Το άρθρο αυτό μπορεί να έχει

75-125 λέξεις.

Η επιλογή εικόνων ή γραφικών

είναι ένας σημαντικός τρόπος

πρόσθεσης περιεχομένου σε

ένα ενημερωτικό δελτίο.

Σκεφτείτε το άρθρο σας και

δείτε εάν η εικόνα υποστηρίζει

και εντείνει το μήνυμα που προ-

σπαθείτε να αποδώσετε. Προ-

σπαθήστε να μην επιλέξετε

εικόνες που δεν ταιριάζουν με

Το άρθρο αυτό μπορεί να έχει

100-150 λέξεις.

Το υλικό θεμάτων που εμφανί-

ζεται στα ενημερωτικά δελτία

είναι πάρα πολύ μεγάλο. Μπο-

ρείτε να συμπεριλάβετε άρθρα

σχετικά με τεχνολογίες ή καινο-

τομίες στον τομέα σας.

Μπορεί επίσης να θέλετε να

αναφέρετε επιχειρησιακές ή

οικονομικές τάσεις ή να κάνετε

προβλέψεις για τους πελάτες

Πρόταση προϋπολογισμού 2008: αύξηση των

δαπανών για την έρευνα κατά 11%

Ευρωπαϊκή Συνεργασία στον τομέα της

Επιστημονικής και Τεχνικής Έρευνας (COST)

Ημερολόγιο

ευρωπαϊκών

εκδηλώσεων

9

Περισσότερες πληροφορίες: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm

I N T H I S I S S U E :

News from EOC 1

Research &

Innovation 2

Health 3

Environment &

Climate Change 4

Regional Policy 5

Education 6

News of Enterprise

Europe Network 7-8

Calendars

February - April

2016

9-

11

Ε U R O P E A N

O F F I C E O F

C Y P R U S

EUROPEAN

NEWS D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 I S S U E 1 0 4

INFO DAYS

“Erasmus+: Information meeting for high level pub-lic authorities on European policy experimentations”

27 January 2016 Brussels, Belgium

http://tinyurl.com/gksjlk9

“Info Day on Spreading excellence and Widening

participation Calls in Horizon 2020”

2 February 2016 Brussels, Belgium RTD-INFO-DAYS-B5@ec.europa.eu

“Information Day- 2016 Call

for KIC Proposals - EIT Food & EIT Manufacturing”

18 February 2016 Brussels, Belgium

http://tinyurl.com/oaxcba6

“Erasmus+: Sport

Info Day” 3 March 2016

Brussels, Belgium http://tinyurl.com/hm8cp3u

ΕOC organises in Cyprus the first

Academic Student Conference - ASTUCON

The European Association of Erasmus Coordinators (EAEC) and the European Office of Cyprus (EOC) in cooperation with the Student Activity Club Bodies of Uni-versities in Cyprus announce the first “ASTUCON - Academic Student» Conference 2016, which will take place on 05 - 06 February 2016 in the New Campus of the University of Cyprus. The Confer-ence is organised under the auspices of the Minister of Education and Culture, Mr Costas Kadis.

The ASTUCON Conference provides all stu-dents of Cyprus the opportunity to attend the conference either by presenting their own work, or attending their fellow students presentations and workshops by professors, associates or other experts in each field.

The main objective of the conference is to provide the opportunity for exchange of views among students who have similar interests as well as the establishment of cooperative part-nerships between students from all universi-ties. Apart from university students, partici-pants in the conference may also be, students from secondary education, teachers from sec-ondary schools as well as university profes-sors.

In the context of the ASTURCON Confer-ence, the European Office of Cyprus will or-ganise the National Conference of the “Connecting People for GREEN SKILLS” project. The aim of the event is to present the potential of "green jobs" in order to tackle unemployment in the construction sector and to highlight the need to match the labor demands to the necessary skills.

Furthermore, during the National Conference and in cooperation with the Research Cen-tre for Sustainable Energy “FOSS” of the University of Cyprus, will be held two “Green Skills” training courses in the area of Photovoltaic Systems. One training course is aimed at students or graduates of higher education and the second at students or graduates of secondary/technical educa-tion.

For more information and registration at the Conference: http://www.astucon.eu/

Invitation to the next EAEC-EOC Task force

Innovation Meeting

The EAEC-EOC Task Force invites you to the upcoming Innovation Meeting concerning the submission of proposals under the programme Erasmus+, which will be held on Wednesday, 27 January 2016, at the Social Activities Building of the University of Cy-prus (Room 105), 11:00 - 13:00. The theme of the meeting deals with the following: Eras-mus+ Call 2016 - Key Action 2: Cooperation for Innovation and Exchange of Good Prac-tices (Centralised Actions - managed by EACEA and Decentralised Actions - managed by the National Agency).

