DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 19 March 2024
CALENDAR
Wednesday 20/03
Mr Margaritis Schinas in Bruges, Belgium: meets with Ms Federica Mogherini, Rector of the College of Europe ; delivers a speech at the event organised by the Hellenic Society of the College of Europe; meets Mr Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus.
Ms Stella Kyriakides participates in the high-level Ministerial dialogue on the EU-African Union Global Health Partnership organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU; delivers pre-recorded remarks to the event marking the opening of the new Paediatric Oncology Center in Bucharest.
Thursday 21/03
Mr Margaritis Schinas meets jointly via videoconference with Mr Thomas Bach, President of the IOC and Mr Moussa Faki, Chairman of the African Union Commission.
Ms Stella Kyriakides in Italy (until 22/03): meets with Mr Orazio Schillaci, Minister of Health of Italy and visits the ‘Bambino Gesu' Children's Research Hospital' in Rome; attends the WEmbrace Awards 2024 in Milan.
Friday 22/03
Mr Margaritis Schinas in Nicosia, Cyprus ; participates to a cross-ministerial meeting with Mr Konstantinos Ioannou, Minister of Interior, with Ms Athina Michaelidou, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, with Mr Marios Hartsiotis, Minister of Justice and Public Order, with Ms Marilena Evangelou, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, with Ms Vasiliki Kassianidou, Deputy Minister of culture ; delivers a keynote speech at the University of Nicosia; meets Ms Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus ; meets past participants of the European Solidarity Corps.
Ms Stella Kyriakides in Milan, Italy: visits the Italian National Cancer Institute; visits the European Institute of Oncology; attends the Europa Donna 30th anniversary celebration; delivers a keynote speech at the European Breast Cancer Conference.
HERA and partners launch Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health
A new Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health (GLOWACON) has been launched today. Its primary objective is to create an international sentinel system for the early detection, prevention, and real-time monitoring of epidemic threats and outbreaks. The launch event is taking place in Brussels over 19-20 March and includes participation of more than 300 key global partners including the European Commission's HERA, the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Africa CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Wastewater surveillance allows for an agile response to health threats of emerging concern. It provides early indications of community transmission of diseases and variants, and can be done at a fraction of the cost of laboratory testing. This is why it was identified as one of HERA's core actions when the authority was set up in 2021. In 2022, the Commission introduced urban wastewater surveillance in the proposal for a recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Member States' authorities are notably to cooperate in ensuring health-related parameters are monitored during public health emergencies, such as SARS-CoV-2. Monitoring of antimicrobial resistance is also required.
GLOWACON aims to bring together community-based surveillance and strategic surveillance at transportation hubs, including airports and aircrafts. It will also identify funding gaps and opportunities. While several countries are already investing on similar initiatives, there is a clear need for enhanced collaboration, capacities and data exchange at global level. This will help to avoid duplication and maximise synergies among existing and planned activities. With GLOWACON, HERA, in collaboration with the JRC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will stimulate innovation and promote the institutionalisation of wastewater and environmental surveillance as a routine activity within public health systems and institutions.
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said: “Establishing robust water surveillance capabilities on global, regional and local scales is essential for effectively monitoring public health diseases, enhancing epidemic intelligence and conducting pathogen surveillance. Wastewater and environmental surveillance were one of the key tools used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to detect outbreaks and track variants, allowing us act faster. This new consortium, led by the Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, a key pillar of the European Health Union, will play a pivotal role in supporting decision making and strengthening pandemic preparedness.”
(For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 2 298 46 80; Ana Apse-Paese – Tel.: +32 2 298 73 48)
Commission announces winners of the three categories of the European Prize for Women Innovators, from Türkiye, Spain and Ukraine
The Commission announced the winners of the 10th edition of the European Prize for Women Innovators. In the Women Innovators category, the winner Rana Sanyal (Türkiye) is Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of RS Research, which develops smart nanomedicines for targeted chemotherapy. María González Manso (Spain), the Rising Innovators' winner is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of tucuvi, which automates follow-up phone consultations with empathetic artificial intelligence. The winner of the EIT Women Leadership prize is Yuliia Bialetska (Ukraine), Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of S.lab, which develops alternatives to plastic foam packaging.
Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: "This edition of the European Prize for Women Innovators marks ten years of celebrating women who are leading the way in innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe. My warmest congratulations to all winners and runners-up. Their groundbreaking ideas, passion and determination inspire us all and remind us of the importance of fostering gender balance in Europe's innovation landscape."
The European Prize for Women Innovators is awarded to women from across the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe, whose disruptive innovations are driving positive change for people and planet. The winners are chosen by an independent expert jury. The prize is managed jointly by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT).
