The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) today convened key stakeholders to mark one year since the establishment of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) – the world's first direct, digital and transnational tool of participatory democracy.

The management of EFET Deutschland1 is changing, the daughter federation of EFET Europe, covering the German wholesale trading market for electricity and gas. At the EFET Deutschland Board meeting of 27 March 2013, the former Chair of the German Task Force for Electricity (GTFE) Alexander Kox (Trianel) was elected Chair of the Board and Barbara Lempp was appointed Managing Director of EFET Deutschland, taking over from Jan Haizmann. Annette Seefeld (GDF SUEZ Energie Deutschland) will be chairing GTFE.

Joseph Daul, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, and Lívia Járóka MEP, the only Roma Member of the European Parliament, commenting on International Roma Day on 8 April, said:

Europe has enormous wealth in terms of intellectual, scientific, cultural and human resources. Yet, it is in danger of becoming a secondary region, as we seem to be incapable of bringing our strength to bear. To counter this trend, a paradigm change will be required. We need to liberate the human potential that we have in our institutions and organizations, by overcoming a culture adverse to innovation and entrepreneurship, counterproductive regulations, ineffective organizations and inadequate management practices.