CULTURE 2007 (2007-2013)

The general objective of Culture 2007 programme is to enhance the cultural area common to Europeans through the development of cultural cooperation between the creators, cultural players and cultural institutions of the countries taking part in the programme, with a view to encouraging the emergence of European citizenship. the programme aims to: Promote the transnational mobility of people working in the cultural sector, Encourage the transnational circulation of works and cultural and artistic products, Encourage intercultural dialogue. Decision No 1855/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the implementation of a Programme.

 

LIFELONG LEARNING (2007-2013)

The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 replaces the existing Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, and eLearning programmes which expire at the end of 2006. It comprises four sectoral programmes on school education (Comenius), higher education (Erasmus), vocational training (Leonardo da Vinci) and adult education (Grundtvig), and is completed by a transversal programme focusing on policy cooperation, languages, information and communication technology and dissemination and exploitation of results. Decision No 1720/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union L327/45 on 24 November 2006.

 

YOUTH IN ACTION (2007-2013)

On 15 November 2006, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Decision No 1719/2006 /EC, which establishes the Youth in Action programme for the period 2007 to 2013. This document is the legal basis of the Programme for its entire duration.
Youth in Action is the EU Programme for young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30). It aims to inspire a sense of active citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union's future. Youth in Action is a programme for all! It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background.

 

MEDIA 2007 (2007-2013)

Decision No 1718/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 concerning the implementation of a Programme of support for the European audiovisual sector (MEDIA 2007). The global objectives of the programme are to preserve and enhance Europe's cultural and linguistic diversity and its cinema and audiovisual heritage, guarantee public access to it and promote intercultural dialogue; to increase the circulation and audience of European audiovisual works inside and outside the European Union; to boost the competitiveness of the European audiovisual sector in an open and competitive market that is propitious to employment.

 

EUROPE FOR CITIZENS (2007-2013)

 The aim of this programme is to bring Europe closer to its citizens and to enable them to participate fully in the European construction. Through this programme, citizens have the opportunity to be involved in transnational exchanges and cooperation activities, contributing to developing a sense of belonging to common European ideals and encouraging the process of European integration. The announcement in all official languages of the EU are published in the Official Journal C328/29.

 

PROGRESS - PROGRAMME FOR EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY (2007-2013)

By the Decision No 1672/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006, a Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – Progress was established. The programme is designed to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the fields of employment and social affairs, as set out in the Commission Communication on the Social Agenda, and thereby contributes to the achievement of the Lisbon Strategy goals in those fields. 

 

COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (2007-2013)

Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) supports competitiveness and eco-innovation throughout Europe in line with the renewed Lisbon Strategy. It includes all Community actions in the area of entrepreneurship, SMEs, innovation, industrial competitiveness, ICT development and use, environmental technologies and intelligent energy. CIP has three main pillars: the Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme, the ICT Policy Support programme and the Intelligent Energy - Europe programme. Decision 1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007-2013).

 

PROGRAMME MARCO POLO II (2007-2013)

The final Regulation of  Marco Polo II was published in the Official Journal at the 24.11.2006 under the reference OJ L 328/1, Regulation (EC) No.1692/2006. It entered into force on 14.12.2006. Marco Polo is the European Union's funding programme for projects which shift freight transport from the road to sea, rail and inland waterways. This means fewer trucks on the road and thus less congestion, less pollution, and more reliable and efficient transport of goods.

 

TRANS-EUROPEAN NETWORKS FOR TRANSPORT AND ENERGY (2007-2013)

The Treaty establishing the European Union provides a sound legal basis for the TENs. Under the terms of Chapter XV of the Treaty, the European Union must aim to promote the development of Trans -European Networks as a key element for the creation of the Internal Market and the reinforcement of Economic and Social Cohesion. This development includes the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to such networks. According with these objectives, the Community is developing guidelines covering the objectives, priorities, identification of projects of common interest and broad lines of measures for the three sectors concerned (Transports, Energy and Telecommunications). The European Parliament and the Council approve these guidelines after consultation of the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. A large number of projects of common interest have benefited from financial support of the Community budget through the TEN-budget line as well as the Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund.

 

GALILEO (2007-2013)

The Galileo system will be Europe’s radionavigation programme. The initiative was launched by the European Commission and the European Space Agency and will lead to the development of a new generation of universal services in sectors such as transport, telecommunications, agriculture and fisheries. The programme will be administered and controlled by civilian authorities and offers a guarantee of quality and continuity that is essential for many applications. It will complement existing navigational systems such as GPS

and will increase the reliability and availability of navigation and positioning services worldwide. Galileo will consist of a constellation of 30 satellites. It will grant the EU a system that is independent of any other states and therefore will grant access to civil users at any time. 

