Further Information

During this half day seminar you will:

• Receive information on why innovation is important to your business. 
• See a demonstration of how to work with this directory to find the supports that are right for the development of your business.
• Hear from some of the main Services Providers about the benefits of their services.
   

This Directory will be web-based and easy to operate! There are a total of 460 supports and services listed for you!   For details of an event taking place near you go to www.een-ireland.ie

The CA is usually divided into three main parts that respectively include preliminary clauses, central clauses and final clauses. The objective of this fact sheet is to focus on the central part, more specifically on the provisions regarding the management of Intellectual Property (IP). An overview of the relevant IP rules to be included in the CA is to be outlined with the aim of providing a checklist of the matters to be dealt with by consortia when drafting it.

To download the factsheet in a pdf file click here

Source: IPR Helpdesk

Announcing the details of the programme Minister Sherlock said: “The focus of the New Frontiers programme is developing people into entrepreneurs - laying the foundations and imparting the entrepreneurship skills needed to move from business concept to reality. 

“Enterprise Ireland is working in partnership with the Institutes of Technology to ensure that the participants create sustainable businesses, jobs and economic stability in regional locations. By giving the individuals the skills they need to successfully set up and run a company, they will be capable of replicating that success with other ideas in the future.

“The New Frontiers Programme forms part of one of the action points set out in the Government’s recently announced ‘Action Plan for Jobs’ and will have the potential to deliver up to 100 new companies per annum”, Minister Sherlock added.

This national programme is co-ordinated by Enterprise Ireland which is providing €4.25 million in funding to enable the Institutes of Technology to deliver the programme at a local level. The core element of New Frontiers is a six-month intensive programme which will focus on developing the person’s entrepreneurial abilities, equipping them with the skills they need to run, and crucially to develop, sustainable businesses.

The New Frontiers programme will target high-potential entrepreneurs with the commitment and capability required to develop and deliver sustainable businesses.  It is expected that the programme will produce a pipeline of companies eligible for Enterprise Ireland’s high-potential start-up (HPSU) supports.

Nationally 250 applicants will be accepted on to the first phase of the programme where their business idea and their capabilities as a potential entrepreneur will be tested. During this part-time 8 week phase the participants will benefit from workshops on the business value proposition, market research & validation, sales training, financial management.

Of those 250 applicants, 150 will qualify for the six month intensive core element of the programme which will focus on developing the person as an entrepreneur. They will be equipped with the practical skills they need to run a business and challenged to realise their business goals.

Participants will receive financial support of €15,000 from Enterprise Ireland as they focus all their efforts on developing a business during this six-month period. They will also be given office space in the Institute of Technology’s incubation centre, mentoring and access to networking opportunities with potential investors.

Also speaking at the launch, Martin Lyes, Manager of Research & Innovation at Enterprise Ireland said “The New Frontiers entrepreneur development programme is for people who have an innovative idea and want to learn how to set up and run a company around it. We are looking for people who can create sustainable businesses with the potential to deliver local employment”.

Information on the participating Institutes of Technology is available at www.enterprise-ireland.com/newfrontiers

The Award is open to early stage companies, (no more than three years old) at the pre-commercial stage of developing a sustainable energy product or service. This includes innovations at research, development, testing or demonstration stages which are not yet available on the market.

Following a preliminary evaluation by SEAI, shortlisted entrants will be announced mid-March and will be invited to present a brief overview of their innovative sustainable energy solution at the Energy Show on March 29th in the RDS Dublin. This will take the form of a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style presentation in an open forum, in front of the judging panel. Entrants must be available to attend this presentation.

The winning entrant will receive €3,000 in support of their business development. Depending on the business stage, this will take the form of support towards incubation space fees, mentoring and management consultancy and or marketing consultancy.

Deadline for receipt of completed application form – Monday 5th March 2012

Further details and application form click here

However, EU rules are often completed by additional rules at national level. Therefore, efforts at EU level cannot succeed if they are not followed up by similar efforts at national, regional and local levels. That is why the Commission hopes that the legislators in the European Parliament, the Council as well as in Member States will see simplification as crucial.

Today the Commission declares its commitment to defend this simplification agenda and its resolve to ring the alarm bell should the need arise.

Examples of simplification of access to funding

•The purchase of machinery in a vocational school was financed from the European Regional Development Fund. The same school got a grant for curricula development from the European Social Fund. Even though both investments were needed to introduce a new training programme, the school had to do all the paperwork twice. Under our proposal, combining money from both funds will be easier; the school will be able to follow one procedure only, allowing it to devote more time to delivering the new training to pupils.

•The current arrangements demand to keep the documents regarding EU co-funded cohesion projects for up to 10 years. For some projects this retention time can reach 15 years. The new rules will cut this time to 5 years. The effect of this simplification is especially important for smaller beneficiaries such as NGOs and SME's.

•Today there are no limits to how many times a project can be audited. Some beneficiaries of ERDF may be subjected to several audits in a year by their national audit authority or the Commission, which is time consuming In the next period the Commission proposes a better coordination with national auditors. Projects under 100 000 euro will not be audited more than once at all and bigger projects no more than once a year.

•In Research it takes on average 350 days to get a grant. The Commission proposes to reduce it by one third (100 days).

•An ESF beneficiary had to keep the bus tickets of participants in a training event for justifying of money spent on the project. Unfortunately, the ink on the bus tickets disappeared after some time and the beneficiaries could not proof the expenditure. In future it will be possible to use options such as flat rates and lump sums to a much greater extent, so it will not be necessary to collect bus ticket at all. The focus must be on project quality and results. Further details.

Established by the European Commission, the e-Inclusion Awards is on a mission to discover and celebrate the most innovative ways of plugging the digital gap and helping people to enjoy the benefits of the internet.

Aimed at inspiring individuals, businesses, entrepreneurs, NGOs and governments the Awards reward those championing the way forward and exploiting the potential of technology in dealing with today’s challenges.
With almost a quarter of Europeans remaining offline, growth of the digital economy will be stunted as will access to the benefits achieved from access to online facilities.

Europe’s Digital Agenda includes a vision of 'Every European Digital' in which all people truly benefit from technology innovations, improving their well-being throughout their lifetime and contributing to economic recovery. For individuals, the sense of achievement, empowerment and connection can be priceless!

Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, comments: “Investment in ICT capital pays off. In fact, it pays off better than most other forms of capital investment: the "ICT dividend" amounts to an extra return of around 7%, but only when accompanied by investment in intangible capital – that is, investment in people, in skills, in digital literacy.

We - companies, governments and civil society - must make that investment for the future, and skill up to face new challenges. And we must include everyone, we must get "Every European Digital" so that we can all benefit from "smart", innovation-based economic growth.” Further information

The data for the first ten months of 2011 show a continuing growth in EU27 trade with China. EU27 exports to China grew by 21%, from 92 bn in the first ten months of 2010 to 112 bn in the first ten months of 2011, while imports rose by 5%, from 232 bn to 244 bn. As a result, the trade deficit decreased from 140 bn to 132 bn. In the ten months of 2011, China was the EU27's second most important trading partner after the USA, accounting for 9% of EU27 exports and 17% of EU27 imports.

On the occasion of the 14th European Union - China summit, which will take place on 14 February in Beijing in China, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, issues data on trade and investments between China and the EU. Further information

Businesses do not have enough knowledge of, and information on, the rules governing e-commerce. They think that it is too complicated or too risky to sell online or expand their field of activity to cross-border sales.

The Commission will encourage a more active policy by using existing networks, in particular the Enterprise Europe Network, to supply online dealers with information on their obligations in the context of cross-border sales and on the opportunities offered by sale in EU countries. Further information

The seminar is aimed at the ‘small business’ community, entrepreneurs and inventors. The series of seminars is organised by the Patents Office, in cooperation with the Enterprise Europe Network, Enterprise Ireland and the County Enterprise Boards and the local Institute of Technology.

