European Union

The digitalisation of the rail sector will create ‘quality jobs’ but many existing workers will need to reskill to meet the demands of new technology, according to EU employment commissioner Nicolas Schmit.

An attempt to redefine the notion of efficiency to bolster the case for synthetic fuels is simply a smokescreen to hide the truth: that battery electric vehicles are the far more efficient solution, writes Günter Hörmandinger.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for dialogue with Beijing on human rights to resume as soon as possible, in her last government consultations with China as leader of Europe’s biggest economy. Merkel said the regular consultations had during her...

A new law to address the dissemination of terrorist content online was approved by Parliament on Wednesday.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

A new law to address the dissemination of terrorist content online was approved by Parliament on Wednesday.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

In its latest report published on Wednesday (28 April) the NGO Freedom House warns of an "antidemocratic turn" throughout Europe, “fuelling a deterioration in human freedom with global implications”.

It’s roughly two to three months until millions of Europeans face the decision of where to spend their summer break from this second COVID-19 year. Yet this year’s summer holidays promise to become a minefield of (political) decisions. It’s been...

The protection of geographical indications (GIs) is unlikely to cause any great headache after Brexit, although care will be needed when handling it in future trade talks.

The European Parliament on Wednesday (28 April) formally adopted without a vote controversial legislation which forces online platforms to remove terrorist content within an hour of it being flagged.

Greece’s main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras has given his backing to the much maligned AstraZeneca vaccine, questioning why its COVID-19 vaccine was being rolled out without drama in the UK but not in the European Union and implying that political and business interests were at play.

After more than a year of successive lockdowns implemented by European governments to curb the spread of COVID-19, the French authorities are now worried about the mental health of their citizens. EURACTIV France reports.

The implementation of PILUM, a project selected under the 2019 call for proposals for the EU Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) managed by EDA, was officially launched at an online kick-off meeting on 23 April 2021. 

PILUM stands for ‘Projectiles for Increased Long-range effects Using electroMagnetic railgun’. The project, with a budget of approximately €1.5 million, was selected following an EU-wide PADR call for proposals on the topic of ‘Future Disruptive Defence Technologies - Emerging Game-changers’, sub-topic ‘Long-range effects’. 

The main objective of PILUM is to investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, the feasibility of the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) and its hypervelocity projectiles. The project will address critical scientific and technological gaps and will provide a first proof-of-concept of the electromagnetic railgun as a long-range artillery system.

The PILUM consortium is led by the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) and encompasses renown RTOs, system integrators, global players in defence systems and SMEs from France, Germany, Poland and Belgium. The project has a duration of 24 months. More information on the consortium can be found on the PILUM project page.

Being part of the PADR programme, PILUM outcomes shall support the European Commission, EDA and Member States for the preparation of the Research Dimension of the European Defence Fund. The project is also closely linked to the activities conducted under EDA’s Capability Technology Groups (CapTech Missiles and Munitions and CapTech Components)

About the PADR

The PILUM project is part of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) launched by the European Commission in 2017 to assess and demonstrate the added-value of EU supported defence research and technology (R&T). It paved the way for a proper European Defence Programme to come as part of the European Defence Fund (EDF), under the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027).

The PADR implementation is run by EDA following the mandate via a Delegation Agreement between the European Commission and EDA signed on 31 May 2017. By this agreement the Commission entrusts EDA with the management and implementation of the research projects launched within the PADR.  

 

The European Investment Fund and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology said on Wednesday (28 April) they would collaborate on a project to improve access to digital education.

Moscow on Wednesday (28 April) expelled seven European diplomats after their countries ordered Russian diplomats to leave in solidarity with the Czech Republic, which is engulfed in a diplomatic row with Russia.

The Bulgarian prosecution announced on Wednesday (28 April) it suspects sabotage carried out by Russian intelligence as the probable reason behind four blasts in Bulgarian military depots. The blasts appear similar to the one in the Czech Republic, which recently led to a major diplomatic scandal with Russia.

This Friday Joe Biden will complete 100 days in office as President of the United States. While at the beginning of his term he focused on getting the Covid crisis under control through mass vaccination and a rescue plan, he is now making his mark with plans for major government investments and tax hikes for the rich. Commentators are for the most part impressed.