Edited by Stephen Mulkearn features@metroireland.ie In Focus METRO Thursday, September 10, 2009 D EU matters: Continuing our weekly series, Metro examines how the European Union has contributed to Ireland and its capital, and the social and economic benefits to the country. This week: EU Commissioner Margot Wallstrm BY JOANNE OCONNOR Claiming large benefits MORE THAN 200 European websites selling electronic goods were warned yesterday they faced fines or closure unless they clean up misleading consumer information. The European Commission said a sweep of 369 websites selling cameras, computers, mobile phones, DVD players and games consoles had revealed that 203 of them were breaching EU consumer rules. The unnamed sites include six from the UK and six from Ireland discovered in the sweep, which was the third carried out by national authorities and co-ordinated across the EU by the Commission. A Commission statement said: Traders will be contacted by the national authorities and asked to clarify their position or correct the problems identified. Failure to bring a website in line with the law can result in legal action leading to fines or websites being closed. Two-thirds of the 203 sites tested and found in breach of EU consumer rules are accused of failing to provide full consumer rights information, covering compensation for faulty goods and the right to return products during a cooling-off period. Nearly half of them were found to mislead customers about the price of goods, and extra charges including claims of free delivery when delivery was in fact an extra cost. And one third of the suspect sites failed to provide adequate details about the trader to allow customers to follow up their complaints. WHAT HAS EU MEMBERSHIP DONE FOR US? Misleading gadget website swoop THERES a famous quote from the film, Life of Brian: All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us? Substitute Europeans for Romans and the answer is plenty. Billions of euro in funding from the EU over the years have upgraded our infrastructure. In many cases, this EU funding was matched by Irish Exchequer contributions and, since 1989, successive National Development Plans have identified priority projects in the Eastern part of the country. But thats not all. European Social Fund The European Social Fund (ESF) is the EUs primary financial instrument for the provision of employment and training opportunities. Since Ireland joined the EU, many agencies and state bodies have received more than 6billion in investment from the ESF and in the period from 2007 to 2013, a further 375million will be invested in training courses, higher education and employment creation projects. For example, the ESF has co-financed a significant number of employment and training initiatives administered by the Department of Education and Science, Enterprise Ireland, Teagasc, FS and the VEC. In Dublin, the EU has co- funded projects and programme with Youthreach; Travellers Services; Early School Leavers progression programme; Adult Literacy; Company training; Skills Training for the long-term unemployed and redundant workers; Back to Education Initiative; Stay-in-school retention and Training infrastructure. Also this year, many students from Dublin will be among the 25,000 young people who will have benefited from the EU- supported Erasmus programme since it was set up more than 20 years ago. Erasmus allows third level students and teachers to spend a year or part of a year studying in another EU country. The Higher Education Authority plans to double the number of Irish students taking part in Erasmus over the next decade and will prioritise students from marginalised groups. Rural Development In addition to the direct support provided to the countys farmers through farm support schemes, the EU has also sought to promote sustainable rural development in a number of other ways. The Leader Initiative was established by the European Commission in 1991. It was designed to improve the quality of life in rural areas and encourage diversification of the rural economy. In Dublin, the Leader programme has been delivered by Rural Dublin, which between 2000 and 2006 was allocated funds of almost 3million to fund a host of local projects and initiatives. In particular, Rural Dublin sought to establish a Rural Planning Forum which would, for the first time, allow local communities and local interest groups to work together with the planning authorities in formulating rural planning and development guidelines as well as a comprehensive environmental management plan for rural Dublin. For example, EU funding has supported very many forest projects across the country, including Massey Wood near Rathfarnham. K eeping 499million people up to speed on what happens in Brussels is an unenviable task. Luckily for citizens of the European Union, Margot Wallstrm, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Institutional Relations and Communication enjoys a challenge. Currently in Ireland for a series of public and political meetings, Ms Wallstrm is doing what she believes has fundamentally altered how Europe communicates with its member states and its growing population. Internet updates, using TV and radio as tools to explain what happens in the corridors of Brussels is one thing, but getting out and meeting people face-to-face is the ultimate way to get a message across. We have reformed the way we work on communications internally in the Commission and that includes making sure we speak in a language that others can understand, she explained. And we have decentralised the communication resources meaning that we cannot do everything from Brussels. We have to be there in Dublin or in Stockholm or in Tallinn. We use our representational offices and work with the Parliament and the member states much more. People are engaged in what goes on in Europe, she says, and has witnessed it for herself. We know that because weve had so- called citizens consultations for the first time in all member states. We ask citizens that are not from the political establishment, but randomly chosen from all age groups and walks of life and are really engaged and knowledgeable about what they want from the EU, she continued. Not everybodys interested if we want to discuss the EU or the institutions but as soon as we move into talking about the environment, climate change or light bulbs or the quality of food or things like the cost of roaming then people are interested, engaged and knowledgeable. Created in 2004 by European Commission President Jos Manuel Barroso, Ms Wallstrms post is one which requires even more diplomacy than most. How is it possible to alleviate the concerns of those who view Brussels as a runaway policy-maker where those in power make the decisions which affect all of us? I think whats important is to describe the methods and channels that people have to voice their concerns and also to demonstrate that we ourselves, as commissioners, travel to listen to the concerns that people have the fishermen, the farmers to see what they want from the EU, the Vice-President added. Perhaps its her background in national politics in Sweden or years of dealing with people in EU communications, but Ms Wallstrm appears to genuinely understand the concerns of the ordinary worker. She said: This is something I recognise from all over Europe, that Brussels is so far away and people wonder how they can communicate their concerns. We have to make sure we open up much more, that we consult better with citizens, and I think weve done quite a lot over the last year. But this has to continue. T heres an elephant in the room in the guise of the Lisbon referendum and what ballot box outcome is likely. Ireland is very important to the European Union, she explained, but the No vote last year was not exactly unwelcome. Ms Wallstrm said the decision to reinstate the full number of Commissioners was down to Ireland, and was something she believed should never have been reduced in the first place. I am happy about that because Ive always advocated having one Commissioner per member state and I think it was a mistake from the beginning not to put that in, she said. But the Irish have now managed to convince the other member states that this is how we have to organise it. Because I think what you might win in efficiency with a smaller commission, you lose in legitimacy. And the potential result? I dont dare to guess, she said. Its for the Irish to decide and I wont lecture. Im here to answer questions because I think it should be also for the Irish to hold me accountable for what Ive been doing and to put questions to me. Its as much of a listening exercise as it is to try to impose anything on anybody. Diplomacy and professionalism are once again triggered when questioned on her opinion of the Irish governments performance in its attempt to get the country out of the current economic crisis. How is Nama and the potential introduction of new taxes viewed by European politicians? It would be very unwise of me to enter into the national politics. This is for the Irish people to decide, she maintained. Its something they have in common with governments across Europe everybody is trying to see how we can get out of the crisis. European Commission Vice- President, Margo Wallstrm index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html