Minister Sherlock said: “these seminars provide a valuable source of information for those businesses and individuals who either wish to turn their ideas into businesses or to grow their existing businesses. 

“The seminars are Government sponsored and aim to inform businesses, inventors and innovators of the supports available to them and I would encourage them all to avail of this opportunity.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and now more than ever they need every support they can to start and grow the businesses that will create the jobs of the future,’ Minister Sherlock concluded.

The seminars will focus on:-

• how business should be aware of and can exploit the value of Intellectual Property (Patents, Trade Marks, Designs and Copyright) and
• the support structures that are available for small businesses and start-ups from the State and Europe.

Expert speakers from the private sector will include a Patent Attorney, a representative from a company named ‘Technology from Ideas’, a representative from the Industry, Research and Development Group, a local entrepreneur and an expert on branding.

Speakers from the public sector will include representatives from the Patents Office, Enterprise Ireland, County Enterprise Boards, the Enterprise Europe Network and the local Institute of Technology.

The next seminar will take place on Thursday 26th January 2012 in Cork Institute of Technology.
Admission to the seminar is free but pre-booking is essential.  Places can be reserved online at http://patentsofficecorkseminar.eventbrite.com or by contacting the Patents Office at (056) 7720111 or Lo-Call 1890 220223 or by e-mail to patlib@patentsoffice.ie.

The seminar will start at 9.10am and finish at 4.30pm with a break for lunch from 12.50 to 13.50pm.  There will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the speakers during the lunch and coffee breaks and from 4.00pm to 4.30pm.

Further information on the seminars and contact details can be found athttp://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/building-a-business-on-your-ideas.aspx or by calling the Patents Information Centre at LoCall 1890 220223 or 056 7720111.

European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, responsible for enterprises and industry, said: "Easing SMEs access to finance, markets and entrepreneurship policies, is key to overcome the crisis. This programme will help to unlock the growth potential of enterprises focusing on boosting the real industry. We will strengthen competitiveness of businesses and create new jobs, and ultimately reinforce the growth potential of the EU economy."

The Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs, (COSME) will focus on financial instruments and support to the internationalisation of enterprises and it will be simplified – to make it easier for small businesses to benefit from it. The Programme has the following general objectives:

Improve access to finance for SMEs in the form of equity and debt: First, an equity facility for growth-phase investment will provide SMEs with commercially-oriented reimbursable equity financing primarily in the form of venture capital through financial intermediaries. Second, a loan facility will provide SMEs with direct or other risk-sharing arrangements with financial intermediaries to cover loans.

Improve access to markets inside the Union and globally: Growth-oriented business support services will be provided via the Enterprise Europe Network to facilitate business expansion in the Single Market. This programme will also provide SME business support outside the EU. There will also be support for international industrial cooperation, particularly to reduce differences in regulatory and business environments between the EU and its main trading partners.

Promote entrepreneurship: activities will include developing entrepreneurial skills and attitudes, especially among new entrepreneurs, young people and women.

The Programme is expected to assist yearly 39 000 firms, helping them create or save 29 500 jobs and launch 900 new business products, services or processes, yearly. Access to credit will be easier for entrepreneurs, particularly those willing to launch cross-border activities, with an anticipated €3.5 billion in additional loans and investment for European businesses. The financial envelope for implementing the Programme shall be EUR 2.5 billion, of which EUR 1.4 billion shall be allocated to financial instruments. The remainder will be spent for financing the Enterprise Europe Network, international industry cooperation and entrepreneurship education.

Source Europa.eu

Entrepreneurs are the key source of wealth creation, competitiveness, jobs and innovation in Europe. Around 80% of all new employment is created by new companies, which is why start-ups are so crucial to Europe’s long-term well-being. However, since only 50% of new businesses survive the first five years, entrepreneurs need to be given the opportunity and confidence to start again. Indeed, research shows that businesses set up by second-time starters grow faster in terms of turnover and jobs than those established by first-time entrepreneurs.

Along with cutting red tape, another factor in nurturing Europe’s long-term economic future concerns ensuring that businesses are able to grow and continue to provide jobs long after their creators have moved on or retired. It is estimated that Europe loses around 150 000 firms – or 600 000 jobs – every year because owners cannot find a suitable successor. Finding and equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs to carry on the work of others is therefore vitally important. 

These issues were recently examined in-depth in a study entitled Business dynamics:  Start-ups, business transfers and bankruptcy . Three key conclusions emerged. These were a need to reduce regulatory complexity, which has a considerable impact on entrepreneurial activity; a need for an integrated approach in improving the regulatory framework; and a need for this regulatory framework to be more supportive towards entrepreneurs.

To read in more detail click here

The PSCs are online e-government portals that allow you to find out about the rules, regulations and formalities applicable to service activities.  Irish based businesses can access information through the EUGO network of Points of Single Contact on the relevant procedures required for doing business in the EU. They can complete the administrative formalities online. You no longer have to go to the offices of a large number of different authorities, one by one. In each EU country, formalities can now be dealt with online through one single access point, the PSCs. 

The EUGO network is your single contact established in all Member States to assist businesses to provide services in the Member States.

The "Points of Single Contact in Ireland" are available here

For details on the EUGO network go to http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/eu-go/index_en.htm

Only 13 % of EU SMEs are internationally active outside the EU through trade, investment or other forms of cooperation with foreign partners. Therefore, the Commission is working to establish a more coherent and effective EU strategy for supporting SMEs in international markets. This could be achieved by reinforcing business support services, improving the coordination and use of existing resources including the Enterprise Europe Network. Thus SMEs have better access to more relevant information and assistance in their attempts to penetrate new markets and search for the right local partners. .

European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said: "Major non-EU markets with strong growth rates represent significant opportunities for EU small enterprises. SMEs are Europe's main economic strength. To help them to better exploit their potential in the global arena is a clear priority to boost competitiveness and create employment."

For more information go to Europa.eu

"Small businesses are the backbone of the European economy and can ill afford losing money to swindlers," said Vice-President Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner. "We need solid and effective Europe-wide rules to crack down on unfair practices and to make sure the culprits cannot hide behind national borders."

Every day EU-based businesses, professionals and civil society organisations fall victim to unfair practices. These can range from omitting important information or providing false or deceiving information about the offer, in particular in the form of misleading advertising, to using harassment, coercion or undue influence.

The 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU represent 99% of EU businesses and are especially vulnerable to scams. However, sometimes even large EU companies get trapped by fraudulent schemes.

One common scheme is misleading directory companies. These firms send out forms to businesses asking them to update their details, seemingly for free. But once the victim agrees, they will be told that they have signed a contract and charged a significant yearly sum. A survey by the European Parliament in 2008 documented 13,000 complaints about company directory scams – thought to be just the tip of the iceberg. It found that companies were typically asked to pay €1000.

Companies often do not even report the unfair practices of which they are victims, because they lack time or do not know who to contact.

The Commission's public consultation will gather data from individuals, businesses and civil society. Following the consultation, the Commission will present in the first half of 2012 options for future EU action, which may include legislative changes.

Interested parties can submit their views here:

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/consumer-marketing/opinion/

The public consultation will run until 16 December 2011.

Click here for further information

Source Europa.eu

As Hayes discovered, breaking into foreign markets is not easy without contacts on the ground or resources to do extensive research.  For help growing her business she turned to her local Enterprise Europe Network branch, one of nearly 600 partner organisations in 49 organisations helping SMEs tap into new markets.

“One of our most effective services is direct, face to face networking,” says Marion Jammet, Network expert at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. In November 2010, the Network organised meetings between Hayes and several Maltese financial services companies.  In total, 23 Maltese firms from several sectors attended the Business Forum event in Dublin, as guests of the Network’s Malta branch.

