Last week, the EU Commission adopted the so-called “country-specific recommendations”. They are based on an in-depth analysis of the situation in each country and contain recommendations as to how these countries might increase their growth potential and competitiveness and create jobs in the 2013-2014 period. Austria too was provided with recommendations; interestingly enough, they were almost the same as those she was given last year. Whether this has to be seen as a positive or negative sign will only become apparent when Austria gives her official reaction.

In only a few weeks, Croatia will become the 28th Member State of the European Union. The preparations for the admission of the new EU Member have already been in full swing for quite some time. This week, for example, the designated Croatian EU Commissioner Neven Mimica was heard before the European Parliament. He shall take over the Consumer Protection sector.

The ongoing negotiations in Brussels on the Directive on the award of concession contracts took once again centre stage. The focus of events in the European Parliament and the Brussels Office of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia was in particular on the consequences of the legislative proposal for water supply. Once more, the usefulness of the Directive proposal was called into question.

This week, an initial hearing on a new air passenger rights proposal took place in the European Parliament. Both the European Consumer Centre and the European Consumers' Organisation BEUC, which see an urgent need to improve air passenger rights, do not agree with the current version of the Commission text.

As AK EUROPA reported on several occasions, the European Commission intends to introduce an EU Sales Law shortly – in addition to national legal provisions. The Commission draft has already been rejected by large sections of the industry and consumer protection organisations.

Statistical Office of the European Communities Eurostat this week presented alarming figures on poverty and social exclusion: in 2011, 27 % of children under 18 in the 27 Member States were either at risk of poverty, had to suffer significant material deprivation and/or lived in households with low levels of employment. In Austria, this already affects every fifth child, whereby here too, the risk of children living in poverty is higher than that of the overall population.

In spite of the massive criticism by civil society, representatives of municipalities and communities as well as by labour organisations such as the Austrian Chamber of Labour or the Austrian Trade Union Federation ÖGB, MEPs of the Internal Market Committee in the European Parliament yesterday voted in favour of a fast track procedure to enable them to complete the negotiations on the so-called Service Concession Directive as soon as possible.

According to the wishes of the European Commission, it is the intention to implement an additional EU Sales Law for cross-border transactions. Following months of exploratory work, hearings and workshops in the European Parliament, co-rapporteur Luigi Berlinguer of the Social Democrats presented the long anticipated draft report on the EU Sales Law this week.

This week, the EU Commission presented the long anticipated Social Investment Package (SIP). Expectations were high, even though one knew in advance that there would be no legislative proposals. However, any kind of proposal is more than welcome in times of crisis, in particular those aimed at reducing the high unemployment rate and getting people back to work. Hence, it is pleasant news that for the first time the Commission stresses the importance and the successes of social policy, in particular in times of crises.

Yesterday, Thursday, EU Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta, responsible for taxation and customs union, audit and anti-fraud, presented the new proposal of the European Commission for a common Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), which concerns in particular those 11 Member States, which based on “enhanced cooperation”, urge the implementation of the original Commission proposal from September 2011, among them also Austria.