European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
At a glance
EU abolishes mobile roaming charges
Written by Cornelia Klugman. As of 15 June 2017, all European Union (EU) residents can use their mobile phones throughout the EU without additional charges. Consumers saved €9.6 billion between 2009 and 2013 thanks to lower roaming charges. A genuine digital single market would bring additional growth of €415 billion per year. Almost all EU … Continue reading
Turkey: Economic indicators and trade with EU
Written by Philippe Perchoc and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Caterina Francesca Guidi (from GlobalStat | EUI), The EU is Turkey’s number one trading partner, and Turkey the EU’s fifth trading partner – and the only one with which the EU has concluded a custom union. Turkish growth remains strong (4% in 2015 … Continue reading
Paris Agreement: United States withdrawal
Written by Gregor Erbach, On 1 June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change and try to negotiate a deal that is more favourable to the USA. The withdrawal could come into effect in November 2020 at the earliest, coinciding with the next … Continue reading
World Day Against Child Labour
Written by Kristina Grosek. The International Labour Organization (ILO) introduced the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, as part of their efforts to eradicate this unacceptable phenomenon. The day is observed each year on 12 June, and this year the focus will be on the impact of conflicts and disasters. It is also an … Continue reading
Qatar: Rising tension in the Gulf
Written by Beatrix Immenkamp, On 5 June 2017, several Arab nations, including Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), simultaneously announced that they were severing ties with Qatar, a fellow member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Accusing Qatar of supporting and financing ‘terrorism and extremism’ in the region, the above countries … Continue reading
Australia: Economic indicators and trade with the EU
Written by Krisztina Binder and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Caterina Francesca Guidi (from GlobalStat | EUI), Australia is one of the most prosperous countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It has a strong and dynamic relationship with the EU, and negotiations for a free trade agreement between Australia and the EU are expected … Continue reading
EU public private partnerships in research
Written by Vincent Reillon, Around 70 EU public-private partnerships (PPPs) in research help define common priorities and visions for EU, national and regional research and innovation activities. Six different types of PPPs now exist. They were first set up in the context of the development of European Research Area policy in 2003 with two main … Continue reading
What is Europe doing for its citizens? European Parliament Open Days 2017
Written by Etienne Bassot, Has the European Union made a difference to your life? If you are an EU citizen, the answer is certainly ‘yes’. The European Union is constantly working to improve the lives of European citizens. More than 500 million people in the EU Member States see their work, study, leisure and family … Continue reading
Outlook for Brexit negotiations
Written by Carmen-Cristina Cîrlig, On 29 March 2017, Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister, officially notified the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the European Union (EU), following the previous year’s referendum which resulted in a narrow vote to leave the EU (by 51.9 % to 48.1 %). Despite the EU and the UK being … Continue reading
International Roma Day
Written by Anita Orav, Since 1990, 8 April has been marked every year as International Roma Day, providing an opportunity both to discuss the situation of Roma, and to celebrate Romani culture. Roma population in Europe With an estimated population of 10 to 12 million, the Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe. Around … Continue reading
Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles
Written by Marketa Pape with Amalie Bjornavold, As most of the energy used for transport in the EU is dependent on oil, facilitating the transition to low-emission mobility is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40 % below 1990 levels by 2030. Although electric vehicles (EVs) are making inroads into the European automotive fleet, … Continue reading
Mexico: Economic indicators and trade with EU
Written by Enrique Gómez Ramírez and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Caterina Francesca Guidi (from GlobalStat | EUI), Mexico’s economy is the 14th largest in the world (in terms of GDP) and the second largest in Latin America, after Brazil. It is currently classified as an upper middle-income economy by the World Bank, … Continue reading
‘Fake news’ and the EU’s response
Written by Naja Bentzen, Graphics by Christian Dietrich. Fake news – deliberately fabricated stories posing as journalism with the aim of manipulating readers – became an increasingly visible global phenomenon during last year’s presidential election campaign in the United States, not least due to the growing use of social media as a source for news. … Continue reading
Outlook for the 9 March 2017 European Council, and the Informal meeting of the 27 Heads of State or Government on 10 March 2017
Written by Susanna Tenhunen and Ralf Drachenberg, At their 9-10 March 2017 meeting, EU leaders will focus on the economic situation in Europe, including the economic and social priorities of the 2017 European Semester, trade policy and delivery of the different single market strategies. The European Council will also discuss migration, security and defence, and … Continue reading
Women in parliaments
Written by Evarts Anosovs, Eva-Maria Poptcheva, Giulio Sabbati, Martina Prpic and Samy Chahri, Updated on 03/03/2017 The Infographic “Women in parliaments” provides information on the proportion of women in national parliaments, compares representation of women in national parliaments with their numbers in the European Parliament and shows the number of women in the EP by … Continue reading
Outcome of the informal European Council and informal meeting of 27 Heads of State or Government on 3 February 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The Maltese capital, Valletta, hosted an informal European Council meeting, as well as an informal meeting of EU-27 leaders on 3 February 2017. The first meeting concentrated on migration on the Central Mediterranean route, while the second looked at the future of the EU and preparations for the approaching 60th anniversary … Continue reading
Integration of refugees and migrants: Participation in cultural activities
Written by Magdalena Pasikowska-Schnass, Over the past two years, the European Union has received people fleeing conflict zones outside of Europe on a scale unprecedented for Europe since World War II. In the multi-faceted challenge of integrating new arrivals, cultural aspects are also part of the solution. Refugees and migrants – challenges and benefits of … Continue reading
Canada: Economic indicators and trade with EU
Written by Whilhelm Schöllmann and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Laura Bartolini (from GlobalStat | EUI), Canada is looking to diversify its trade partners in order to reduce its dependence on the US business cycle. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada promises to increase trade between these … Continue reading
Outlook for the informal European Council and informal meeting of 27 Heads of State or Government on 3 February 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg, The informal summit taking place on 3 February 2017 in Valletta, Malta, will take place in two parts: an informal European Council meeting in which all EU Member States will participate, followed by an informal meeting of the 27 Heads of State or Government without the UK. The informal European Council … Continue reading
Environmental Implementation Review
Written by Anne Altmayer, Launched by the European Commission in 2016, the Environmental Implementation Review (EIR) is aimed at providing an overview of how well Member States are implementing EU environmental law and at helping them if they are struggling. The Commission says that insufficient and uneven implementation causes damage to the environment and human … Continue reading
