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MEPs square up to stopping the hemorrhage of hundreds of billions of euros to tax fraud and evasion.

The European Commission has launched the third and final public consultation in its review of the state aid criteria it uses to assess Member States' support schemes for films and other audiovisual works. The criteria are set out in a draft Communication, on which the Commission invites comments by 28 May 2013. The final Communication is due to be adopted by the Commission in July 2013.

At the start of its 'European Month of the Brain' initiative, the European Commission has earmarked some €150 million of funding for 20 new international brain research projects. It will bring the total EU investment in brain research since 2007 to over €1.9 billion. The 'European Month of the Brain' (#brainmonth) will highlight European research and innovation in the area of neuroscience, cognition and related areas through over 50 events across Europe this May. The initiative aims to showcase the latest achievements in the field, but also to urge a more decisive effort to combat brain diseases. It also aims at highlighting how studying the brain can revolutionise computing. The initiative comes as the profile of brain research has been raised recently with ambitious new projects in the EU (FET Flagship Human Brain Project) and the US (BRAIN project).

Photonics21 Annual Meeting 2013, Brussels

The European R&D project BrainAble aims at improving personal independence and social constraints of people with physical disabilities, raising the possibility of interacting with their environment through the design of Human-Computer interfaces formed by sensors that measure the physical and emotional state (emphasizing the use of Brain-Computer interfaces (BCI)) of a person, combined with virtual environments and the connection of these interfaces with smart homes and social networks. The final objective is to improve social inclusion and the quality of life of persons with disabilities exceeding two barriers: the interaction of the person with your social and physical environment.

The 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) will be held in Karlsruhe on May 6-10. The conference theme is “Anthropomatics – Technologies for Humans”, highlighting the paramount role of Robotics and Automation in improving human quality of life.

French citizens Anne and Romain went to find work in Gothenburg, Sweden. But how easy was it for them to start afresh within the European Union? EPTV investigates.

Following the recent elections in which Croatians voted for their first 12 MEPs, EPTV visited the soon-to-be EU Member State to gauge its hopes and fears for the future.

In its forthcoming regulatory update, the European Commission should take account of internet competition to the telecoms industry, says Daniel Pataki, director of the European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO).

In its forthcoming regulatory update, the European Commission should take account of internet competition to the telecoms industry, says Daniel Pataki, director of the European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO).

In its forthcoming regulatory update, the European Commission should take account of internet competition to the telecoms industry, says Daniel Pataki, director of the European Telecommunications Network Operators (ETNO).

Brussels' ambitious plan to usher in a single market for telecoms is likely to harmonise spectrum policy, a move member states are likely to resist.

Brussels' ambitious plan to usher in a single market for telecoms is likely to harmonise spectrum policy, a move member states are likely to resist.

Brussels' ambitious plan to usher in a single market for telecoms is likely to harmonise spectrum policy, a move member states are likely to resist.

The annual conference of the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL JP), the AAL Forum, will take place in Norrköping, Sweden, between 24 and 26 September 2013. The event is entitled “Impacting individuals, society and economic growth” and its goal is twofold: on the one hand the conference will showcase the significant progresses made by the AAL JP projects and solutions in the exhibition area with various demos and presentations, whereas the discussion in the sessions and in the plenaries will address two important questions: - How can we support an increased independence for older adults and benefit for the society as a whole? - What are the business models that stimulate large scale use of AAL solutions and how may they boost economic growth? Closing date of call for contributions is 17 May 2013.

COWIN is an initiative supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme and is dedicated to the optimisation of smart systems value creation through the better exploitation of research projects results. Through its strong actions, COWIN encourages collaborations between the smart systems community and the players, active at the applications level. COWIN is a first step towards bridging the gap between technologies and market. COWIN also works hand-in-hand with researchers and companies active in the smart systems field to support their diagnostics market penetration by helping them to find the right processes, partners and resources.

The Annual Conference of the Smart Cities Stakeholder Platform will bring together technology developers, city representatives, high-level financial managers and EU-level policy makers from across the European Union. While reviewing achievements since the creation of Platform two years ago, conference delegates will look at the next steps for mass application of promising ICT innovations in sectors such as urban mobility, housing and power distribution. The event will run two days. The first day, June 5, will follow a workshop format and allow participants to get acquainted with and vote for the best technological innovations identified by platform members. This informal half-day session lays the groundwork for the next day’s plenary session, which will include the participation of high-level conference delegates. For the first time, the conference presents results of the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership. It gathers top experts and representatives of the most innovative Smart City solutions in Europe. REGISTRATION AND ATTENDANCE ARE FREE OF CHARGE.

The participants will receive an adult learning opportunity in the frame of lifelong learning. They will receive training with the focus on train-the-trainer method. The goal of the training is to implement the lessons learned afterwards in the organisation, so first line staff can benefit as well from the training. By offering new-technology based training and network opportunities, the training seeks to build a bridge between Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Person Centred and Assistive Technology (PCT/AT) on the one hand, and the social and health sector on the other hand. Special attention will go to the EU legal frameworks and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The training should facilitate the transition towards optimal use of technology in care and social support provision.

EuroparlTV goes to the Belgian Royal Mint to explain exactly how the agreement designed to limit budget deficits in the members of the eurozone works.

This event is organised by the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe(AAATE). One of the main objectives of the AAATE2013 Conference is to bring together researchers, professionals, manufacturers, end users and their families, and combine their knowledge, expertise, needs and expectations. This will be achieved not only by the presentation of papers during the two and a half days of the conference, but also through the participation in "Instructional Courses" and in a "Research Symposium" held immediately after the main Conference.