Nowadays, the EU Cohesion Policy invests €4 billion of EU funds in 25 large infrastructure projects in 10 Member States. The investment package involves Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Romania. The projects cover a wide range of areas: health, transport, research, environment and energy. With national co-financing, the total investment […]
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Work-life balance: new leave rules for family care
The European Parliament is voting on new rules to allow parents and carers to better reconcile their work and family lives. More adaptable working conditions and family and care-related leave would help working parents and carers balance private and professional interests and avoid the need to choose between family and career. They form part of […]
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Five of the finest (anti-)heroines from European literature
An anti-heroine is the opposite of a heroine. According to both the Oxford English Dictionary and Wikipedia, it means ‘lacking’ traditional heroic qualities – things like bravery, strength and morality. An anti-heroine is a female protagonist who is not confined by the expectations put upon them, someone who makes ‘unconventional life choices’. The trouble is, conventions and expectations […]
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Fairer, simpler, more flexible EU farm policy
The Agriculture Committee approved the first and second batch of proposals to improve EU farm policy so that it better meets farmers’ and consumers’ expectations after 2020. The second vote on CAP reform focussed on the new EU rules for direct payments and rural development after 2020. The Agriculture Committee’s amendments to the so-called Strategic […]
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Erasmus+ 2021-2027: more people to experience learning exchanges in Europe
MEPs confirmed on Thursday that funds for the next Erasmus+ programme should be tripled to allow more people to take part, better adapting grants to their needs. For the next generation of the Erasmus+ programme, one of Parliament’s main objectives is that more young people take part in the different learning mobility schemes. It therefore […]
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How do environmental hazards affect vulnerable groups in Europe?
Aleksandra Kazmierczak, a European Environment Agency (EEA) climate change adaptation expert, explains the main findings of a new EEA report that assesses the links between social and demographic inequalities and exposure to air pollution, noise and extreme temperatures. What are the key findings of the report? The EEA report ‘Unequal exposure and unequal impacts: social […]
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Malta and Slovakia: MEPs warn of lack of judicial independence and corruption
MEPs deplore serious shortcomings in the rule of law in Malta and Slovakia, also warning of rising threats for journalists throughout the EU. Parliament passed on Thursday 28th of March, with 398 votes to 85 and 69 abstentions, a resolution summarising the conclusions of the working group set up within the Civil Liberties Committee to […]
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MEPs agree on future regional and cohesion funding
Parliament adopted last Wednesday new funding rules to strengthen the EU’s economic, social and territorial cohesion, with 475 votes to 93 and 53 abstentions. The updated rules, which will apply from 2021 to 2027 to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF), will cover all regions, with special focus on less […]
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New projections on the composition of the next European Parliament
The Parliament has published the third round of projections for the distribution of seats for the next legislature, based on a representative sample of national surveys. This third installment of composition projections of the Chamber is drawn up from national surveys carried out until March 26. The data come from a selection of surveys […]
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