The European Union (EU) cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 23.2 % from 1990 to 2018, according to latest official data, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Over the period, the EU’s contribution to global emissions is estimated to have decreased from 15 % to 8 %. In 2018, the EU’s emissions decreased […]
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Covid-19: EU recovery plan should prioritise climate investment
The proposed EU recovery package to tackle the profound economic recession caused by Covid-19 aims to create a sustainable future. The Covid-19 health crisis and its economic consequences are priorities for the EU and the recovery package proposed by the European Commission aims to relaunch economies, based on a greener, social and digital approach for […]
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Euro area unemployment at 7.3%
In April 2020, the second month after COVID-19 containment measures were implemented by most Member States, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.3%, up from 7.1% in March 2020. The EU unemployment rate was 6.6% in April 2020, up from 6.4% in March 2020. Eurostat estimates that 14.079 million men and women in the […]
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How to develop sustainable and cost-efficient air mobility
Partners of an EU-funded initiative say they have laid the groundwork methodology and tools for the design of a near-zero-emission aircraft concept meant for smaller airports. The EU-funded, UNIFIER19, project offers commuters a radically new mobility solution that will be “as simple to use as a bus,” according to a statement. Project coordinator Pipistrel Vertical […]
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Fair minimum wages: second-stage consultation of social partners
The Commission launches the second-stage consultation of European trade unions and employers’ organisations on how to ensure fair minimum wages for all workers in the European Union. This follows the first-stage consultation which was open from 14 January to 25 February 2020, to which the Commission received replies from 23 EU-wide social partners.Based on the […]
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EU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19
EMCDDA and Europol analyse impact of pandemic on EU drug markets. New report provides window onto EU drug market changes during COVID-19 What effect is COVID-19 having on the largest criminal market in the EU? This question is explored in EU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19, a new report out today from the European Monitoring […]
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26 coordinated arrests in Belgium and France of suspects of a migrant smuggling criminal group
The action is the result of a cross-border investigation supported by Eurojust and Europol which looks at the criminal activity of people smuggling across the continent, and was prompted by the discovery of 39 deceased Vietnamese nationals inside a refrigerated trailer in Essex in the United Kingdom in October 2019. In Belgium, 16 house searches […]
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Women’s rights around the world in times of the coronavirus pandemic
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Commissioners Jutta Urpilainen and Janez Lenarčič wanted to highlight the rights and role played by women around the world in the coronavairus pandemic in a joint statement. Inequality and vulnerability The coronavirus pandemic affects everyone and every aspect of our lives. But not uniformly. It increases existing inequalities around the […]
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EDA project aims for multifunctional smart textiles for defence
Smart textiles are a new generation of innovative material offering very interesting multifunctional properties such as being integrable into uniforms and platforms. They therefore have drawn the attention of the defence sector. Against this backdrop, EDA has incorporated smart textiles into the so-called Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) of its capability technology group (’CapTech’) devoted to […]
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