You will find more information on each prize category as well as the runners-ups here.
(For more information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 2 295 86 15; Roberta Verbanac – Tel.: +32 2 298 24 98)
European Humanitarian Forum announces pledges of over €7.7 billion for global crises
The third edition of the European Humanitarian Forum concluded today in Brussels, co-organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the EU.
At the Forum, EU Member States together with the European Commission announced the planned humanitarian funding of more than €7.7 billion for 2024, as a concrete expression of global solidarity and of the EU's leading role in humanitarian action.
In particular, the EU and Member States committed to taking action in addressing conflict and preserving humanitarian space, notably in the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip. EU ministers expressed grave concern regarding the current humanitarian situation in the Strip and called for rapid, unhindered, safe and continued humanitarian access to the people in need.
The participants also focused on promoting compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) globally in today's armed conflicts and welcomed the announcement of an independent, non-governmental initiative named “IHL in Focus”. Concretely, this initiative will establish a yearly analysis on current armed conflicts and related IHL violations to contribute to setting out the state of compliance with IHL across the world.
The forum gathered over 1400 representatives from across the humanitarian community, EU Member States and beyond took part in strategic discussions to jointly propose sustainable solutions to complex humanitarian challenges of today.
Background
Highlighting equity and inclusivity, the Forum advocated for meaningful participation of local actors, especially those representing marginalised groups, and underscored the significance of long-term solutions based on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Protection and the commitment to increased funding for targeted humanitarian interventions were central themes, along with recognising the pivotal role of strategic supply chains and logistics in delivering aid efficiently. More broadly, discussions at the Forum tackled the humanitarian funding gap also by diversifying resources, enhancing the humanitarian system's efficiency, and reducing needs.
Additionally, the Forum explored avenues to increase climate finance for conflict-affected, climate-vulnerable areas, emphasizing the importance of building resilience in fragile contexts.
For More Information
Homepage - European Humanitarian Forum 2024
Quote(s)
At this year’s European Humanitarian Forum, when we are marking record high humanitarian needs, the European Commission and EU Member States jointly announced the humanitarian funding of over €7.7 billion for 2024. This is a solid initial pledge for this year, reflecting both global solidarity and the EU's outstanding position in humanitarian action. At the same time, to prevent the collapse of international humanitarian system, the humanitarian community brought together at this Forum, clearly stressed the urgent need for sustainable and fair funding of humanitarian action, increased respect of International Humanitarian Law as well as joined-up action, matching emergency assistance with development and peace efforts to help the mostly forgotten vulnerable communities break free from the cycle of fragility and dependency.
Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management
The European Humanitarian Forum has become a fixed appointment for policymakers and aid workers committed to international solidarity and humanitarian assistance. Its relevance this year was, unfortunately, emphasized by the unprecedented high level of humanitarian needs worldwide and the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza. The international donor community must make an effort to keep up. This year, the EU managed to pledge €7,7 billion for 2024. Beyond that, we succeeded in putting a much-needed spotlight on humanitarian crises that are forgotten and underfunded, like in DRC, and delivered a clear message that we need to push back against the increasingly rash and gross violations of international humanitarian law, whenever or wherever they may happen. If we allow these violations to continue without consequences, we are undermining international law itself, and the rules-based order of which it is the foundation. Ultimately, we will all pay the price.
Caroline Gennez, Minister of Development Cooperation of Belgium
Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič on famine in Gaza
High Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, have issued the following statement:
"Five months into the Gaza crisis, the results of the updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment released today indicate the unfolding of the worst possible forecast for Gaza.
Gaza is already facing famine, with 100% of people estimated to be acutely food insecure, according to the IPC. In Gaza's Northern Governorates, 70% of the population are facing imminent famine.
In the centre and southern governorates, 50% of people face catastrophic food insecurity conditions. The situation is projected to deteriorate fast in the next weeks and months and famine is likely to also affect the South.
This is unprecedented. No IPC analysis has ever recorded such levels of food insecurity anywhere in the world.
Life-threatening levels of acute malnutrition have risen at an alarming rate since the last report, and we are already witnessing with horror the death of children due to starvation.
Hunger cannot be used as a weapon of war. What we are seeing is not a natural hazard but a manmade disaster, and it is our moral duty to stop it.
Over 30,000 people have already died due to the conflict, a large part of them children, and the death toll could rapidly increase due to starvation or diseases.
The situation has gone beyond catastrophic. There is an absolute imperative to act now.
While we are exploring all possible means of aid delivery, including airdrops and maritime corridors, these do not replace the most viable and effective solution which is the full and unconditional opening of land access.
