European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
EU Law: Legal System and Acts
Parliament’s right of legislative initiative [Policy podcast]
The European Commission has a near monopoly on legislative initiative in the European Union (EU), with special initiative rights for other institutions applying only in certain specific cases. Continue reading
Ten issues to watch in 2020
This is the fourth edition of an annual EPRS publication designed to identify and frame some of the key issues and policy areas that are likely to feature prominently on the political agenda of the European Union over the coming year. Continue reading
Preparing the Conference on the Future of Europe
After the many debates and declarations of principles on the future of Europe of recent years, the time for a more structured reflection on the future of Europe’s development has arrived. Continue reading
Rule of law [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The European Union is a community of law, with the rule of law being a basic value since the Union’s inception. The President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has confirmed a strong commitment to uphold the rule of law, which remains a shared responsibility for all EU institutions and all Member States. Continue reading
Global and regional trends [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The European Union’s key institutions held a joint annual conference on 14-15 October entitled ‘Challenges and Choices for Europe.’ Continue reading
European Union electoral law: Current situation and historical background
The European Parliament did not always enjoy the powers and democratic legitimacy it does now. This is clear from a quick glance at how Parliament has evolved. 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
Revising the Taking of Evidence Regulation [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 31 May 2018, the Commission proposed a proposal for a new regulation on taking of evidence in civil proceedings. It takes stock of the existing regulation (from 2001), but provides for a number of changes to remove legal uncertainty and to promote electronic communications. Continue reading
Parliamentary scrutiny of the European Commission: Implementation of Treaty provisions
This updated implementation assessment examines the status quo of the European Parliament’s powers of scrutiny over the European Commission. Continue reading
Impact Assessment and European Added Value work during the eighth legislative term, 2014-2019
Better law-making is at the same time both a policy objective and a process. As a methodology, its purpose is to design and to decide on regulation that is fit for purpose. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council and Euro Summit, 20-21 June 2019
At their most recent meeting, EU Heads of State or Government postponed decisions on nominating a set of high-level EU appointments, including the position of President of the European Commission. Continue reading
Artificial intelligence, data protection and elections
The Facebook/Cambridge Analytica case in 2018, revealing alleged misuse of personal data for political advertising, demonstrated how the underlying values of the European data protection rules are essential for democracy. The EU has recently adopted a series of additional initiatives to support free and fair elections, reflected not least in European Parliament (EP) debates and resolutions. Continue reading
The Future of Europe debates in the European Parliament, 2018-19: A synthesis of the speeches by EU Heads of State and Government
The debates held in the European Parliament on the Future of Europe offered a unique opportunity for Heads of State or Government to present their views on the future direction that the EU-27 should take. This exercise showed, on the one hand, that the question of which policy areas are of compelling importance differs among the speakers, and, on the other hand, that they have converging views on many issues. Continue reading
Outcome of the Special European Council (Article 50) meeting, 10 April 2019
At the special European Council (Article 50) meeting on 10 April 2019, Heads of State or Government agreed to further extend the Article 50 period until 31 October 2019 at the latest. This goes beyond the request made by the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, for that period to be extended until 30 June 2019, but represents only half of the time period some European Council members had been seeking to offer. Continue reading
Outlook for the meetings of EU leaders, 21-22 March 2019
On 21 and 22 March 2019, the European Council was due to focus primarily on economic, single market and climate change issues, as well as on external relations and disinformation. Continue reading
Unlocking the potential of the EU Treaties: An article-by-article analysis of the scope for action
The Treaty of Lisbon is the current legal foundation for the work of the European Union and its institutions. Although there is at present no general debate within the institutions on the revision of the Treaties, senior EU politicians have recently hinted at the possibility of expanding Parliament’s powers. Continue reading
What if we genetically engineered an entire species? [Science and Technology Podcast]
A gene drive is a technique for manipulating ecosystems by introducing self-propagating custom genes among a population of sexually reproducing organisms, using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. Continue reading
Outcome of the special European Council (Article 50), 25 November 2018
On 25 November 2018, EU-27 leaders met to finalise and formalise the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. They endorsed the withdrawal agreement, as presented by the negotiators of the EU and the United Kingdom (UK), and approved the political declaration on future EU-UK relations, accompanying the withdrawal agreement. Continue reading
The European Ombudsman: Reflections on the role and its potential
Without real power of enforcement, the Ombudsman’s strength lies in the exercise of ‘soft power’, an approach based on the idea that change within an administration comes from understanding where shortcomings occur and an openness to remedying them. Continue reading
What if algorithms could abide by ethical principles? [Scientific and Technology Podcast]
Algorithms are step-by-step procedures for solving a problem, usually expressed in computer code as a set of instructions for a computer to follow in order to complete a task. Continue reading
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