The European Commission proposes new measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (the interoperable Europe act). The initiative seeks to ensure a consistent, human-centric EU approach to interoperability, create an interoperability governance structure that helps public administrations and the private sector to work together, and establish an ecosystem of interoperability solutions for the EU's public sector. It should also cut red tape for citizens and businesses.

EPRS policy podcast - Interoperable Europe act

Today, renewable hydrogen makes up a small fraction of total hydrogen production. Most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels and, although cheaper, it causes carbon emissions. Demand for renewable hydrogen is expected to grow quickly as the need for climate-friendly solutions increases. To avoid a situation where renewable electricity used for hydrogen production is diverted away from other uses, it is important to ensure additional renewable electricity capacity for renewable hydrogen production, or ‘aditionality.’

EPRS policy podcast - EU rules for renewable hydrogen

European integration has been a key driver of economic growth, peace and social prosperity. But challenges remain and crises could arise. In one of its latest studies, “Increasing European added value in an age of global challenges: Mapping the cost of non-Europe (2022-2032)”, EPRS finds that more EU action in 50 policy areas could bring large gains to society, up to more than €2.8 trillion per year by 2032. In this podcast, we will look at the benefits from more EU action in the area of defence.

EPRS podcast policy - Mapping the cost of non-Europe: EU common defence

European integration has been a key driver of growth, peace and social prosperity. But challenges remain and crises could arise. Further European integration can help respond to present and future challenges and generate benefits of over €2.8 trillion per year by 2032, as shown in one of latest EPRS studies, “Increasing European added value in an age of global challenges: Mapping the cost of non-Europe (2022-2032)”. In this podcast, we will look at the benefits for EU citizens from more EU action in the health sector to ensure that it is strong enough to face present and future challenges.

EPRS podcast policy - Mapping the cost of non-Europe: Towards a joint EU health policy

In this podcast, we look at the potential gains of more European action versus the costs of non-Europe in the area of energy, one of the 50 policy areas investigated in one of the latest studies from EPRS: “Increasing European added value in an age of global challenges: Mapping the cost of non-Europe (2022-2032)”. We analyse how closer EU cooperation in this area could bring substantial economic, social and environmental benefits.

EPRS podcast policy - Mapping the cost of non-Europe: Transformation of EU energy systems

By 2050, an estimated two thirds of the world population will live in urban areas. Could vertical farming help feed this growing urban population sustainably by reducing the demand for agricultural land and shortening the travel distance between food production and consumption?

EPRS podcast - STOA: What if we grew plants vertically

For over half a century now, European integration has been a key driver of economic growth, environmental protection, peace and social prosperity. And one of Europe's landmark achievements is, without a doubt, the single market. In this podcast, we look at the benefits for EU citizens from more ambitious and united EU action in the single market for goods and services. In one of its latest studies, “Increasing European added value in an age of global challenges: Mapping the cost of non-Europe (2022-2032)”, EPRS finds that more EU action in 50 policy areas could bring large gains to EU society.

EPRS podcast policy - Mapping the cost of non-Europe: Completing the single market for goods and services

The European Union has set itself a double target: a 50 % reduction in the overall use of and risk from chemical plant protection products,and a 50% reduction in the use of more hazardous ones by 2030. A proposed regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products would require EU countries to contribute collectively to achieving these EU-wide targets through the adoption and attainment of binding national targets. To protect biodiversity and citizens' health, the use of all plant protection products would be banned in specific, sensitive areas. While environmental organisations are pushing for more ambition, the farming community is concerned about the lack of alternatives for farmers, the broad coverage of sensitive areas, and consequences for business continuity.

EPRS podcast policy - Sustainable use of plant protection products

As AI spreads into workplaces, workers and employers are increasingly confronted with applications and software that affect labour relations. While AI systems could be introduced with the explicit aim of improving working conditions, this cannot be expected in general and evidence suggests that it may be the exception. In this podcast, we’ll talk about the impacts that artificial intelligence applications may have on our workplaces and how policymakers and legislators in the EU will need to ensure that it works for and not against us.