“As the Network representative in Malta, we strive to be the first port of call for SMEs needing assistance and support,” says Brigitte Tanti, manager of the Network’s internationalisation unit at Malta Enterprise.  “We help Maltese companies as well as foreign entrepreneurs like Ms. Hayes, seeking support for their growth plans.”

Hayes made several useful contacts. Two months later, she flew to Malta for a packed week of 20 meetings set up by the Network and Lizianne Gauci of Finance Malta.

The new contacts led to several training events and speaking engagements, including at the Bank of Valletta, the Malta Institute of Accountants and the University of Malta. Her company is now a corporate affiliate of Finance Malta.

“The Enterprise Europe Network has opened new doors for my business,” says Hayes. “It shows you how every connection can lead to several others. I likened the experience to having an extra member of staff for free.”

Contact: Marion Jammet, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, tel: 01 6447200.

The Taoiseach welcomed the initiative taken by John Perry in establishing the Small Business Advisory Group and thanked the members for agreeing to participate.

“Small and medium enterprises play a crucial and often underestimated role in our economy. My Government is committed to making Ireland the best small country in which to do business. We will work with all sectors of the business community in order to achieve this.”

The Minister for Small Business, John Perry said that “it is vitally important that as a Government we communicate what we are doing and that we hear close hand what issues need to be addressed more urgently and what measures can be considered to further support small business.”

Minister Perry said that the Small Business Advisory Group would be working against the backdrop of the most difficult challenge ever confronted by this State in relation to the position of the public finances. “Any initiatives developed must have regard to what is deliverable in this context.” Further information

Deadline:30 July 2010

For further information please contact your local EEN

· Anti-doping projects focusing on prevention measures in amateur sport, sport for all and/or fitness (an
indicative 5 projects at €200,000 funding each to be co-financed);

· Promoting social inclusion, particularly of migrants through sport (5 projects at €200,000 each); and

· Promoting volunteering in sport - in particular relating to legal, fiscal and funding-related aspects and issues
faced by actors involved in the management and running of sport associations and local sport structures
(3 projects at €150,000-€200,000).

Actions will need to extend beyond basic research or one-off conferences.

Deadline: 31 August 2010

For further information please contact your local EEN.

If you have specific expertises in corporate insolvency, start-up procedures, business transfers and second chance, have sold your company or restarted a business and are willing to take part in this study please contact Marion@dublinchamber.ie.

The objective of this study is to analyse the situation of business transfers, start-up procedures and corporate insolvencies in Europe and their impact on entrepreneurship. The analysis aims to propose concrete measures to improve the European SMEs regulatory framework and thus lead to more employment and growth.

All participant will receive a copy of the final report by February 2011.

Closing Date: 31st May 2010

www.bluefxmarkets.com

1) Nature & Biodiversity:

Innovative best practice or demonstration projects on the protection, conservation, restoration, monitoring and facilitating the functioning of natural systems or habitats, wild flora and fauna, with the aim of halting the loss of biodiversity or that contribute to the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives.

2) Environment Policy & Governance:

Projects that contribute to the implementation of Community environmental policy, the development of innovative policy approaches, technologies, methods and instruments, the knowledge base as regards environment policy and legislation, or environmental monitoring. Applications dealing with sustainable management and use of natural resources and waste are particularly encouraged although applications are

welcomed across all the following themes:

· Climate Change

· Water quality

· Air quality

· Soil (sustainable use)

· Urban environment

· Noise

· Chemicals and pesticides

· Environment and health

· Forests

· Innovation (green technologies)

· Strategic approaches (e.g. improving

SMEs’ environmental performance).

3) Information & Communication:

Awareness-raising campaigns and events on environmental, nature protection and, in particular, biodiversity conservation issues, as well as projects related to forest fire prevention.

Co-financing rate: up to 75%  of eligible costs (for projects focusing on priority Birds and Habitats Directives

species/habitats)

Deadline: 1st September 2010

For further information on this call for proposal please

.

An Ireland’s national information day on the call is scheduled for 3 June. Contact LifeIE@mwhglobal.com for further details.

The 2010 priorities include among others:

- Energy efficiency and rational use of resources (Energy-efficient buildings and Consumer behaviour)

- New and renewable energy sources (RES Electricity, RES in building and bioenergy)

- Energy in transport

Budget: €56 million

Co-financing rate: Up to 75% of the eligible project costs

Deadline: 24 June 2010

For further information on this programme please contact your local EEN office.

The Euro/ Dollar is currently at 1.3398 from 1.3537 last week and Euro/ Sterling is trading at 0.8999, marginally changed on 0.9012 last Friday

Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier said: "This is a great opportunity to see how the European Company Statute (SE) is working on the ground, five years on. I believe that the SE can substantially reduce costs for businesses operating across borders. However, it's clear that it has had much more success in some countries than others. I want to find out why and determine whether we need to make improvements to the existing rules. I encourage all interested parties to give us their views."

To read more see;
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/338&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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Dollar movements have been largely driven by the Euro story this week. However, some economic news showed that positivity still exists on that side of the pond. Retail sales for January were ahead of expectations. Shoppers increased spending by 0.5% as opposed to the 0.3% anticipated

www.bluefxmarkets.com

It will be optional for imported products. Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. For further information please contact us.

It was all about the jobs report today. ADP jobs number on Wednesday was slightly better than expected and the Non Farm Payroll today, the key measure, came in with just 20,000 job losses and the benchmark rate decreasing to 9.7% from 10% last month. On another positive note this week, US productivity was up 6.2%, bringing the productivity rate to its best level since 2002. Things appear to be turning a corner in the US, especially if job losses continues to slow and some job creation takes place.

www.bluefxmarkets.com

The Government has provided funding of €200,000 over 3 years through Enterprise Ireland for the Irish Software Innovation Network (ISIN).  The Irish Software Association, a business sector within IBEC will run the new network.

The ISIN will acts as a matchmaking service between software companies and third level research institutes, connecting businesses to the world-class expertise available in Ireland's universities. The service will be provided free to Network members.

Further details on the network are available at; 
http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/News/Press+Releases/2010/PressFeb032010.htm

To find out more about Hong Kong please download this free publication here.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Compliance with EU legislation is essential if we are to achieve the overarching goal of EU waste legislation, which is to protect the health of European citizens and the environment. We must look at all the options, including setting up an EU agency or body which could enable EU legislation to deliver the maximum benefits for citizens, the environment and the EU economy."

Further details see http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/113&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

For further information please contact the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Ireland ( info@dublin.mfa.gov.il - Phone: (+353) 1 230 9400)
 

• For public supply and service contracts awarded by central government authorities: €133,000
• For public supply and service contracts: awarded by contracting authorities which are not central government authorities: €193,000
• All Public works contracts: €4,845,000

·      Euro to be held back by own government debt problems (Greece, Spain, Ireland, Portugal) and also renewed fears overEuropeanbanking system

http://www.bluefxmarkets.ie

For further information or to dowload a new guide on the application of the directive please click here.

The Network in Ireland will consist of 10 businesswomen who are all leaders in their field and have been selected to provide insight as advisors to future female entrepreneurs.

This initiative is being co-ordinated by Galway Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Dublin and Cork Chambers who are also partners in the Enterprise Europe Network.

In total over 120 women business leaders have become Ambassadors across the EU.

The Irish Ambassadors will work with a number of Chambers of Commerce in the country. Their aim is to share their experience and provide guidance and support to potential entrepreneurs.

To read more see http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/press_office/news_of_the_day/female-entrepreneurship-ambassadors_en.htm

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The job is an expanded version of the old science & research post, and comes just months before the first European Innovation Act is due to be published. The creation of an innovation commissioner has been well flagged, with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso having repeatedly pledged to streamline innovation policy.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen  welcomed Quinn nomination. "I am delighted to announce today that we have secured the hugely important Research and Innovation portfolio, which resonates very strongly with our own Smart Economy agenda," he said. "It is testament to the calibre of Máire Geoghegan Quinn that she has been allocated this portfolio." 

