European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
STOA
Countering hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns
Disinformation campaigns begin with the manipulation of content, usually addressing real facts from a distorted perspective, rather than presenting audiences with entirely fabricated stories. Continue reading
STOA delegation virtual visit to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) site in Ispra, Italy
Initially scheduled for May 2020, this STOA Panel virtual visit took place on Tuesday 16 March 2021, following an introductory presentation of the JRC mission and activities and a formal invitation issued to Members by the Director-General of the JRC, Stephen Quest, at the STOA Panel meeting of 29 January 2021. Continue reading
STOA Workshop ‘Decarbonising European industry: hydrogen and other solutions’
What are the options for closing the carbon cycle through substitution of fossil fuel use and how can they help to meet the Green Deal objectives? How can the EU hydrogen strategy contribute to this objective? Continue reading
Can online platforms have a net positive effect on the economy and society?
Online platforms, such as Google, Amazon and Facebook, play an increasingly central role in the economy and society. They have grown to an unprecedented scale, propelled by data-driven business models. Continue reading
How artificial intelligence and space technologies will enable the green and digital transitions
Europe is a space force and communicating the tangible benefits the European space programme delivers daily to all Europeans is an important priority. Continue reading
When are online platforms liable for illegal or harmful content?
The current EU liability framework is incredibly complex and often inadapted to modern entities. It is therefore difficult for the subjects involved to understand exactly when a given obligation applies to them, and what kind of behaviour is required. Continue reading
The future of crop protection in Europe
STOA’s latest foresight study, ‘The future of crop protection in the EU’, examines the environmental, societal, health and economic impact of deploying new crop protection practices in the EU. Continue reading
Harmonise EU research and regional policies
European Union (EU) policy promotes innovation with the aim of triggering an economic dynamism that will increase the competitiveness of the EU as a whole. Continue reading
Trust is the key to understanding the Infodemic
The debate about sound and evidence-based science communication, effective in engaging the public and countering mis- and disinformation, was already quite lively long before the Covid‑19 pandemic hit. Continue reading
Surveillance capitalism and Europe’s moral duty to shape a human-centric digital future
‘The European Union represents humanity’s best hope to prevent lawless, unprecedented computational concentrations of knowledge and power from becoming as irreversible and poisonous to our societies as the toxic concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere have become to our earth.’ Continue reading
Digital revolution and legal evolution: Athens Roundtable on the Rule of Law and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting the architecture and implementation of law in several ways. AI systems are being introduced in regulatory and standards-setting bodies and courts in several jurisdictions, to advance the functions of the la w and facilitate access to justice. Continue reading
Workplace monitoring in the era of artificial intelligence
Workers’ interests should always be at the forefront of company approaches to privacy and data protection and worker representatives must always be consulted when a new technology is considered for workplace operations and analytics. Continue reading
STOA and the OECD Global Parliamentary Network join forces to promote trustworthy and human-centred AI
As agreed during the Science and Technology Options (STOA) Panel meeting of 11 September 2020, STOA and the European Parliamentary Research Service are entering into a Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Global Parliamentary Network (GPN). Continue reading
What if we could renew all our cells? [Science and Technology podcast]
Regenerative medicine (RM) is an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering and life science techniques to restore tissues and organs damaged by age, disease or trauma, as well as those with congenital defects. Continue reading
Digital human rights and the future of democracy: Lessons from the pandemic
Digital technologies are increasingly shaping our economy, politics, and society. As many online activities leave a digital trace, our digital activity allows automatic gathering of a wealth of behavioural data. Continue reading
STOA establishes a centre of dialogue and expertise on AI
With the launch of its Centre for Artificial Intelligence (C4AI), the appointment of a new International Advisory Board (INAB) focusing on AI, and a partnership on AI with the OECD, STOA is intensifying its activities on artificial intelligence. Continue reading
Mapping the AI ethics initiatives terrain
While artificial intelligence (AI) applications are numerous, AI creates novel ethical challenges that threaten both users and non-users of the technology, including exacerbating existing inequalities and generating discrimination and bias. Continue reading
Digital contact tracing: Call for a stronger EU-wide approach
There is no trade-off between privacy and health in the context of contact tracing applications as, without citizens’ trust, no technology can deliver the expected outcomes. Continue reading
A crossroads of disciplines: How nanotechnology is revolutionising medicine
Nanotechnology, making it possible to manipulate matter on a ‘nano’ scale, emerged in the early 1980s. More recently, nanotechnology has become the intersection at which several scientific disciplines converge. Continue reading
What if insects were on the menu in Europe? [Science and Technology podcast]
Insects, while commonly consumed elsewhere in the world, have long been off the menu in Europe, but they could soon be creeping their way onto our plates. Continue reading
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