The Commission announced a series of measures to continue supporting those fleeing the unprovoked Russian aggression. A new online job-search tool launched today will help people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to successfully find a job in the European Union. After registering with the EU Talent Pool pilot initiative, those under temporary protection can upload their CVs, so that their profiles are available to more than 4,000 employers, national public employment services and private employment agencies. Ensuring a swift and effective integration into the labour market is important both for host communities, and for those fleeing the war to rebuild their lives. A press release is available online (For more information: Anitta Hipper – Tel.: +32 229 85691; Veerle Nuyts – Tel.: +32 229 96302)
EU Cohesion Policy: Commission welcomes the inauguration of one of the biggest EU-funded projects in the EU and Greece
Today one of the biggest Cohesion Policy-funded projects in the EU and in Greece, the extension of metro line in Athens, is inaugurated. This project received an EU contribution of €470 million. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Thanks to Cohesion Policy funds the life of citizens in the greater area of Athens and Piraeus will be improved. The metro will reach the city of Pireaus, the third biggest city in Greece and will connect the country’s largest airport to the largest port in less than an hour. This major project will also foster growth and create substantial benefits to the national economy of Greece.” This project completes metro line 3 from Athens to Piraeus and drastically improves accessibility of the urban transportation network in the urban area of Attica. With three new stations – Maniatika, Piraeus port and Municipal Theater – for the first time citizens can reach the administrative, commercial and business center of Piraeus from its suburbs, Maniatika, Nikaia, Korydallos and, by extension, Neapoli in a matter of just a few minutes. The expected mobility changes will be fundamental to reduce the traffic in the central axes of the city and the wider region. With the completion of the project, an additional population of 174,000 persons is expected to have easy access to the Metro network. This will reduce the use of private vehicles and the carbon dioxide emissions. This project is part of the wider Cohesion Policy investments in public transport infrastructures in the region of Attica, which notably include metro, tram, bus and suburban rail networks. On March 2017, the Commission approved the second phase of the EU financing of the metro. More on EU funded projects in Greece here. (For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 229 84680; Veronica Favalli – Tel.: +32 229 87269)
Commission supports Member States to foster gender equality in policy-making and public expenditure
Today the Commission launched a project to help Member States implement gender equality policies tackling gender-based discrimination. This project, financed by the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), will support both national and regional administrations to improve their capacity to take decisions and invest public money in a way that benefits equally both men and women. Through workshops, conferences, training sessions and study visits, participants from public administrations will gain new tools, skills and knowledge to plan laws and budget not to directly or indirectly exclude citizens based on their gender. The project will involve 9 national and regional administrations from 7 Member states that have submitted their request for support: France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Romania. It will produce useful recommendations for policymakers on the so-called ‘gender-budgeting’ – structuring spending and taxation in ways that advance gender equality. Effective policies could, for example, include paid parental leave, equal pay, gender-related pension reforms. This TSI project will last until December 2024 and will produce results that may be replicated and shared across the EU. The TSI offers expertise to all EU countries for the implementation of growth-enhancing reforms. The support offered by the Commission is based on request and is tailor-made for the beneficiary Member State. Since 2017, the Structural Reform Support Programme and the TSI have been supporting over 1,400 reform projects in all Member States. For more details here. (For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 229 84680; Veronica Favalli – Tel.: +32 229 87269)
Culture Moves Europe: the largest EU mobility scheme provides new opportunities for artists and cultural professionals
Today, the Commission launches Culture Moves Europe, its new permanent mobility scheme for artists and cultural professionals, as well as a first call for individual mobility, during a high-level event in Brussels, Belgium. Benefiting from a total budget of €21 million under the Creative Europe programme for a three-year-period (2022-2025), Culture Moves Europe becomes the largest European mobility scheme for artists and cultural professionals targeting all Creative Europe countries and sectors covered by the Culture Strand of the programme. Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said: “With Culture Moves Europe, the Commission paves the way for the future of the cultural and creative sectors. And it offers enhanced opportunities for emerging artists and cultural professionals to gear up their skills and their ties with European partners. It acknowledges how mobility exchanges shape our present and influences the future of our intertwined communities. It bridges mobility with sustainability and inclusion, as promoted by the European Green Deal.” Implemented by the Goethe-Institut on behalf of the Commission, Culture Moves Europe comprises two actions: individual mobility and residencies. Through mobility grants, it will offer an opportunity to around 7,000 individual artists and cultural professionals to go abroad, in the EU and beyond, for professional development or international collaborations, to take part in artistic residencies or to host artists and cultural professionals. The residencies action will be launched in early 2023. A press release is available online. (For more information: Sonya Gospodinova – Tel.: +32 229 66953; Federica Miccoli – Tel.: +32 229 58300)
World Mental Health Day: Commission’s report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s mental health
Today, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the Commission’s Youth Wiki network has published the report ‘The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people – Policy responses in European countries’. This report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s mental health and the policy measures that have been put in place by Member States to mitigate the impact of lockdowns, which resulted in loneliness and isolation for many young Europeans. Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said: “Young people have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. They saw their lives turned upside down. We must continue to support our youth with concrete interventions. Opportunities to re-engage and participate in the community, dedicated support services and inclusion of those most vulnerable must be at the core of our efforts.” This report identifies the main factors that have affected young people’s mental health during the pandemic and develops a detailed overview of the policies, initiatives and programmes established to address them. It also offers examples of good practices to support young people’s mental health and suggests future directions in policy making. Among the measures taken, some countries made investments to strengthen mental health services, to provide psychological support both at school and at home. Other countries chose to foster digital inclusion and avoid the isolation of students. Reinforcing young people’s wellbeing is also a priority of the 2021 EU Health Award. Mental health is also a thematic area in the new European Solidarity Corps (2021-2027). Since 2005, the Commission has devoted increased attention to mental health and wellbeing, notably through the Healthier Together initiative on non-communicable diseases. For more information on our latest work on mental health, please consult this page. Read the full report here. (For more information: Sonya Gospodinova – Tel.: +32 229 66953; Federica Miccoli – Tel.: +32 229 58300)
European Citizens’ Initiative: successful ‘Save bees’ initiative presented to the Commission
Today, the ‘Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment’ initiative has become the seventh successful European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). It has reached over one million statements of support from EU citizens, the organisers confirmed. The initiative calls on the Commission to propose legal measures to phase out synthetic pesticides by 2035, to restore biodiversity and to support farmers in this transition. The Commission will meet the organisers to discuss the initiative in detail in the next weeks. A public hearing will then be organised by the European Parliament. The Commission has until 7 April 2023 to present its official reply, outlining the actions it intends to take: whether to propose legislation, take other non-legislative actions or not act at all. This initiative is the seventh ECI to have successfully collected the threshold of one million signatures from at least seven Member States, demonstrating that European citizens can help create European policies. More information on the other successfully concluded ECIs are available on this website. (For more information: Christian Wigand – Tel.: +32 229 62253; Cristina Torres Castillo – Tel.: +32 229-90679)
Source: Cyprus News Agency