Defensa y Seguridad

For sustainable blue economy to thrive, marine ecosystems need to be preserved and monitored. Through Ocean Health and Observation projects, the European Union protects the environment and the EU’s economy. The 16 projects funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) target a variety of environmental challenges the ocean and seas face today.

Nature-based solutions are cost-effective interventions that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits and build resilience. This report highlights the challenges involved in financing nature-based projects and draws on the European Investment Bank’s experience in implementing the Natural Capital Financing Facility pilot programme in Europe and interviews with key players across the field. The analysis looks at nature-based solutions across six ecosystems and landscapes. The in-depth report also presents key recommendations on how to attract much-needed private investment, including the establishment of a range of funding and financing mechanisms, as well legislative solutions to facilitate cooperation among public entities and co-financing. Investing in nature-based solutions: State-of-play and way forward for public and private financial measures in Europe, was produced for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation by the European Investment Bank’s Innovation & Digital Finance Advisory division.
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EU border regions encounter legal and administrative obstacles in their cooperation. Citizens and businesses face unequal access to public services and fewer economic opportunities. COVID has highlighted the urgent need to address the remaining cross-border obstacles and define a long-term vision for unleashing the potential of border regions to become the drivers of European cooperation. The study identifies three policy options: status quo, soft-law measures, and adopting a new instrument (ECBM 2.0). Policy option 3 has the highest potential impact, addressing both legal and administrative obstacles, bringing benefits of €123 billion per year, as well as positive social impacts.

The US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of August 20221 is a budget reconciliation measure comprising eight titles, which cover a very large spectrum of US policies. In essence, IRA aims to curb inflation and to invest into domestic clean energy production. The law represents the largest effort into addressing climate change in US history. It aims to achieve a reduction of around 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to 2005. The IRA represents a radical departure from the politics of the Trump era and remains controversial within the US political establishment. Outside the US, its resolute pro-climate aspects have been broadly hailed, yet a number of its measures, most notably local-content requirements (LCRs), such as ‘Made in America’ requirement for cars and batteries, have come under severe criticism. This paper will concentrate on the IRA’s main aspects that have sparked a severe trans-Atlantic dispute, and that might have consequences not only for the bilateral trade relations and a possible diversion of direct foreign investments, but also on the possible re-shaping of EU policies, including a shift in the balance between the Single Market and industrial policy. EU reactions will be outlined, such as the adaptation of State aid rules and the Green Deal Industrial Plan. Beyond US-EU relations, LCRs also have the potential to undermine the free trade principles that are at the core of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Europe’s tech industries face high capital costs and complex regulation. Knowledge sharing hubs can lower these barriers and bring products to market faster. This updated Results Pack on Open Innovation Test Beds showcases 10 EU-funded projects that are helping to bring new innovations to the market faster.

This policy brief intends to provide information and support for advocacy in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policy making. It develops around the idea, shared among others by the United Nations (UN) the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), as well as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, that there is no such thing as a natural disaster, and the risk of what disasters there are can therefore be reduced by people. The brief addresses the need to build ownership and to foster inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction framework and its associated policies. It first presents the main concepts and frameworks of reference for DRR actors. Then it gives an overview of the main global trends, both positive and challenging, drawing from experiences matured during recent disasters. Finally, it proposes recommendations to policy actors.