Geoghegan Quinn was a government minister in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and has served two terms at the EU Court of Auditors. 

Next steps:

• 11-19 Jan. 2010:  Commissioners-designate will appear before the European Parliament
•  
• 26 Jan. 2010: MEPs vote on whether to accept the commissioners nominated by member states and the European Commission

Why should the ITA be reviewed?

• The ICT product segment has evolved rapidly while the coverage of the ITA has remained static. Even from the start not all ICT goods for professional use were covered. Most spare parts and consumables linked to ICT goods, e.g. batteries, are also not covered by the ITA. In order to keep the ITA up to date the product coverage needs to be expanded so that more ICT goods can benefit from duty free treatment.
•  
• Consumer electronic products are with a few exceptions not covered by the ITA. However convergence of technology makes it increasingly difficult to draw a distinction between professional ICT equipment and "final consumer" electronics.
•  
• Despite the removal of tariffs some formidable obstacles to free trade in ICT goods still remains in place. These obstacles or Non-tariff barriers are barriers that refer to technical standards and regulation which may – like tariffs – impede or limit market access in a country outside the EU. The current ITA has not been able to address this issue.

Which products are targeted?

The European Union wishes to launch negotiations in the World Trade Organisation on expanded product coverage, removal of Non-Tariff Barriers and invite more countries to participate in the ITA.

A list of products with a strong ICT angle but that are not currently covered by the ITA is available here. Although this list is not exhaustive it would be worth considering these products for tariff liberalisation.

Targeted SMEs

This questionnaire is mainly addressed to SMEs that use, import or market ICT goods.

Completing this questionnaire takes approximately 15-25 minutes.

The data obtained from this panel will not be used and interpreted on the level of the individual company participating and confidentiality of individual data is assures.

Deadline: Wednesday 13th January 2010

If you want to take part in this consultation please click here.

Useful links:

- List of ICT products that are not covered by the ITA yet but that could be consider for tariff liberalisation

- Information on the World Trade Organisation Information Technology Agreement 

If you encounter any difficulty when answering the questionnaire please contact us

This is more than the annual oil consumption of Hungary. The CO2 savings from all vehicle types are expected to range from 1.5 million tonnes to 4 million tonnes per year depending on the speed of market transformation towards fuel efficient tyres. This is equivalent to removing 0.5 million to 1.3 million passenger cars from EU roads per year.
 

For further information please click here

Sterling dipped below the £0.89 mark against the Euro this week for the first time in two months. The market digested positive forecasts from the Bank of England last week and a gradual rise in sterling occurred earlier in the week. However, towards the latter end of the week UK data showed that the government borrowed a further £11.4bn in October to fund the public deficit. This was coupled with calls from the Confederation of British Industry for an ‘ambitious’ budget to restore the UK to financial health. It is trading at £0.8995 on Friday afternoon, compared to £0.8920 on Monday.

Barack Obama’s visit to China gave Dollar watchers plenty to think about this week when he broke from the script and brought up the sensitive matter of China’s pegged exchange rates. Senior Chinese officials retaliated by speaking out about the cheap dollar fuelling ‘speculative investment’ in Asia. The Dollar rallied towards the end of the week as nerves become frayed in the US after the recent run up in equity markets. Positions are being sold ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the US next week, when US financial markets traditionally start to wind down for Christmas. The dollar is currently trading on Friday at £0.6052 and €0.6734, largely unchanged on last week.

Trichet reminded the Eurozone that the current crisis was not over yet, although he admitted ‘relief’ with the current situation. The Euro is trading on Friday afternoon at $1.4860 ($1.4960 on Monday) and £0.8995 (£0.8920 on Monday).

Key Data next week

Mon 23rd – Purchasing Manager Manufacturing Index – Germany and European Monetary Union (EMU)

Tues 24th – Third Quarter GDP in US, Germany and Personal Consumption in the US Wed 25th – UK Q3 GDP

Thurs 26th – German Consumer Prices

Fri 27th – EMU consumer confidence

This is especially important as the EU begins to prepare the ground for a new generation of programmes in 2014.

For further information on this public consulation please click on the following link europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do

Deadline: 18 December 2009

Deadline: 25 February 2010.

For further information please click here.

Denmark and the Netherlands continue to be world leaders in broadband take up, with nearly 40% of the population having a broadband connection, but growth rates are slowing as they approach saturation.

Further details on this Report can be viewed by clicking here

During the initial investigations, 18 Irish websites were inspected. 17 were flagged for further investigation, but none were found to be in breach of EU law. 

More than 495 million mobile phones are owned by Europeans. Ring-tones alone were estimated to make up 29% of the overall "mobile content" market in Europe in 2007 (about 10% higher than 2006). The value of European ring-tone sales in 2007 was estimated at €691 million.

To read more on this news item click here

A questionnaire has been prepared in order to provide to DG Trade with information that will help the Commission establish priorities and take decisions throughout the negotiating process. Replies must be sent by 28 November 2009 to DG Trade. http://trade.ec.europa.eu/consultations/?consul_id=138

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published a Fact Sheet that provides background information and further details on this right. In addition, there is REACH guidance available, and tools have been developed by industry to help their companies. ECHA website http://echa.europa.eu/home_en.asp

Sterling watchers kept a close eye on Mervyn Kings speech on Wednesday. The speech made three clear points – the UK recovery is taking place slowly but surely, the weak Pound was a driving export growth and that growth would resume in 2010 and continue above trend in 2011. The last point raised many eyebrows as this is at odds with global projections and other European economies. King also acknowledged that further stimulus might be on the way. The EURGBP rate weakened slightly especially on the comments about the weak Pound driving exports. When King mentioned this in August, the Pound fell from 0.84p to 0.88p. It is trading at £0.8920 on Monday afternoon, compared to £0.8960 last Friday.

Dollar fell last week after hints that China would revise their peg to the greenback, in order to allow their domestic currency, the Renminbi, to appreciate. This led to an increase in Gold and other commodities. This came ahead of Obama’s first visit to China, where the economy (and the Dollar) is likely to take centre stage. Optimism continues to boost the dollar, especially after US retail sales for October showed better than expected results. After data was released at 13.30 on Friday, the dollar remained subdued. The dollar is currently trading at 4pm on Friday at £0.6028 and €0.6724, largely unchanged on last Friday.

Euro statistics showed the Eurozone exited in recession in the third quarter by registering 0.4% growth. This was driven by 0.7% in Germany and 0.6% growth in Italy. On the other hand, there was no reprieve for Spain, showing annualised contraction of 1.2% in the quarter. Expectations are that Ireland will not leave recession until at least next year. The Euro is trading on Monday afternoon at $1.4960 ($1.4870 last week) and £0.8920 (£0.8960 last week).

www.bluefxmarkets.com 

Speaking following the initialling in Brussels, Commissioner Ashton said: " This is the first 21 st Century free trade agreement for the EU, creating deep economic ties with another developed economy. It will create new market opportunities for European companies in services, manufacturing and agriculture. This agreement is particularly important in the current economic climate, helping to fight the economic downturn and create new jobs."

One of the key benefits of the deal for the European Union is the quick elimination of EUR 1.6 billion of duties for exporters to Korea. The agreement also tackles key non-tariff barriers including regulations and standards in industries of European interest, like automotive, pharmaceutical and consumer electronics. Services sectors such as telecommunications, environmental, legal, financial and shipping are expected to see some of the greatest benefits, with substantial commitments from Korea to liberalise these sectors.

