The European Commission has requested consultations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) aiming to remove unfair and illegal trade practices by China in the sphere of intellectual property. China has empowered its courts to set binding worldwide royalty rates for EU standard essential patents, without the consent of the patent owner. This pressures innovative European high-tech companies […]
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Commission calls on Member States to review outbound investments and assess risks to economic security
The Commission published on the 15t a Recommendation calling on EU Member States to review outbound investments of their companies into non-EU countries. The Recommendation applies to three technology areas of strategic importance as well as the highest risk – semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies – and calls on Member States to assess risks to economic security potentially […]
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Commission approves Synopsys’ acquisition of Ansys subject to conditions
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Ansys, Inc. (‘Ansys’) by Synopsys, Inc. (‘Synopsys’). The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by the parties. The Commission’s investigation The Commission investigated the impact of the transaction in the global markets for the supply of: (i) […]
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Road safety and artificial intelligence, a possible union?
Europe may have made some progress in reducing road fatalities since 2019, but it is still far from its target of halving the number of road deaths by 2030. While AI and emerging transport technologies offer new opportunities for innovative solutions to tackle this problem, they need to be deployed in a responsible, equitable, efficient […]
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Curious scientific research in the EU
Some of the statements below may seem comical or delusional, but they are from scientific studies funded by European money. If you want to know the origin of this research, just visit the more information link at the bottom of this page. We keep hearing about all the mind-blowing things AI can do to […]
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EU adapts product liability rules to digital age and circular economy
New product liability rules have entered into force, reflecting the increasing digital features of products and the growing circular economy. The EU’s product liability regime was established in 1985 to compensate those who have suffered physical injury or property damage due to a defective product. Since then, technological developments, new circular economy business models and ever-more […]
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EU and Africa strengthen cooperation on digital transformation
The European Commission and Smart Africa took a further step in supporting the digital transformation of the African continent together. The Commission Services and Smart Africa signed an Administrative Arrangement to enhance cooperation and support a human-centric digital transformation of Africa. The partnership was formalised during a high-level roundtable discussion with European and African government […]
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Spain among the largest recipients of grants to support research excellence
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded its Consolidation Grants to 328 researchers from across Europe. These grants, totalling €678 million, aim to support outstanding scientists and academics in setting up their independent research teams and developing their most promising scientific ideas. The funding is provided through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. Spain is the […]
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What did ancient cities smell like?
The aroma of our societies evolves with changing trends, technologies – and hygiene. What would a time traveller from 2024 notice first about cities from previous centuries? Our expert Inger Leemans sniffs out the answers. “The first thing you probably would notice is that you can smell better,” says Leemans, a researcher based at the […]
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