The discussion will be coordinated by Ms. Maria Thalia Christou, Enoros Consulting, member of the EAEC-EOC Task Force. Those interested to participate, please send the completed ap-plication form (that can be found at the 2nd page of the announcement notice) to the following email: taskforce@eaecnet.com. The announcement and the application can be found here.

More information: please contact the EOC at +357 22894278.

P A G E 2 I S S U E 1 0 4

Research and Innovation Staff Exchange - RISE

The new call for proposals “Research and Innovation Staff Exchange” (RISE) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie of the Horizon 2020 Programme was published in the beginning of December 2015. The action aims to promote international and inter-sector collabora-tion through research and innovation staff exchanges, and sharing of knowledge and ideas from research to market (and vice-versa) for the advancement of science and the

development of innovation.

A RISE proposal should be based on a set of clear research and innovation objectives and deliverables. The means to implement the research project are secondments of research and innovation staff (exchanges) with a built-in return mechanism, maximising the impact of the action for knowledge sharing and long-term collaboration. RISE projects are expected to strengthen existing and build new networks of international and/or intersectoral co-operation, as well as to significantly upgrade the interaction between organisations in the academic and non-academic sectors.

Eligible staff seconded under RISE Scheme are: Early-stage researchers (ESR); Experienced researchers (ER); Administrative (ADM), managerial (MNG) and technical staff (TECH) supporting the research and innovation activities of the project. The seconded staff shall have been actively engaged in or linked to research and/or innovation activities at the sending institution for at least six months (full-time equivalent) prior to the first period of secondment. After the secondment period, the exchanged staff members should be reintegrated again into the sending organisation

The maximum duration of a secondment is 12 months and the minimum duration is 1 month for an indi-vidual staff member in the project for any organisation. A RISE partnership shall be composed by at least three independent participants established in three different countries. The deadline of the call is 28 April

2016.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/2117-msca-rise-2016.html

The European Institute for Innovation and Tech-nology (EIT) is organising on 18 February 2016 in Brussels an Information Day regarding the 2016 Call for proposals “2016 Call for Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).

The Call, launches the selection process for two new KICs in the thematic areas of:

EIT-Food:Food4Future - Sustainable Supply Chain from Resources to Consumers,

EIT-Manufacturing: Added-value Manufacturing.

Info Day for ΕΙΤ 2016 Call for Proposals

More information and registration: https://eit-infoday.teamwork.fr/

Report on the State of the Innovation Union

Five years after the launch of the Innovation Union - one of the flagship initiatives of the Eu-rope Strategy 2020- The European Commission published a report on "State on the Union of Innovation”. The report records the progress made, identifies the open issues and deter-mines the next steps on each of the six key elements of the flagship initiative:

Strengthening the knowledge base and reducing fragmentation;

Getting good ideas to market;

Maximising social and territorial cohesion;

Pooling forces to achieve breakthroughs: European Innovation Partnerships;

Leveraging our policies externally; and

Making it happen.

Each section of the report highlights the main achievements to date and describes the open issues and steps that will be taken by the Commission in the future.

In terms of open issues and next steps, the report confirms that further simplification of Horizon 2020 and the SME-specific tools will be pursued by the Commission, including with the mid-term review of Horizon 2020, as well as within the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and its Knowledge Innovation Communities (KIC).

Regarding the issue of the European Research Area - ERA, the report provides detailed information on each of the commitments made by the Commission in this area, including the creation of business-academia Knowledge Allianc-es under Erasmus+, putting in place national strategies to train enough researchers and the creation of a Pan-European Pension Fund for Researchers called “RESAVER”.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/zrzemrn

P A G E 3 I S S U E 1 0 4

EU’s Decision on serious cross-border threats to health

On 7 December 2015, a report was published on the implementation of an EU Decision to improve preparedness across the EU and strengthen the capacity to coordinate response to health emergencies, which entered into force on 6 November 2013.

This legislation is an important step forward in improving health security in the European Union and protecting citizens from a wide range of health threats. In particular, it will help Member States prepare for and protect citizens against possible future pandemics and serious cross-border threats caused by communicable diseases, chemical, biological or environmental events.

The Decision provides four major benefits: strengthens preparedness planning, it improves risk assessment and management of cross-border health threats, establishes the necessary arrangements for the development and im-plementation of a joint procurement of medical countermeasures; enhances the coordination of response at EU level by providing a solid legal mandate to the Health Security Committee.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/hc74fsz

More information: http://www.imi.europa.eu/content/stage-1-18 and http://www.imi.europa.eu/content/imi-2-call-8

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI 2) Joint Undertaking has launch two new calls for proposals. The goal of the Innovative Medicines Ini-tiative 2 (IMI 2) is to develop next generation vaccines, medicines and treatments, such as new antibiotics, by bringing together com-panies, universities, public laboratories, innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), pa-tient groups and regulators in collaborative pro-jects that will pave the way for breakthrough vac-cines, medicines and treatments to tackle Europe’s growing health challenges, and secure the future international competitiveness of Europe’s pharma-ceutical industry.