The initialling of the FTA signifies the closing of negotiations with a stable legal text, which the European Commission will formally present to EU Member States in early 2010. Following signature of the agreement by the EU Presidency and the Commission, the FTA will be presented to be approved by the European Parliament. Entry into force of the agreement would then be expected in the second half of 2010.

Background

EU-Korea goods trade was worth around EUR 65 billion in 2008. The EU currently runs a deficit with Korea in goods trade, although trends suggest that the Korean market offers significant growth potential. For instance, EU car sales to Korea went up by a total of 78% in unit sales (39% in value) between 2005 and 2008. For products like chemicals, pharmaceuticals, auto parts, industrial machinery, shoes, medical equipment, non-ferrous metals, iron and steel, leather and fur, wood, ceramics, and glass, the EU enjoys a solid trade surplus. Similarly, for agricultural products Korea is one of the more valuable export markets globally for EU farmers, with annual sales of over EUR 1 billion. On services, the EU has a surplus with Korea of EUR 3.3 billion, with exports of EUR 7.2 billion in 2007 and imports of EUR 3.9 billion.

- Austria •Four-track development of the Western Line Vienna-Linz: Melk railway station (€3,400,000)

- Belgium •Rebuilding of Noorderlaanbridge (€1,342,000) France •New railway high speed line "LGV Est" Second phase: section Baudrecourt-Vendenheim (€75,996,000)

-  Germany •BAB A3, Frankfurt-Nürnberg, renewal of the Main bridge at Randersacker (€2,395,000) •Tri-modal enlargement of the water involvement of Cologne Port (€3,330,000)

- Hungary •Construction of a pier for combined Schengen and non-Schengen operations and seamless passenger transfer at Budapest Airport (€7,560,000)

- Italy •Rome Ring Road Motorway – northwestern section – upgrade to three lanes in both directions from km 11+250 to km 12+650 – completion works (€2,981,000) •Implementation of nautical accessibility in the port of Venice-Marghera: operational and remedial dredging in two stretches of the West and South ship canals (€3,912,000) •Hub of Torino, section Susa-Stura, removal of bottleneck (€52,740,000) •Italy integration of communication and surveillance (IP1) (€4,048,000)

-  The Netherlands •Elimination of the bottleneck of the north-south artery A2 (E25): building the urban highway tunnel in Maastricht (€15,000,000)

- Portugal •Faro Airport Development Plan – Phase 1 (€6,016,000) Spain •Express Route SE-40 (Seville). Section Coria del Rio-Dos Hermanas (North and South tunnels) (€23,969,000)

- Sweden •Port infrastructure facilities in the Malmö Northern Harbour (€5,922,000) •E6.21 Partihall Connection (€16,296,000) United Kingdom •Thames Estuary dredge and reclamation works to support the integrated multi-modal London Gateway port and logistics development (€14,174,000) •A14 Corridor Traffic Management Scheme (€11,670,000) •Felixstowe-Nuneaton Route Work (€9,234,000)

For more details on a particular project please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/infrastructure/events/2009_10_21_naples_en.htm

Short term expectations for EUR/GBP are still dominated by talk of parity. In favour of the parity argument is that the Euro is strengthening overall as other currencies devalue in order to stimulate their economies, especially GBP and USD. However, against parity the Eurozone has still large internal variations in economic performance with stubbornly high deficits and unemployment in Greece, Spain, and Ireland which will hold the EUR back. In addition, the stronger the EUR gets, the more it will hold back the economy.

Euro strengthening appears to be running out of steam against the Pound. Faltering investor confidence in Germany, worries over another looming German credit crunch and a warning that Spanish banks could suffer further bad loans write downs all weighed on the single currency. This was compounded on Friday when the August trade balance for the Eurozone of €1bn was materially below consensus expectations of €7.9bn. Friday 4pm levels for the Euro were £0.9108 and $1.4896.

Sterling entertained the markets this week with a dramatic jump to £0.94 (€1.063) after weaker than expected inflation data led participants to believe the BOE will not raise rates for some time. A stunning reversal took place on Thurs when BOE officials hinted that the existing stimulus programme was operating successfully, quashing speculation of an increase in the asset purchase programme. The Pound finished the week at €1.0985 and $1.6353 on Friday afternoon. A string of important data out this week on GBP – see below.

Dollar continued its downward trajectory this week against the Euro and also against the Pound. The latest corporate earnings in the US have been better than expected this week which has fuelled investor risk appetite (when this increases the dollar is sold). In addition, maintaining a politically important strong dollar did not appear essential to the US Federal Reserve. They cautioned that weaker than expected growth in the US would have ‘relatively high’ costs, signalling rates in the US will stay low for longer.

Key Data this week

Tues – UK Money supply – A decline from 12.5% will be sterling negative

Tues – Producer Price Index in Germany and US – will give an indication of inflation

Tues – UK Public Sector borrowing Wed – Bank of England minutes – these will give an insight into policy discussion before the last interest rate decision Wed – US Fed’s Beige Book – an update on the US economy

Thurs – EMU current account data will impact the EUR Fri – EMU New Industrial Orders will impact the EUR

www.bluefxmarkets.com

For further details click here

Public contracts account for 16.3% of the EU GDP. In 2005, EU Member States spent about €1500 billion in public procurement, providing many business opportunities.

Want to know more about EU tendering opportunities? Please download our new factsheet.

With this call, the Commission is seeking proposals for projects involving a wide range of scientific partners and focusing on topics such as the development of organ-simulating devices or the definition of new toxicological endpoints and intermediate markers computational modelling techniques.

Co-financing rate: Projects selected can be funded up to 100% of their total eligible costs

Deadline: 03 February 2010

For further information on this call please click here.

EU Commission Press Officer Ruth Deasy said “This website will provide a one-stop-shop for all events and will try to be as comprehensive as possible.”

Further details see www.eurodiary.ie

Both Paris and Berlin saw their economies grow by 0.3% on a quarterly basis in the second quarter of 2009.

Source: Euractiv

Want to know more about business opportunities in France and Germany? Please contact your local Enterprise Europe Network office.

The European Commission, along with national authorities, has launched the new Your Europe – Business portal, a multilingual practical guide to doing business across Europe.

From a single entry point, users can consult factsheets on each EU country. These cover 26 topics on every stage of the business lifecycle, from “Starting in business” to “Deciding to stop”. The portal informs entrepreneurs about a business's rights and obligations and the relevant administrative procedures. It guides them to online forms and to support organisations providing personalised help and advice. Crucially, all this information is available in several EU languages.

Your Europe could be your business opportunity.

More: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/business/

Vice President Verheugen underlined "Innovation cannot be organised by decree. It comes from people, and only people — scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs and their employees, investors, consumers and public authorities — will make Europe more innovative. But they do not act in a vacuum. They act with a mindset and in a framework which either discourages or incites them to enter unknown territories. The lessons presented in this Communication will help us with the preparation of a modern EU reform agenda for the next decade which should have innovation at its heart."

To read the full article see;
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1268&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
 

Commissioner Kuneva said: "The reality is that the current EU holiday protection put in place in the 1990s, when two week packages booked from a brochure via a travel agent was the norm… But the sector has transformed in recent years. With millions of people putting together their own holidays, many consumers are falling outside the basic package travel law and sometimes left badly exposed. The status quo is not good enough. Europe's consumers are not getting the protection they deserve."

To read more about this new Directive see http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/press_office/news_of_the_day/eu-protection-holiday-makers-en_en.htm

To find out more about Estonia please download this free publication here.

In the coming months, Panel members will be asked their views on the Single European Payments Area, European Environmental Legislation and the Availability of Bank Credit. Consultations cover a wide range of topics and are limited to 6-8 per year. Questionnaires should not take more than 15-20 minutes to complete and are completed on-line.

