Aug12017

Statement by First Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Jourová on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day

EU

The European Commission honours on 2 August the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, in memory of the thousands of Roma victims who lost their lives during the Second World War.

We must not forget these unspeakable crimes against the Roma. Younger generations, for whom these episodes seem distant, should know of and understand this tragedy. Persecution and discrimination have no place in the European Union. Remembering the wrongs of the past helps us to build tomorrow’s Europe based on our common European values.

The European Commission calls on all Member States to recognise the Roma Genocide and reiterates its support for the European Parliament’s resolution of 15 April 2015 with reference to the recognition of 2 August as Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. This is a necessary step to restore dignity and justice for Roma communities and to make sure that we never forget these events.

The European Commission will continue to support Member States in the better integration of Roma.

Background

On 2 August 1944, over 3000 Roma men, women, and children were murdered in the in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

On 2 August, European Commission officials will join a group of holocaust survivors and young Roma people in the former concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. This commemoration is organised by the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma. It complements the Council of Europe “Dikh He Na Bister – Look and Don’t Forget” Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative which brings together 250 young Roma and non-Roma from 20 European countries to raise awareness on the Roma Holocaust.

Aug12017

Preliminary flash estimate for the second quarter of 2017 – GDP up by 0.6% in both the euro area and the EU28 – +2.1% and +2.2% respectively compared with the second quarter of 2016

EU

Seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 0.6% in both the euro area (EA19) and in the EU28 during the second quarter of 2017, compared with the previous quarter, according to a preliminary flash estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the first quarter of 2017, GDP had grown by 0.5% in both zones.

Full text available on EUROSTAT website

Aug12017

EMA encourages tailored development of medicines for older people

EU

01/08/2017

EMA invites comments on reflection paper by 31 January 2018

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is inviting comments from the public on a reflection paper on how medicine developers can better address the needs of older people who take medicines.

In general, older people are the highest users of medicines. According to Eurostat, they are expected to make up almost a third of all Europeans by 2050, and they take more medicines than the rest of the population. Yet, medicines are rarely developed or packaged to take into account their specific needs. For example, some older people can face challenges such as difficulty opening boxes or bottles, reading instructions, swallowing or breaking tablets and capsules, which can result in medicines not being taken as intended, medication errors and ultimately a reduced quality of life.

The reflection paper describes aspects that medicines developers may consider when designing medicines for older people, such as selecting appropriate routes of administration and dosage forms, dosing frequency, excipients, container closure systems, devices and technologies, and user instructions in the product information.

For example, when there is evidence that older people find it difficult to break a tablet by hand, companies may find ways to improve the breakability of the tablet or consider alternative administration approaches, such as small tablets in a dose dispenser. Similarly, companies may consider re-designing the containers so that older patients can open them easily without any assistance.

Comments are particularly invited on the accuracy of tablet breaking, the administration of medicines through feeding tubes, and on multiple compliance aids and multiple drug dispensing systems (containers that clearly state the name of the day or the moment when a medicine needs to be administrated).

Depending on the outcome of the public consultation, the content of the reflection paper might be further developed into regulatory or scientific guidance.

Aug12017

News story: Defence Minister announces £3M to be saved as part of a new deal to supply the Royal Navy

HM Government

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), has signed an innovative contract which will supply the Royal Navy with more than 10,000 different types of consumable items – covering everything from fittings and fixtures to pistons and pumps.

Having already announced that the dredging of three million metres of mud at Portsmouth harbour has now given the new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier a clear route into its new home, the Defence Minister said that the award, given to Babcock International Group, will keep the Royal Navy’s current and future warships, including the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, supplied with items essential for day-to-day maintenance and operations.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

The route is clear for the Navy’s largest and most powerful ship to dock at its home in Portsmouth, but even ships as impressive as our magnificent new aircraft carriers need nuts and bolts to keep them running smoothly. This new contract will provide all the supplies our ships and personnel require to be effective on operations.

This also brings the previous contract under one deal, delivering improved efficiencies and highlighting how we are being smarter about support. These efficiencies are ensuring that our £178 million Defence equipment plan is going towards the state-of-the-art kit our Armed Forces deserve.

The new contract is estimated to be worth around £107 million over the next seven years, during which time it is expected to deliver around a million individual items to all current and future Royal Navy vessels. All items being supplied – including electrical cable, straps, small valves, bearings, gaskets, pipes, pistons, pumps, motors and electrical components – are ‘consumable’ in that they are impractical or impossible to repair.

Two of the contracts announced support the Sampson Multi-Function Radar, operational on board the RN’s Type 45 Destroyers. Crown Copyright

The signature secures seven jobs at Babcock International with additional jobs secured at 11 companies across the wider UK supply chain. The contract is also set to generate savings of around £3 million for the taxpayer by bringing together eight older contracts under a new overarching management arrangement. That comes as part of the MOD’s commitment to deliver efficiencies and reinvest those savings back into the cutting edge equipment our service men and women need now and in the future.

