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34th meeting of the EEA Council
22.11.2010
On 22 November 2010, the EEA Council met in Brussels for its 34th meeting. The Council discussed the overall functioning of the EEA Agreement. Special attention was given to the strengthening of the financial system. The Council welcomed the possibility for the EEA EFTA States to participate in the work of the new supervisory authorities in the areas of banking, insurance and securities, and looked forward to the new structure being operational as of January 2011.
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Health hazard products still off the market
10.11.2010
Furniture and footwear previously available on the market in several European countries have been identified as the cause of damage to the health, such as allergic reactions, of consumers in France, Poland, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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Strengthening financial stability
10.11.2010
Excessive risk taking in the financial sector, especially in banks and financial companies, has contributed to bringing down these financial companies and created systemic problems at a national and global level. These problems have spread to the rest of the economy with high costs for society.
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Lighters need to be child-resistant
10.11.2010
Lighters that are not child-resistant are banned from the markets in the 30 EEA Member States. Imitations or novelty lighters are also prohibited from the market. At the EEA Joint Committee meeting on 10 November 2010, Commission decisions prolonging the ban in the EU were incorporated into the EEA Agreement.
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Standing and Joint Committee meetings - 9 and 10 November 2010
10.11.2010
The EFTA Standing Committee and the EEA Joint Committee met on 9 and 10 November 2010 respectively. In the Standing Committee the EEA EFTA States prepared for the Joint Committee and the Icelandic delegate provided an interesting overview of recent developments with regard to the accession of Iceland to the European Union.
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Innovation central to European economic growth
13.10.2010
Innovation was once again the topic when EFTA hosted a roundtable meeting on Wednesday 13 October organised by Science-Business. Marion Dewar from Commissioner Máire Geohegan-Quinn's Cabinet for Research, Innovation and Science explained how the newly adopted "Innovation Union" will work. "Innovation is central to European economic growth and a core part of Europe's economic policy" said Dewar.
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Innovation at the top of the EU’s agenda and a highlight in the Subcommittees I-IV meeting
13.10.2010
Less than a week after its adoption, the Commission presented the “Innovation Union” in the meeting of Subcommittees I-IV on 12 October 2010. As one of the seven flagship initiatives in the Europe 2020 Strategy, the Chair announced that the EEA EFTA States would follow the "Innovation Union" with great interest.
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EEA EFTA States present their views on consumer rights to European Parliament
07.10.2010
Europe needs a minimum harmonisation approach when it comes to consumer rights, but the question of harmonisation should be considered on a case-by-case basis. This was one of several recommendations put forward by the EEA EFTA States in a comment submitted to the European Parliament.
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CE Marking
06.10.2010
We often see the CE marking on some of the products we buy, but what does it really mean? Under the slogan "CE marking makes Europe's market yours!" the European Commission and EFTA have launched an information campaign on the CE marking.
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Standing and Joint Committee meetings - 30 September and 1 October 2010
01.10.2010
The Standing and Joint Committees met on 30 September and 1 October 2010 respectively. The Chair welcomed the new members of the Standing Committee: Kurt Jaeger, Ambassador for Liechtenstein; Niels Engelschiøn, Norwegian Deputy Head of Mission; and Sabine Monauni-Tömördy, College member of the EFTA Surveillance Authority.