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) […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Promoting radiation research that benefits science and society
RadoNorm is engaging citizens in research related to testing and mitigating carcinogenic radon in high-risk areas. Its aim is to enhance protection against risks stemming from exposure to the radioactive gas. The EU-funded RadoNorm project was launched with the goal of achieving effective radiation protection based on better scientific evidence and social considerations. The project […]
Read More
Commission closes antitrust investigation into Apple’s rules for e-book/audiobook app developers
The Commission has decided to close its antitrust investigation into Apple’s allegedly anti-competitive behaviour in some of the terms it applies to developers of competing e-book/audiobook apps for the use of its App Store in the European Economic Area. On 16 June 2020, the Commission opened an antitrust investigation into (i) Apple’s rules imposing mandatory […]
Read More