Example:Some 54 % of companies had never requested a VAT refund in another EU country due to difficult procedures - Result: In October 2004, the European Commission proposed a simplified electronic procedure for businesses wishing to claim refunds of VAT paid in other Member States.

For further information or to become a member and influence EU policies, please contact your local EEN.

The scam involves misleading contracts. Companies are targeted using various media, business may receive an email, fax or letter asking companies to sign up to a ‘free’ business directory. However the service is not free and hidden in the small print are ‘terms and conditions’ outlining that by returning the form the company is in fact entering into an expensive misleading contract. What follows is a strategy of intimidation and bullying to extract money from businesses.

The advice to all Irish SMEs is of course (a) not to sign up in the first place and (b) in the event that you have unwittingly signed up, please just ignore their payment demands, solicitor's letters, debt collectors calls and eventually (after some considerable time and harassment) they will just go away as they know they have no legal standing.

SMEs who have been victimed of the scam can contact the Enterprise Europe Network.

The factsheet contains a comprehensive overview of the French economy with a specific focus on one of the country's most dynamic sector: renewable energies. If you are interested in Europe's leading producer of sustainable energy don't miss Orizon 2009. Organised by the Enterprise Europe Network this event will bring together companies and research institutes active in the fields of sustainable development and sustainable constructions.

To find out more about business opportunities in France you can download this free publication here. 

The European Commission has launched a new online tool which enables businesses to alert all Member States concerned at the same time in one step, simplifying and speeding up the process. Up to now, such notifications had to be sent to each Member State separately.

In the first 2 years of the programme, researchers from Irish companies and higher education institutions won funding totalling €107million for collaborative research projects in areas like ICT, health, nano-technology and energy research.

Minister Lenihan was speaking at the FP7 Ireland Conference taking place in Dublin (30/06/2009). FP7 is the short name for the Seventh EU Framework Programme for R&D which runs from 2007 to 2013.

FP7 is designed to respond to Europe's employment needs, competitiveness and quality of life, funding research in priority areas such as environment, health, and IT. The €50 billion fund is seen as a major asset in the EU's fight against the current economic crisis with its ring-fenced budget growing every year by 13% until 2013.

Speaking at the event Minister Lenihan said; "The EU agenda complements our national priorities with an emphasis on moving new discoveries from the research stage to the marketplace, allowing Ireland to play our part in building a low-carbon economy and tackling diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's disease".

FP7 offers Ireland's SMEs, multinationals, and research institutions valuable opportunities to participate in high-caliber research collaborations with our European counterparts.

"I am particularly pleased to see that SMEs account for over 75% of the funding to private industry and encourage companies in Ireland to avail of the opportunities that FP7 offers" he said.

Dr. Imelda Lambkin, Enterprise Ireland and Director of the national support network for FP7 in Ireland said; "The Irish success rate ahead of the overall EU average means we are in line with the national target of winning €600m in EU R&D funding by 2013."

This Certificate is an administrative document delivered by the manufacturer to the purchaser which proves that a vehicle complies with all the technical provisions in force in the EU. Since May 2009 any manufacturer holding a Community type-approval has been obliged to issue the Certificate of Conformity, thus enabling purchasers to register a vehicle in any EU Member State. An Irish citizen can buy a new caravan in Germany and register it in Ireland simply by submitting the European Certificate of Conformity to the registration authority. This certificate includes also environmental performance data, which are increasingly necessary for vehicle taxation schemes.

Nanotechnology represents the first field for research performing SMEs (86% of projects), followed by Transport (84%) and Energy (82%).

Most of the SMEs participating are small with 69% having up to 49 employees.

On average, an SME can expect to receive €300.000 in funding during the lifetime of its participation in a project.

For further information on this EU programme please access cordis.europa.eu/home_en.html

While buildings are responsible for about 40% of total energy consumption in Europe this website provide you with all the information needed to reduce energy consumption in your company.

Please access: www.buildup.eu

Under this new call for proposal actions aiming at ensuring public awareness and fighting against illegal content and harmful conduct online, as well as action promoting a safer online environment will get funded.

Budget: €9 Millions

Closing date: 19 November 2009

For further information, please access: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:132:0010:0014:EN:PDF

Decisions that pass through the European parliament can directly affect your company:

- rules for tighter supervision of banking and other financial institutions

- aid for the EU's poorest regions

- support for small businesses

- investment in lifelong learning to prepare workers for the modern economy

- simplification of EU regulations and standards

- carbon-reduction targets

- consumer rights.

Make your voice heard on these and other issues relevant to your business - or simply to you as an individual. Take a look at some 60 reasons to vote: [ http://europa.eu/debateeurope/whyvote/IR-en-TRA-00%20Index.pdf ]http://europa.eu/debateeurope/whyvote/IR-en-TRA-00%20Index.pdf

The Commission believes that listening to citizens and engaging in dialogue with them are essential to foster greater mutual understanding and to design policies attuned to people's needs. As part of this contract, there will be a variety of activities aiming to get the views of the Irish people on the European Union and its policies and also to give the Irish public more information on how the EU works.

Further information available at ;
http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/press_office/news_of_the_day/public-info-contr_en.htm

The new/re-elected MEPs will have a major influence in determin-ing how EU legislation supports entrepreneurs and enterprises.

The Parliament is the Union’s joint law-maker, alongside the Council (made up of representa-tives of each member states government). EU policies and legisla-tion cover a wide range of issues directly relevant to industry, to enterprises and to entrepreneurs.

How has the European Parliament affected your business?

- The Small business act was adopted

- Proposals on opening up the EU market for services have been im-proved to ensure that unnecessary restrictions are removed

- A ban on misleading food packaging

- Directive on unfair commercial practices, etc.

For further information on the European elections, please click here.

What will be funded?

Innovative, environmental-friendly projects in the area of materials recycling (better sorting processes, innovative recycling products), sustainable buildings (innovative building processes and products), food & drink industrial processes (waste reduction, recycling & recovery), green business & smart purchasing

Who can apply?

This Call is open to all legal persons that are based in eligible countries but the priority will be given to Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Clusters of applicants and projects which demonstrate a European added value and have a high potential for market replication are strongly encouraged.

Deadline:10 September 2009

For further information, please access http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/call_en.htm

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KIMbcn, a Spanish private foundation involved in   knowledge/technology transfer and innovation promotion,  is seeking to join with a project consortium in Ireland under the current European Eco-innovation call.  Further details available here or contact Donald Mc Donagh, Tel: +34 93 266 71 38

The interconnector will move Ireland closer to the heart of the European energy market and will deliver cheaper and more secure electricity. It is estimated that it will save up to €400 million net over the next 30 years.

Other projects around the EU will include offshore wind energy, carbon capture and storage and other energy interconnectors.

It's all part of the implementation of the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR), on which the Council and the Parliament recently reached agreement. This week's launch marks the last formal step in making funding available.

Further information available at;
http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/press_office/news_of_the_day/ireland-uk-interconnector-grant_en.htm
 

The interconnector will move Ireland closer to the heart of the European energy market and will deliver cheaper and more secure electricity. It is estimated that it will save up to €400 million net over the next 30 years.

Other projects around the EU will include offshore wind energy, carbon capture and storage and other energy interconnectors.

It's all part of the implementation of the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR), on which the Council and the Parliament recently reached agreement. This week's launch marks the last formal step in making funding available.

Further information available at;

http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/press_office/news_of_the_day/ireland-uk-interconnector-grant_en.htm

The Certificate of Conformity is an administrative document delivered by the manufacturer to the purchaser. It proves that a vehicle complies with all the technical provisions in force in the European Union and that it can therefore be freely put into circulation in any Member State.

Further information on this document available here

With more than 99% of European companies falling into the category of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME), they are without a doubt the lifeblood of the European economy and will play a crucial role in leading the way to economic recovery. With this in mind, the EU Commission is happy to launch the first European SME Week, 6-14 May, which is intended to raise awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship and the support that is available for SMEs.

