Weekly Issue - 18 November 2009

Latest News

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Workshop on codes of conduct on audiovisual commercial communications to children

7 December 2009 Brussels
The European Commission is organising a workshop on codes of conduct on audiovisual commercial communications of foods high in fat, sugar and salt to children. The newly adopted Audiovisual Media Services Directive places an obligation on the Commission to encourage media service providers (both traditional and on-demand) (art. 3e (2) of the Audiovisual Media services - AVMS - Directive) to develop codes of conduct relating to audiovisual commercial communications for HFSS food to children.

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

FP7 consultation meeting on Service and Social Robotics for the Ageing Population

2 December 2009 Brussels, Belgium
This FP7 Consultation meeting organised by the European Commission will bring together experts from all over Europe. The objective of the workshop is to review current trends in research and applications and provide strategic guidance for drafting the ICT Work Programme 2011/2012. The workshop is focused on the topic of service and social robotics for Ageing Well and should result in possible future orientations for application driven research in this field, in particular with a view to practical deployment in real-life situations and industrial exploitation.
Contact: eInclusion@ec.europa.eu

NEWS ARTICLE

ePrivacy Directive close to enactment: improvements on security breach, cookies and enforcement, and more to come

(9 November 2009)Following last week's agreement on the EU telecoms reform, nothing stands in the way for the ePrivacy Directive to enter into force. The formalities required for formal adoption will be undertaken in the coming weeks. The revised ePrivacy Directive, as amended by the European Parliament and adopted by the Council must be implemented by the Member States within 18 months.
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
5th ETSI Security Workshop
20 January 2010 - 22 January 2010 Sophia Antipolis, France
The annual ETSI Security Workshop brings together international Standards Developing Organisations (SDOs) and security experts to discuss recent developments, share knowledge and co-ordinate on future actions and work areas. There will be presentations from major organisations involved in security initiatives, such as ETSI, ENISA, ITU and the European Commission. Participation is free upon registration.

CALL FOR TENDERS

Multiple Framework Contracts for the Provision of Information and Communicating Services to DG Information Society and Media

(Deadline: 30/11/2009) This open Call for Tenders aims to secure the external professional expertise and technical assistance required by the European Commission, and primarily by its Information Society and Media Directorate General, in order to pursue its information and communications activities. The intention is to select a range of specialised contractors (or consortia led by a main contractor), most suited for delivery of the wide variety of specialised support services sought.
See also: Contract notice in the Official Journal

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

AmI-09: Roots for the Future of Ambient Intelligence

18 November 2009 - 21 November 2009 Salzburg, Austria
The conference aims to bring together researchers from academia and industry from various disciplines to present the latest results, discuss the state of art and think about the future.

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

European e-Skills Conference

20 November 2009 Brussels, Belgium
The European e-Skills conference on 20 November 2009 in Brussels will address: The crucial importance of ICT professionalism for the EU economy and society; The progress of the implementation of the e-skills strategy and projects; The road ahead for a coordinated strategy to foster ICT professionalism, e-skills and innovation for economic recovery. The conference is organised by the European Commission and the European Economic Social Committee in partnership with CEPIS and in cooperation with the e-Skills Industry Leadership Board. The event will be hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee. It will bring together experts from governments, academia, ICT industry, ICT professional bodies and other stakeholders.
Contact: entr-ict-for-comp-and-innovation@ec.europa.eu
See also: Pre-registration form

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Call 6 for Objective ICT-2009.5.3 - Virtual Physiological Human

(Deadline: 13/04/2010) The health domain and its three main industries, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and eHealth, are dominant economic sectors with respect to employment creation and growth. Sustainable delivery of quality healthcare at affordable cost is a major challenge for European healthcare systems for a variety of reasons such as: (a) demographic change and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases; (b) inefficiencies, inadequate safety standards and quality control; (c) demanding citizens who require best-quality care and cover for the use of latest diagnostics and treatments; (d) current focus on treatment rather than on prevention and (e) reducing workforce, availability and accessibility of skilled nurses and medical specialists. This calls for changes in the way healthcare is delivered and the way medical knowledge is managed and transferred to clinical practice. ICT tools and services are key to implement these changes in such an information-intensive domain. The Call 6 will open on 24/11/2009 for Virtual Physiological Human proposals (Objective ICT-2009.5.3).
Contact: INFSO-VPH@ec.europa.eu
See also: Challenge 5: Sustainable and personalised healthcare

SPEECH

A European Digital Agenda for the New Digital Consumer

Speech by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, at the BEUC multi-stakeholder forum on "Consumer Privacy and Online Marketing: Market Trends and Policy Perspectives", Brussels, 12 November 2009

REPORTS AND STUDIES

ePractice workshop report on public services 2.0

12 November 2009
This report takes stock of the discussions during the ePractice workshop on public services 2.0. It brought together the best experiences from all over Europe with the aim to raise awareness and better understanding between governmental officials about why and how to promote web 2.0 in government and share the knowledge on web 2.0 initiatives.
See also: http://www.epractice.eu/publicservices

SPEECH
Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media

Bringing down walls and barriers in the digital world - priorities for the European Digital Agenda

'Visby Agenda: Creating impact for an eUnion 2015, Visby/Gotland, Sweden, 9 November 2009