Fires raging across Europe have devastated thousands of hectares of land in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece, putting firefighters in the affected countries to the test. In 2021, about 365 thousand people were employed as professional firefighters in the EU, representing 0.2% of total EU employment. Estonia, Cyprus, Romania, and Slovakia (all around 0.4% of […]
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European Year of Capabilities is the theme of ONCE’s Europe Day coupon
The reason for the ONCE coupon is dedicated to Europe Day, 9 May, is due to the European Year of Capabilities. Five million coupons will be distributed throughout Spain to celebrate this day. Alberto Durán, Vice-President for Institutional Coordination, Solidarity and External Relations of the ONCE Social Group, presented María Andrés, Director of the European […]
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Four-day working week: What does the science say?
What the latest research says about a four-day working week or a three-day weekend. More and more countries are trialling 4-day workweeks. If the United Kingdom’s 4-day workweek pilot, one of the largest in the world, is any indication, more businesses will be embracing the long weekend. Published in February 2023, the report shows that […]
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EIF and BBVA sign €200M guarantee agreement to support start-up companies
The European Investment Fund (EIF) and BBVA are set to make it easier for startups with innovative and sustainable value propositions to get access to financing. The two institutions have concluded an agreement under the InvestEU guarantee programme whereby the EIF will grant a €200 million guarantee to enable BBVA Spark (BBVA’s specialised startup initiative) […]
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Eurogroup: Ministers discuss progress on the banking union
Main results Banking union and banking sector developments Macroeconomic and financial developments The Eurogroup took stock of macroeconomic and financial stability developments. The Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) updated ministers on the macroeconomic and financial situation. The chair of the ECB Supervisory Board, Andrea Enria, and the chair of the Single Resolution Board, Dominique […]
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Preliminary assessment of the EU Election Observation Mission in Paraguay
This press statement is a preliminary analysis of the pre-election period and voting day, observed in all the departments of the country by 124 observers from the European Union, Canada and Norway, who visited 383 polling stations. During the presentation of the preliminary assessment, the Chief Observer, Mr. Gabriel Mato, said: “We are grateful for […]
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Mind the Gap in Standardisation of Cybersecurity for Artificial Intelligence
The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) publishes an assessment of standards for the cybersecurity of AI and issues recommendations to support the implementation of upcoming EU policies on Artificial Intelligence (AI). What is Artificial Intelligence? The draft AI Act provides a definition of an AI system as “software developed with one or more (…) techniques (…) […]
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EU must do more to reduce impact of chemical pesticides
Pesticide use is a major cause of pollution since it contaminates the air, soil, and water, destroys biodiversity, and breeds pest resistance. Chemical pesticide exposure in humans has been related to chronic conditions like cancer, heart, respiratory, and neurological problems. The most recent research on the effects of chemical pesticides on human health and ecosystems […]
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The EU expects to create 1.3 million jobs through its cohesion policy
Cohesion Policy funding in 2021-2027 is expected to support the creation of 1.3 million jobs, and to increase the EU’s GDP by 0.5% on average by the end of the decade, and up to 4% in some Member States. It will also help deliver many common public goods, providing tangible and concrete benefits to European citizens, regions and cities. These […]
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