Innovation & Industry
From transport to street lighting: The emergence of smart city platforms
Uber and Airbnb have shown how city services can be transformed by platform offerings. Developing the right platforms will be key for cities to ensure that their economies, environment, and services are fit for the future, writes Eric Woods.
Lobby register reform must deliver strong data checks and enforcement
If an organisation breaks EU lobby rules, it should not be able to continue accessing policy-makers in Brussels. That requires a comprehensive “no registration, no meeting” rule, which the Parliament and Council seem unwilling to adopt, and until they do so, the Commission will not extend it internally, writes Margarida Silva.Promoted content
CAP reform’s eco-schemes: eco-logic or eco-nomic? Why not both?
The proposal for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy triggered a lot of criticism from a wide range of stakeholders, especially around the environmental aspects. But Yara believes the eco-scheme to be in line with the Commission’s ambition of moving to a “smarter, simpler, fairer and more sustainable” CAP.
Citizens and sustainable development are big losers in EU’s next research programme
The Commission has unveiled its proposal for Horizon Europe 2020 and this comes at a critical time for the EU. But there needs to be close monitoring of the research agenda set, as current proposals could have dire consequences for democracy and sustainable development, writes Jill McArdlePromoted content
Developing AI at the heart of European Rights and Freedoms
The benefits of Artificial Intelligence are limited only by our imagination. Technology companies are listening closely to governments and civil society on issues of fairness, accountability and transparency to address concerns of bias and discrimination. Our industry stands firmly behind being part of this dialogue.
The EU is right to refuse legal personality for Artificial Intelligence
The European Commission’s recent outline of an artificial intelligence strategy does not give in to European Parliament calls to grant personhood for AI. The Commission is right in this, though not for the reasons mentioned in a recent open letter published by experts, writes Thomas Burri.Promoted content
Will personal data be the price to pay for connected cars?
Connected and automated cars will collect enormous amounts of data. While sharing this data has the potential to optimise the driving experience for all, questions of data privacy naturally arise – not least as GDPR rolls out.
Clean energy innovation: How Europe can make a real difference
Public-private partnerships are vital to achieving the leap forward, deploying new clean technologies at scale and fast, writes Maroš Šefčovič.
Why we need to stabilise the Western Balkans
As Europe is confronted by different visions about its future, the question remains how these different visions will affect the developments in the Western Balkans. The Balkans remain fragile, and the external pressures and internal divisions could deliver fresh instability in the region.
Strengthening workers’ voice, legal certainty for future Social Europe
A vital social democracy will play a decisive role in shaping the future of the European Union. The goal of a united Europe, contractually agreed by all EU member states, is to promote participatory democracy, writes Norbert Kluge.
Schools of tomorrow – building and transforming skills for a digital world
Europe’s bid to lead the digital and advanced technology trend will be lost if the EU and national governments don’t take steps to make skills development in digitisation their priority. Digital skills need to be conveyed at all levels and in all forms of education to ensure Europe’s global position, writes Martina Dlabajová.
Plastic-to-fuel, only fuelling fantasy
In light of the challenges that countries are facing due to China’s new standards on plastic recyclables imports, some controversial disposal methods have been getting increased attention, despite the myriad of concerns surrounding them, write Claire Arkin and Janek Vahk.Promoted content
5 recommendations to unlock the benefits of AI in Europe
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly on the radar of EU policymakers – not surprising, given the technology’s potential to enhance the competitiveness of European industry while delivering significant societal benefits. But what steps can decision makers take to fully tap into the opportunities on offer?
Five years from Rana Plaza: EU Commission needs to fulfill its promises
It is high time the European Commission stops dragging its feet and present a legislative proposal to ensure the corporate respect for human rights and to establish binding human rights for European companies, writes Heidi Hautala.
AI and robots should not be attributed legal personhood
Technology has revolutionised the financial industry, but we’re long overdue a revolution in the way we think about its future role and the policies that should govern it, write Daniel Schlaepfer and Hugo Kruyne.
Pushing boundaries: Thoughts on the tech milestone we’re about to reach
It’s been almost ten years since the commercial rollout of 4G created the connected world we live in today. And the new buzzword now is 5G, writes Tony Graziano.
Europe’s new era – only possible with 5G
If the EU misses out on 5G it could lead to a drain of world leading tech companies in Europe (of which there are only a few), if it wants to catch up to America and China then it has to deliver on 5G before anyone else, writes Gunnar Hökmark.
EU Bioeconomy 2.0– Cultivating a home grown success
Barely six years old, the EU’s Bioeonomy Strategy, currently under revision, is slowly but surely propagating green shoots of sustainable economic recovery in innumerable and unexpected ways, writes Joanna Dupont.
Cybersecurity Act – the EU can do better than this
The EU wants to establish European benchmarks for IT security. However, the proposed measures will slow down innovative companies and detach the EU from international cybersecurity efforts, writes Naemi Denz.
It’s time for Europe to deliver on an ambitious industrial strategy
As the EU's annual industry day approaches, the time is ripe to deliver on an ambitious industrial strategy that builds on Europe’s unique strengths, unlocks the potential of digital technology and data, and helps innovative companies solve societal challenges, writes Malte Lohan.
Access to car data – the new battleground that risks consumer choice
Ahead of the 20 February vote in the TRAN Committee on the draft report on a European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems access to vehicle data, Laurianne Krid takes a look at the issues facing motorists with regard to the automotive digital economy.
The battle for Cohesion policy: Preventing further Balkanisation of Europe
Cohesion policy is the glue of the European Union, however with Brexit and the decisions on the post 2020 budget , some changes may be made. Lambert van Nistelrooij breaks down the three main options the Commission has put forward in regards to cohesion policy.
Science – the new frontier of geopolitics
Science and international relations have always been intertwined, this link runs deeper now with the rise of innovation and technologies. However, regulations on new innovations and deep tech should also follow the rapid pace of their development, writes Sam Alvis.