Competition to create a new EU organic logo

European Commission launches competition to create a new EU organic logo.

Organic food meets fresh design: The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development is inviting all design and art students from the 27 EU Member States to enter the EU-wide organic logo competition. The competition offers a prize that money just can’t buy: The winning logo will be introduced as the official logo for organic products throughout the European Union in July 2010. On the eve of the organic logo competition launch, Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “The new organic logo will bring identity to the organic sector in the EU. It will help in creating the single market, and that’s good news for producers and consumers.”

Addidttional Information on; European Commission Agriculture and Rural Development

Food labels revisited

One day not so far in the future, Europeans may be able to buy a loaf of bread knowing where the flour came from.

The EU is considering expanding the use of food labels to show where the product was farmed. The step follows a Europe-wide consultation on the issue of food quality. Farmers, producers and consumers voiced strong support for greater use of ‘place-of-farming’ labels.

Read more on; European Commission

Businesses are about to get a big break on the costs of filing for an EU trademark

” In a measure of the Union’s strong growth prior to the financial crisis, the demand for EU trademark rights has shot up in recent years, creating an unexpected budget surplus.

Despite an initial cut in fees for trademark registration in 2005, the EU’s trademark office now has a cash reserve of more than €300m – not allowed under its non-profit status. After lengthy discussions, EU countries have agreed to slash fees once again – this time by 40%…”

For addittional Information please visit;

http://ec.europa.eu/news/business/090331_1_en.htm

Google Offers Links to Free Music Downloads in China

…”SHANGHAI — Trying to gain ground in one of the few markets where it is behind, Google said Monday that it had begun to offer in China links to free music downloads, a service it does not offer anywhere else in the world…”

For additional information, please visit; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/technology/companies/31music.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

European Consumer Day

To celebrate European Consumer Day, a series of activities have been organised across the EU.

The Commission will hold an awards day for all the finalists of the Consumer Campaign of the Year competition on 10 March. This will include a press conference with Commissioner Kuneva and all the national winners in the Berlaymont, where there will be a visual display of the national campaigns. Later on that day, there will be an awards ceremony at the Galeries de la Reine (Brussels city centre), with a public exhibition of all the nominated campaigns, so that “real” shoppers can enjoy them too.

Commissioner Kuneva will also participate in the EESC Consumer Day conference on 14 March

In the Member States, activities have also been planned to mark Consumer Day. These include conferences, exhibitions, celebrity information events, consumer debates, on-line quizzes, school presentations, “mobile info centres” and many other activities to get the message out that consumers should “Know their Rights and Use their Rights”.

For addittional Information please visit; Consumer Affairs