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Organoids: a new technology which could change our lives
By Mihalis Kritikos. Organoids are artificially grown organs that mimic the properties of real organs, providing new possibilities for treating diseases, drug development, and personalised and regenerative medicine. Organoids are small clusters of human cells, grown in a laboratory environment to form three-dimensional structures that mimic the functionalities of real organs such as the liver, … Continue reading
Intelligent urban transport systems: a new technology which could change our lives
By Christian Kurrer, with James Tarlton Can information technology contribute to alleviating traffic gridlock in our increasingly congested urban areas? Over 70 % of all Europeans live in cities, and as this percentage continues to increase, cities become even more congested. Inhabitants suffer from increasingly poor air quality and more noise, as their cities become … Continue reading
Radio frequency identification tags: a new technology which could change our lives
By Lieve Van Woensel and Andrés Garcia, University Castilla La Mancha, Spain (guest contributor), with James Tarlton The Internet of Things is slated to transform our way of life – while radio frequency identification tags, and other short-range communication devices, are already with us – how might this technology change our way of life? Radio … Continue reading
MEP-scientist pairing scheme: launching the sixth edition
Written by Zsolt G. Pataki with Amr Dawood, We are drowning in information, but find it increasingly difficult to discern what is factual and what is not. We need to create spaces where knowledge can be exchanged with a fair degree of confidence and trust among interlocutors. In this spirit, STOA‘s MEP-scientist pairing scheme strives … Continue reading
How is the EU reforming air passenger rights?
Citizens recurrently turn to the European Parliament to request information about their rights as passengers. Ongoing legislative framework reform intends to clarify certain aspects of air passenger rights, to ensure a better application of the regulation. Two sets of legislation set out EU air passenger rights. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation … Continue reading
‘Radar’ tool helps EU policy-makers plan for the future
Written by Risto Nieminen, Things change. In the European political environment and in the world in general, society has lately changed faster than ever before. Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) have increased considerably. Today’s challenges are increasingly fast-moving, interconnected, and complex. Policy-makers nevertheless need solid information on which to base legislation. A systematic approach … Continue reading
Horizon scanning and analysis of techno-scientific trends
Written by Lieve Van Woensel with Victoria Joseph, The Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel aims to provide the European Parliament with information about techno-scientific advances and to support the Parliament’s Members with evidence so that they can anticipate the possible future impact of these developments. To do this, and to prepare the ground … Continue reading
Trade benefits outweigh costs, but victims need aid: EPRS-OECD conference
Written by Marcin Grajewski. Globalisation and free trade have supported world economic growth and higher living standards, but the process has coincided with rising inequality, a concentration of job losses at the middle skills level, and declines in manufacturing jobs in certain regions of the high-income economies. Although the benefits of free trade outweigh their … Continue reading
Checking progress on European Union legislation – what’s new on the ‘legislative trains’ application
Written by Jerome Soibinet, Katarzyna Sochacka, The ‘Legislative Train Schedule‘ application provides an interesting and animated way to visualise progress on the legislative elements of the European Commission work programme. The application mainly focuses on the ten priorities set out in 2014 by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission for his five-year term. This set … Continue reading
Health systems for the future – Making EU health systems innovative and resilient
Written by Gianluca Quaglio and Amr Dawood Over the last decade, EU health systems have faced growing common challenges: increasing cost; the rise of chronic diseases and multi-morbidity conditions leading to growing demand for healthcare; shortages of health professionals; technological advances; and inequities in access to healthcare. EU Member States’ future ability to provide universal … Continue reading
EP Plenary Session July: Parliament continues efforts to promote democracy and sustainability
Written by Clare Ferguson, There is a sense of an ending around this month’s plenary session, as European leaders say a final farewell to that quintessential citizen of Europe, Helmut Kohl, the personification of German reunification and European integration, this weekend. Parliament will also mark the passing of Simone Veil, the first woman to be … Continue reading
Setting European Priorities: The cohesion policy perspective
Written by Vasileios Margaras, European Parliament Vice-President Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso (EPP, Spain) opened an EPRS roundtable discussion on ‘Setting European Priorities: The cohesion policy perspective’ on 20 June in the EP Library reading room. An audience of representatives from local and regional offices, as well as MEP offices and officials, demonstrated the growing interest in the future … Continue reading
Trade flows: animated infographic
Written by Krisztina Binder, Laura Puccio, Giulio Sabbati. ‘Every man lives by exchanging’, said philosopher and economist Adam Smith in the late 18th century. Indeed, trade has historically played a significant role in a country’s economy. In today’s globalised world, trade is a major tool in state policies to ensure economic growth and more jobs. A country’s success … Continue reading
‘Erasmus+’: the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport
Young people want to know more about Erasmus+ and are asking for information on mobility opportunities so that they can enhance their skills and improve their job prospects. They frequently pose questions to the European Parliament to find out what support the EU provides for youth training and education. Legal framework Articles 165 and 166 … Continue reading
World Refugee Day: making child-sensitive asylum and refugee policy
Written by Joanna Apap and Anita Orav. An unprecedented mass movement to the EU of asylum-seekers and migrants of all ages began in 2014, reached a peak in 2015, and subsequently continued into 2016 and 2017. On 5 April 2017, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU external … Continue reading
Erasmus programme’s 30th anniversary
Written by Denise Chircop. Erasmus marks its 30th anniversary in 2017. This exchange programme is now the first key action of a new umbrella programme, Erasmus+. The main celebratory event will take place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 13 June. Two digital initiatives will be launched during this event, the ‘Erasmus+ MobileApp’ which … Continue reading
Côte d’Ivoire: bright economic prospects overshadowed by recent instability
Written by Ionel Zamfir, On 14 June 2017, the European Parliament will welcome Côte d’Ivoire’s President, Alassane Ouattara, who will address the Plenary. Alassane Ouatarra will be the first African president to visit the EP during President Antonio Tajani’s term of office. President Tajani, in a speech on the state of the Union delivered in May, the, emphasised that ‘we … Continue reading
Transatlantic relations under the Trump administration
Written by Elena Lazarou, Over four months into the Trump Presidency, several analysts concur that it is still difficult to make sense of President Trump’s ‘Europe policy’ and, consequently, to forecast the course of transatlantic relations under the Trump administration. The issues that currently occupy the media tend to be those on which the divergence … Continue reading
EP Plenary Session June: Cohesion policy, Climate change, and Capitals of Culture
Written by Clare Ferguson, Cohesion policy Jobs, growth and investment are a top EU priority, and come high on the European Parliament agenda. Following Monday’s joint debate on reducing economic and social inequality between regions through current EU cohesion policy, Members will look to the future and vote on an own-initiative report on the building … Continue reading
EU Development Days: time for new action, new thinking
Written by Eric Pichon, The main global development partners meet in Brussels for the European Development Days (EDD, EUDevDays.eu) on 7 and 8 June. This year the focus is on the various ways of ‘Investing in Development’. The debates take place at a time when the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the international community in … Continue reading
