Estonia has joined the eurozone despite last year's turmoil: what next for the euro? MEPs support research into Alzheimer's, the bane of millions of Europeans.

The News: 2011 forecast for the euro - Alzheimer's disease

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15389895/N001-110111-EN.srt

After Estonia's adoption of the euro,  what does 2011 hold for the eurozone?

Millions of Europeans  are affected by Alzheimer's.

MEPs intervene to promote  medical research in the EU.

And, today's news  in brief and in images.

Did Estonia board a sinking ship  on 1 January, as some would have it?

By adopting the euro, it has rather  sent a positive signal to the markets.

It's a positive signal for Estonia  and the eurozone.

When I was Minister of Finance,  I was constantly questioned

‘How strong  is the Estonian kroon really?'

'Should we devaluate the kroon or not?’  Now we no longer have these questions.

the Commission has just raised €5 billion  from the markets to help Ireland.

The index of confidence in the euro  is at a three-year high,

according to  Eurogroup President Juncker.

However, in the beginning of January  the FED made public its fears

that the situation  would aggravate in 2011.

Speculators' victim Portugal pays twice as  much as Germany for its market loans.

To reverse the trend, the EU advocates  streamlining national budgets.

Gathered for  an economic governance forum,

MEPs consider sanctions  for unruly eurozone members.

Among the raised themes, which are  symbolic and strong at the same time,

there is an obligatory deposit  which either yields an interest or not.

It’s one way of introducing a guarantee of  the commitment to do what’s necessary.

I’m not in favour of revoking voting rights,

a state cannot be an onlooker  to its treatment.

In the meanwhile the next enlargement of  the eurozone isn’t foreseen before 2014.

Daniele, 53, suffers from  an acute form of Alzheimer’s disease.

She’s lost her autonomy.  Her husband must take care of her.

She’s losing her bearings. She forgets  all the things she needs to do daily.

which requires permanent attentiveness  and is very wearing.

Almost 9.9 million people  suffer from dementia in Europe,

a figure that might skyrocket  with the aging of the population.

MEPs appeal to the Member States to  consider dementia as a health priority.

The Council will have to consider the  human and economic cost of Alzheimer’s

which actually outrank cancer,  heart disease and stroke.

There are great disparities in  the care of sufferers within the EU.

For MEPs, better communication  and knowledge sharing

could improve the lot of those affected.

In the UK we have something  called 'Admiral Nurses',

a fantastic team who are there,  specialising in dementia, Alzheimer’s,

and who can support people, support  the carers by telling them what to expect,

Next week in Strasbourg MEPs will  adopt a series of recommendations.

one year after  the devastating earthquake.

There is still a humanitarian emergency,

and political instability slows down  reconstruction.

Michèle Striffler, the EP’s rapporteur  for humanitarian aid, worries:

‘At this rate it would take six years  to remove the rubble’.

She will present a resolution  in the plenary on 18 January.

€100 billion, that's the estimated cost  of digitising Europe’s heritage,

according to a report  presented to the Commission.

Cultural institutions won’t manage alone.  The private sector's help is needed

to bring Europe's cultural heritage online  and to complete Europeana,

the new European digital library  launched in 2008.

but increased attention  to foodstuffs from Germany.

it’s France and Denmark’s turn  to monitor their imports.

The European Commission demands  more controls from manufacturers,