The Council paved the way for advancing the digitalisation of EU member states’ justice systems and for making them more accessible and effective. The adoption of a Regulation on the digitalisation of cross-border judicial cooperation and access to justice and of an accompanying Directive will facilitate electronic communication in the context of cross-border judicial cooperation […]
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EU will have first-ever law on artificial intelligence
Following 3-day ‘marathon’ talks, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on the proposal on harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (AI), the so-called artificial intelligence act. The draft regulation aims to ensure that AI systems placed on the European market and used in the EU are safe and respect fundamental rights and EU values. […]
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EU expenditure on R&D reaches €352 billion in 2022
In 2022, the EU spent €352 billion on research & development (R&D), 6.34% more than in the previous year (€331 billion) and 48.52% more than in 2012 (€237 billion). When looking at R&D intensity, i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, data show a slight decrease from 2.27% in 2021 to 2.22% in 2022. […]
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Have extreme weather conditions in Europe become the “new normal”?
In a context of a changing climate, weather conditions in Europe are becoming more and more extreme. What phenomena such as heat waves, droughts, floods and forest fires could this summer bring? The outlook is pessimistic, as seen during the past winter and spring. This makes adaptation to climate change and increased preparedness crucial, according […]
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United Kingdom joins Horizon Europe programme
As of 1 January 2024, the United Kingdom becomes an associated country to Horizon Europe. Its researchers will be able to participate in this research and innovation programme of the EU on the same terms as researchers from other associated countries and will have access to Horizon Europe funding. The final step towards this […]
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EU and Chile strengthen cooperation and trade
The Council has adopted two decisions to sign the Advanced Framework Agreement (AFA) and the interim Trade Agreement (iTA) with Chile, which together constitute an updated version of the EU-Chile Association Agreement currently in place. The new agreement will strengthen EU-Chile political and economic relations and deepen cooperation and trade. It will help to jointly address new global challenges such as the repercussions of the Russian […]
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Commission launches Chips Joint Undertaking under the European Chips Act
The Commission has officially inaugurated the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), which will reinforce the European semiconductor ecosystem and Europe’s technological leadership It will bridge the gap between research, innovation and production thereby facilitating the commercialisation of innovative ideas. The Chips JU will, among others, deploy pilot lines for which the Commission announced today the first […]
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EU leads global initiative at COP28 to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency measures
At the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai, President Ursula von der Leyen launched the Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency together with the COP28 Presidency and 118 countries. This initiative, first proposed by the Commission President at the Major Economies Forum in April, sets global targets to triple the installed capacity of renewable energy to at least 11 terawatts (TW) and […]
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EU announces €175m support to reduce methane emissions
Climate super-pollutants – including methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, and tropospheric ozone – are responsible for over half of today’s warming. Under the Global Methane Pledge, launched by the EU and the US, more than 150 countries are now implementing a collective goal of reducing global anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030, from 2020 levels. This global […]
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