The 7th Call for Proposals for the IMI 2 Initiative is focusing on the following topics:

Validation of translational imaging methods in drug safety assessment (TRISTAN);

Identification of druggable targets modulating mis-folded proteins in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s dis-eases;

Pathological neuron-glia interactions in neuropathic pain;

Dry age-related macular degeneration;

A comprehensive ‘paediatric preclini-cal POC platform’ to enable clinical molecule development for children with cancer;

Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) for the Big Data for Better Outcomes pro-gramme;

Increase access and use of high quality data to im-prove clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.

The 8th Call for Proposals for IMI 2 Initiative refers only to the topic “IMI2-2015-08: Ebola and other filoviral haemorrhagic fevers (Ebola+) programme: future out-breaks”.

The overall indicative budget for this call for proposals is approximately 93,6 million EUR and is covered by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) companies and the Europe-an Commission, while the indicative budget for the 8

th

Call for proposals is maximum 70 million EUR.

The deadline for the submission of proposals for the 7th Call is open until 17 March 2016, while for the 8

th

call for proposals there are several cut-off dates within the next two years, the last of which is on 15 March 2018.

Innovative Medicines Initiative: 7th and 8ηth call for proposals

Studies on the strategic and life-course approach to vaccination

A new call for tenders under the title “Study on the added value of the strategic and life-course approach to vaccination and a study on shortcomings related to low vac-cination coverage in health care workers”, has been published by the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Chafea).

The objective of the tender, which is open until 9 February 2016 is to carry out 2 separate studies:

a study on the added value of a strategic and life-course approach to vaccination,

a study on shortcomings related to low vaccination coverage in health care workers.

More information: http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:434794-2015:TEXT:EN:HTML&tabId=1

“Closing the loop”: new Circular Economy Package

The European Commission adopted on 2 December 2015 an ambitious new Circular Economy Package to stimulate Europe's transition towards a circular economy which will boost global competitiveness, foster sustainable economic growth and

generate new jobs.

The Commission aims to help European busi-nesses and consumers to make the transition to a stronger and more circular economy where resources are used in a more sustainable way. The proposed ac-tions will contribute to "closing the loop" of product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use, and bring benefits for both the environment and the econo-my. The proposals cover the full lifecycle: from produc-tion and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials.

Key actions adopted or to be carried out under the cur-rent Commission's mandate include:

Funding of over €650 million under Horizon 2020 and €5.5 billion under the structural funds;

Actions to reduce food waste including a common measurement methodology, improved date marking, and tools to meet the global Sustainable Develop-

ment Goal to halve food waste by 2030;

Development of quality standards for secondary raw materials to increase the confidence of opera-tors in the single market;

Measures in the Ecodesign working plan for 2015-2017 to promote reparability, durability and recycla-bility of products, in addition to energy efficiency;

A revised Regulation on fertilisers, to facilitate the recognition of organic and waste-based fertilisers in

the single market and support the role of bio-nutrients;

A strategy on plastics in the circular economy, addressing issues of recyclability, biodegradability, the presence of hazardous substances in plastics, and the Sustainable Development Goals target for significantly

reducing marine litter;

A series of actions on water reuse including a leg-islative proposal on minimum requirements for the reuse of wastewater.

Key elements of the revised waste proposal include the following:

A common EU target for recycling 65% of munici-

pal waste by 2030;

A common EU target for recycling 75% of packag-

ing waste by 2030;

A binding landfill target to reduce landfill to maxi-

mum of 10% of all waste by 2030;

A ban on landfilling of separately collected waste;

Promotion of economic instruments to discourage landfilling ;

Concrete measures to promote re-use and stimu-late industrial symbiosis –turning one industry's by-product into another industry's raw material;

Economic incentives for producers to put greener

products on the market.

The Commission is now calling on the European Parlia-ment and Council to build on this important preparatory work and prioritise adoption and implementation of the legislative proposals.

P A G E 4 I S S U E 1 0 4

Climate Deal in Paris

From 30 November to 12 December, Paris hosted the 21st session of the Confer-ence of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli-mate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 11). On 12 December, the parties reached a new global agreement on climate change. The agreement presents a balanced outcome with an action plan to limit global warming 'well below' 2°C.

The Paris climate change agreement is a bridge between today's policies and climate-neutrality before the end of the century. It sends a clear signal to investors, businesses, and policy-makers that the global transition to clean energy is here to stay and resources have to shift away from polluting fossil fuels.

