li><a href="data-protection">Data protection within the EU</a></li></ul><p><strong>Working in the EU</strong><ul><li><a href="jobs-growth">Lisbon strategy for jobs and growth</a></li><li><a href="social-security-rights">Social Security Rights</a></li><li><a href="topics/employment">EUbusiness: Employment strategies, networks and mobility</a></li></ul><p><a href="social/contacts"><strong>EU Social Policy Contacts</strong></a></p><p><a href="employment/contacts"><strong>EU Employment Contacts</strong></a></p> <hr /> <h2>LATEST NEWS</h2> daily 1 2007-01-02T13:22:44Z http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/finance/inheritance-tax EU citizens who inherit foreign property are frequently faced with a tax bill from more than one Member State. In fact, in extreme cases the total value of a cross-border inherited asset might even have to be paid in tax, because several Member States may claim taxing rights on the same inheritance or tax foreign inheritances more heavily than local inheritances. Citizens may be forced to sell inherited assets, just to cover the taxes, and small businesses may face transfer difficulties on the death of their owners. To tackle these problems, the Commission on 15 December 2011 adopted a comprehensive package on inheritance taxation. Through a Communication (COM/2011/864), Recommendation (C/2011/8819) and Working Paper, the Commission analyses the problems and presents solutions related to cross-border inheritance tax in the EU. No publisher eub2 Taxation Living & Working in EU 2011-12-15T16:31:43Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/migrants-family The European Commission has launched a public debate on the right to family reunification of third-country nationals living in the EU. Depending on the outcome of the consultation, the Commission will decide whether any policy follow-up is necessary – such as setting up clear guidelines, modifying the current rules or leaving the legislation as it is. No publisher eub2 Social Living & Working in EU 2011-11-17T22:25:58Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/smart-borders The EU needs a more modern and efficient management of traveller flows at its external borders. Today the European Commission adopted a Communication which sets out the main options for using new technologies to simplify life for foreigners frequently travelling to the EU and to better monitor third-country nationals crossing the borders. No publisher eub2 borders Living & Working in EU 2011-10-25T15:57:54Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/visa-system The Visa Information System (VIS) started operations as from 08:00 CET today. Visa applications will now be processed much faster thanks to the use of biometrics (fingerprints and a digital facial image) which will facilitate the identification of visa holders and help to avoid identity theft. This new system will allow for a quick and effective exchange of data on short-stay visas among Schengen countries. The VIS will also reinforce the integrity of the system and strengthen trust among its member states. The first consular posts to be connected to the system are those in North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia). No publisher eub2 Travel visa Transport Living & Working in EU 2011-10-13T16:20:54Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/schengen-2 The European Commission has proposed to strengthen the Schengen area to guarantee free movement for the hundreds of thousands of EU citizens and third countries' nationals travelling within this territory every day. The Commission's proposals aim to put in place a more efficient and EU-based approach to Schengen cooperation. Particular challenges that may put the overall functioning of the Schengen area under strain need to be addressed in an effective and coordinated manner. The proposals provide for a stronger EU-based evaluation and monitoring system to verify and ensure the application of the Schengen rules, and for a more structured European decision-making mechanism that could allow for the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls in case of serious threat to public policy or internal security. No publisher eub2 Living & Working in EU 2011-09-19T13:28:17Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/eulaw/lawyer-access-1 European Commission to guarantee suspects' rights to speak with a lawyer, inform family of arrest No publisher eub2 EU Law Living & Working in EU 2011-06-08T21:02:44Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/funding/justice-home-affairs/fundamental-rights Calls for proposals for operating grants in the field of Fundamental Rights and Citizenship No publisher eub2 Living & Working in EU 2011-04-17T22:03:45Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/roma-guide Europe's 10-12 million Roma continue to face discrimination, exclusion and the denial of their rights, while governments lose out on increased revenue and productivity because potential talent could go wasted. Better economic and social integration is an imperative – but to be effective, concerted action is needed at all levels to address the multiple causes of exclusion. The European Commission is therefore today putting forward a European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies. This EU Framework will help guide national Roma policies and mobilise funds available at EU level to support inclusion efforts. The Framework focuses on four pillars: access to education, jobs, healthcare and housing. Member States should set individual national Roma integration goals in proportion to the population on their territory and depending on their starting point. No publisher eub2 Social Living & Working in EU 2011-04-05T15:30:07Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/rights-11 The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights has now been legally binding for over a year – primarily on the EU institutions (European Parliament, Council and the European Commission) when preparing new European laws, but also on national authorities if they are implementing EU law. As part of its efforts to make fundamental rights a reality for citizens in the EU, the European Commission is reporting for the first time on how the Charter is being applied. The Annual Report on the application of the Charter shows that fundamental rights are relevant across a wide range of policies – from data protection to immigration and asylum – and that public interest in the Charter runs high. However, the