The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was created in 2006 to finance active labour market policies targeting workers who have lost their jobs because of trade adjustment. The fund was subsequently modified in 2009 to cover major structural changes triggered by the economic and financial crisis. The rules of the EGF are laid down in EU Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013, which stipulates that...

In the framework of the next long-term EU budget for 2021-2027, the Commission is proposing a new, €9.2 billion programme to build up digital capacity and infrastructure and support a digital single market. It will operate mainly through coordinated and strategic co-investments with the Member States in the areas of advanced computing and data, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, their upt...

Eight EU Member States have launched, or are about to launch, national mandatory labelling schemes for certain food products. The regulatory basis for these national measures is the Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers, which allows Member States to adopt additional national measures concerning the mandatory labelling of foodstuffs, as long as these are justified by reasons...

On 27 May 2018, the Commission presented a proposal for a regulation on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users. It would introduce a number of advanced vehicle safety features which passenger cars, vans, buses and trucks would have to have as standard equipment in order to b...

The new regulation on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) 2021-2027 identifies the specific objectives and scope of support for both funds. In line with evidence regarding impact, investments will focus on activities with the highest added value, such as support to SMEs, smart specialisation, the low carbon economy, sustainable urban development and regional co...

In May 2018, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new regulation on the labelling of tyres for the purposes of fuel efficiency, safety, and noise reduction. This would increase consumer awareness of the tyre label and improve market surveillance and enforcement. It would oblige suppliers to display the tyre label in all forms of purchase, including where the tyre is not physically show...

Digital economy is under taxed when compared to traditional businesses. To address this issue Commission proposes new rules which would allow taxation based on digital rather than just physical presence. Source: © European Union - EP

As part of its ‘new deal for consumers', in April 2018, the Commission proposed a new directive on modernisation of EU consumer protection rules. The directive would amend four of seven main horizontal directives that make the core of the EU consumer legislation and that apply to all sectors of economy and would focus on harmonising penalties for infringements and possibilities for individual cons...

Crowdfunding, an open call to the wider public for raising money online, can help ensure that both individuals and companies get access to finance, especially in the early growth stages of their projects or business. Currently, different legislative frameworks are in force in the Member States of the EU, which results in cross-border investments remaining limited and service providers not scaling...

The European Union is facing new security threats amid growing uncertainty about the reliability of some of its allies. As a consequence it has embarked on a general scale-up of its defence capabilities. A European defence action plan has been agreed and a European Defence Fund created to provide financial support, ranging from the research phase to the acquisition phase of military equipment and...

Ten years has passed since the app economy was launched. Since then the apps evolved to play an increasingly important role in the life of citizens and became crucial to the success of many industries. Growing connectivity and availability of portable devices ensure that this trend will continue. Source: © European Union - EP

Iran, Syria, North Korea, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among nearly 30 countries to be targeted by EU sanctions, among other things for nuclear weapons programmes, violations of democracy and human rights. Sanctions can be very painful for targeted countries, but do not always succeed in changing their behaviour. Source: © European Union - EP

The EU lawmakers have reached a provisional agreement on new civil aviation safety rules. The reform introduces risk and performance-based rules, includes the first-ever EU rules for civil drones, extends the European Aviation Safety Agency's mandate and provides for using existing resources more efficiently. The provisional agreement now needs to be confirmed by European Parliament in plenary. So...

Developing organic production is an EU policy objective. While the EU organic market is constantly expanding, only 6 % of total EU agricultural area is used for organic cultivation, and the difference between EU demand and production is covered by growing imports. To overcome the regulatory obstacles to the development of the sector and increase consumer confidence in the EU organic logo, the Comm...

Despite significant progress for some social groups in the area of work-life balance, there has been a general trend of decline since 2011, and progress amongst Member States has been uneven. Attempting to compensate for the 2015 withdrawal of the proposal for an extended maternity leave directive, this proposed directive contains proposals for paternity, parental and carers' leave. It is compleme...

On 7 July 2017, a special United Nations (UN) conference adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Will this lead to the abolition of nuclear weapons, as supporters of the Treaty hope, or in fact weaken the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime, as opponents fear? Source: © European Union - EP

Galileo and the European geostationary navigation overlay service (EGNOS) are two satellite navigation systems under civil control. Galileo shall guarantee to Europe an independent access to a reliable satellite signal, being at the same time more accurate than existing concurrence. The aim of EGNOS is to monitor, correct and improve the accuracy of current open signals (GPS, GLONASS) on a limited...

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems already permeate daily life: they drive cars, decide on mortgage applications, translate texts, create artworks, play games, and intervene in conflict zones. The briefing explores the roots of the AI revolution that emerged from the combination of machine learning techniques and 'big data'. It also explores the current limitations of these systems: they are per...

In the European Union (EU), responsibility for counter-terrorism lies primarily with Member States. However, the role of the EU itself in counter-terrorism has grown significantly in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that have hit Europe in the post-'9/11' era. The cross-border aspects of the terrorist threat call for a coordinated EU approach. Moreover, the assumption that there is a connect...

The introduction of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) equipped European citizens with a new right to participate in EU affairs by asking the Commission to table new legislation. Since the ECI became operational in 2012, the Commission received 66 initiatives, out of which 4 were successful in collecting the required number of signatures. Various stakeholders suggested that the performance of...

The EU has established a range of social measures applying to the road transport sector, which aim at improving drivers' working conditions, road safety and competition between road operators. To give real substance to these social measures, compliance is key. The 2006 Enforcement Directive was therefore adopted to effectively implement the social provisions of the 'Driving time' Regulation. The c...

Returning more and more migrants with irregular status to their countries of origin has become a key European Union aim in efforts to reduce illegal migration. Despite its high political priority, reiterated in European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's 2017 State of the Union address, the effective implementation of this objective is problematic, mainly due to resistance at the individua...

The UN Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters is in the focus of two major documents issued in 2017. Both papers focus on access to justice. One has been published by the European Commission and examines the implementation of the convention in the EU-Member States. The other document has been published by t...

Cultural and educational policies can contribute to the development of skills needed to cope with the complexity of contemporary multicultural societies, and to qualify for jobs in the fast-growing creative and cultural industries. In the EU, competence for culture and education policies lies with the Member States, though the EU plays a role too, by supporting them financially and supplementing a...

EU industry seems to be on a solid path to recovery from the crisis with growth in both employment and value added. Industry creates jobs across the economy and is responsible for the bulk of investment in private research and development. Similarly to other developed parts of the world, European industry is undergoing a transformation based, among others, on increasing the convergence between tra...