European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
PUBLICATIONS
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2019: EU contribution to the fight against child poverty
Over recent decades, there has been marked progress in reducing poverty worldwide. The research conducted by this year’s Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences laureates, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, has considerably improved the ability to fight global poverty. Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council (Article 50) meeting on 17 October 2019
The October European Council meeting will represent an important point on the timeline of negotiations on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, as leaders will be taking stock of the situation heading up to the end of the extension period on 31 October 2019. Continue reading
Outlook for the meetings of EU leaders, 17-18 October 2019
The meeting of Heads of State or Government on 17-18 October is expected to be dominated by Brexit. The EU-27 leaders will probably meet in a European Council (Article 50) format to discuss the most recent developments in the negotiations, and deliberate on possible consequences. Continue reading
Mainstreaming of climate action in the EU budget: Impact of a political objective
The European Union (EU) has developed many legislative measures related to climate change, and is on track to meet its 2020 targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the improvement of energy efficiency and the increased use of renewables. Continue reading
Reform of the Service of Documents Regulation [EU Legislation in Progress]
In May 2018, the Commission put forward a proposal for amending the existing Regulation on Cross-border Service of Documents in civil proceedings. The proposal aims, above all, to replace the existing mechanisms of paper transmission with an electronic system. Continue reading
A globalisation that works for everyone? Penny Goldberg discusses the 2020 World Development Report
On 1st October 2019, the chief economist of the World Bank (WB), Penny Goldberg, presented an exclusive snapshot of the 2020 World Development Report in the Library Reading Room at the European Parliament, discussing the economic challenges and perspectives of global value chains (GVCs) for economic development: what can policy makers do to facilitate sustainable growth through GVCs? Continue reading
Origins of the 2019-24 EU Strategic Agenda: The Future of Europe debate and the Sibiu European Council
The Sibiu Summit of 9 May 2019 and the subsequent adoption of the 2019-24 Strategic Agenda on 20 June 2019 constitute the end of the Future of Europe debate (at least in its current iteration), which was initiated following the June 2016 UK referendum on EU membership. Continue reading
CAP Amending Regulation (CMO): Amending regulations on the CMO for agricultural products, quality schemes and measures for remote regions [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 1 July 2018, as part of the work on the EU’s 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework, the European Commission proposed a package of three regulations with the aim of reshaping and modernising the common agricultural policy (CAP). Continue reading
Plenary round-up – Brussels, October I 2019
Highlights of the October I plenary session included statements and debates on the preparation of the European Council meeting of 17 and 18 October 2019, on greening the European Investment Bank (EIB), in the presence of the Bank’s president, and on how to prevent conflicts of interest in the EU. Continue reading
Oleg Sentsov: The 2018 Sakharov Prize laureate
Thirty years since it was first awarded, the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought retains all its symbolic meaning, as human rights are continually under threat in many parts of the world. Continue reading
Health threats from climate change: The time to act is now
On 1 October, the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) hosted the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) for a policy roundtable on climate change and human health. Continue reading
Using trade policy to tackle climate change
The recent forest fires in the Amazon highlight the need for greater measures worldwide to attenuate tensions between resource needs, for example mining or grazing, that cause deforestation. Continue reading
Civil and military drones: Navigating a disruptive and dynamic technological ecosystem [Policy podcast]
Often labelled as one of today’s main disruptive technologies, drones have indeed earned this label by prompting a fundamental rethinking of business models, existing laws, safety and security standards, the future of transport, and modern warfare. Continue reading
Monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions from maritime transport [EU Legislation in Progress]
In February 2019, the Commission adopted a proposal to revise the EU system for monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions from maritime transport, in order to align it with the global data collection system introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Continue reading
Brexit: make or break? [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the other 27 European Union leaders will make a last-ditch effort on 17-18 October to reach agreement on the United Kingdom’s orderly withdrawal from the EU, currently scheduled for 31 October. Continue reading
The European Parliament’s evolving soft power – From back-door diplomacy to agenda-setting: Democracy support and mediation
For the past 40 years, Members of the European Parliament have been working at boosting Parliament’s role in EU foreign policy. These efforts have continued to be stepped up since the launch of the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) in 1993. Over recent decades, the European Parliament has significantly raised its profile as a credible moral force with strong focus on strengthening human rights, supporting democracy and enhancing the rule of law worldwide. Continue reading
International research collaboration – a key feature of the new global science landscape
The phenomenal growth in collaboration between scientists and institutions located in different countries began 30 years ago, when the bipolar world, in which most internationally active scientists belonged either to the Soviet block or to Western countries, collapsed. Continue reading
Understanding European Parliament delegations
Members of the European Parliament form official groups – delegations – with ties to regions and organisations, as well as parliaments, in non-EU countries. Parliament has expanded its impact EU in foreign policy in recent decades, and its delegations are a key component of its diplomatic work. Continue reading
End of the Draghi era at the ECB [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The European Central Bank will shortly see a ‘change of the guard’ at a time of stagnating economic growth and fears of recession sparked partly by global trade conflicts. Current ECB President, Mario Draghi’s eight-year term in office ends on 1 November, and he is to be replaced by Christine Lagarde, former head of the International Monetary Fund and previously Minister of Finance in France. Continue reading
Multilingualism: The language of the European Union
Some 7 000 languages are spoken globally today. However, half of the world’s population shares just six native languages, and some 90 % of all languages may be replaced by dominant ones by the end of the century. Continue reading
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