An urgent expansion of existing access points for land deliveries, and the opening of additional access routes, is needed to secure impactful food assistance for the entire population of Gaza, the provision of specialised medical aid to address malnutrition and the implementation of public health measures.
We urge Israel to allow free, unimpeded, and safe humanitarian access to all people in need and to cooperate with UNRWA and other UN agencies and other humanitarian actors involved in the humanitarian response including by issuing requisite visas and other permits in a timely manner. The EU recognises their essential work and remains committed to their safety and the assurance of unhindered access to those in need.”
In 2024, the EU has initially earmarked over €125 million in humanitarian funding for Palestinians in need, over €50 million of which is specifically dedicated to food assistance and to cover health and other basic needs. A further €68 million are being allocated to support Palestinians inside Gaza and across the region with a strong focus on food, nutrition and health. The EU is also delivering nutritional assistance via Humanitarian Air Bridge flights for the people of Gaza.
Commission recommends actions to combat counterfeiting and better protect intellectual property rights
The Commission has today adopted a Recommendation to combat counterfeiting, both offline and online, and enhance the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR). The Recommendation, also known as the EU toolbox against counterfeiting, aims to foster collaboration between rights holders, service providers, and law enforcement, while encouraging best practices and the use of modern tools and technologies. It consists of strategic initiatives to combat counterfeiting and strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights, setting out dedicated tools to increase companies' resilience and ability to better protect their intangible assets, including against cyber-theft.
Key actions proposed by the Commission in its Recommendation include:
Key tools proposed by the Commission in its Recommendation, especially addressed to SMEs:
Next steps
The Commission, together with the EUIPO, will closely monitor the effects and implementation of this Recommendation. On this basis, the Commission will assess the effects of the Recommendation within three years from the adoption. The Commission will then decide whether additional measures are needed at EU level, in view of technological developments and of the outcome of the ongoing enforcement study that the Commission is carrying out. The assessment will also look at any impact the implementation of the Digital Services Act and Recommendation on combating online piracy of sports and other live events may have had on the enforcement of IPR.
The Recommendation follows up on the 2020 Intellectual Property Action Plan, where the Commission undertook to enhance IP enforcement, by adopting the Digital Services Act and by establishing a toolbox against counterfeiting, which will be adopted with this Recommendation.
The Recommendation published today builds on the results of a broad consultation exercise partly facilitated by the EUIPO through the EU Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights, which included several stakeholder workshops in 2021 and 2022, a Call for Evidence, a high-level roundtable hosted by Commissioner Thierry Breton in June 2022 and expert group meetings as well as the International IP Enforcement Summit held in June 2023.
IP rights play a significant role in the EU's economy, with activities involving IP constituting almost 50% of the EU GDP and providing nearly 40% of employment. Unfortunately, counterfeiting and piracy have become pressing concerns, undermining investments and innovation for EU companies and posing risks to consumers and the environment. SMEs are particularly vulnerable in this landscape and are far more likely to fail as a result of IPR violations than larger companies.
Counterfeiting is an issue that goes beyond luxury goods and has impacted products ranging from everyday goods such as food, cosmetics, and textiles to essential spare parts for wind turbines, trains and aeroplanes. In 2019, counterfeit products represented nearly 6% of all EU imports, reaching EUR 119 billion in value and leading to an estimated loss of 670.000 direct jobs and EUR 15 billion in lost tax revenue.
Recommendation to combat counterfeiting
Questions and answers on the Recommendation to combat counterfeiting
Factsheet on the Recommendation to combat counterfeiting
Quotes
The fight against counterfeiting is a crucial element in safeguarding our innovative landscape. The only way forward is for Member States to coordinate and cooperate at the same time for this to work.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age
Effective tools against counterfeiting are essential for the protection of intellectual property, consumer safety and innovation. With the Digital Services Act, we are keeping online platforms accountable for playing their part in tackling counterfeit goods. Today's recommendation contains a range of additional tools to combat counterfeiting, supporting the competitiveness of SMEs and businesses across Europe.
Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market
The European Commission is committed to personal data protection. Any personal data is processed in line with Regulation (EC) 2018/1725. All personal information processed by the Directorate-General for Communication / European Commission Representations is treated accordingly. If you do not work for a media organisation, you are welcome to contact the EU through Europe Direct in writing or by calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11.
Athanasios ATHANASIOU
Press Officer / Political Reporter
European Commission
Representation in Cyprus
EU House, 30 Vyronos Avenue, 1096 Nicosia
Tel: +357 22 81 75 76 Mob: +357 99 363753
Twitter: @aathans