European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
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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
Cost of non-Europe in robotics and artificial intelligence
Robotics is a wide and multi-faceted domain that crosses boundaries between many economic sectors and legal disciplines. The perception of a need for some kind of Europe-wide legal framework to accompany the development of robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is growing. 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
Peace and Security in 2019: Overview of EU action and outlook for the future
The promotion of global peace and security is a fundamental goal and central pillar of the external action of the European Union (EU), following the model of its own peace project. Both within and beyond the EU, there is a widespread expectation among citizens that the Union will deliver results in this crucial area. Continue reading
Does technology exacerbate social polarisation?
With the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it became clear how technologies such as social media and techniques such as psychological profiling can be combined in election campaigns with worrying effects. Continue reading
Economic and Budgetary Outlook for the European Union 2019
This EPRS study, the third in an annual series, provides an overview of the economic and budgetary situation in the EU and beyond. It summarises the main economic indicators in the Union and euro area, and their two-year trends. 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
Relations between the European Council and the European Parliament
The most notable change in the European Union’s institutional architecture since the beginning of the European project was the launch in 1975 of the European Council, which became a formal institution in 2009. Continue reading
The Cost of Non-Europe in Asylum Policy
EU Member States have committed to offering protection to those who have to leave their home country to seek safety from persecution or serious harm. Through the ‘Common European Asylum System’ (CEAS), the EU has developed legal and policy instruments for the management of asylum in the EU that apply from the moment someone has lodged an asylum application until the moment the application has been recognised or rejected upon appeal. Continue reading
The future partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom: Negotiating a framework for relations after Brexit
Following the European Council’s additional guidelines of March 2018, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) have begun discussions on their future relations, after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit). Continue reading
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