3 April 2009
The European Parliament says NO to Violence against Women!
More than 400 Members of the European Parliament (EP) eventually signed the written declaration initiated by Eva-Britt Svensson “Say NO to Violence against Women”. The adoption of this declaration means the EP wants to put the spotlight on the needs for action and protection of women against violence and gives a full backing for the UNIFEM in its effort to stop violence against women.
IP/09/341
Brussels, 3 March 2009
The European Commission has today launched an EU-wide campaign to help tackle the gender pay gap.
Across the EU economy, women earn on average 17.4% less than men. The simple concept of 'equal pay for work of equal value' is at the heart of the campaign being launched in the context of International Women's Day on 8 March to raise awareness of the pay gap, its causes, and how to tackle it.
IP/09/273
Brussels, 18 February 2009
On 18 February, 2009, the European Commission examined the updated Stability and Convergence Programs of 17 EU countries including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Finland and the United Kingdom (see IP/09/274 for separate programs).
Hungary has made considerable progress to put its public finances on a sounder footing, and needs to sustain this effort to secure investor confidence.
Roaming prices: Calling home becomes cheaper again – but not (yet) texting across borders
On 30 August, it will become cheaper to make or receive calls while travelling in the EU. The price ceiling for roaming calls (the Eurotariff) introduced by the EU in 2007 will fall
from €0.49 to €0.46 per minute (excluding VAT) for making a call and
from €0.24 to €0.22 per minute (excluding VAT) for receiving a call while in another EU country.
Figures published by national telecoms regulators this summer have shown that
prices for roaming text messages and data services remain unjustifiably high (IP/08/1144).
The European Commission today stepped up its efforts to promote the use of the
charge-free European emergency number 112 in the EU. As of today, the new website
ec.europa.eu/112 will tell citizens how to use 112 and what to expect from it, particularly when they travel within the EU. It also shows how 112 functions in each Member State: how quickly calls are answered and in which languages.
Telecoms: EU citizens need to be better informed about Europe's single emergency number 112
Only 22% of EU citizens could spontaneously identify 112 as the number to call for emergency services anywhere in the EU. A recent EU-wide survey has found that there is significant room for national authorities to better inform their citizens. The Commission is therefore calling on Member States to boost awareness of 112.