report also highlights that the Charter is frequently misunderstood. In 2010, the Commission received more than 4,000 letters from the general public regarding fundamental rights. Approximately three quarters of these concerned cases outside the remit of EU law. In addition, a recent survey by the European Ombudsman found that 72% of Europeans do not feel well informed about the Charter. Today's report is a first step in addressing these challenges, clarifying where the Charter applies and where it does not. This will ease citizens' access to justice. The report should help citizens determine where they need to turn when they believe that their fundamental rights have been violated by an EU institution or a national authority. The Annual Report is therefore part of the Commission's strategy to ensure that fundamental rights are effectively implemented so that people can rely on them in practice. No publisher eub2 human rights Social Employment Living & Working in EU 2011-03-31T15:00:06Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/roma-fra Some 10-12 million Roma and Travellers are currently living in the European Union. Almost all of the Roma and Travellers living in the European Union are EU citizens and have the same rights as any other EU citizen. The Roma make up the largest ethnic minority in the EU. Minorities have a specific mention in the Treaty of Lisbon and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Evidence has shown that they are more likely to face discrimination and social exclusion than majority populations. Some of the key findings of the Fundamental Rights Agency's research on the situation of Roma and Travellers in the EU are listed here. No publisher eub2 Social Employment Living & Working in EU 2011-03-17T21:44:12Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/eulaw/property-11 What happens to your house if you get divorced and your spouse is of another nationality? What happens to a joint bank account if the spouse dies? What happens in such cases if you and your spouse have the same nationality, but you have property or a bank account abroad? In Europe, there are around 16 million international couples, and at least 650,000 of them face these questions every year when their marriage or partnership comes to an end. Citizens lose time and money figuring out which law applies to their case and which court is competent to help them. Legal divergences between the 27 EU Member States create an incentive for "forum shopping" or a "rush to the court." This happens when one spouse – usually the wealthier one – rushes to a court where he/she thinks the outcome will be the most beneficial. The European Commission is therefore proposing EU-wide rules to bring legal clarity to the property rights for married international couples and for registered partnerships with an international dimension. The two proposed Regulations would help identify which law applies to a couple's property rights and the responsible court. The Regulations also provide for rules for recognising and enforcing court judgments on a couple's property in all EU Member States through a single procedure. The proposals are the first deliverable of the Commission's October 2010 Citizenship Report, which outlined 25 major practical obstacles that Europeans still face in their daily lives. Today's proposals are the logical next step following the swift agreement last year on EU legislation to determine which country's rules apply in cross-border divorce cases. No publisher eub2 EU Law Social Living & Working in EU 2011-03-16T22:57:00Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/Languages/eurovoc EuroVoc is a multilingual, multidisciplinary thesaurus covering the activities of the EU, the European Parliament in particular. It contains terms in 22 EU languages (Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish), plus Croatian and Serbian. No publisher inadim Languages Living & Working in EU 2011-02-26T09:36:59Z Link http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/housing-social.8qr One in six people live in overcrowded homes in Europe, with many living without indoor flushing toilets or showers in former Communist states, EU figures showed on Wednesday. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2011 AFP. All other Copyright 2011 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. housing Headline2 social 2011-02-23T19:11:50Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/employment/epc The European Commission on 7 January launched a public consultation on the Professional Qualifications Directive (Directive 2005/36/EC). The consultation is an opportunity for stakeholders to highlight areas of the Directive they feel could be simplified and made more user-friendly. It also seeks views on how to better integrate professionals working in the Single Market, and raises the option of a European Professional Card. This Directive is key to enabling professionals to take full advantage of the potential of the Single Market in finding a job or extending their business in another Member State. Updating this Directive is one of the actions set out in the Single Market Act adopted in October 2010 and follows Commission reports on how the Directive works in practice. The results of the Consultation will feed into an evaluation report and a Green Paper due this autumn. The Commission will come forward with a proposal for modernising the Directive in 2012. Stakeholders are invited to respond until 15 March 2011, and a public hearing is scheduled for 21 February 2011. No publisher eub2 Employment Living & Working in EU 2011-02-16T12:38:11Z Guide http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/living-in-eu/112-guide To mark "European 112 Day" on 11th February, the European Commission is urging EU Member States to step up their efforts to increase public awareness of the existence of 112, the number which can be used in all Member States to reach emergency services. An EU-wide survey released today shows around three out of four EU citizens still do not know this life-saving number. However, EU telecoms rules require Member States to make their citizens aware of the 112 number. To increase the protection of EU citizens, Member States are further required to improve the accuracy and reliability of caller location information under the new EU telecoms rules, which must be implemented into national law by 25 May this year. No publisher eub2 Social Living & Working in EU 2011-02-11T12:14:04Z Guide