Sweden’s presidency and TVEF goes green
The next Thames Valley European Forum seminar will be around the theme Green Park in Reading (tbc).For more info contact Jenny Ashby
‘Sustainability and the EU dimension’. The date is fixed for Friday March 30th, and the location is likely to be SAVEing the planet
OCC has joined other Thames Valley local authorities as a partner in TV Energy (the Thames Valley Energy Management Agency) – a €850,000 project supported by a €150,000 grant from the EU via the SAVE II programme. The agency will be up and running from April this year and will help to get local renewable energy projects going plus work on setting up private-public sector partnerships in the ‘green energy’ sector. The nature of the agency will mean that it will be eligible for a wider range of funding opportunities than are available for individual organisations – as a result, Oxfordshire should benefit from a bigger choice of funding sources to help to support sustainable, renewable energy initiatives.Current targets for renewable energy supplies are pegged at 6.6% of total generation in the South East region as a whole by 2010, which means some 200 mega watts of electricity in the Thames Valley alone.For more information on renewable energy targets and the TV Energy project contact Susie Ohlenschlager, Environment Policy Manager on 01865 810148, or Jenny Ashby, European Officer on 01865 810813
‘Briefing encounter’ with MEP
12th January saw the latest ‘briefing encounter’ between OCC and MEPs take place with County Councillors and senior officers meeting James Elles MEP to discuss issues of mutual interest. Trading Standards sought to enlist European support in their crusade against substandard sun protection creams, which as a consumer protection issue can be tackled most comprehensively at the EU level. Other topics included the Treaty of Nice, Sweden’s EU presidency, potential EU funding to support OCC work with asylum seekers, longer term prospects for Oxfordshire in an enlarged European Union and efforts to aid communication with Brussels via videoconferencing.For more information on Oxfordshire’s MEPs and how to make the most of them, contact Jenny Ashby on 01865 810813.
project round-up…project round-up…project
The OCC Cultural Services’ project ‘OIKOS II’, which has benefited from a €150,000 grant from Europe, is just putting the finishing touches to its digital finale. 'Culture and Minority Communities' - an interactive programme investigating the influence of minority groups on the host culture in Oxfordshire, Setubal (Portugal) and Greece has been completed in its English version. The programme, illustrated by museum collections, considers the impact of Jews, people of African origin, European migrants, Roma and travelling people and others on their host communities. It is planned to launch the programme as part of the County Council's events to mark National Holocaust Day on 27th January.
Further details: Martyn Brown 01993 814114
dates for your diary
February 19th next deadline for European Social Fund applications
March 30th @ Reading (tbc) – TVEF Seminar: Sustainability and the EU dimension
euro-tastic web-sites #8: site is
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