EPRS podcast - STOA: Using artificial intelligence in workplace management

The European media freedom act proposes a new set of rules and mechanisms to promote media pluralism and independence across the European Union. The aim is to prevent political interference in editorial decisions and ensure transparency of media ownership. The proposed act stresses the importance of an independent and adequately funded public service media, and seeks to protect journalists from having to disclose their sources and from the use of spyware against them.

EPRS podcast policy - European media freedom act

The volume of online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and frequency of grooming activities, increasingly targeting younger children, is rising sharply. Reporting of suspected online child sexual abuse increased by 35 % in 2021 compared with 2020, representing a historical peak. The proposed regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse would require interpersonal communication services and others to search proactively for CSAM materials and grooming activities targeting children. However, this poses many concerns regarding privacy, security and law enforcement investigations.

EPRS podcast policy - Combating child sexual abuse online

Care work provided in homes and institutions is a public good that is under-valued by society. Care workers are more likely to have low earnings and precarious working conditions. About 9 in 10 care workers are women. Most unpaid care work within households is carried out by women. The 'unpaid care penalty' for women in the EU, which is equivalent to the earnings they lost because of this unbalanced distribution of care responsibilities, is estimated to reach €242 billion per year. EU action in the care sector has the potential for high returns for society. Fostering the 'equal earner – equal carer model' could generate benefits of between €24 billion and €48 billion a year.

EPRS policy podcast - What if care work were recognised as a driver of sustainable growth?

The European Union's outermost regions (ORs) qualify for special treatment owing to structural difficulties – such as remoteness, difficult topography and economic dependence on a few products – that can severely hamper their development. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has hit their economies particularly hard. While these regions are quite different from one another, they have levels of unemployment and GDP significantly worse than EU and national averages. Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides for specific measures to support the ORs, including the tailored application of EU law and access to EU programmes.

EPRS policy podcast - Outermost regions of the EU

Small farms make up the vast majority of the EU's 10 million farms. Recent studies have lowered past estimates of how much of the global food supply is produced by small farms. Notwithstanding the complex nature of such estimates and the possible under-estimation of small operators' production because of self consumption, it is clear that small farms allocate larger shares of their production to food and have a more diversified produce portfolio than larger farms. In addition to producing food, small farms are typically associated with protecting landscape features and biodiversity and the notion of providing public goods.

EPRS policy podcast - Small farms' role in the EU food system

One language disappears every two weeks, and up to 90 % of existing languages could be gone by the turn of the century. Globalisation, social and economic pressures and political options can determine whether a language survives. Multilingualism is a cornerstone of the European project, with 24 official and 60 minority languages. In a digital era, ensuring digital language equality can help preserve linguistic diversity.

EPRS STOA podcast - What if everyone spoke the same language?

SDG 14 on 'life below water' focuses on the sustainability of the oceans, recognising their essential role in life on our planet. Oceans contain 80 % of all life forms, produce more than 50 % of the Earth's oxygen and play a central role in regulating the climate. In addition, the 'blue economy' provides 4.5 million direct jobs in the EU. To manage maritime activities sustainably and cope with different environmental pressures, the EU has implemented a wide range of policies, such as the common fisheries policy, the marine strategy framework directive and the maritime spatial planning directive, as well as specific legislation related to marine litter. Other new initiatives under the European Green Deal also play an important role in relation to ocean governance and sustainable blue growth, such as the 2030 biodiversity strategy, the offshore renewable energy strategy, the 'Fit for 55' package and the new guidelines on aquaculture.

EPRS podcast - Policy: EU action on ocean governance and achieving SDG 14

EPRS Policy roundtable - EU finances: Is Next Generation EU delivering?

EPRS European Parliamentary Research Service - Understanding EU policy on data protection : State-of-play and future challenges

EPRS European Parliamentary Research Service - What future for stabilisation and reconstruction?

