European Union

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 has a long and rich history of harnessing the power of light to extend the technical and practical capacities of the human species. The modern day utilisation of light for such means takes its form in the technology of photonics, and today, Europe's clout in the arena is formidable.

Six inmates were killed in a prison riot in Italy and guards were taken hostage at another jail, as unrest spread in prisons across the country over measures to contain the coronavirus, including restrictions on visits.

The EU’s new industrial strategy, due out on 10 March, is an opportunity to shake up more than a decade of lethargic progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from Europe’s heavy industries, writes Wilf Lytton.

Lawmakers from different political groups rose against the decision of European Parliament president David Sassoli to go ahead with the Parliament's plenary this week despite the high health risks concerning a potential novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread in the EU institutions.

People took to the streets around the world on Sunday, International Women's Day, to demand equal rights for women in business, family and society. Some commentators emphasise the achievements of the movement so far, while others are disillusioned with the slow pace of progress.

For more than a week now Greek police have been using tear gas and water cannons against refugees and migrants who have gathered on the Greek-Turkish border in the hope of entering the EU after Turkey opened its border. Voices in Europe's press call on Brussels and the individual EU member states to come up with sensible strategies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to meet EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel in Brussels today, Monday, to discuss the situation in Syria and the future of the refugee pact concluded in 2016. Erdoğan wants more support for his country. But the EU is in a tricky situation, as a glance at Europe's press shows.

Italy's government announced massive restrictions on the movement of some 16 million citizens in 15 provinces of the country on Sunday in a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Shortly before the announcement the country's death toll had jumped by 133 to 366 within 24 hours. The Italian press discusses the citizens' sense of responsibility.