The European Commission presented on December, 3rd a discussion paper on the management of bio-waste in the European Union. Bio-waste, which involves biodegradable garden, kitchen and food waste, accounts for around one third of municipal waste and has major potential impacts on the environment. When disposed of in landfill sites, it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide and a major contributor to climate change.

The BEFORE project recently delivered its conclusions after performing a comparative analysis (benchmarking) of efficient support instruments for RTD in geographical areas with demographic significant imbalances, analysing specific tools of support for rural companies and entrepreneurs, and developing a set of indicators of impact of the regional RTD support policies in such regions.

The Official Journal of the European Union, OJEU, published on December, 3rd, the Directive 2008/106/EC, of the European Parliament and the Council on the minimum level of training of seafarers. This new Directive recasts Directive 2001/25/EC for reasons of clarity, after the significant amendments made to it.

The Competitiveness Council of Ministers met in Brussels at a meeting haired by Hervé Novelli, the French Minister for State for Business, Trades, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Tourism and Services. The main points on the agenda of the working session were the adoption of the 'Small Business Act for Europe' and the European response to the economic crisis.

An EU - Central Asia Ministerial Conference, co-organised by the French Presidency and Germany, was held on 27 and 28 November 2008, on the sidelines of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels, to discuss the theme "Rule of law - cornerstone of development", in order to give fresh impetus to the implementation of the European Union Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia adopted by the European Council on June, 21st 2007.

The European Commission has launched a debate on the future shape of European disability policy ahead of the European Day of People with Disabilities on December, 3rd. The conference "Acting locally for a society for all", taking place in Brussels between December 1st and 2nd, will bring together key players in the disability field to discuss follow-up to the current European Disability Action Plan.

The European Commission is consolidating the longstanding cooperation with the US and Canada with the launch of a new round of 24 innovative projects involving universities and training institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. The objective is to promote mutual understanding, transparency and quality in higher education and training, by setting up long-term institutional cooperation at bachelor's and master's level, allowing students from Europe and from the partner countries to have a unique experience studying abroad in a global context.