President of the EP delegation with the South Caucasus countries, Marie Anne Isler Béguin was in Georgia just a few days after the beginning of the conflict in South Ossetia. Appointed by EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering to represent the Parliament, she participated in the ceasefire negotiations after the first phase of hostilities, and travelled in some of the areas directly affected.

The EU wants a new package of concrete and binding legislation to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2020 in place by the end of the year. The parliamentary committees looking at the different proposals will finalise their positions over the next couple of months. We have published a series of articles over the past few months outlining the main pieces of legislation and the views of parliament's draftsmen on those proposals. Catch up on the whole climate change package here.

On 30 August, it will become cheaper to make or receive calls while travelling in the EU. The price ceiling for roaming calls (the Eurotariff) introduced by the EU in 2007 will fall from €0.49 to €0.46 per minute (excluding VAT) for making a call and from €0.24 to €0.22 per minute (excluding VAT) for receiving a call while in another EU country. These price reductions are the result of the EU Roaming Regulation, proposed by the European Commission in 2006 to curb the excessive roaming charges consumers had to pay for roaming calls (on average €1.15 per minute at the time (IP/06/978)). The EU Roaming Regulation which will expire in 2010, is currently under review. Following the specific request of the European Parliament the Commission must propose by the end of 2008 whether to extend the Regulation in time and in scope. Figures published by national telecoms regulators this summer have shown that prices for roaming text messages and data services remain unjustifiably high (IP/08/1144).

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, concluded today his visit to the areas affected by the South Ossetia conflict by obtaining the release of ninety-eight civilians who had been detained by either party. Eighty-five detained civilians were handed over by the South Ossetian authorities to the Commissioner during his visit to Tskhenvali today. At the same time, thirteen detainees were passed by to the Georgian authorities. In addition two bodies were handed over by the Georgian side as a follow up to the exchange of forty-three corpses given by the South Ossetian side on Wednesday evening.

   

Statement on Georgia of Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom

Migration Ministers from the 47 Council of Europe member states will meet on 4 and 5 September in Kyiv (Ukraine) to discuss current challenges and develop common responses to migration in Europe.

Lluís Maria de Puig, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), has strongly condemned Russia's recognition of the independence of the Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The EU and China held discussions on combating climate change on 18 August 2008 in Paris at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

The latest stage in the UN negotiations on climate change is taking place in the International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana, from 21 to 27 August 2008. This meeting will work towards adopting an international agreement under the terms of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and work on post-2012 emission reductions for industrialized countries under the Kyoto protocol.

The EIB has committed support to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic. Three local banking institutions, Banco ADEMI, Banco ADOPEM and FONDESA will benefit from EIB lines of credit totalling EUR 20 million and up to EUR 2 million in equity participations. EIB funds will be used to finance the banks’ portfolio of loans to the MSME sector.