Governments agreed a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to aim to limit the increase to 1.5°C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/news/2015/12/20151212_en.htm

More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-6204_en.htm

P A G E 5 I S S U E 1 0 4

Communication on the contribution of the ESI Funds

On 14 December 2015, the Commission adopted a Communication on the contribution of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) to the EU's growth strategy, the Investment Plan and the Commission's priorities over the next decade.

With a budget of 454 billion EUR for 2014-2020, the European structural and investment funds (ESIFs) are the European Union’s (EU’s) main investment policy tool. This Communication pre-sents the main results of negotiations between Member State authorities and their partners, in-

cluding regional and local actors and the European Commission, on their investment programmes and the key chal-lenges per country. Furthermore, to ensure maximum transparency for the public, the Commission has also launched a new Open Data Platform for the ESI Funds to show the progress in the implementation of their pro-grammes.

More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6295_en.htm

The Rural Development Programme (RDP) of Greece, adopted on 11 December 2015, marks the end of the adoption process for all 118 programmes for the 2014-2020 peri-od.

With €99.6 billion from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and with another €60.6 bil-lion of co-funding from national and regional public funds or private investment, the RDPs will help European rural areas and communities face the current economic, envi-ronmental and social challenges, and take advantage of

the opportunities ahead of them.

With smart and strategic investment, the RDPs will drive generational renewal and create the conditions for a vibrant rural economy, society and environment. With COP21 ongoing in Par-

is, there is an inevitable focus in addressing the consider-able climate challenge and the Rural Development Pro-gramme has a significant role to play in contributing to meeting this challenge.

More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6283_en.htm

Adoption of 118 Rural Development Programmes

Commission adopts seven new cross-border cooperation programmes

On 15 December 2015 the Commission adopted seven new cross-border cooperation pro-grammes, worth over €740 million from the European Regional Development Fund and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance. The seven programmes are Italy-Switzerland, Italy-Greece, Italy-Slovenia, Italy-Croatia, Lithuania-Poland, "Greater Region", involving France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany and Hungary-Serbia

EU investments under these seven programmes focus on the following priorities:

increasing the innovation capacities of local small businesses;

preserving natural and cultural resources to develop sustainable tourism activities;

improving cross-border connectivity and labour mobility;

promoting enhanced cooperation between public institutions and civil organisations;

encouraging the joint management of natural risks.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf/

1st Call of the new INTERREG V-A Programme Greece-Cyprus

The first call for proposals under the Cross Border Cooperation Programme INTERREG V-A Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020, has been announced. The cross border cooperation area of the new programme includes from Greece the Regions of Crete (Heraklion, Lasithi, Rethymnon and Chania), North Aegean (Lesbos, Samos and Chios) and Southern Aegean (Dodecanese and Cyclades), as well as the entire country of Cyprus.

The programme aims to establish the cooperation area as a sustainable development pole in the wider South East Mediterranean in the direction of enhancing competitiveness. The first call has a total budget of 16 million EUR and covers the following priorities axes: 1. Reinforcement of competitiveness and entrepreneurship in the cross border area. 2. Efficient use of energy and sustainable transport. 3. Preservation and protection of the environment and prevention of risks.

The beneficiaries of the Interreg V-A Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020 can be, depending to the planned intervention, na-tional, regional and local public authorities (including Organisations of Local Authorities A and B grade), universities and research institutions, entities supporting entrepreneurship, civil society organisations etc. The deadline for the

submission of proposals is on 15 March 2016.

More information: www.greece-cyprus.eu

P A G E 6 I S S U E 1 0 4

A renewed Modernisation Agenda for Higher Education

in the European Union

The European Union aims to support higher education institutions and national au-thorities responsible for higher education to build highly effective higher education systems. The EU's priorities in the area of higher education are currently set out in its "Agenda for the modernisation of Europe's higher education systems". In a fast changing world, it is important that the EU's priorities and activities reflect the real needs of higher education in Europe. For this reason, the European Commission is

currently reviewing the existing agenda to ensure what it does is as useful as possible.

