European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
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Work in the era of AI: Time for a Digital Social Contract
Technological change, far from being deterministic in its nature and effects, is open to reform. There is no guarantee that digital technologies will destroy jobs, nor any certainty that these technologies will lead to more and better jobs. Continue reading
Transnational electoral lists: Ways to Europeanise elections to the European Parliament
Transnational electoral lists: Ways to Europeanise elections to the European Parliament Continue reading
Economic and Budgetary Outlook for the European Union 2021
Growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in Europe collapsed in 2020 as a result of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
The Twitter activity of members of the European Council
Over recent years, the members of the European Council have, in a number of landmark declarations such as the Bratislava Declaration, pointed to the need to improve communication with citizens, as part of the process of building greater trust and confidence in the European Union and its institutions. Continue reading
Key issues in the European Council: State of play in December 2020
Established as an informal summit meeting in 1975, the European Council became a formal European Union institution, with a full-time President, in 2009, on the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. 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
Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide: Normandy Index 2020
The ‘Normandy Index’, now in its second year, aims to measure the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world. It was presented for the first time on the occasion of the Normandy Peace Forum in June 2019, as a result of a partnership between the European Parliament and the Region of Normandy. Continue reading
Peace and Security in 2020: Overview of EU action and outlook for the future
This is the third Peace and Security Outlook produced by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). The series is designed to analyse and explain the contribution of the European Union to the promotion of peace and security internationally, through its various external policies. Continue reading
An EU legal framework to halt and reverse EU-driven global deforestation: European added value assessment
Deforestation caused by agricultural activity is continuing at an alarming rate, threatening irreplaceable tropical forests that, among other things, are crucial for fighting climate change. The EU bears its share of responsibility for this environmental loss, as it is one of the major importers of several forest-risk commodities. Continue reading
Artificial intelligence is revolutionising our future: opportunities and challenges
Artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to impact the future of almost every industry and all our lives. This is why it is highly important to keep Members of the European Parliament informed about the latest developments, as well as the challenges and long-term impacts of this technology. Continue reading
GDPR and AI: making sense of a complex relationship
The development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) tools should take place in a socio-technical framework where individual interests and the social good are preserved but also opportunities for social knowledge and better governance are enhanced without leading to the extremes of ‘surveillance capitalism’ and ‘surveillance state’. Continue reading
Artificial intelligence: From ethics to policy
The public service revolution expected from the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) simultaneously promises positive change and threatens negative societal impacts – we only need to mention ‘predictive policing’ to comprehend the potential for both service efficiencies and unintended consequences. Continue reading
New STOA study on artificial intelligence: How does it work, why does it matter and what can we do about it?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is probably the defining technology of the last decade, and perhaps also the next. Continue reading
Key issues in the European Council: State of play in June 2020
Established as an informal summit meeting in 1975, the European Council became a formal European Union institution, with a full-time President, in 2009, on the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. 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
‘Mind the gap’ between drug development and clinical practice
For a drug to be prescribed to a patient, it must first be rigorously tested for efficacy and safety and subsequently be approved by relevant authoritative bodies, such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Continue reading
Demographic outlook for the European Union 2020 [Policy Podcast]
Demography matters. The economy and the labour market, but also social protection, intergenerational fairness and healthcare, the environment, food and nutrition are all driven by demography. Continue reading
Economic and Budgetary Outlook for the European Union 2020
Growth in the European Union and euro-area economies – albeit still positive – slowed significantly in 2019. Moreover, prospects for the next two years remain muted, against the backdrop of a generalised slowdown. Continue reading
Global Trendometer 2019
The new Global Trendometer examines topics ranging from deliberative democracy and the future of social policy in Europe, to scenarios for Northern Africa, China’s social credit system, the auditing of algorithms and space as a new frontier. Continue reading
Origins of the 2019-24 EU Strategic Agenda: The Future of Europe debate and the Sibiu European Council
The Sibiu Summit of 9 May 2019 and the subsequent adoption of the 2019-24 Strategic Agenda on 20 June 2019 constitute the end of the Future of Europe debate (at least in its current iteration), which was initiated following the June 2016 UK referendum on EU membership. Continue reading
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