Development

• 2010 European Commission’s annual report on the implementation of EU's development and external assistance policies in 2009. Programmes and projects led by the Commission reached around 140 developing countries. Specific instruments were set up to help the world's poorest to face the triple economic, food and environmental crisis and delivered results: for instance, more than 50 million people are receiving assistance to face hunger from the EU Food Facility, the budgets of 15 countries in Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific were supported to help them resist to the pressure of the economic crisis, and the EU agreed a 'fast-start' funding of €2.4 billion annually for 2010-2012 to assist developing countries in adapting to climate change. The Commission is the second largest provider of development aid in the world, with commitments amounting to €12 billion, and plays a leading role in coordinating EU efforts to make aid more effective. The annual report and the highlights are available here 

Science and research

• Eurobarometer survey on science and technology. This Special Eurobarometer survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews in 32 European countries to evaluate European citizens’ general attitudes towards science and technology, and to see if this perception has changed significantly from 2005. Read more

Social affairs

• Eurobarometer survey on monitoring the social impact of the crisis: public perceptions in the European Union.  Public perceptions on the social impact of the crisis which broke out in autumn 2008 have been regularly monitored since June 2009 with Eurobarometer surveys especially designed for this purpose. This survey shows the results of the fourth wave and marks the halfway mark of the 2010 European Year against poverty and social  exclusion. Surveys aim to gauge perceptions about the existence of poverty, the degree of financial difficulty of households, changes in healthcare and social care affordability and how people feel about their financial situation in their old age. Download the report

Taxation

• Taxation trends in the EU – 2010 edition. This report contains a detailed statistical and economic analysis of the tax systems of the Member States of the European Union, plus Iceland and Norway, which are Members of the European Economic Area. The data are presented within a unified statistical framework (the ESA95 harmonised system of national and regional accounts), which makes it possible to assess the heterogeneous national tax systems on a fully comparable basis. This year's edition of the report introduces data on cyclically-adjusted total tax revenues. The report also includes a full overview of the tax measures taken by Member States to counteract the effects of the crisis, with a quantification of their budgetary impact. Read more 

EFC members interested in obtaining further information are invited to contact the EFC secretariat at eu@efc.be