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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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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The Council adopts position on measures to facilitate dispute settlement
The Council adopted its negotiating mandate on a package of measures to adapt the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) framework to the challenges of the digital world. Many consumers facing a disagreement with a business are reluctant to litigate because of the small amounts involved, long processing times or lack of confidence in the possibility of […]
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Commission starts first proceedings to specify Apple’s interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act
Last week , the European Commission started two specification proceedings to assist Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’). Under the DMA, Apple must provide free and effective interoperability to third party developers and businesses with hardware and software features controlled by Apple’s operating systems iOS and iPadOS, designated under the DMA. The specification […]
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Commission launches new online portal to support investment in critical technologies across the EU
The Commission today launched a new online portal for the EU’s Strategic Technologies Platform for Europe (STEP) initiative. This one-stop shop allows investors, project promoters and national managing authorities to access key information and identify EU funding opportunities in STEP’s three strategic sectors : digital technologies and innovation in frontier technologies, clean and resource-efficient technologies […]
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EU boosts European AI developers with the AI Factories call for proposals
Today, the Commission has launched a call for setting up AI Factories to boost European leadership in trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). AI Factories will be created around the EU’s world-class network of European High-Performance Computing (HPC) supercomputers and will be available to a range of European users, such as startups, industry and researchers. President of the Commission, […]
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Commission signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and human rights, democracy and the rule of law
Today, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparceny, Věra Jourová signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and human rights, democracy and the rule of law on behalf of the European Union. This was done during the informal conference of Ministers of Justice of members states of the Council of Europe in Vilnius, Lithuania. This Convention […]
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Smart farming applications for more sustainable and efficient agriculture
The EU-funded SQAT project is developing a mapping service to tackle soil quality and sustainability issues in the agricultural industry. There has been a large uptake of precision agriculture applications in the past two decades. However, the way most farmers collect information about their soils remains mostly the same. Better data on soil properties would […]
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ERC awards Spanish astrophysicist with Proof of Concept Grant No. 2000
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of 100 new proof-of-concept grants in the first round of the 2024 competition. This latest round of grants includes the 2000th project since the programme’s introduction in 2011, which will receive proof-of-concept funding. Astrophysicist Nanda Rea, who works at Spain’s Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), […]
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