the Commission has adopted the second Work Programme for the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital, which defines the scope and objectives of EU-funded actions to improve Europe’s digital connectivity infrastructures. These actions will receive around €865 million of funding from 2024 to 2027. Improving Europe’s connectivity infrastructure is fundamental for achieving Europe’s 2030 Digital Decade objectives […]
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Council improves the protection of industrial designs
The Council adopts the two legislative acts in the framework of the design package: The texts adopted update the existing design legislation in order to improve the protection of industrial designs in the era of digital designs and 3D printing. Better protection for designs and models The directive and regulation adopted will make the procedure […]
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The Spanish project “Biogreenfinery” won the 2024 REGIOSTARS Award in the category “Green Europe”.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, together with President of the Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, hosted the 2024 REGIOSTARS awards ceremony in Brussels as part of the 22nd European Week of Regions and Cities. The REGIOSTARS awards recognise Cohesion Policy-funded projects across Europe that encapsulate the impact and inclusiveness of regional development and have found solutions to common challenges that European regions […]
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Commission proposes an EU Digital Travel application for easier and safer travel
Today, the European Commission adopted two proposals to digitalise passports and identity cards, also called ‘EU Digital Travel application’, for individuals travelling to and from the Schengen area. Both EU citizens and non-EU citizens are subject to systematic checks when crossing the EU’s external borders. Currently, these checks are made physically at the border crossing […]
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A new study highlights the key drivers of academic research commercialisation
A recent study supported by the EU-funded ATTRACT2 project looks into if and how open innovation activities and scientists’ entrepreneurial intentions foster the transformation of research outcomes into marketable products. Published in the ‘CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation’, the study analyses five case studies of European research consortia funded under ATTRACT2 to propose potential […]
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From industrial side stream to clean source for biofuels
A new process looks to turn black liquor, a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, into a low-emission biofuel. Cited by the International Energy Agency as the fifth most important fuel on Earth, black liquor has the potential to become the new black gold. “Black liquor is a common by-product of the pulp mills […]
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Commission evaluation shows the benefits and limitations of online consumer protection laws
The Commission published the findings of the Digital Fairness Fitness Check, which evaluates whether the current EU consumer protection laws are fit for purpose to ensure a high level of protection in the digital environment. The Fitness Check covered three core Directives: the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, the Consumer Rights Directive, and the Unfair Contract Terms Directive. The […]
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Solar panel recycling the affordable, sustainable way
PHOTORAMA receives recognition for its innovative work in photovoltaic panel recycling and raw material recovery. The EU-funded PHOTORAMA project’s efforts to improve photovoltaic (PV) panel recycling and raw material recovery has earned it the prestigious 2024 European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) Innovation Award. The award recognises outstanding EU-funded projects whose innovations contribute towards Europe’s clean […]
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Over a hundred companies sign EU AI Pact
The Commission announced over a hundred companies that are the first signatories of the EU artificial intelligence (AI) Pact and its voluntary pledges. The signatories include multinational corporations and European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from diverse sectors, including IT, telecoms, healthcare, banking, automotive, and aeronautics. The Pact supports industry’s voluntary commitments to start applying the principles of the AI […]
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