The results of the biggest ever violence against women survey in the EU are to be presented today (05.03.2014) in Brussels, at a high-level conference held under the auspices of the Greek Presidency and in cooperation with the Secretariat General of the Council of the EU.

The survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is based on interviews with 42,000 women across the EU’s 28 Member States, who have spoken out about their experiences of abuse at home, at work, in public and online.

On the second day of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which took place in Brussels on 3-4 March, EU Justice Ministers examined topics aimed at, inter alia, strengthening the data protection rights, improving the position of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and combatting fraud against the EU’s budget. The meeting was chaired by the Greek Minister of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights, Charalampos Athanasiou.

The Council of environment ministers, chaired by the Greek Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Yannis Maniatis, was concluded  in Brussels today (3.3.2014). Commissioners for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, Environment Janez Potočnik, and Health Tonio Borg, participated in the Council. 

The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has decided to convene an extraordinary meeting of EU Heads of State or Government on Thursday 6 March 2014 to discuss the situation in Ukraine.