EU web links

A collection of links to web sites of the European Union institutions and other European business web sites.

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European Union Treaties

The European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that everything that it does is derived from treaties, which are agreed on voluntarily and democratically by all Member States. Previously signed treaties have been changed and updated to keep up with developments in society. The most recent one, the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, aims to replace all the existing Treaties with a single text and is the result of the work done by the Convention on the Future of Europe and an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).

EU decision-making: process and players

The treaties constitute the European Union’s ‘primary legislation’, which is comparable to constitutional law at national level. They thus lay down the fundamental features of the Union, in particular the responsibilities of the various actors in the decision-making process, the legislative procedures, under the Community system and the powers conferred on them. The treaties themselves are the subject of direct negotiations between the governments of the Member States, after which they have to be ratified in accordance with the procedures applying at national level (in principle by the national parliaments or by referendum).

How the EU takes decisions

Decision-making at European Union level involves various European institutions, in particular the European Commission, the European Parliament (EP), and the Council of the European Union. In general it is the European Commission that proposes new legislation, but it is the Council and Parliament that pass the laws.

EUR-Lex

EUR-Lex is a Commission portal to European Union law. EUR-Lex is a first step in bringing together the whole body of EU official acts for consultation.

European Court of Auditors reports

Annual reports of the European Court of Auditors

Combined Nomenclature

When declared to customs in the Community, goods must generally be classified according to the Combined nomenclature or CN. Imported and exported goods have to be declared stating under which subheading of the nomenclature they fall. This determines which rate of customs duty applies and how the goods are treated for statistical purposes.

HELP - life without tobacco campaign

Young people, non-smokers and those wanting to quit can get help to lead a life without tobacco, according to a 4 year-EUR 72 million EU anti-smoking campaign launched on 1 March 2005. The campaign has been devised for the European Commission by a consortium of health experts and PR professionals.

Future EU Maritime Policy: Green Paper

The Green Paper on a Future Maritime Policy for the Union is the result of over a year of consulting with stakeholders, identifying gaps between sea-related sectoral policy areas and attempting to adopt best practice and learn from obstacles and challenges. The mandate has been to examine all economic activities of Europeans, which are linked to or impact on the oceans and seas, as well as all the policies dealing with them, with a view to finding the best way to extract more benefit from the oceans in a sustainable manner. This Green Paper will be a success if it forges a consensus among stakeholders – the Member States and the citizens – that the EU needs to look at oceans and seas in an integrated manner if Europe is to maintain its resource base and continue being competitive in Maritime Affairs. This is your chance to voice your opinion on the Green Paper and make your ideas known!

EU Budget at a glance

Taxpayers' money is used by the Union to fund activities that all Member States and parliaments have agreed upon in the Treaties. A small amount – around 1% of the Union's national wealth, which is equivalent to about 232 Euro per head of the population - comes into the EU's annual budget and is then spent mainly for its citizens and communities.

European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net)

If you have a problem with a product you bought in another European country; if you want to check on your rights and what you are entitled to as a European consumer; if you have a complaint against a company or you are in a dispute with a trader - the network of European Consumer Centres is there to help with such questions and any other problems you may have concerning your activities as a consumer in Europe. The aim being that you should feel as confident when shopping in another country as you do at home.

JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European RegionS)

JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European RegionS) is a major joint policy initiative of the EIB, European Commission (DG REGIO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). JASPERS will assist beneficiary countries (principally the new Member States and acceding countries of the EU) to absorb EU Structural and Cohesion Funds over the next budgetary planning period 2007-2013.

Anti-dumping in the EU: the basics

Dumping is the sale of a product for export at less than its normal value (i.e.: profitable domestic sales prices or cost of manufacture plus a small allowance for selling, general and administrative costs and profit margin) in the market where it is produced.

Services directive - EP text

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on services in the internal market (COM(2004)0002 – C5-0069/2004 – 2004/0001(COD)) - text adopted 16 February 2006

Competition Law and Policy in the European Union - OECD report

In January 2006, the OECD published a report reviewing competition law and policy in the European Union. The report was prepared by the Secretariat of the OECD and formed the basis for a peer review examination of the European Commission in the OECD Competition Committee on 19 October 2005.

Anti-dumping cases

EU anti-dumping - list of cases, timetables and statistics

Review of EU Timeshare Directive

Timeshare, within the meaning of the European Union Timeshare Directive, is the right to spend a period of time (e.g. one or more weeks) in a holiday property for a specified or specifiable period of the year for three years or longer.

Savings tax contact points

Savings taxation - lists of national contact points for taxpayers.

Bathing water quality 2005

Annual report, 2005 bathing season: summary, country reports and map of beaches throughout Europe.

Eurobarometer

The web site for the Public Opinion Analysis sector of the European Commission. the European Commission has been monitoring the evolution of public opinion in the Member States, thus helping the preparation of texts, decision-making and the evaluation of its work. Surveys and studies address major topics concerning European citizenship, including EU enlargement, social situation, health, culture, information technology, environment, the Euro and defence.

Corporate tax competition and coordination in the EU

This paper reviews the rationales and facts about corporate tax coordination in Europe. Although statutory tax rates have dramatically declined, revenues collected from corporate taxation are fairly stable and there is so far no evidence of a race-to-the-bottom. The ambiguous results from economic tax theory and the institutional setting have constrained strong EU policy action in the area of tax competition. Yet, there are welfare gains to be expected from tax coordination. Following its 2001 Communication, the European Commission is currently working with Member States on the definition of a common consolidated corporate tax base for European Companies.

Injuries in the EU - summary statistics 2002-2004

Health and Consumer Protection: Injuries in the EU - summary statistics 2002-2004

European Defence Agency

The European Defence Agency was established under a Joint Action of the Council of Ministers on 12 July, 2004, "to support the Member States and the Council in their effort to improve European defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the European Security and Defence Policy as it stands now and develops in the future".

Concentrating Solar Power

Main New and Renewable Energies projects supported by the European Commission

Preliminary draft budget 2007

EU Budget online

Macroeconomic effects of a pandemic in Europe - model-based assessment

This report estimates possible macroeconomic effects of a pandemic taking place in the EU in 2006, using a quarterly macroeconomic model. The macroeconomic costs of a pandemic, that is the cost in terms of production lost due to illness and death measured as reductions in GDP growth and/or declines in the level of GDP, are quantified in various pandemic scenarios. We focus on two sectors of the European economy that are expected to be particularly severely hit, tourism and trade. The results are compared with those obtained in similar studies. Our basic conclusion is that, although a pandemic would take a huge toll in human suffering, it would most likely not be a severe threat to the European macroeconomy.