 

DAPHNE III - COMBATING VIOLENCE (2007-2013)

 On 20 June 2007, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Decision No. 779/2007/EC establishing, for the period 2007-2013, a specific programme to prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims and groups at risk (Daphne III programme) as part of the General Programme "Fundamental Rights and Justice". The aforesaid decision was published in the Official Journal L 173 of 3 July 2007.  The European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement regarding the adoption of the programme, which aims to prevent and combat all forms of violence, in both public and private domains, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

 

DRUGS PREVENTION AND INFORMATION PROGRAMME (2007-2013)

Decision 1150/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing for the period 2007-2013 the specific programme “Drug prevention and information” as part of the General Programme “Fundamental Rights and Justice”.

The objectives of the “Drug prevention and information” programme set up by the European Union are to prevent and reduce drug use, drug addiction and the associated inherent risks; improve information about drug use; support the implementation of the EU Drugs Strategy; promote transnational actions; involve civil society in the implementation and development of the European Union Strategy on Drugs; control, implement and assess the action plans.

 

SOLIDARITY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE MIGRATION FLOWS (2007-2013)

The framework programme is designed to improve management of migratory flows at the level of the European Union and to strengthen solidarity between Member States. It has four dimensions. The first concerns integrated management of external borders, with the setting up of an External Borders Fund. The second concerns asylum policy, with the prolongation of the European Refugee Fund. The third concerns the social, civic and cultural integration of Non-EU Member Country nationals, with the setting up of a European Integration Fund. The fourth concerns the fight against illegal immigration and the return of Non-EU Member Country nationals residing illegally in the EU, with the setting up of a European Return Fund.

 

EUROPEAN REFUGEE FUND (2007 - 2013)

The general objective of the European Refugee Fund (ERF) is to support and improve the efforts of Member States to grant reception conditions to refugees, displaced persons and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, to apply fair and effective asylum procedures and to promote good practices in the field of asylum so as to protect the rights of persons requiring international protection and enable Member States asylum systems to work efficiently.

 

 

EXTERNAL BORDERS FUND (2007-2013)

The External Borders Fund is one of the four financial instruments of the General Programmeon "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" which encourages a fair share of responsibilities between Member States arising from the introduction of integrated management of the external borders and from the implementation of common policies on asylum and immigration. The other three Funds are: the European Fund for the Integration of Third country nationals, the European Return Fund and the European Refugee Fund. The External Borders Fund establishes a financial solidarity mechanism to support countries which endure, for the benefit of the Community, a lasting and heavy financial burden arising from the implementation of common standards on control and surveillance of external borders and visa policy. The overall budget of this Fund for 2007-2013 is € 1820 million

 

THE EUROPEAN FUND FOR THE INTEGRATION OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS (2007-2013)

The European Fund for the Integration of Third country nationals is one of the four financial instruments of the general programme on "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" which encourages a fair share of responsibilities between Member States arising from the introduction of integrated management of the external borders and from the implementation of common policies on asylum and immigration. The other three Funds are: the External Borders Fund, The Return Fund and the European Refugee Fund.The European Fund for the Integration of Third country nationals is an expression of a dynamic process of mutual accommodation by all immigrants and residents of Member States.

EUROPEAN RETURN FUND (2007-2013)

The External Borders Fund is one of the four financial instruments of the General Programme on "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" which encourages a fair share of responsibilities between Member States arising from the introduction of integrated management of the external borders and from the implementation of common policies on asylum and immigration. The other three Funds are: the European Fund for the Integration of Third country nationals, the European Return Fund and the European Refugee Fund. The External Borders Fund establishes a financial solidarity mechanism to support countries which endure, for the benefit of the Community, a lasting and heavy financial burden arising from the implementation of common standards on control and surveillance of external borders and visa policy.

LIFE+ (2007-2013)

LIFE+, the new Financial Instrument for the Environment, has entered into force with the publication of the Regulation in the Official Journal L149 of 9 June 2007. With a budget of 2.143 billion euros, LIFE+ is a limited but focused funding instrument providing specific support for the development and implementation of Community environmental policy and legislation, in particular the objectives of the 6th EAP (Decision 1600/2002/EC) and resulting thematic strategies. It comprises three components:

-         LIFE+ Nature & Biodiversity;

-         LIFE+ Environment Policy & Governance;

-         LIFE+ Information & Communication.

 

SEVENTH RESEARCH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (2007-2013)

The seventh Framework Programme will be carried out to pursue the general objectives described in Article 163 of the Treaty to strengthen industrial competitiveness and meet the research needs of other Community policies and thereby contributing towards the creation of a knowledge-based society, building on a European Research Area and complementing activities at a national and regional level. Four main objectives have been identified, which correspond to the four main specific programmes around which the European research effort is to be structured – Four main specific programmes:

 

1. THE COOPERATION PROGRAMME aims to stimulate cooperation and improve links between industry and research within a transnational framework. The aim is for Europe to gain and consolidate leadership in key research areas. The programme will have nine themes, which are to be managed autonomously but will be complementary in terms of implementation: health; food, agriculture and biotechnology; information and communication technologies; nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies; energy; environment (including climate change); transport (including aeronautics); socio-economic sciences and the humanities; security and space.

