-
- Airline ticket sites improve
- Commission imposes record fine on Intel
- Council Decision establishes Europol as an EU agency
- EU supports development of new sign language dictionary
- European Ombudsman links legitimacy with openness and transparency
- Commission publishes Recommendation on RFID and privacy / data protection
- Ministers issue conclusions on 'Culture as a Catalyst for Creativity and Innovation'
For more details and to see other news items, go to our news archive
The EIA Award for Outstanding Contribution to EU Information was given to Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas for his work on transparency and openness.
There were joint winners of the Association’s Award for European Information Sources: the Financial Transparency System managed by the Commission’s DG Budget, and Living Reviews in European Governance, a service provided under the auspices of ECSA Austria.
The Helen Greer Prize, for achievements by a European Documentation Centre Librarian, was presented to Maria Bell, EDC Librarian at the London School of Economics.
Congratulations to all four winners - and many thanks to Justis for sponsoring the Awards.
I've just seen a BBC news item about parents protesting to the European Parliament about a threatened school closure. I thought the EU didn't get involved in education. What's going on?
Eric says: A good question, as the BBC story doesn't make it at all clear why the parents were protesting to the EP. You're right to say that education isn't an EU competence (i.e. it's not an area in which the treaties allow the EU to legislate).
There is a clue in the story, which mentions that the parents decided to cycle to Strasbourg to present a petition. EU citizens are allowed to petition the European Parliament (see this page on Europarl), but can clearly only do so in areas of EU competence.
I was as puzzled as you about this, so I contacted the MEP mentioned and received the following response:
'As you say, education is not an EU competence but the cyclists came to the European Parliament to petition on the process, since they had been denied to right to be heard. Our petition committee can hear the case of any individual or group, regardless of whether it falls under EU competence, but it is then referred back to the responsible Member State i.e the UK in this case.'
So the basis of the petition was the PROCESS, rather than the subject!
As it was, a decision not to close the school was taken before the parents went to Strasbourg, so the trip turned out to be nothing more than a publicity stunt. It was clearly picked up by some elements of the media, but in such a way as to suggest that 'Europe' even controls which schools stay open. Something as complex as this really needed more explanation!
www.eia.org.uk
or contact
Eric Davies
EIA Coordinator
©2009 European Information Association