Brussels briefing
EU householders and industry are paying more than a quarter more for their gas and electricity than in the US — a fact to be discussed by EU leaders at their summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
Shale gas has revolutionised the energy situation in the US and is about to make them an exporter of gas. But there is much debate about shale gas in Europe, where it’s reported not to be as plentiful or accessible, or acceptable to people when it comes to fracking.
Minister Pat Rabbitte says he is waiting for a report from the EPA before decided to lift the fracking ban in Ireland.
But MEP Marion Harkin, following a conference on the subject, said that international experts said that shale gas would produce no more than 3% of the EU’s energy needs, contradicting the Commission’s claim of up to 15%.
In the meantime, the European Commission says that if EU countries did what they could do on energy, including increasing efficiency of buildings and equipment, they could cut the price of electricity dramatically.
Half of lesbians and gays in Ireland say they have been discriminated against or harassed in the past year, while a quarter were attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years but rarely reported it to the police as they thought nothing would happen.
About 93% of those asked said they had witnessed those suspected of being gay getting a tough time at school. So it’s no wonder that about three quarters of students who were gay hid the fact.
The figures come from one of the biggest such surveys when 93,000 lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender people were questioned for the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.
The director Morten Kjaerum said EU-wide action was needed to eliminate the hate and create a society where everyone could enjoy their rights, no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity was.
At first it looked like the EU was back to straightening bananas, but eventually it made some kind of sense — non refillable olive oil bottles.
In future if a restaurant puts a labelled bottle of olive oil on the table, it has to be whatever it says on the label, and not diluted with some other kind of cheap oil.
So the new rule says that each such bottle has to be fitted with a valve — so ruthless restaurateurs cannot refill.
It was branded as a pick pocketing conference, but its aim was not to attract the highly organised international gangs that make a very good living from stealing.
It was organised by Europol who have decided its time to really tackled the groups of highly-skilled criminals who move from city to city and from country to country.
They especially target big events, such as the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich where last year 1,000 people fell victim. And learned how to tackle the phenomenon of Romanian children being trafficked all over Europe as pick pockets for their handlers.
MEP Jim Higgins in his role as quaestor in the European Parliament — where he represents his fellow MEPs’ interests — also helps host cultural events.
The wide variety ranges from an exhibition of Taiwanese images and tastes that takes you on a visual journey of the country, showing that the country is more than just a hi-tech lab.
Nessa Childers hosts a special exhibition of the Ros Tapestries from New Ross in Co Wexford in honour of the Irish EU presidency.
The new Toy Safety law comes into force in July, but it will still allow the use of certain dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer, allergies or disrupt hormones, says the consumer body ANEC.
It makes the point that faulty mechanical problems with toys are easily spotted, but its chemical composition is not as easily identified. It wants materials assessed on the basis that children lick or suck toys and this can release chemicals.
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