The Commission is proposing that Member States ease the current restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU to take into account the progress of vaccination campaigns and developments in the epidemiological situation worldwide. The Commission proposes to allow entry to the EU for non-essential reasons not only for all persons coming from countries with a good […]
Artificial intelligence in EU enterprises
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of strategic importance and a key driver of economic development. It can provide solutions to many challenges, such as treating diseases or minimising the environmental impact of farming. Artificial intelligence gives machines and systems the capability to analyse their environment and make decisions with some degree of autonomy to […]
Council agrees its negotiating mandate on the Digital Green Certificate
EU ambassadors today agreed a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a Digital Green Certificate. This certificate will facilitate safe and free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. The […]
Commission mobilises €123 million for research and innovation to combat the threat of variants
The Commission is mobilising €123 million from Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme, for urgent research into coronavirus variants. This first emergency funding under Horizon Europe adds to a range of EU-funded research and innovation actions to fight the coronavirus and contributes to the Commission’s overall action to prevent, mitigate and respond to […]
Commission strengthens transparency and authorisation mechanism for exports of COVID-19 vaccines
The European Commission has introduced the principles of reciprocity and proportionality as new criteria to be considered for authorising exports under the transparency and authorisation mechanism for COVID-19 vaccine exports. This system has significantly improved the transparency of exports. Nevertheless, the objective to ensure timely access to COVID-19 vaccines for EU citizens is still not […]
European initiative on processors and semiconductor technologies
The Commission is welcoming a joint declaration by 20 EU Member States on processors and semiconductor technologies. Through their declaration, the Member States will commit to work together to bolster Europe’s electronics and embedded systems value chain and strengthen leading-edge manufacturing capacity, in view of reinforcing Europe’s capabilities in semiconductor technologies and offering the best […]
Bypassing age verification measures on social media
An EU-backed study has shown how easy it is for children to bypass the mechanisms that the most popular apps use to verify their age: all they have to do is lie. The measures that popular social media apps use to verify age during the sign-up process are basically ineffective. According to research supported by […]
What are the best paying sectors in the EU?
How much people earn varies considerably between economic activities. Which sectors have especially high earnings and which have low earnings may also differ between countries. Which are these high and low paying sectors, measured in average gross monthly earnings in euro? Highest paying sector in the EU In 2018, the ‘Information and communication’ industry was the highest paying […]
New EU energy labels applicable from 1 March 2021
To help EU consumers cut their energy bills and carbon footprint, a brand new version of the widely-recognised EU energy label will be applicable in all shops and online retailers from Monday, 1 March 2021. The new labels will initially apply to four product categories – fridges and freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, and television sets […]