BRUSSELS – Despite a relatively positive outlook, Europe’s telecoms sector experienced its lowest growth rates since 2003, sending a worrying signal for future investment in next generation access networks, says ETNO, following the publication today of the European Commission’s annual report on the European telecoms sector. Consumers have continued to benefit in 2008 from lively competition and a wide choice of quality services, notes ETNO.

Brussels 24 March 2009 – BirdLife International [1] and its Partner OTOP (BirdLife in Poland) applaud today’s decision of the Polish government to save the famous Rospuda valley [2] in North-Eastern Poland from destruction by road development.

During the plenary session in Strasbourg today, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on multilingualism which recognises its importance and highlights it as an asset for the EU. Certain paragraphs of the initial draft report, supported by the EPP, which formulated rather explicit criticisms against the linguistic teaching policy practised in several areas within EU member states were removed thanks to a compromise supported by ALDE, PES and the Greens.

As the second most cause of death from an infectious agent, Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious public health problem. New challenges are also posed by multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and extensively drug resistant TB (XDR-TB), which are virtually untreatable.

Disparities in TB incidence between Western and Eastern Europe, developed and developing countries persist. Of the 100.000 reported TB cases in the European Union in 2005, 35% came from Bulgaria and Romania.

Brussels, March 23rd 2009.

A Group of Nobel Prize Laureates, leading human rights activists and Members of Parliament from several countries joined an appeal promoted by the Nonviolent Radical Party calling on China to resume dialogue with the Envoys of the Dalai Lama.

Supporters of the appeal include Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Máiread Corrigan-Maguire, former EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gijs de Vries, former EU Commissioner Emma Bonino and leading parliamentarians from Italy, France, Hungary, Sweden, Estonia, Cambodia and Kosovo.