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STOA delegation virtual visit to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) site in Ispra, Italy
Initially scheduled for May 2020, this STOA Panel virtual visit took place on Tuesday 16 March 2021, following an introductory presentation of the JRC mission and activities and a formal invitation issued to Members by the Director-General of the JRC, Stephen Quest, at the STOA Panel meeting of 29 January 2021. Continue reading
STOA Workshop ‘Decarbonising European industry: hydrogen and other solutions’
What are the options for closing the carbon cycle through substitution of fossil fuel use and how can they help to meet the Green Deal objectives? How can the EU hydrogen strategy contribute to this objective? Continue reading
Can online platforms have a net positive effect on the economy and society?
Online platforms, such as Google, Amazon and Facebook, play an increasingly central role in the economy and society. They have grown to an unprecedented scale, propelled by data-driven business models. Continue reading
How artificial intelligence and space technologies will enable the green and digital transitions
Europe is a space force and communicating the tangible benefits the European space programme delivers daily to all Europeans is an important priority. Continue reading
Citizens’ enquiries on the waiving of immunity three Members of the European Parliament
The European Parliament has recently received a large number of messages related to the request from Spanish authorities to waive the immunity of three Members of the European Parliament: Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó (Non-attached, Spain), Antoni Comín i Oliveres (Non-attached, Spain) and Clara Ponsatí Obiols (Non-attached, Spain). Continue reading
Citizens’ enquiries on ratification of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment
The President of the European Parliament has recently received a large number of messages on the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). Citizens first began to write to the President on this subject in March 2021. Continue reading
Inside the New European Bauhaus: How to design and build a more sustainable future?
What techniques, materials and skills will be needed to foster a better future in the wake of the global pandemic? This was just one of the questions raised during a European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) online roundtable on the ability of the New European Bauhaus initiative to pool expertise and ideas from architects, urban planners, designers and citizens, on building a more sustainable future. Continue reading
What is the EU doing to combat cybercrime?
Citizens turn to the European Parliament to ask what the EU is doing to combat cybercrime. Over recent years, cybercrime has been a growing threat to the EU: it is estimated to have increased fivefold from 2013 to 2017. Continue reading
European Parliament Plenary Session – March II 2021
With several major debates on the agenda, Members will pack a number of legislative items into the short time available for the part-session taking place on 24 and 25 March 2021. Before that, however, they will discuss preparations for this week’s European Council meeting. Continue reading
EPRS and OECD hold a joint conference on science and research
The Covid‑19 pandemic has mobilised tremendous efforts in scientific research, but also exposed its inefficiencies, according to analysts and policy-makers attending a joint event organised by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Continue reading
Foresight Club on Urban Farming
Can urban farming foster greater food security and autonomy in advanced economies? This was one of the key issues discussed at the EPRS Foresight Club on Friday 12 February 2021. Continue reading
International Women’s Day 2021: Gender equality in the shadow of the pandemic
nternational Women’s Day on 8 March is a time for celebrating women’s achievements and a time to measure and commit to parity, globally and in our own European region, countries and communities. Continue reading
European Parliament Plenary Session – March I 2021
Continuing to mark International Women’s Day 2021, the agenda for the first plenary session of March 2021 kicks off with a ceremony celebrating women’s day, not least their role in fighting on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Learning for the future
The European Union is beginning to deploy significant amounts of coronavirus recovery funding and has introduced visionary initiatives such as the , a European Green Deal, and a Europe fit for the digital age. Continue reading
When are online platforms liable for illegal or harmful content?
The current EU liability framework is incredibly complex and often inadapted to modern entities. It is therefore difficult for the subjects involved to understand exactly when a given obligation applies to them, and what kind of behaviour is required. Continue reading
What is the European Union (EU) doing to combat corruption in EU countries?
Citizens recurrently turn to the European Parliament to comment on various cases of alleged corruption. Furthermore, they request information on how to lodge a complaint and to ask the EU to act in the fight against corruption. Continue reading
The future of crop protection in Europe
STOA’s latest foresight study, ‘The future of crop protection in the EU’, examines the environmental, societal, health and economic impact of deploying new crop protection practices in the EU. Continue reading
Harmonise EU research and regional policies
European Union (EU) policy promotes innovation with the aim of triggering an economic dynamism that will increase the competitiveness of the EU as a whole. Continue reading
Work in the era of AI: Time for a Digital Social Contract
Technological change, far from being deterministic in its nature and effects, is open to reform. There is no guarantee that digital technologies will destroy jobs, nor any certainty that these technologies will lead to more and better jobs. Continue reading
2020 ESPAS Conference – Thinking about the Future: Europe’s Road to 2030
The first fully online ESPAS Annual Conference was held on 18 and 19 November 2020. Under the title ‘Thinking about the Future: Europe’s Road to 2030’, the conference focused on the impact of the pandemic on global trends, and on the practical application of foresight in policy-making. Continue reading
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