Politics

Artificial intelligence is changing how biological threats can be created, detected, and countered.

India’s AI talent ecosystem is rapidly growing but faces structural gaps.

Welcome to the latest edition of the close-to-market (C2M) news bulletin, where we bring you the highlights and most recent developments in our support for LIFE beneficiaries as they advance from innovative concepts to market-ready solutions. The C2M team continues to work closely with LIFE projects, offering tailored individual coaching and ad hoc support to accelerate their path to commercialisation and impact. In this edition, we spotlight key initiatives, share an inspiring success story, and provide updates on ongoing and upcoming activities. The C2M team is actively supporting the “Re:Investin Nature” matchmaking and pitching session to take place at the EU Green Week 2026, on 3 Ju..

This edition of the LIFE close-to-market (C2M) newsletter offers a snapshot of the breadth and momentum of LIFE beneficiaries and their market-oriented projects. Three C2M projects supported by the C2M coaching team featured prominently during EU Green Week 2026 and the ‘Re:Invest in Nature’ pitching and matchmaking events on 3 June. LIFE OASIS won the Best Pitch award in the Nature Intelligence & Measurement category, while LIFE OLIVARES VIVOS + received a Special Recognition at the LIFE Awards 2026 for its outstanding work restoring biodiversity in olive groves across southern Spain. LIFE ARCHICLIMA also attracted strong interest and engaged in valuable investor discussions through its..

This quality report documents the quality of the "Land cover and Land use Area Frame Survey 2022" (LUCAS 2022), including the process, the micro-data produced, and the derived statistical tables. The structure of the report is defined by the ESS Handbook for quality reports1 Eurostat has carried out the LUCAS survey every 3 years, from 2009–2018, based on standardised definitions and a standardised methodology established through pilot work beginning in 2006. The data collected includes land cover and land use information in the strict sense, as well as territorial information (e.g. irrigation and land management). The reference area in 2022 is the total area of all EU countries excluding ..

The unemployment rate across the European Union has fallen to historic lows. After years of persistent decline, the average unemployment rate is now around 6%, down from nearly 12% at its peak in 2013. Looking ahead, the Spring 2026 Economic Forecast expects that the unemployment rate will remain at 6% in 2026 and 2027. To better understand this sustained low level, this thematic focus first takes stock of how unemployment evolved over the past decade, and then examines how the underlying worker flows have changed. This reveals whether changes in the unemployment rate reflect differences in how quickly people find work, how often they lose their jobs, and how many people move into and out of..

This report analyzes what a stronger Europe in NATO means in practice, how European allies can take greater responsibility without weakening the cohesion of the Alliance, and what role Sweden can play.

This report is the culminating publication of the Freedom and Prosperity Center's "The future of democracy assistance" series, which analyzes the many complex challenges to democracy around the world and highlights actionable policies that promote democratic governance.

1. Background to the Thailand–Cambodia Dispute: The Overlapping Area in the Gulf of Thailand and MOU 44

Ireland has ratified the main Council of Europe human rights instruments, including the Revised European Social Charter, but not Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights. It has also ratified most of the primary United Nations instruments, with ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2018 and of its Optional Protocol in 2024.Ireland is a dualist state, meaning that for international law to be enforceable in the Irish legal system, it must be transposed by means of legislation into the national legal order. The main international convention that has been transposed into Irish law is the European Convention on Human Rights, which was incorp..

This Occasional Paper reviews evidence from the ChaMP Research Network on the transmission of monetary policy to firms in the euro area. Overall, transmission to firms remains effective, including during the 2022-23 tightening cycle. However, new results show that this transmission is neither uniform nor mechanical. The pass-through from policy rates and other instruments to corporate financing conditions is shaped by multiple layers of heterogeneity that may, in some cases, have aggregate implications. Country-level segmentation, linked to sovereign risk, institutional frameworks and local lending practices, plays an important role in shaping transmission, especially during periods of stres..

This study is a response to a knowledge-for-policy request submitted to the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) by the EC Directorate General for the Environment (DG ENV) through the KCBD ticketing system. The 7th National Reports (7NRs) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), submitted by CBD Parties in February 2026, represent the first reporting cycle under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). In anticipation of the global report on collective progress under the KMGBF currently being prepared by the CBD Secretariat, this study offers an early picture of how the EU and its Member States are progressing collectively against the global targets. It draw..

The 2027 Draft Budget is accompanied by twelve ‘Working Documents’, as follows: Part I: Programme Performance Statements of operational expenditure. Working Document I contains, pursuant to Article 41(3)(h) of the Financial Regulation, the Programme Performance Statements, which provide for each spending programme comprehensive information on the financial implementation and progress in achieving the programme objectives as of the end 2025. Part II: Human Resources of the EU institutions and executive agencies. Working Document II presents information on the human resources of the EU institutions and executive agencies, and in particular for the Commission, both for the establishment pla..

