The 2015 edition of the Eurostat publication “The EU in the world” compares the European Union with the 15 non-EU G-20 countries. With 506 million inhabitants in 2013, the EU accounted for just over 7% of the world population. Only China (1 357 million inhabitants or 19.1% of the world population) and India (1 252 mn or 17.6%) were more populous.
For candidate countries (Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey) and potential candidates (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo*), the EU provides both financial and technical support.
The new Interreg-IPA cross border programme adopted by the Commission will invest in the border regions of Croatia and Serbia for job creation and growth. Funding will be focused on improving the quality of public social and health services.
Boosting innovation and entrepreneurship, preserving the natural and cultural assets of the Danube region, improving the connectivity and supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy will form the key focus of the new “Danube Transnational Cooperation Programme” adopted on 20 August.
The European Union is committed to protecting humanitarian workers and supports World Humanitarian Day every year on 19 August. Today marks the day in 2003 when 22 humanitarians lost their lives in the bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.
Eurobarometer, the sector of the European Commission which deals with the analysis of public opinion polls, has a new website.
The EU and its Member States are sending an expert team through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism to assist the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with assessing the damage caused by recent floods and mudslides.
The European Commission has this month approved 23 multiannual national programmes under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF). The total funding for the agreed programmes is approximately €2.4 billion, for the period 2014-2020.
The EU has deplored the loss of lives in Gaza, joined calls for end of hostilities and expressed readiness to actively support negotiations between the two sides, Presidents of the European Commission Hose Manuel Barroso and President of European Council Herman Van Rompuy said in a joint statement.
Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, spoke to Turkish EU Minister Volkan Bozkir. He acknowledged the commitment of the Turkish authorities to stepping up the fight against ISIL and re-affirmed the EU’s strong support for these efforts.
