DG Energy, DG Research and Innovation, DG Information Society: different European Commission services sitting together for the first time at the same panel to join forces for more energy efficiency. With 50% of industry and nearly 30% of SMEs participation in research activities at European level, the ‘Energy Efficient Buildings’ Public-Private Partnership (EeB PPP) has already proven to be a success. Nonetheless, energy efficiency costs money. How can the research process bring down these costs and make it more affordable?

Brussels, 25 May 2012 -- E-mobility has the potential to play a key role in meeting the challenges towards sustainable transport. Standardisation of the connection between the electricity grid and electrically-chargeable vehicles is one of the prerequisites to help e-mobility gain a viable market share.

The European Competition Network today published its report on national competition authorities’ activities in the food supply chain. Over the past years, and in particular as Europe struggled with recession, national competition authorities have stepped up their activities to enhance competition in the food sector. These include inter alia, sector inquiries, market studies and a number of enforcement cases. Relations between retailers and their suppliers have also been subject to higher scrutiny in a number of Member States.

The use of resources and raw materials is of paramount importance for the competitiveness and the technological leadership of the EU. This is the gist of a European Parliament Resolution on the 'Roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe' adopted today. "We need a change of attitude in a Europe where raw materials are scarce. We need that change quickly. This is not green dreaming, but a sheer necessity", said Karl-Heinz Florenz MEP who is in charge of the dossier for the EPP Group in the European Parliament.