As part of this review, the European Commission launched a public consultation in order to collect the views of stakeholders about the current situation in Europe's higher education systems, as well as on priorities for change. Specifically, the consultation questionnaire focuses on:

the current strengths and weaknesses of higher education in the EU,

the priority areas where those in charge of higher education should focus their attention, and

how you think the EU should support efforts to improve higher education. All stakeholders and individuals are welcome to contribute to this consultation until 29 February 2016. Contribu-tions are particularly sought from stakeholders interested in or affected by policies in the field of higher educa-tion, including: students, higher education institution staff and researchers, social partner organisations repre-senting employers and workers, governmental bodies, relevant associations, and umbrella organisations.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/znd5gag

Improving completion and reducing dropout rates (study success) in higher education are key concerns for higher education in Europe. A newly published study, demon-strates that success is measured differently across Europe and that policymakers at na-tional and institutional levels apply different measures to improve completion and reduce dropout in higher education

The evidence put forward in this study indicates that EU countries that have more explicit study success objectives, targets and policies are like-ly to be more successful, particularly if the poli-cy approach is comprehensive and consistent.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/zr8trbd

Study on Dropout and Completion in Higher Education

Erasmus+: Info Day for Sport Actions

Interested parties who are preparing to submit proposals for the Erasmus + Programme Sport Actions, will have the opportunity to receive useful information, advice and sup-port for the economic aspects of financing, during the information day held in Brussels on 3 March 2016.

Registrations scheduled to open soon at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/hm8cp3u.

On Tuesday 27 January 2016, from 8.30 to 17.00, the Education, Audiovisual and Cul-ture Executive Agency together with the European Commission will host in Brus-sels an information meeting for high-level public authorities interested in participat-ing in the Call for proposals on European Policy Ex-perimentations in the fields of education, training and youth.

European policy experimentations under Erasmus+ key action 3 (Support for policy reform) — initiatives for policy innovation are transnational cooperation projects support-ing the implementation of the European Union policy

agendas on education, training and youth, and includes specific sectoral programs, such as the Bologna and Copenhagen Processes. The projects submitted under this Call should:

be led by high-level public authorities, who should play a major strategic role in the development and implementation of the projects;

carry out field trials based on rigorous evaluation meth-odologies;

provide evidence on the scalability and transferability of innovative measures.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/gksjlk9

Erasmus+: Info Day on European Policy Experimentations

P A G E 7 I S S U E 1 0 4

Financing the Circular Economy for the SMEs

On 10 December 2015, at the European Investment Bank's conference “Financing the Circular Economy”, were presented some instruments to facili-tate access to credit for businesses, in particular for small and medium enter-prises (SMEs), shifting to the circular economy model.

The circular economy is an imperative for the Member States of the European Union in order to tackle material scarcity and price volatility as well as the degradation of the natural environment. The implementation of the circular economy will lead to a sys-temic change, including innovative business models that require traditional and inno-

vative financing tools.

Luxembourg, the European Commission and the EIB have engaged in a partnership under the InnovFin Advisory program to raise awareness in the business and financial communities, to assess future financing needs and whether the existing financial instruments, in particular the InnovFin financial products, are fit to support the transition to a more circular economy.

The European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the Ministry of Economy of Luxembourg signed an amendment to the InnovFin Delegation Agreement that will enable higher-risk, yet innovative sustainable

business models to access credit through InnovFin - an EU finance support programme under Horizon 2020.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/j86e5b6 and http://www.eib.org/products/blending/innovfin/index.htm

News for Small and Medium

Enterprises (SMES)

On 18 December 2015, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on long-term and sustaina-ble investment to assess the state of play in the European Union.

Long-term and sustainable investment is a key catalyst for competitiveness and growth. It can help achieve the EU's policy objectives linked to the transition to low carbon, climate resilient economy and to the respect of fundamental rights. More-over, the Communication on Long-Term Financing of the European Economy emphasized the importance of envi-ronmental, social, governance issues for the longer-term sustainable performance of companies and investors.

In this context, this consultation aims to find out to what extent major investors inte-grate long-term factors, such as environ-mental, social and governance issues, into their investment decisions, and what are the obstacles which prevent them from do-ing this.

The European Commission invites citizens, organisations and public authorities to contribute to this consulta-

tion until 25 March 2016.

Consultation on long-term and sustainable investment

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/civil/opinion/151211_en.htm

P A G E 8 I S S U E 1 0 4

The European Commission has adopted on 15 December 2015 new rules to make it easi-er for EU Member States’ tax authorities to exchange financial information so that they can ensure full tax transparency and cooper-ation.

In particular, the practical arrangements are now in place for the entry into application of the amend-ed Directive on Administrative Cooperation from 1 Janu-ary 2016. From that date, information will be exchanged

between Member States tax administrations on all relevant financial income including interest, dividends and other similar types of income.

Moreover, the agreed rules are consistent with the OECD global standard of exchange, mean-ing that EU tax authorities will be able to use one single format for exchanging information

both within and outside the Union.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/cafxu3t

New rules for the exchange of financial information

More choice in retail financial services On 10 December 2015, the European Commission launched a consultation to look at finan-cial services from the perspective of European consumers in order to boost competition, transparency and choice.

