European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
European Union
Replacement benchmarks for financial benchmarks in cessation [EU Legislation in Progress]
The pricing of many financial instruments and contracts depends on the accuracy and integrity of (financial) benchmarks, i.e. indices, by reference to which the amounts payable under such financial instruments or contracts, or the value of certain financial instruments, are determined. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council video-conference of 19 November 2020
Initially planned to discuss only the EU response to the coronavirus pandemic, recent developments required EU leaders to dedicate attention to other issues during the European Council video-conference meeting of 19 November 2020. Continue reading
What if AI could help us become ‘greener’? [Science and Technology podcast]
As ‘green transitions’ become real political goals, what role can artificial intelligence (AI) play in helping to achieve them? Continue reading
Sustainable consumption: Helping consumers make eco-friendly choices [Policy Podcast]
Household consumption in the EU has major environmental impacts, which in a number of cases exceed planetary boundaries. Two thirds of consumers in the EU realise that their consumption habits have negative effects on the environment, and the solution that they mention most often is to change consumption habits and production patterns. Continue reading
Prospectuses for investors – Simplifying equity-raising during the pandemic [EU Legislation in Progress]
A prospectus is a legally required document presenting information about a company and the securities that it offers to the public or seeks to admit to trading on a regulated market. Continue reading
Uniform and fair asylum procedures at the EU borders have not been achieved
Fast-tracking procedures at European Union external borders for determining whether individuals are entitled to international protection is a priority in the proposed Pact on Migration and Asylum Continue reading
Global mega-trends: Scanning the post-coronavirus horizon
The European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) – the strategic foresight network of the European Union institutions – offers a valuable ‘free space’ in which to conduct a genuine continental, and potentially global, conversation about where the world is heading over the medium to long run. Continue reading
Thirty years of European territorial cooperation
Established in 1990, the first European territorial cooperation initiative, Interreg I, focused on cross-border cooperation. Continue reading
Important projects of common European interest: Boosting EU strategic value chains
Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides for the possibility of approving state aid for ‘important projects of common European interest’ (IPCEIs). Continue reading
Technical Support Instrument [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 28 May 2020, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on a Technical Support Instrument that would provide Member States with technical support to strengthen their institutional and administrative capacity in designing and implementing reforms. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council video-conference of 29 October 2020
In the context of a major spike in coronavirus infections across all EU Member States, Heads of State or Government met by video-conference on 29 October 2020 in a bid to strengthen collective EU efforts to defeat the pandemic. Continue reading
Limits on exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at work: Fourth proposal [EU Legislation in Progress]
The European Commission has proposed to amend Directive 2004/37/EC, by expanding its scope and by including and/or revising occupational exposure limit values for a number of cancer- or mutation-causing chemical agents. Continue reading
EU foreign, security and defence policies [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The European Union faces multifaceted foreign security and defence policy challenges. First and foremost, it awaits the outcome of the US Presidential election, which is set to determine in significant part global economic and political developments to in the short to mid term. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council meeting of 15-16 October 2020
Without reaching any new decisions, the European Council meeting of 15-16 October 2020 addressed a series of important issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, EU-United Kingdom relations and climate change. Continue reading
Key issues in the European Council: State of play in October 2020
The role of the European Council is to ‘provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development’ and to define its ‘general political directions and priorities’. Continue reading
Understanding the financing of intergovernmental organisations: A snapshot of the budgets of the UN, NATO and WTO [Policy Podcast]
Access to stable and adequate financial resources is a crucial condition for the realisation of the global goals of intergovernmental organisations (IGOs). Continue reading
Upholding human rights in Europe during the pandemic [Policy Podcast]
The severe coronavirus outbreak has forced governments across the world to resort to drastic measures in order to slow down the spread of the virus and prevent a public health crisis. Continue reading
European Council Leaders’ Agenda 2020-21
At the special European Council meeting of 1-2 October 2020, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, presented a new Leaders’ Agenda outlining his view of ‘the key challenges confronting the Union’ and setting a timetable for the Heads of State or Government to address these issues at meetings between October 2020 and June 2021. Continue reading
Modernisation of the trade pillar of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement [International Agreements in Progress]
Written by Gisela Grieger, On 21 April 2018, the EU and Mexico reached an agreement in principle on a modernised trade pillar of the EU-Mexico Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement, also known as the Global Agreement, in force since 2000. On 28 April 2020, negotiations were formally concluded after the only outstanding item … Continue reading
Hotspots at EU external borders: State of play
The ‘hotspot approach’ was presented by the European Commission as part of the European Agenda on Migration in April 2015, when record numbers of refugees, asylum-seekers and other migrants flocked to the EU. Continue reading
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