More than 1000 events will take place in 35 countries over the course of the week and entrepreneurs will be able to discover information, advice, support and ideas available at European, national, regional and local levels to help them develop their business.

European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for Enterprise and Industry, opened the SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) week in Brussels today: “This Commission together with the Member States has worked hard to improve the conditions for small companies. If there is a way out of the economic downturn, it is the SMEs’ creativity, flexibility and capacity to find solutions. Together we have already achieved improvements. But we must go further. We need more SMEs as they are the true drivers of growth and job creation”.

The SME Week is one of the measures implementing the Small Business Act (SBA), the first really comprehensive SME policy framework for the EU and its Member States. Policies to promote SMEs have advanced significantly since the European Commission took office in 2004.
 

The eYou Guide is the first website to outline consumers' rights and obligations online under EU and also national law. It contains extensive references to European and national contact points and answers frequently asked questions in an easy to understand, jargon-free language.

Click here to read more or visit the eYou Guide directly online.

A text message sent from abroad in the EU will cost no more than €0.11 as of 1 July, instead of €0.28 today.

The Parliament also voted for further cuts in the price of mobile phone calls while roaming in another EU country. The present cap for a mobile phone call made abroad will progressively drop from €0.46 to €0.35 per minute by July 2011, and from €0.22 today to €0.11 for mobile calls received while roaming abroad.

The times where consumers had to expect "bill shocks" for downloading a picture or a movie with a mobile phone while roaming in the EU are over.

Mobile operators will also be required to bill roaming calls by the second from the 31st second at the latest, which will end the current practice under which consumers are overcharged by up to 24%.

As the Council of EU Telecoms Ministers has already signalled its agreement with the new roaming rules, today's vote paves the way for an entry into force of the new rules just in time for the summer holidays. European consumers are expected to save up to 60% on their bill for using a mobile phone abroad in the EU.

Further details click here

Commenting on the measure Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said, "The Irish scheme will help businesses affected by the current credit crunch without unduly distorting competition”.

Conditions
The scheme is based on the provisions of the Temporary Framework that deal with compatible aid of a limited amount. Under this facility the maximum amount of aid can not exceed €500,000 per company and the scheme applies only to businesses which were not in difficulty on 1 July 2008, before the unfolding of the crisis.

The scheme also meets the conditions of the Commission’s Temporary Framework giving Member States additional scope to facilitate access to financing in the present economic and financial crisis (see IP/08/1993). In particular, it is limited in time and scope. It is therefore compatible with Article 87(3)(b) of the EC Treaty, which permits aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State.

The scheme is intended to increase possibilities to give timely and well targeted aid to SMEs and large companies and will therefore significantly contribute to remedying the current financial and economic crisis.

The decision will be published in the State Aid Register on DG Competition’s website, under the reference number N 186/2009. The latest decisions on state aid published in the Official Journal and on the website are listed in the electronic newsletter State aid Weekly e-News.

EU exports to China mainly consisted of machinery and vehicles, while its imports mainly consisted of telecommunication and office machines (share of 28%). Looking at the breakdown of EU exports, Ireland was the 10th main exporter to China. For further information on the report, please click here

Pictured at the recent Bridging the Border Event are;
Back Row - Left to Right:Andy Millar, Invest Northern Ireland; Jan Gerritsen, Enterprise Europe Network Ireland; Aidan Gough, InterTradeIreland;
Front Row – Left to Right: Mandy Mills, Enterprise Europe Network, Northern Ireland; Leon Agnew, Enterprise Ireland; Elaine Curran, Invest Northern Ireland.

‘Collaborate to innovate’ is the message for SME’s on both sides of the Irish border from “Bridging the Border” an event focused on building business partnerships north and south of the border taking place in Dundalk today (April 2, 2009).

Organised by Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland, the event is introducing companies from both sides of the border to the benefits of collaboration in high-technology sectors. These include renewable energy, nanotechnology, aerospace, biotechnology and food – sectors which offer companies the greatest potential for working together to innovate and develop new products and markets.

The focus of the event is firmly on small companies and the benefits of partnering with a company or a third-level research institution on the other side of the border to generate new ideas and business leads.

Speaking ahead of the event, Jan Gerritsen, Enterprise Ireland said; “Irish companies can become more competitive by collaborating with other companies and third level research institutions on both sides of the border, and with countries in other parts of Europe. We have organised this event with our partners, Invest Northern Ireland and InterTradeIreland, to show small and medium companies that innovative and collaborative business partnerships offer opportunities to cut costs and increase market share”.

Ireland already proved itself as an early adopter of creative ideas being only the second country, following in the Netherland’s lead, to introduce Innovation Vouchers, and Northern Ireland became the third when it launched the initiative there on 27th May 2008. 

Small enterprises can apply for Innovation Vouchers, up to a maximum value of €5,000 /£4,000, which they can redeem against the cost of practical advice and expertise from 38 colleges or ‘Knowledge Providers’ north and south of the border. The April call for applications opened yesterday and will close on 30th April 2009. The Innovation Voucher allows SMEs to focus on running their business while Knowledge Providers develop solutions to knowledge problems that could take your business to the next level.

The first successful Innovation Voucher project between a company in the Republic and a Knowledge Provider in Northern Ireland was recently completed between University of Ulster and Dublin based WithURecruitment and there are 4 more cross-border innovation voucher projects in progress right now.

Companies attending the event were also introduced to a network of over 500 partner organisations in Europe and 23 million SMEs through the Enterprise Europe Network in Ireland which can help Irish SMEs to reach new customers in over 40 countries in Europe and beyond in Russia, China and the USA.

InterTradeIreland Strategy & Policy Director, Aidan Gough, said “Survival and innovation go hand and hand in the current economic climate. InterTradeIreland provides assistance to help develop innovative cross-border partnerships which can deliver new market solutions. Our FUSION programme provides funding of up to €60,000 to facilitate cross-border partnerships between companies with technology based development needs, third level institutions and high calibre graduates.”

ENDS
For more information contact:
Grace Labanyi, Communications Officer
Enterprise Ireland

These loans complement €50 million of EIB funds which were recently made available to Bank of Scotland (Ireland) to finance investment projects by small businesses. Irish enterprises should start to benefit from the EIB Loans for SMEs within the coming weeks.

The signature of the EIB Loans for SMEs was welcomed by the Irish Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan TD at the European Commission Representation in Ireland. At the launch Minister Lenihan commented, “I very much welcome the support of the European Investment Bank in providing this significant lending facility for small and medium sized enterprises, which are of critical importance to the European economy in general and to smaller economies such as Ireland’s in particular. I very much appreciate the efforts of the EIB officials and the participating Irish banks in bringing the initiative to fruition.  It is a very positive signal of the joint capacity of Europe and Ireland working together to meet the credit needs of the enterprise sector."

The EIB loans for SMEs carry particular importance in the current financial and economic climate when many smaller businesses face difficulties in accessing finance. In September 2008, the EU Finance Ministers called upon the EIB to extend, modernise and diversify their loans to the SME sector. The new generation loans ensure that the final recipients – the Irish small firms – benefit from the financial advantage offered by EIB funds.

Plutarchos Sakellaris, EIB Vice President responsible for lending activities in Ireland, confirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting SMEs by saying, “Ensuring access to finance for small businesses is essential for the Irish economy and it is a crucial element of the EIB’s newly adopted measures to help Europe through the current financial and economic crisis. We have finalised agreements for three new loans to Allied Irish Bank, Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland and we are hopeful that our increasingly rich relationships with Irish banks will lead to similar success in the future".