2. THE IDEAS PROGRAMME is intended to enhance exploratory research in Europe, i.e. aimed at discovering new knowledge that fundamentally changes our vision of the world and our way of life. In order to achieve this, the new European Research Council will support the most ambitious and innovative research projects. Within this new structure, at the forefront of European research, there will be an autonomous Scientific Council, which will identify priorities and scientific strategies. The aim is to enhance European research excellence by promoting competition and risk-taking.

3. THE PEOPLE PROGRAMME will harness significant financial resources that can be used to improve the career prospects of researchers in Europe and attract more high-quality young researchers. The Commission hopes to encourage training and mobility so that European researchers can realize their full potential. The programme will reinforce the existing "Marie Curie" actions, which for several years have been offering mobility and training opportunities to European researchers.

4. THE CAPACITIES PROGRAMME is intended to give researchers powerful tools that will enable them to enhance the quality and competitiveness of European research. This means more investment in research infrastructure in the less successful regions, in the creation of regional research-driven clusters and in research for the benefit of SMEs. This programme also has to reflect the importance of international cooperation in research and the role of science in society.

Furthermore, the 7th Framework Programme will finance the direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the actions covered by the Euratom Framework Programme in the fields of: research into fusion energy and nuclear fission and radiation protection.

 

FISCALIS (2007-2013)

The Fiscalis 2013 programme's main objective will remain that of assisting the European tax administrations to sustain and improve the functioning of the tax systems. The 2013 programme will continue to stimulate cooperation between tax authorities in order to raise revenue, while at the same time decreasing the administrative burden on taxable persons. The 2013 programme will support the maintenance and improvement of existing and introduction of new Trans European computerised systems to enhance the secure and reliable exchange of information between tax officials. Activities under Fiscalis 2013 are based in particular on: communication and information-exchange systems; multilateral controls; seminars and project groups; working visits; training activities.

 

CUSTOMS (2007-2013)

Due to globalisation and the large international trading community, the EU needs to ensure an effective customs union for the internal market. The Customs 2007 programme seeks to improve the customs union against these new demands through cooperation and communication among the Member States' customs administrators, so all authorities working in this field are efficient and equal. By ensuring an effective customs union, the programme also ensures financial protection and security by specifically combating fraud. While the programme ensures cooperation between Member States, it also includes accession countries to ensure successful integration into the Union.

 

PUBLIC HEALTH (2007-2013)

The Public Health programme is an incentive measure designed to protect and improve human health and aim to achive: improve citizens' health security; promote health for prosperity and solidarity; generate and disseminate Health Knowledge. Public Health programme aims to promote the co-operation and co-ordination between Member States and other legislative measures: setting up of high standards of quality and safety of tissues and blood, measures in the veterinary and phytosanitary fields, which have as direct objectives the protection of public health or Council recommendations. All these actions shall fully respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care.

 

CONSUMER PROTECTION (2007-2013)

The main objectives of the programme are to ensure a common high level of protection for all EU consumers, wherever they live, travel to or buy from in the EU, from risks and threats to their safety and economic interests, and to increase consumers' capacity to promote their own interests, i.e. helping consumers help themselves.

 

EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD AND PARTNERSHIP INSTRUMENT (2007-2013)

From 1 January 2007, EC assistance to the countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy is funded via the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) which replaced the various geographical programmes including TACIS (for our eastern neighbours and Russia) and MEDA (for our southern Mediterranean neighbours), as well as thematic programmes such as EIDHR (European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights). ENPI will be a much more flexible, policy-driven instrument. It is designed to target sustainable development and approximation to EU policies and standards - supporting the agreed priorities in the ENP Action Plans (as well as the Strategic Partnership with Russia, which was previously also covered by the TACIS programme). For the next budgetary period (2007-2013), approximately 12 billion Euros in EC funding will be available to support these partners' reforms, an increase of 32% in real terms. Funds allocated to individual country programmes will depend on their needs and absorption capacity as well as their implementation of agreed reforms.

INSTRUMENT FOR STABILITY (2007-2013)

The Instrument for Stability was established in order to provide financial aid throughout the period 2007-2013 that would guarantee stable conditions for human and economic development and the promotion of human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms in the context of the external relations policy of the European Union. Technical and financial aid to respond to a crisis or emerging crisis covers a wide range of activities, from support for the development of democratic, pluralistic state institutions, and an independent judiciary, good governance and law and order, to support for international criminal tribunals and ad hoc national tribunals, truth and reconciliation commissions, the promotion of independent and pluralist media, aid for the victims of the illicit use of firearms, support to relieve the impact on the civilian population of anti-personnel landmines, unexploded ordnance or explosive remnants of war, etc.