Member states’ EU ambassadors agreed on the Council’s partial negotiating mandate on the proposed Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP). The platform will support investments in critical technologies in the fields of digital and deep tech, clean tech and biotech in the EU. It will reduce the EU’s strategic dependencies and enhance its long-term competitiveness. […]
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New world-class European supercomputer opens in Spain
MareNostrum 5, the latest world-class European supercomputer was inaugurated in Barcelona, Spain. Currently ranked as one of the 10 most powerful supercomputers in the world, it is hosted at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and will be accessible to a wide range of European scientific and industry users from March 2024. MareNostrum 5 has a peak performance of 314 […]
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EU to invest over EUR 65 million in clean technology projects
The Commission has today selected 17 small-scale innovative clean tech projects to receive over €65 million in project support under the EU Innovation Fund. These funds will help companies in Europe, including small businesses, to bring breakthrough technologies to the market in energy-intensive industries, renewable energy, and energy storage. The selected projects cover a wide range […]
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EU companies doubled R&D investment growth in 2022
Europe’s industry significantly increased its investment in research and development in 2022, according to the 2023 edition of the EU Industrial Research & Development (R&D) Investment Scoreboard. EU private R&D investment growth has reached the highest rate since 2015 and more than doubled compared to 2021, with 13.6% increase in 2022. In comparison, China has decreased […]
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Council adopts a new Regulation and Directive to help digitize judicial systems
The Council paved the way for advancing the digitalisation of EU member states’ justice systems and for making them more accessible and effective. The adoption of a Regulation on the digitalisation of cross-border judicial cooperation and access to justice and of an accompanying Directive will facilitate electronic communication in the context of cross-border judicial cooperation […]
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EU will have first-ever law on artificial intelligence
Following 3-day ‘marathon’ talks, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on the proposal on harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (AI), the so-called artificial intelligence act. The draft regulation aims to ensure that AI systems placed on the European market and used in the EU are safe and respect fundamental rights and EU values. […]
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EU expenditure on R&D reaches €352 billion in 2022
In 2022, the EU spent €352 billion on research & development (R&D), 6.34% more than in the previous year (€331 billion) and 48.52% more than in 2012 (€237 billion). When looking at R&D intensity, i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, data show a slight decrease from 2.27% in 2021 to 2.22% in 2022. […]
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Commission launches Chips Joint Undertaking under the European Chips Act
The Commission has officially inaugurated the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), which will reinforce the European semiconductor ecosystem and Europe’s technological leadership It will bridge the gap between research, innovation and production thereby facilitating the commercialisation of innovative ideas. The Chips JU will, among others, deploy pilot lines for which the Commission announced today the first […]
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Repair rather than buy: New European legislation to promote repair of products and devices
Parliament adopted its negotiating position on new measures to strengthen the right to repair and reduce the environmental impact of mass consumption. On last Tuesday, Parliament adopted its position on a stronger “right to repair” for consumers, with 590 votes in favour, 15 against, and 15 abstentions. The proposal aims to encourage more sustainable consumption, […]
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