The European Parliament Administration: Strategy and working methods

Roundtable discussion on Looking back on 1989: The Fight for Freedom

EPRS - Policy roundtable 'Social mobility and equal opportunities : The Challenge for Europe'

ECPRD Seminar: Empowering through knowledge: Parliamentary research in an era of disinformation and information overload

ESPAS Conference 2019 - Global Trends to 2030 – Challenges and Choices for Europe- Concluding session

ESPAS Conference 2019 - Global Trends to 2030 – Challenges and Choices for Europe- Keynote address - The Future of University

ESPAS Conference 2019 - Global Trends to 2030 – Challenges and Choices for Europe- Setting the scene

Signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding with the South Korean National Assembly

EPRS roundtable - Alarums and Excursions: Improvising Politics on the European Stage

EPRS - Understanding EP History: How the Parliament of the 1950s has shaped our institution today

Visit of the President of the European Committee of Regions to the EPRS

EPRS round table - Study visit

EPRS - Journal of Common Market Studies Annual Review - 2019 Lecture - How the EU27 came to be

The making of a new political institution - EP-EUI History roundtable - 40 Years of direct elections to the EP

NATO at 70 and CSDP at 20: The future of European security and defence

EPRS round table discussion - Trust, truth and democracy: In a digital world, is knowledge still power ?

EPRS identifies and frames some of the top key issues that might feature prominently in public debate and on the political agenda of the European Union this year. In times of crises and war, what are the challenges we must face and choices we have to make? Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Geo-economics in an age of empires

Each of us produces almost 180 kg of packaging waste in a year. This is 20 % more than a decade ago. 40 % of all the plastics and 50 % of all the paper used in the EU goes into packaging. This emits more CO2 than an average-sized EU country. On 30 November 2022, the Commission proposed to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. This review contributes to reaching the objective of the European Green Deal and the new circular economy action plan to ensure that “all packaging on the EU market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030”. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

6 facts about packaging waste

Powerful. Moving. Visionary. There were speeches in the history of the European Union that have made Europe the way it is today. In this short video, you can see a selection of famous quotes from:TIMOTHY GARTON ASH, LOUISE WEISS, FRANÇOIS MITTERRAND, HELMUT KOHL, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, NADIA MURAD, TOOMAS ILVES, TIMOTHY SNYDER, ROBERTA METSOLA, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, VACLAV HAVEL, GRETA THUNBERG Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely. Powerful. Moving. Visionary. There were speeches in the history of the European Union that have made Europe the way it is today. In this short video, you can see a selection of famous quotes from:

EPRS - Speeches that have made Europe

Today, a wide range of key technologies across all industries, from chips to batteries, medical imaging to tanks, rely on the unique physical properties of some specific critical raw materials (CRMs). Demand for CRMs is projected to skyrocket in the coming years. The EU's ambition to become a climate-neutral economy by 2050, and its ability to sustain the green and digital transitions and achieve strategic autonomy, all rely heavily on reliable, secure and resilient access to CRMs. CRM supply chains are global, complex, and fragile, which makes them vulnerable to a wide range of risks, including those linked to geopolitical tensions. The supply of CRMs is often more concentrated than that of fossil fuels. Furthermore, the EU's reliance on imports of CRMs is extremely high, sometimes reaching 100 % (e.g. for rare earth elements – REEs). Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Critical raw materials

The US Inflation Reduction Act is a huge investment bill pouring over US$369 billion into the American economy. It favours clean energy and technology made in the US or in countries America has a trade agreement with, which is not the case for the European Union. Considering how to integrate its climate, energy and industrial policies, so as to contribute towards climate goals and energy security while retaining the global competitiveness of its economy, the EU proposed a Green deal industrial plan. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - EU response to the US Inflation Reduction Act

Climate activist Greta Thunberg launched the worldwide School Strike For Climate movement. In early March 2020 – a few days before the pandemic and lockdown, she addressed Members of the European Parliament. While Europe has been at the forefront of the fights against climate change, Greta Thunberg reminded Europe of its moral obligation to lead the way and seize this opportunity to become a real climate leader. CONTENT: 00:00:00 Greta Thunberg's speech before the European Parliament 00:00:50 Climate activist, Fridays for future marches 00:01:24 The EU's insufficient reaction on climate change 00:03:48 Looking at the bigger picture, handling the climate crisis 00:07:38 Call to the EU as climate leader Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Speeches that have made Europe: Greta THUNBERG (2020)