Martin Territt, Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, also welcomed the move by saying, "We need the implementation of specific measures to get banks lending again. Not for bankers, but to refuel the real economy. 99% of European companies have less than 250 employees and future economic recovery and growth will depend on their ability to expand and create employment. Last year the European Commission launched the Small Business Act, which gives SMEs increased financial support, reduces their administrative burdens and increases their ability to trade across the EU market of 495 million consumers and further afield."

Small businesses play a key role in the Irish economy and account for more than half of the total private sector workforce. Irish SMEs will soon begin to benefit from EIB finance via a €50 million package which was dedicated to Bank of Scotland (Ireland) from a GBP 250 million loan made by the EIB to HBOS (UK) in December 2008. The EIB has enjoyed a nearly 30-year long relationship working with the Bank of Scotland to finance sound projects by Irish SMEs. The other three financial intermediaries receiving Loans for SMEs are also well known to the EIB from previous lending operations.

Allied Irish Bank (AIB) has traditionally been one of the EIB’s key financial intermediaries in Ireland, having received eight EIB credit lines between 1990 and 2003 to benefit SMEs. The current EIB Loan for SMEs to AIB is worth €100 million and will be allocated to sound investment projects by SMEs all around Ireland.

Ulster Bank is also securing a €100 million EIB loan which will be dedicated to financing SME investments, under normal credit terms, across the island of Ireland, north and south. The projects which will be supported by the loan to Ulster Bank will cover a range of economic sectors. This is the first EIB loan which has been made to Ulster Bank to benefit SMEs since 1998.

Bank of Ireland has worked in partnership with the EIB for over 20 years to provide funding for SMEs in Ireland. The Bank is now entering into its seventh partnership, with a €100 million line of credit across the island of Ireland, north and south to encourage growth in the industry. Qualifying SMEs, including from the service and agricultural sectors, will significantly benefit from this facility.

Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Martin Territt said: "Today's poll shows that we need to mobilise resources to increase knowledge and understanding of how the EU works. It also tells us that Irish people remain attached to the ideals of the European Union, even in hard times".

Other results from the poll showed a huge decline in confidence about the economy since the year before, the largest of any EU Member State, at 63%. At the same time, Irish people continue to feel happy with their own lives (88%) coming in at sixth place in Europe.

Professor Richard Sinnott of UCD, who conducted the poll, noted that analysis of the results showed that domestic political attitudes have only a minor effect on attitudes to Europe. Trust in all European institutions has declined over the six months prior to the poll but only 26% of respondents would be in favour of a two-speed Europe.

More

Eurobarometer is a regular EU-wide poll of attitudes towards the European Union. It is carried out every six months in every Member State. The first results for the 27 Member States, including some general data for Ireland, was published in December.

Today's data were the detailed results for Ireland and analysis by the research team, led by Professor Richard Sinnott of UCD.

Director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Martin Territt, said today: "This agreement will help to strengthen long-term coordination and partnership between the European Institutions and the Irish authorities. It will maximise mutual support in the promotion of better understanding of the European Union".

The Memorandum allows for a joint communications plan to be drawn up annually over a three-year period. The agreement can then be renewed for further three-year periods. There will be a joint coordination committee and an evaluation report every three years.

The Memorandum is similar to arrangements in several other Member States. In 2008, eight other countries ran communications partnerships and ten more plan to do so in 2009.

It was signed late last week in Brussels by H.E. Bobby McDonagh, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Union, Mr Claus Sørensen, Director-General for Communication at the Commission and Ms Francesca Ratti, Director-General for Communication at the European Parliament.

The proposal simplifies, modernises and harmonises the current VAT invoicing rules. It eliminates the current barriers to e-invoicing in the VAT Directive by treating paper and electronic invoices equally. The proposal is a key element of the Commission's Action Programme to reduce burdens on business by 25% by 2012, and is part of the Commission's strategy to combat VAT fraud more efficiently.

László Kovács, Commissioner for Taxation and Customs, said:  "Current national VAT invoicing rules are excessively complicated and disparate. This has led to unnecessary administrative burdens on businesses operating cross-border and has also facilitated VAT carousel fraud. Today's important initiative will put forward much simpler, more modern and comprehensive rules for invoicing, whilst allowing tax administrations effective means of control. Paper and electronic invoices will be treated equally which will allow businesses to move to a 100% e-invoicing system and to save up to 18 billion euros across the EU".

Details of the proposal

The Communication and the proposal reflect the real concerns of the business community and tax administrations, as indicated in their replies to the public consultation. A recent opinion of the High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders (HLG) also showed a demand for all the VAT aspects of invoicing to be looked at more widely. The proposal adopted today addresses the VAT obstacles that hamper the up-take of electronic invoicing and the difficulties that businesses face in issuing and storing (especially electronically storing) of invoices, as well as discrepancies of the content of invoices.

The Commission believes that it is necessary to increase the up-take of electronic invoicing, by removing the pre-conditions of advanced electronic signatures or electric data interchange (EDI) for sending invoices electronically. Moreover, the electronic storage of invoices will be allowed, even if the original invoice is in paper format, and common storage periods are set.

Other measures to help reduce burdens on business include the removal of the many options available to Member States, thereby creating a harmonised set of invoicing rules. This will help businesses that want to implement practices such as self-billing or summary invoices and will allow the larger businesses to centralise their invoicing.

To help SMEs, the proposal widens the use of simplified invoicing, notably for small value invoices (up to 200 euros) which will be of particular benefit for smaller businesses. It allows simplified invoicing for business to consumer (B2C) supplies and certain VAT exempt supplies where the risk of fraud is limited. In addition, and of direct benefit to SMEs, is the option for Member States to introduce a cash accounting scheme under which the tax becomes due only when the invoice is paid.

Safeguards are enhanced to help the authorities to tackle VAT fraud. As businesses operating cross-border will have to report their transactions in the month of the supply, fraudsters will not be able to abuse the possibility of including an invoice in a later reporting period. The rules on the right to VAT deductions are strengthened in respect to the requirement to hold a valid invoice and as regards the contents of invoices.

The scoreboard measures key indicators such as investment in R&D, numbers of highly-educated workers, exports and sales in the high-tech sector as well as access to broadband and numbers employed in high-tech manufacturing.

The results show that Ireland's greatest relative strength is in Human Resources, marked by its strong growth in graduates and doctorates. Ireland's weak point is R&D investment by business and cooperation across firms.

The 2008 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) also looks at Europe's performance in the world, compared with the US and Japan as well as the emerging economies such as China and India. It shows the EU making progress in its innovation performance up to the financial crisis.

The relative innovation gap with the US and Japan was reduced, in particular with strong progress by many new Member States such as Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria.

In a statement today, EU Commissioners Günter Verheugen (Enterprise) and Janez Potoènik (Research) said:" At a time of crisis, it is not the moment to take a break in research investments and in innovation. They are vital if Europe wants to emerge stronger from the economic crisis and if it wants to address the challenges of climate change and globalisation. The EU does have many assets, notably an increasingly attractive European research area and a continuously improving innovation performance. But there is still work to be done, especially on the relative under investment by business."

See here for country-by-country performances

The €100m Business Investment Fund will be used to support viable SME companies, both existing and new customers, in the Republic and Northern Ireland who are looking to invest capital in developing their business at terms of no less than two years.  Customers will be assessed against both Bank of Scotland (Ireland) and EIB lending criteria.  

Please view press release by Bank of Scotland (Ireland) or visit www.eib.org for further information. For enquiries about the fund, you can also contact Daragh Kelly, Bank of Scotland (Ireland), Dara.Kelly@bankofscotland.ie  

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso congratulated Slovakia and  welcomed  its citizens to the euro area. "The euro will help Slovakia to take part in Europe's collective effort to recover from the current economic crisis. By joining the euro area, Slovakia has enhanced its long-term potential to create growth and jobs and keep inflation under control."

Click here for background information on the euro.