European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
European Union
The right to disconnect
According to Eurofound, the ‘right to disconnect’ refers to a worker’s right to be able to disconnect from work and refrain from engaging in work-related electronic communication, such as emails and other messages, during non-work hours and holidays. Continue reading
States of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis: Situation in certain Member States IV
With the virulence of the coronavirus pandemic gradually diminishing, and in the light of the restrictive measures adopted by Member States, attention remains on the way chosen by the various states to respond to the crisis. Continue reading
EU-China relations: Taking stock after the 2020 EU-China Summit
The 22nd EU-China Summit, originally scheduled for March 2020, was postponed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. While other summits were simply cancelled or postponed indefinitely, the EU and China decided to hold the summit by video-link, on 22 June 2020. Continue reading
Cross-border regional healthcare cooperation to combat the coronavirus pandemic
The pandemic has led to a situation where the healthcare systems of European regions have been heavily over‑burdened, with more patients to treat than they have capacity for. Continue reading
Single market and the pandemic: Impacts, EU action and recovery [Policy Podcast]
The coronavirus crisis caused an asymmetric shock to both supply and demand in the EU, inflicting unprecedented economic harm: the deep recession in 2020 is likely to be followed by a fragile recovery in 2021. Continue reading
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: During the pandemic and beyond
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is a decentralised European Union (EU) agency based in Stockholm, Sweden. Continue reading
States of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis: Situation in certain Member States III
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has prompted countries to take extensive and far-reaching measures to tackle the consequences of the outbreak. Apart from curbing the spread of the disease, these measures have also posed legal and economic challenges, significantly affecting people’s lives. Continue reading
CSDP missions and coronavirus
As Covid-19 adds increased pressure on international security, the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations have been adapted and contributed to the mitigation of the effects of the pandemic in host countries. Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council video-conference of 18-19 June 2020
The European Council meeting on 19 June, to be held by video-conference, will be almost exclusively dedicated to the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the proposed new EU recovery fund, dubbed ‘Next Generation EU’. Continue reading
EU agricultural policy and climate change [Policy Podcast]
In December 2019, the European Parliament declared a climate and environmental emergency in Europe and across the globe – a recognition of the challenges that the EU faces in this area. Continue reading
Understanding EU data protection policy [Policy Podcast]
The near-ubiquity of data in the lives of ordinary people, along with its exponential growth in generation rate and potential misuse, has made the protection of personal information an increasingly important social, legal and political matter for the EU. Continue reading
What if AI could advance the science surrounding dementia? [Science and Technology podcast]
Dementia is a growing public health concern, with no reliable prognosis or effective treatment methods. In the age of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the goal of more precise, early diagnosis and prediction of the progression of dementia may not be very far away. Continue reading
NATO’s response in the fight against coronavirus
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) might not be the first organisation that comes to mind for fighting pandemics. As the coronavirus crisis hit the world indiscriminately, NATO was fast to react, and used all the instruments in its toolbox to assist Allied countries and partners. Continue reading
Three critical issues in EU-UK relations
Following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) on 1 February 2020, the EU and the UK launched negotiations on a new partnership agreement, to come into effect at the end of the transition period, scheduled for 31 December 2020. Continue reading
Better Regulation practices in national parliaments
Ex-ante impact assessment and ex-post evaluation are regulatory policy tools that help inform the policy-making process with evidence-based analysis. Both tools are geared towards raising the quality of policies and legislation. Continue reading
Demography on the European agenda: Strategies for tackling demographic decline [Policy Podcast]
The EU faces a number of demographic challenges such as ageing, a declining birth rate and depopulation in some of its regions. Continue reading
EU export authorisation scheme for personal protection equipment
In the midst of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission issued an implementing regulation requiring authorisations for exports of personal protection equipment (PPE), effective as of 15 March 2020 for a six-week period. Continue reading
Potentially negative effects of internet use
The internet has received increasingly negative media coverage in recent years. Numerous articles have reported on major privacy scandals and security breaches, the proliferation of fake news, harmful behaviours such as cyber-bullying, cyber-theft, revenge porn and internet addiction, as well as the negative effects that the internet can have on social relationships and social cohesion. Continue reading
States of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis: Situation in certain Member States II
Member States have adopted a range of emergency measures in response to the unprecedented public health crises generated by the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Outcome of the Zagreb EU-Western Balkans video-summit of 6 May 2020
The EU-Western Balkans Summit, which normally would have been held in Zagreb, took place by video-conference on Wednesday 6 May 2020. Continue reading
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