EPRS - EU recovery instrument

Care work provided in homes and institutions is a public good that is under-valued by society. Most unpaid care work within households is carried out by women. The 'unpaid care penalty' for women in the EU, which is equivalent to the earnings they lost because of this unbalanced distribution of care responsibilities, is estimated to reach €242 billion per year. In this first episode of the chronicle, Dr Meena Fernandes, a policy analyst at the EPRS, will delve into unpaid care work and its impact on women and gender imbalance as well as on our society and economy. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Care work in the EU : The care penalty

Powerful. Moving. Visionary. There were speeches in the history of the European Union that have made Europe the way it is today. François Mitterrand was elected President of France in 1981 and re-elected in 1988. During his presidency, the Berlin Wall fell, Europe reunited, enlarged to 15 Member States and became the European Union. In the last months of his mandate, he shared his vision for Europe with the European Parliament, culminating in a moving plea for peace. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Speeches that have made Europe: Francois Mitterrand (1995)

There are around 7 million trucks operating in the EU-28. Annual registrations of new trucks in the EU increased by 45 % from 2010 to 2016, to around 380 000. Around 70 % of EU freight is transported by road. The road freight and passenger transport sector consists of over 600 000 mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and employs almost 3 million people. Heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for 27 % of road transport CO2 emissions and almost 5 % of EU greenhouse gas emissions (2016 data). Since 1990, heavy-duty vehicle emissions have increased by 25 % – mainly as a result of an increase in road freight traffic – and, in the absence of new policies, they are projected to further increase. EU transport is heavily dependent on oil (accounting for nearly 94 % of the energy consumed by transport in 2015, of which 89 % is imported). Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - CO₂ emissions for new heavy-duty vehicles

Air pollution is a serious issue with tangible negative effects on health, the environment, economies and societies. The EU has developed a policy on air quality to help Member States reduce air polluting emissions. Although emissions have been falling for the past two decades, exceedances for certain harmful pollutants are still widespread and persistent. The Commission proposed a revision of the EU Ambient Air Quality Directives as part of a 'zero pollution' package. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - New rules for better air quality

EPRS - Protecting media freedom and journalists

A renowned historian specialising in tyranny and totalitarianism, Timothy Snyder writes and teaches with the hope that we might learn from history. In 2019, the ERSTE Foundation, which cites the preservation of a democratic Europe as one of its strategic goal, invited the Yale professor to deliver a speech to Europe. Timothy Snyder delivered his speech – a powerful address to Europeans – in this symbolic place, on a symbolic date: Europe Day, celebrated every year on 9 May. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Speeches that have made Europe: Timothy Snyder (2019)

Care work provided in homes and institutions is a public good that is under-valued by society. Care workers are more likely to have low earnings and precarious working conditions. About 9 in 10 care workers are women. In this second episode of the chronicle on care work in the EU, Dr Cecilia Navarra, a policy analyst at the European parliamentary research service, will delve into the paid work sector, paid care workers and their working conditions. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Care work in the EU: Working in the care work sector

Here is a speech from Nadia Murad delivered in the European Parliament in 2016. Nadia Murad is a survivor of the darkest hours of Islamic State. Sold and exploited as a sex slave, she managed to escape and find refuge in Germany. Together with Lamiya Aji Bashar, she has become a spokesperson for victims of sexual violence and an advocate for Iraq's Yazidi community. Honoured with several international human rights prizes, including the Sakharov Prize awarded by the European Parliament, she takes the floor to speak for her people. CONTENT: 00:00:00 Nadia Murad portrait 00:00:43 Sakharov Prize as an honour 00:01:36 Nadia Murad’s story 00:04:20 Europe symbol of humanity Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Speeches that have made Europe: Nadia Murad (2016)

EPRS - Climate and socio-economic tipping points

Youth unemployment, a lack of economic opportunities and difficult access to resources fuel violent armed groups and conflicts, which in return hinder socio-economic development. By 2030, two-thirds of the world's extreme poor could live in regions affected by conflict and violence. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Peace and security: conflicts and violence

In the context of the digital and ecological transition, space services such as satellite communication are becoming a strategic asset. The Russian war of invasion also shows how important it is for defence and civilian purposes. With that in mind, the EU has the ambition to deploy its own constellation of up to 170 satellites to provide secure, uninterrupted and fast communications. The programme promises major advances to our economy and society. But to be successful, it must address challenges like space congestion. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

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