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 Platform on Rare Disease Registration (EU RD Platform)

The European Commission launched on Rare Disease Day 28 February 2019 a new online knowledge-sharing platform to support better diagnosis and treatment for more than 30 million Europeans living with a rare disease.

League of Arab States (LAS)

The League of Arab States is a regional organisation bringing together all Arab countries, with the purpose of promoting and strengthening cooperation among its members.

High-Performance Computing

High performance computing (HPC), also known as supercomputing, involves thousands of processors working in parallel to analyse billions of pieces of data in real time, performing calculations thousands of times faster than a normal computer. In the digital era, it is at the core of major advances and innovation and a strategic resource for Europe's future.

Falsified medicines

Falsified medicines are often disguised as authentic medicines but may contain ingredients of bad or toxic quality, or in the wrong dosage. As they have not been properly checked for quality, safety and efficacy, as required by strict EU authorisation, they can pose a real risk to your health. As falsified medicines become more sophisticated, the risk of them reaching patients in the EU increases. They represent a serious threat to global health and call for a comprehensive strategy both at European and international level.

EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

The EU has finalised negotiations for a trade agreement with Japan. The remaining formalities are expected to be done in time for the agreement to become effective on 1 February 2019. EU firms already export over EUR 58bn in goods and €28bn in services to Japan every year. But European firms face trade barriers when exporting to Japan which make it hard for them to compete. The trade agreement with Japan will: remove these barriers; help the EU shape global trade rules in line with its standards and shared values; send a powerful signal that two of the world's biggest economies reject protectionism.

European elections website

This European Parliament website details how to vote in each member state or from abroad. The website is designed to help people find all relevant information they need in one place. How to vote - Why you should vote - Get involved - How elections work - Latest news - Election results

Family law

Family law is the competence of EU countries, and EU rules apply only in cross-border cases. Overview of family matters - Divorce and separation - Children's wellbeing - Property of international couples (marriages and registered partnerships) - Successions and wills - Civil status documents

European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

Welcome to the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. Your Platform to exchange and interact, and make circular economy happen faster to the benefit of all. Contribute: submit content for this website (good practice, publication, event, network...) via online forms - A joint initiative by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee

EU action plan for the Circular Economy

As part of its continuous effort to transform Europe's economy into a more sustainable one and to implement the ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan, in January 2018 the European Commission adopted the latest set of measures: a Europe-wide EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy; a Communication on options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation; a Monitoring Framework on progress towards a circular economy; a Report on Critical Raw Materials and the circular economy.

Overview of national laws on electronic health records in the EU Member States

The study has two main goals. First, to provide an overview of the national laws on electronic health records within the EU Member States. Second, to assess the interaction of these national laws with the provision of cross-border eHealth services mentioned in Directive on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare (2011/24/EU) . For each EU Member State (and Norway) a specific country report is available, containing the legal requirements applying to EHRs. These reports are not only focused on the current state of affairs, but also take into account potential future legislation. The national reports are used to perform a comparative analysis resulting in concrete recommendations, on a broad range of issues, for both national and EU actors.

eHealth : Digital health and care

Digital health and care refers to tools and services that use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and management of health and lifestyle. Digital health and care has the potential to innovate and improve access to care, quality of care, and to increase the overall efficiency of the health sector.

European Ombudsman

The European Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body that holds the EU’s institutions and agencies to account, and promotes good administration. The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration by these EU bodies. People or organisations who have encountered problems with the EU administration, and have unsuccessfully tried to resolve the problem with the institution or body in question, can submit a complaint to the Ombudsman.

EU - Pesticides database

The EU - Pesticides database is the reference database for EU Member States about the pesticide residues, active substances and products and their values.

Occupational pension funds

EU rules governing the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision.

#EUROat20

20 years ago, on 1 January 1999, 11 EU countries fixed their exchange rates, adopted a shared monetary policy under the European Central Bank, and launched a new common currency on world financial markets: the euro. Three years later, euro notes and coins entered into circulation. Today, the euro is the currency of 19 EU countries, over 340 million EU citizens and the second most important currency in the world.

European Solidarity Corps

The European Solidarity Corps is the new European Union initiative which creates opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people around Europe.

Single digital gateway

The single digital gateway will facilitate online access to the information, administrative procedures and assistance services that citizens and businesses need to get active in another EU country. By the end of 2020, citizens and companies moving across EU borders will easily be able to find out what rules and assistance services apply in their new residency. By the end of 2023 at the latest, they will be able to perform a number of procedures in all EU member states without any physical paperwork, like registering a car or claiming pension benefits.

European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)

The EOSC will offer 1.7 million European researchers and 70 million professionals in science, technology, the humanities and social sciences a virtual environment with open and seamless services for storage, management, analysis and re-use of research data, across borders and scientific disciplines by federating existing scientific data infrastructures, currently dispersed across disciplines and the EU Member States.

State of Health in the EU

The State of Health in the EU is a two-year initiative undertaken by the European Commission that provides policy makers, interest groups, and health practitioners with factual, comparative data and insights into health and health systems in EU countries. The cycle is developed in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

Draft Political Declaration setting out the Framework for the Future Relationship between the EU and the UK

European Council President Donald Tusk on 22 November sent the EU27 Member States the draft Political Declaration setting out the Framework for the Future Relationship between the EU and the UK that has been agreed at negotiators' level and agreed in principle at political level, subject to the endorsement of the Leaders.

What Europe Does For Me

The interactive, multilingual, 'What Europe Does For Me' online website, put together by the European Parliamentary Research Service, presents hundreds of easy-to-read, one-page notes giving examples of the positive difference that the EU makes to people's lives. Users can easily find specific information about what Europe does for their region, their profession or their favourite pastime.

European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act aims to improve the functioning of the internal market for accessible products and services by removing barriers created by divergent legislation. This will facilitate the work of companies and will bring benefits for persons with disabilities and elderly people in the EU.

European Capital of Innovation (iCapital) Award

The European Capital of Innovation (iCapital) Award recognises and advances innovation in European cities. How to apply, news about the contest and full details of previous years' results.

Non-performing loans (NPLs)

EU and national authorities are joining forces to address the risks related to high stocks of NPLs in Europe. Non-performing loans, or “NPLs”, are bank loans that are subject to late repayment or are unlikely to be repaid by the borrower.

Schengen Area

The Schengen Area is an area without internal borders, an area within which citizens, many non-EU nationals, business people and tourists can freely circulate without being subjected to border checks. Since 1985, it has gradually grown and encompasses today almost all EU States and a few associated non-EU countries.