The consultation looks at the retail market across Europe for products such as insurance, mort-gages, loans, payments and bank accounts. It will seek to identify the unjustified barriers that con-sumers face when they want to use such services across borders, and find answers on how best

to remove these barriers. The Commission's goal is to make it easier for those companies that so wish to offer finan-cial products at the retail level in other EU Member States, which would give consumers access to a far greater range of products. Consumers should also be able to take those products with them if they move to another EU country to work, study or retire. The consultation, which will be open until 18 March 2016 and examines the impact of digital technology on the market.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/finance/consultations/2015/retail-financial-services/index_en.htm

Delivering on its Digital Single Market strat-egy, the Commission presented, on 9 De-cember 2015, a set of proposals to ensure better access for consumers and to assist businesses to expand their online sales across Europe.

In particular, the Commission adopted two proposals: one on the supply of digital content (e.g. streaming music) and one on the online sale of goods (e.g. buy-ing clothes online). The two proposals will tackle the main obstacles to cross-border e-commerce in the EU: legal fragmentation in the area of consumer contract law and resulting high costs for businesses - especially SMEs-

and low consumer trust when buying online from another country.

Removing barriers due to contract law differ-ences should bring an overall benefit to the European economy. Over 122.000 EU busi-nesses are expected to start selling to consum-

ers in other Member States. This will open up new mar-kets, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increase competition and contribute to economic growth: lower consumer prices are expected to boost consumption in the EU by €18 billion and EU GDP is ex-pected to increase by €4 billion from its current level.

Better access to online content, goods and services

Thematic Routes on Underwater Cultural Heritage

The call for proposals under the title “Thematic Routes on Underwater Cultural Herit-age” aims, among others, to support the extension of the tourism season, hence con-tributing to improve SMEs' competitiveness and jobs growth. The general objective of the call for proposals in the framework of European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, is to promote the creation of touristic thematic routes on underwater cultural heritage and its preservation as a way to promote the competitiveness of the coastal and mari-

time tourism sector and to promote diversification in tourism offer.

The call, which is open until 15 March 2016, will award grants aiming at the conception, development, establish-ment and promotion of a tourism product in the field of underwater cultural heritage routes in European sea-basins.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/gqtrccb

More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6264_en.htm

I S S U E 1 0 4 P A G E 9

CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2016 Config Management Camp 2016 More information: http://cfgmgmtcamp.eu/

1-2 February Gent, Belgium

Info Day on Spreading excellence and Widening participation Calls in Horizon 2020 More information and registration: RTD-INFO-DAYS-B5@ec.europa.eu

2 February Brussels, Belgium

Learning Technologies Conference More information: http://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/

3-4 February London,

United Kingdom

ATTD 2016 — Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes More information: http://www.attd2016.com/

3 - 6 February Milan, Italy

Smart Cities UK 2016 More information: http://www.smartcityuk.com/#intro

4 February London,

United Kingdom

Understanding and Tackling the Migration Challenge: The Role of Research More information: http://tinyurl.com/jjyrqbe

4-5 February Brussels, Belgium

World Conference on Educational Sciences (WCES) More information: http://www.globalcenter.info/wces/

5-7 February Madrid, Spain

EIP Water Conference: How is water innovation succeeding in Europe? More information: http://tinyurl.com/p9d553t

10 February Leeuwarden, Netherlands

EWSDGE Final Conference “European Women Shareholders Demand Gender Equality” More information: http://tinyurl.com/ofh6mlg

11 February Brussels, Belgium

The 2016 Science|Business Horizon 2020 Conference - 4th Edition More information: http://tinyurl.com/nm2atq9

16 February Brussels, Belgium

The 2016 European Sustainable Development on Education Research Conference More information: http://www.conferencealerts.com/show-event?id=158014

17-20 February London,

United Kingdom

STARS, PTP-Cycle and MOBI Projects – Final Conference More information: http://tinyurl.com/ovreekn

18 February Brussels, Belgium

Information Day- 2016 Call for KIC Proposals - EIT Food & EIT Manufacturing More information: http://tinyurl.com/oaxcba6

18 February Brussels, Belgium

3rd Urban Development Network seminar More information: http://europa.eu/newsroom/calendar/events/2016/02/18_urban_dev_network_en.htm

18 February Brussels, Belgium

International Conference on Social Science and Humanities More information: http://10times.com/icssh-brussels

23 February Brussels, Belgium

International Conference on Medical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences More information: http://10times.com/icmbps-brussels

23 February Brussels, Belgium

International Conference on Operations Research and Enterprise Systems (ICORES) More information: http://www.icores.org/

23-25 February Rome, Italy

1st UNI-SET Clustering Event (ECE) "Addressing the human resource challenge to build the future energy system" More information: http://tinyurl.com/obcvkmy