The 2027 Draft Budget is accompanied by twelve ‘Working Documents’, as follows: Part I: Programme Performance Statements of operational expenditure. Working Document I contains, pursuant to Article 41(3)(h) of the Financial Regulation, the Programme Performance Statements, which provide for each spending programme comprehensive information on the financial implementation and progress in achieving the programme objectives as of the end 2025. Part II: Human Resources of the EU institutions and executive agencies. Working Document II presents information on the human resources of the EU institutions and executive agencies, and in particular for the Commission, both for the establishment pla..

The 2027 Draft Budget is accompanied by twelve ‘Working Documents’, as follows: Part I: Programme Performance Statements of operational expenditure. Working Document I contains, pursuant to Article 41(3)(h) of the Financial Regulation, the Programme Performance Statements, which provide for each spending programme comprehensive information on the financial implementation and progress in achieving the programme objectives as of the end 2025. Part II: Human Resources of the EU institutions and executive agencies. Working Document II presents information on the human resources of the EU institutions and executive agencies, and in particular for the Commission, both for the establishment pla..

(한일의원연맹) 회장단 교류

Clean hydrogen is universally recognised as indispensable for reaching global net zero - and yet the path to get there has grown more complex. Despite a global project pipeline of c. 440 GW of announced electrolyser capacity by 2030, the sector is currently navigating a marked consolidation phase, after a hype cycle that reached its peak in 2022. Project delays and cancellations are mounting, driven by a combination of persistent policy and regulatory uncertainty, hydrogen production costs that have consistently exceeded early projections, and a demand side where binding offtake commitments remain elusive. However, despite these significant challenges, the sector continues to scale up. While..

The EU Animal Health Law (AHL), Regulation (EU) 2016/429, entered into force in 2016 and became applicable in April 2021. It represents a fundamental shift in the EU’s animal health legal framework, moving from vertical legal acts, mainly directives, organised by diseases or specific topics such as intra-UE trade of certain animal species, to a horizontal overarching regulation accompanied by delegated and implemented acts to operationalise it. The AHL aims to protect animal health, support sustainable farming systems, safeguard public health, and maintain the effective functioning of the EU internal market. This report aims to support the ex-post evaluation of the AHL and its delegated ac..

This is a flash report documenting the Industry 5.0 Community of Practice (CoP) Plenary Session held on 20 March 2026 in Brussels with 125 participants. The report summarises the event, including keynote speeches, panel debates on competitiveness and progress, and breakout sessions on the CoP's future direction, monitoring tools, and territorial dimensions. It captures key viewpoints from speakers and panellists on tensions between Industry 5.0 principles and economic competitiveness, the need for investment and skills development, and calls for affordable energy and strong industrial policy. The document records participant feedback on transforming the CoP into a self-managed community with..

This paper examines the rapid expansion of stablecoins and their potential implications for Europe. It analyses stablecoins’ economic functions, use cases, and financial stability risks, with particular attention to cross-border dynamics. The paper situates the regulatory approach of the European Union within an evolving global landscape marked by diverse policy strategies. A comparative analysis of stablecoin regulations highlights the strength of the EU framework and discusses strategic considerations for Europe in the context of an accelerated digital transformation of monetary systems.

The European Union faces persistent labour and skills shortages across key economic sectors, with about 84 % of occupations in shortage in at least one EU Member State in 2023. Availability of skilled staff is also an obstacle for investments for 75% of SMEs. While intra-EU mobility contributes to addressing these gaps, the potential of recruiting foreign workers remains largely untapped by European employers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Against this backdrop, the European Commission will be developing the EU Talent Pool, a platform designed to match job vacancies in shortage occupations with jobseekers residing outside the Union. Nearly 99 % of all EU businesses ..

In this paper, I evaluate the impact of COVID-era asset purchase programmes (APPs) on the dollar exchange rate in both emerging markets (EMs) and ex-US advanced economies (AEs). In an event study analysis that includes APP announcements for 23 EMs and seven AEs, I find that APPs appreciated the exchange rate in EMs after controlling for the policy actions of the Federal Reserve (Fed), including Fed swap lines, the policy actions of other AEs, and the simultaneous policy actions of the implementing country itself. I interpret the results through the lens of long-run uncovered interest rate parity deviations driven by sovereign credit risk, showing that asset purchase surprises lower the promi..

From qualifications databases to digital credentials, digital tools supporting the portability of learning outcomes have gained policy attention across countries. Despite notable developments, the landscape remains fragmented, and the potential of digitalisation underexploited. E orts are underway to centralise information of qualifications and strengthen links with labour market data. Yet parallel and poorly integrated tools may create confusion. Similarly, infrastructures for issuing, storing and verifying digital credentials are emerging but rarely form a coherent ecosystem. Limited attention has been paid to verification functionalities that can improve understanding, trust and usability..