The EU brings crypto-assets, crypto-assets issuers and crypto-asset service providers under a regulatory framework. Setting an EU level legal framework for this sector for the first time, the Council adopted a regulation on markets in crypto-assets (MiCA). MiCA will protect investors by increasing transparency and putting in place a comprehensive framework for issuers and service providers including compliance […]
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EU prisons: prison numbers and overcrowding
In 2021, there were 475 038 prisoners in the EU, equivalent to 106 prisoners per 100 000 people. The prisoner rate increased after a decline in 2020 (104 prisoners per 100 000 people) but remained the second-lowest figure since the turn of the century. The highest prisoner rates per 100 000 people in 2021 were […]
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2023 State of Schengen: achievements and key priorities
The Commission is presenting the second State of Schengen Report. This report is part of the Commission’s initiative to further reinforce the Schengen governance through a yearly reporting exercise presenting the state of Schengen, identifying challenges and best practices, as well as priority areas for action. The State of Schengen Report will serve as basis for […]
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Objective: Putting Europe at the forefront of the supercomputing revolution
The updated CORDIS project information package includes the latest research funded by the European Consortium for High Performance Computing (EC EuroHPC) leading to advances in climate modelling, personalised medicine and energy saving strategies. Supercomputers are advanced systems with extremely high capabilities, capable of solving computational problems that are orders of magnitude too complex for typical […]
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Council adopts new rules to cut deforestation worldwide
The Council gave the final go-ahead to a regulation that aims to minimise the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products that are placed on or exported from the EU market. The EU is a large consumer and trader of commodities and products that play a substantial part in deforestation. The new rules […]
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Eurogroup discusses banking union and capital markets union and progress on the digital euro project
Eurogroup, 15 May 2023 Agenda highlights In usual composition: Macroeconomic developments in the euro area The Commission presented its spring economic forecasts. On this basis, the Eurogroup exchanged views on the economic outlook and the challenges for future policy coordination. Spring 2023 Economic Forecast Business: structural challenges ahead in a context of heightened geopolitical tensions […]
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EU trade in high-tech products up in 2022
In 2022, the EU imported €482 billion worth of high-tech products from extra-EU countries (+22% compared with 2021). Exports to these countries reached €446 billion (+16% compared with 2021). More than half of imports from China and the United States In 2022, over half of the EU’s high-tech imports from non-EU countries came from China (38%; €183 billion) and the United States (19%; €91 […]
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Spring Economic forecast for Spain
Following strong expansion in 2022, economic activity is expected to slow down in 2023. Labour market resilience and the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) are set to sustain growth, which is forecast to accelerate further in 2024. Headline inflation is projected to moderate on the back of to lower energy prices. The […]
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How digitalisation can contribute to more sustainable transport in Europe
Digital technologies provide ways to lessen the negative effects of the European transport industry, including land grabbing, habitat fragmentation, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution, accidents, and time wasted in traffic. However, these benefits rely on how digital solutions are implemented and how they impact total transport demand, according to a recent analysis by the […]
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