24-26 February Trondheim,

Norway

2016 EFMD Entrepreneurship Education Conference More information: http://tinyurl.com/okw9x4x

24-26 February Brussels, Belgium

Thematic University-Business Forum: Universities. Business. Alliances for Innovation More information: http://www.ubforum-austria.eu/

25-26 February Vienna, Austria

Annual Conference on EU Law in the Pharmaceutical Sector More information: http://10times.com/annual-conference-on-eu-law-in-pharmaceutical

25-26 February Brussels, Belgium

12th UIC ERTMS World Conference 2016 More information: http://tinyurl.com/qjyrw2e

29 February- 2 March

Brussels, Belgium

I S S U E 1 0 4 P A G E 1 0

CALENDAR MARCH 2016 Connecting People for Green Skills Final Conference More information: http://greenskillsproject.eu/final-conference

1 March Brussels, Belgium

Fifth annual Public Sector ICT Summit More information: http://www.publicsector-ict.com/

1 March London,

United Kingdom

Connecting, Informing and Inspiring the Compound Semiconductor Industry More information: http://www.cs-international.net/

1-2 March Brussels, Belgium

Photonics PPP Annual Meeting 2016 More information: http://www.ideal-ist.eu/event/photonics-ppp-annual-meeting-2016

1-2 March Brussels, Belgium

Erasmus+: Sport Info Day More information: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/sport-infoday-03032016_en

3 March Brussels, Belgium

6th HTI Health Tourism Industry Conference More information: http://tinyurl.com/zxlekdf

3-4-5 March Vienna, Austria

2016 EFMD (ESMU) – Humane Winter School More information: http://tinyurl.com/z3twdlh

6-11 March Barcelona, Spain

10th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED2016) More information: http://iated.org/inted/?gclid=CK-H3sywzskCFYXnGwodTBsP4w

7-8-9 March Valencia, Spain

12th EGA Legal Affairs Conference More information: http://www.egaevents.org/lac/

8-9 March Brussels, Belgium

EPCA Payment Summit More information: http://10times.com/epca

10-11 March Brussels, Belgium

Media & Learning 2016:Enriching learning through media education and media literacy More information: http://media-and-learning.eu/

10-11 March Brussels, Belgium

2016 EFMD MBA Conference More information: http://tinyurl.com/hqgk8b3

13-15 March Barcelona, Spain

CeBIT 2016 - Global Event for Digital Business More information: http://www.cebit.de/home

14-18 March Hanover, Germany

2016 Conference on big data from space (BiDS’16) More information: http://congrexprojects.com/2016-events/16m05/introduction

15-17 March Tenerife, Spain

EDBT/ICDT 2016 Joint Conference More information: http://edbticdt2016.labri.fr/

15-18 March Bordeaux, France

36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine More information: http://tinyurl.com/zs3lgrk

15-18 March Brussels, Belgium

9th International conference for improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings and smart communities More information: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/event/conference/ieecb?search

16-18 March Frankfurt, Germany

SBE16 Conference: Europe And The Mediterranean Towards A Sustainable Built Environment More information: http://tinyurl.com/j2el6w7

16-18 March Valetta, Malta

Conference on the European Professional Card More information: http://europa.eu/newsroom/calendar/events/2016/03/18_european_professional_card_en.htm

18 March Brussels, Belgium

2016 ACFE European Fraud Conference More information: http://www.acfe.com/european.aspx

20-22 March Brussels, Belgium

2nd EORTC Cancer Survivorship Summit More information: http://www.eortc.org/survivorship2016/

31 March- 1 April.

Brussels, Belgium

I S S U E 1 0 4 P A G E 1 1

CALENDAR APRIL 2016

Digital Forensics Research Conference EU (DFRWS) More information: http://www.dfrws.org/2016eu/index.shtml

29 March-1 April Lausanne, Switzerland

Mediterranean Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing (MEDICON) More information: http://www.medicon2016.org/index.html

31 March-2 April Paphos, Cyprus

3rd World Congress on Controversies in Pediatrics (CoPedia)

More information: http://congressmed.com/copedia/

31 March - 3 April Barcelona, Spain

18th International Neuroscience Winter Conference

More information: http://www.winterneuroscience.org/2016/

2-6 April Soelden, Austria

5th International Conference on Principles of Security and Trust (POST)

More information: http://www.etaps.org/index.php/2016/post

2-8 April Eindhoven, Netherlands

42nd EBMT Congress

More information: http://www.ebmt2016.org/

3-6 April Valencia, Spain

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) International Conference & Ex-hibition (ICE) More information: http://www.seg.org/web/ice-barcelona-2016/home

