EU News in brief

Packaging waste in the EU – According to the latest Eurostat statistics on packaging waste in the EU, on average, every EU citizen in the EU27 generated 164 kg of packaging waste in 2008. This quantity varied between 40 kg and 233 kg per capital across European countries. Paper and cardboard, glass, plastics, wood, and metals are, in that order, the most common types of packaging waste in European countries.

Consumer markets scoreboard

According to the latest Consumer Markets Scoreboard, financial services, investments (including pensions and securities), mortgages and real estate services are the markets which are the most likely to be failing consumers across the EU. Among goods markets, second-hand cars and fuels have the poorest ratings. Compared to the situation in 2010, electricity supply and fuels are perceived to have deteriorated most.

Survey on European attitudes on the crisis

A survey on the attitudes of Europeans to the Euro crisis shows that a majority of Europeans are worried about the effects of the crisis on their personal situation. A growing number of Europeans believe that the crisis is going to last for many more years. The number of Europeans who consider that the Euro has mitigated the negative effects of the current crisis remains stable across the EU27. However the number of those who disagree has slightly decreased in 14 Member States and increased in 13 Member States.

Food safety report

From the 2010 annual report on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) it emerges that the number of notifications in RASFF rose to 8,582 last year. This is a record number and constitutes an increase of 8% compared to 2009 when the number of notifications was slightly under 8,000. This is the third consecutive year where an increase in the number of notifications has been registered. This is largely due to rejections of consignments at EU borders in the light of the strengthening of border controls on food products of non-animal origin.

Galileo: Europe launches its first satellites for smart navigation system

Europe launched into space its first operational Galileo satellites. These were the first two satellites to be launched out of a future 30 satellite constellation that is estimated to generate around €90 billion over the next 20 years. The satellites are also interoperable and compatible with GPS and, as from 2014, are expected to bring around improvements in services ranging from more precise in-car navigation and effective road transport management to improved search and rescue services, more secure banking services and a more reliable electricity provision.

Info: MEUSACNews