Economy & Jobs
The promises and challenges of repayable EU structural funds
With increased pressure on the core cohesion budget, financial instruments utilised as a means of delivering EU structural fund support are touted as a way to do “more with less” by leveraging EU and public money to generate private investment...
Improving young people’s job prospects in the wake of COVID-19
COVID-19 has put strains on all sectors of the economy, but while short-term work schemes and social safety nets have prevented crisis levels of unemployment throughout Europe, the pandemic's impacts have not been distributed evenly.
The road ahead: challenges and opportunities for Europe’s regions
This Special Report looks at challenges that lie ahead for the EU's cohesion policy, as the already vast to-do list for Europe's regional and local authorities keeps expanding with ambitious climate and digital transformation goals.
EU and China: Charting a new relationship
With EU-China relations being put to the test this year, policymakers in both parties have been in talks over how best to chart new bonds as part of the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. This report, sponsored by the...
Navigating the road ahead for battery tech
Europe's climate agenda and willingness to tag its virus-recovery efforts to green objectives mean that electric-battery technology is due for a great decade.
Hospitality sector: Re-connecting EU citizens after the pandemic
Bars, cafes and restaurants are going to be vital to the process of “re-connecting” European citizens socially after the coronavirus pandemic. However, Europe’s hospitality sector, which mainly consists of small and medium sized companies, has been badly hit by the...
How the light gets in: Europe’s Photonics Landscape
Photonics technologies are ubiquitous. Earmarked by the European Commission as a Key Enabling Technology for the 21st Century, photonics equipment is used across quantum computing applications, agricultural technologies, Internet of Things devices, self-driving cars, and healthcare tech, amongst many others.
Europe’s new Climate Law: Leaving no-one behind?
When she took the European Commission's helm in December, Ursula von der Leyen pledged to deliver the EU's first Climate Law within the first 100 days after taking office. The proposal, due on 4 March, aims to enshrine into hard legislation the bloc's objective of becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
Sustainable food systems in the Farm to Fork strategy
Embedding the concept of sustainability in the way we produce and consume our foodstuff represents a challenge for the food systems as we know them today. But it also offers opportunities for growth, once it becomes clear how to lead the transition.
COP25: Countries pressed to deliver
The COP is meant to pave the way for countries to raise their climate ambition before the end of crucial year 2020. Climate negotiators know that they are under tight scrutiny from stakeholders, first and foremost cities, businesses, and Fridays for Future.
COP25: Is transport decarbonisation pragmatic enough?
Stakeholders will be meeting in Madrid for the COP25 Climate Change Conference over the next two weeks (2-13 December), and transport decarbonisation is expected to take centre stage in the discussions.
Frontier Research – A good return on investment?
From healthy lives to sustainable cities, from food security to equal societies – frontier research is often credited to have the potential to produce paradigm-shifting discoveries with economic, societal and policy impacts. With almost 10,000 researchers supported all over Europe,...
Shedding light on medical cannabis
The medical cannabis industry is growing rapidly in Europe and thousands of patients are already prescribed with cannabis-based drugs. This created a new demand that now runs the risk of being unsatisfied if the legislation remains fragmented amongst EU countries.
Raw materials: Aiming for sovereignty
In face of fierce global competition, how can Europe secure access to key raw materials for the future of its industry?
EU citizens at a legal crossroad
The Single Market has torn down the economic barriers all across the EU but the legal discrepancies still stand and citizens find themselves too often at a legal crossroad. A strong EU justice system and legal cooperation across the bloc is key to help Europeans deal with their day to day problems.
How Interreg transforms the Mediterranean region
In this Special Report, we will look at how Interreg MED has contributed to the region’s sustainability but also at the programme's future in the EU's next seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework, considering the planned cuts.
20 Visions for Europe
We gather 20 unique visions on the next two decades of Europe from public officials, intellectuals, artists, diplomats, athletes, civic actors and business representatives.
Biotechnology: Europe’s next ‘hot potato’
The discussion over the future of biotechnology in Europe heated up after the EU Court ruled in July last year that gene editing should, in principle, fall under the GMO Directive. We focus on the future of biotechnology in Europe, the regulatory framework of the so-called new plant-breeding techniques, as well as GMOs.
Status Anxiety. The 6 million people at the heart of Brexit
This Special Report looks at some of the questions facing EU nationals living in the UK and their UK counterparts, and whether these 6 million Europeans will be victims of the political chaos.
Tatra Summit: Europe’s competitiveness in a global economy
Politicians and business stakeholders from Europe and beyond agree on the pressing need for Europe to adjust in the rapidly changing global environment. What should the EU focus on in order to ensure its seat in the world's future?
Aluminium in a low-carbon world
Just as the European aluminium industry undertakes costly efforts to decarbonise, the sector is finding itself caught up in a trade war involving Chinese dumping and US tariffs that threaten to destabilise European production.
Is it fair? How social cohesion in Europe can be strengthened
The prosperity gap in Europe is widening. Despite the general upswing since the economic crisis in 2008, an increasing number of European citizens are at risk of poverty. At the same time, globalisation and digitisation are changing almost every aspect of our lives.
‘Belt and Road’: Linking up Europe and Asia
Six years after it launched its 'Belt and Road' initiative, China promises to improve the transparency and sustainability of its massive transport infrastructure programme as a way to dispel European concerns.