3-6 April Barcelona, Spain

Magnetism 2016

More information: http://magnetism2016.iopconfs.org/home

4-5 April Sheffield,

United Kingdom

The Oxford Chemical Immunology Conference

More information: http://oxchemimm.chem.ox.ac.uk/

4-5 April Oxford,

United Kingdom

Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference

More information: http://greensuschemconf.com

4-6 April Berlin, Germany

Photonics Europe 2016

More information: http://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/photonics-europe

4-7 April Brussels, Belgium

International Venus Science Conference

More information: http://venus2016.uk/

4-8 April Oxford,

United Kingdom

Code-camp on Computational Creativity More information: http://tinyurl.com/h7cjevh

6-8 April Antwerp, Belgium

Emerson Global Users Exchange More information: http://www.emersonexchange.org/emea/

12-14 April Brussels, Belgium

EIT Digital Conference & Partner Event 2016 More information: http://tinyurl.com/jrggccf

12-14 April Brussels, Belgium

The Brain in Focus: New Approaches to Imaging Neurons and Neural Circuits Περισσότερες πληροφορίες: http://tinyurl.com/ztetqf2

17-20 April Copenhagen,

Denmark

2016 FIVS Global Trade Policy Forum & Conference More information: http://tinyurl.com/heal4jx

18-20 April Brussels, Belgium

Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2016 More information: http://www.traconference.eu/

18-21 April Warsaw, Poland

Soft Robotics Week 2016 More information: http://tinyurl.com/gt63q7u

25-30 April Livorno, Italy

Conference on reforming the regulation of professions More information: http://tinyurl.com/jyoxerx

28 April Brussels, Belgium

I S S U E 1 0 4 P A G E 1 2

Members of the European Office of Cyprus

UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS

http://www.ucy.ac.cy/goto/mainportal/en-US/HOME.aspx

OPEN UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS

http://www.ouc.ac.cy/web/guest/home

CYPRUS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

http://www.cut.ac.cy/?languageId=2

FREDERICK UNIVERSITY

http://www.frederick.ac.cy/

NEAPOLIS UNIVERSITY PAFOS

http://www.nup.ac.cy/

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE - CYPRUS (UCLAN CYPRUS)

http://www.uclancyprus.ac.cy/

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE

http://www.moec.gov.cy/en/index.html

AGLANTZIA MUNICIPALITY

http://www.aglantzia.com/

NICOSIA MUNICIPALITY

http://www.nicosia.org.cy/english/greekhome.shtm

PARALIMNI MUNICIPALITY

http://www.paralimni.org.cy/index.php?lang=el

CYPRUS SPORT ORGANISATION

http://www.sportskoa.org.cy/

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ERASMUS COORDINATORS (EAEC)

http://www.eaec.eu.com/

CENTRE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF R&D IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY (CARDET)

http://www.cardet.org/

PwC

http://www.pwc.com.cy/

CONTACT ADVERTISING AGENCY LTD

http://www.contact.com.cy/

Full Members

International Members

FACULTY OF MEDICINE, NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS http://www.aueb.gr/index_en.php

ATHENS UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS

http://www.aueb.gr/index_en.php

UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY http://www.aueb.gr/index_en.php

UNIVERSITY OF PIRAEUS

http://www.unipi.gr/eng_site/default.php

I S S U E 1 0 4 P A G E 1 3

Μembers of the European Office of Cyprus

COOPERATIVE CENTRAL BANK LTD

http://www.coopbank.com.cy/

CHURCH OF CYPRUS

http://www.churchofcyprus.org.cy/index.php?lang=en

CYPRUS TOURISM ORGANISATION (CTO)

http://www.visitcyprus.biz/

CYPRUS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (CCCI)

http://www.ccci.org.cy/

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY CYPRUS

http://www.euc.ac.cy/

UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA

http://www.unic.ac.cy/

CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

http://www.ciim.ac.cy/

ΙΜΗ

http://www.imhbusiness.com/

STROVOLOS MUNICIPALITY

http://www.strovolos.org.cy/default.asp?id=24

THE CYPRUS INSTITUTE

http://www.cyi.ac.cy/

Associate Members

Editing: European Office of Cyprus - Brussels Office

For more information: eoc.brussels@ucy.ac.cy

Rosemary Strevinioti Christos Katsalis Head of Brussels Office Officer

E-mail: strevinioti.rozamaria@ucy.ac.cy E-mail: katsalis.christos@ucy.ac.cy

European Office of Cyprus

www.eoc.org.cy

Brussels: Rue du Luxembourg 3, B-1000, Brussels, Tel./Fax: +32 (0) 2 280 22 85 Nicosia: University of Cyprus, University House “A.G. Leventis”, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia,

Tel.: +357 22894294 - Fax: +357 22895005

Τηλ.: +357 22894294 - Φαξ: +357 22895005