Companies within the UK supply chain include Liberty Dynamics and Andersalso, based in the West Midlands, Eriks and Edmundson, based in the South West and SPX Clyde Union in Scotland.

Chief of Materiel (Ships) for DE&S, Sir Simon Bollom, said:

The Royal Navy relies on expert, sustained support through partnerships across UK Defence in order to protect the nation’s interests at home and abroad.

This contract is not only excellent news for the Royal Navy and our partners across the Defence industry, but also for the taxpayer due to substantial negotiated savings and incentivised contract performance.

Whilst speaking in Portsmouth, the Defence Minister also announced that BAE Systems have been awarded contracts worth £72m to support cutting-edge radar systems on board the Royal Navy’s ships.

Two of the contracts support the Sampson Multi-Function Radar. Operational on board the Type 45 Destroyers, the radar provides surveillance and dedicated tracking in a single system, enabling the ship to defend itself and other ships in its company from attack.

A five-year contract covering technical support was amongst the announcements. That involves on-board maintenance, spares and repairs management at BAE Systems’ Cowes site on the Isle of Wight, supporting 255 jobs. The radar will also have its processing hardware updated as part of the announcements.

BAE Systems has also won the Commander T101 radar support extension project for the next four years. Deployable by land, sea and air, Commander Type 101 radars are in service across UK territories at home and abroad.

Aug12017

News story: Defence Minister announces £3M to be saved as part of a new deal to supply the Royal Navy

MOD

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), has signed an innovative contract which will supply the Royal Navy with more than 10,000 different types of consumable items – covering everything from fittings and fixtures to pistons and pumps.

Having already announced that the dredging of three million metres of mud at Portsmouth harbour has now given the new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier a clear route into its new home, the Defence Minister said that the award, given to Babcock International Group, will keep the Royal Navy’s current and future warships, including the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, supplied with items essential for day-to-day maintenance and operations.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

The route is clear for the Navy’s largest and most powerful ship to dock at its home in Portsmouth, but even ships as impressive as our magnificent new aircraft carriers need nuts and bolts to keep them running smoothly. This new contract will provide all the supplies our ships and personnel require to be effective on operations.

This also brings the previous contract under one deal, delivering improved efficiencies and highlighting how we are being smarter about support. These efficiencies are ensuring that our £178 million Defence equipment plan is going towards the state-of-the-art kit our Armed Forces deserve.

The new contract is estimated to be worth around £107 million over the next seven years, during which time it is expected to deliver around a million individual items to all current and future Royal Navy vessels. All items being supplied – including electrical cable, straps, small valves, bearings, gaskets, pipes, pistons, pumps, motors and electrical components – are ‘consumable’ in that they are impractical or impossible to repair.

Two of the contracts announced support the Sampson Multi-Function Radar, operational on board the RN's Type 45 Destroyers. Crown Copyright
Two of the contracts announced support the Sampson Multi-Function Radar, operational on board the RN’s Type 45 Destroyers. Crown Copyright

The signature secures seven jobs at Babcock International with additional jobs secured at 11 companies across the wider UK supply chain. The contract is also set to generate savings of around £3 million for the taxpayer by bringing together eight older contracts under a new overarching management arrangement. That comes as part of the MOD’s commitment to deliver efficiencies and reinvest those savings back into the cutting edge equipment our service men and women need now and in the future.

Companies within the UK supply chain include Liberty Dynamics and Andersalso, based in the West Midlands, Eriks and Edmundson, based in the South West and SPX Clyde Union in Scotland.

Chief of Materiel (Ships) for DE&S, Sir Simon Bollom, said:

The Royal Navy relies on expert, sustained support through partnerships across UK Defence in order to protect the nation’s interests at home and abroad.

This contract is not only excellent news for the Royal Navy and our partners across the Defence industry, but also for the taxpayer due to substantial negotiated savings and incentivised contract performance.

Whilst speaking in Portsmouth, the Defence Minister also announced that BAE Systems have been awarded contracts worth £72m to support cutting-edge radar systems on board the Royal Navy’s ships.

Two of the contracts support the Sampson Multi-Function Radar. Operational on board the Type 45 Destroyers, the radar provides surveillance and dedicated tracking in a single system, enabling the ship to defend itself and other ships in its company from attack.

A five-year contract covering technical support was amongst the announcements. That involves on-board maintenance, spares and repairs management at BAE Systems’ Cowes site on the Isle of Wight, supporting 255 jobs. The radar will also have its processing hardware updated as part of the announcements.

BAE Systems has also won the Commander T101 radar support extension project for the next four years. Deployable by land, sea and air, Commander Type 101 radars are in service across UK territories at home and abroad.