European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
At a glance
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
EU budget reform [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, A long-running discussion on reforming the European Union’s budget gained momentum when the High-Level Group on Own Resources, led by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, presented its report in January 2017. The report proposes simpler methods for funding the EU, to make it less reliant on direct contributions from Member … Continue reading
The incoming US Congress’s powers to overturn regulations of the previous administration
Written by Micaela Del Monte, During the election campaign, President-elect Donald Trump stated his intention to repeal or amend regulations issued by the Obama administration. Following the 2016 elections in the USA, as well as the White House the Republicans will hold the majority in both chambers of the 115th Congress. It is thus likely … Continue reading
Capital Markets Union [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Since the 2008 financial crunch and the ensuing recession, the European Union has been overhauling its regulation of financial markets to try to avoid any repetition of the crisis and to shore up economic growth. The current European Commission has prioritised the creation of Capital Markets Union, which would encourage companies … Continue reading
What if computers were trillions of times faster? [Science and Technology Podcast]
Written by Lieve Van Woensel with James Tarlton, Could the theory of quantum mechanics one day revolutionise commonplace technical devices such as sensors, communication devices and computers? Quantum mechanics is a scientific theory that has revolutionised our understanding of the Universe. In the world of classical physics, a system is always in one particular state … Continue reading
Japan: Economic indicators and trade with EU
Written by Enrico D’Ambrogio and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Laura Bartolini (from GlobalStat | EUI), Japan is one of the most developed countries in the world. Its per capita GDP, though lower than in the past, is still higher than that of the EU. Unemployment is traditionally low. In terms of the … Continue reading
The EU and the fight against terrorism [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Marcin Grajewski, Following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels and Nice this year, the European Union is moving ahead with its Security Union concept to help strengthen internal security cooperation, combat terrorism and prevent youth radicalisation. As part of anti-terrorist efforts, the European Parliament and the Council are … Continue reading
Tunisia: Economic indicators and trade with EU
Written by Joanna Apap and Giulio Sabbati (both EPRS), In cooperation with Laura Bartolini (from GlobalStat | EUI), How fast is Tunisia’s economy growing? How was its economy affected by the ‘Arab Spring’ events? How many women in Tunisia have a job? What is the unemployment rate? Which country is Tunisia’s biggest trading partner? What … Continue reading
