European Union

The European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme, funded by the European Commission to support education and training, has awarded €3 million for a transnational advanced Master course relevant to defence called EMIMEO: 'Erasmus Mundus on Innovative Microwave Electronics and Optics'.
 
EDA contributed with data analysis to the application which was put forward by a consortium led by the Université de Limoges in France to access ERASMUS+ funding. 

EDA’s support to EMIMEO is justified by the fact that it addresses analog RF Photonics and Microwaves which are in the critical defence technologies list and also part of the Capability Development Plan (CDP) where they are considered as enablers for advanced radars and electronic warfare systems. The European defence industry and research institutes are looking for engineers and researchers with skills and competences in this complex field.

Under its activities related to Key Strategic Activities (KSA) in defence meant to identify key domains for European strategic autonomy, EDA has selected the area of RF Photonics as a relevant sample case. The EMIMEO Master course will contribute to support European skills and competencies in this domain, as well as the competitiveness and non-dependence of the European high-tech industry (including defence and space) in the development of Photonics and Microwave applications.
 
The international partnership (encompassing industry, universities and associations in 6 Member States) includes the following participants:

• Università di Brescia (Italy), Universidad Del Pais Vasco/ Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (Spain), Aston University (United Kingdom), Universitatea Tehnica Cluj-Napoca (Romania);
• Altran Italia SpA and Hitachi Rail Italy SpA in Italy;
• GMV Aerospace and Defence SA, and TTI Norte SL in Spain;
• Oclaro Technology Ltd in United Kingdom;
• European Microwave Association in Belgium;
• Alcatel-Lucent International Sas, Amcad Engineering, Competitiveness cluster Alpha-RLH, Callisto France, III-V Lab, Inoveos, NOKIA, CNES, Thales Alenia Space France, Thales SA and United Monolithic Semiconductors SAS, Zodiac Aerospace  in France.

This successful case is another example of the importance of ensuring consistency and coherence between European defence priorities and EU funding opportunities. Against this backdrop, EDA will continue to serve its Member States' Ministries of Defence, research centres, universities and industries in an integrated manner on all relevant dimensions: R&T, key skills and competencies, industrial supply-chain.
 

For more information:

• Capability Development Plan (CDP)
• Key Strategic Activities in Defence (KSA)
• CapTech Technologies for Components and Modules
• European Funding Gateway for Defence
• Erasmus+ for Defence.

Two legal cases made waves yesterday. One in the Netherlands, the other in Berlin. They might not be directly linked but both decisions show how vital justice has become in order to compensate the absence of national leadership on climate change and air pollution. 

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Wednesday (10 October) the murder of journalist Viktoria Marinova was of purely criminal nature and lashed out against what he called “European pressure”, warning that he would raise the issue at EPP level....

German police have detained a Bulgarian national on suspicion of the weekend murder of journalist Viktoria Marinova, Bulgarian authorities said Wednesday. They have not linked Marinova's killing to her work, but Bulgarian prosecutors on Monday froze €14m held by GP Group, a construction firm suspected of defrauding EU funds, in a case prompted by Marinova's investigative reporting. Senior EU officials praised Bulgaria's "swift and intensive efforts".

U2 rockstar Bono hailed EU institutions in Brussels on Wednesday and called on artists to engage more, at a time when "people are questioning Europe". "Europe is a thought that needs to become a feeling and as an artist, I'm in the service of that," he said after meeting European Parliament president Antonio Tajani. Bono added that he will be "romancing the idea of being a European".

Members of the European Parliament's environment committee agreed on Wednesday on amendments to a new bill that would ban certain plastic items. A majority said that oxo-degradable plastics and food containers made out of polystyrene should also be banned, on top of what the European Commission proposed. The committee also agreed that makers of cigarettes and fishing gear that contain plastic should make consumers aware of their environmental effects.

Poland has added heavy coal use to the list of issues, including rule of law and migration, set to divide a new hard-right axis from the EU mainstream after next year's European Parliament elections. "The emergence of people [a hard-right grouping] who will have a different view on ... environmental protection could change EU approach to energy policy," Grzegorz Tobiszowski, Poland's deputy energy minister, told the Bloomberg news agency.

Written by Marcin Szczepanski (1st edition),

© vectorfusionart / Fotolia

In the framework of the next long-term EU budget for 2021-2027, the Commission is proposing a new, €9.2 billion programme to build up digital capacity and infrastructure and support a digital single market. It will operate mainly through coordinated and strategic co-investments with the Member States in the areas of advanced computing and data, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, their uptake and optimal use in the private and public sectors and boosting advanced digital skills. According to the Commission, the programme will help European societies and businesses to make the most of the ongoing digital transformation. The Commission sees the potential for efficiency gains in exploring complementarities and synergies with other planned programmes such as Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Regional Development and Cohesion Funds.

In the European Parliament, the file has been allocated to the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). The draft report was published on 13 July 2018 and the vote in committee is expected in December.

Versions

• October 2018: ‘Digital Europe programme: Funding digital transformation beyond 2020‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Digital Europe programme for the period 2021-2027 Committee responsible: Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) COM(2018) 434
6.6.2018 Rapporteur: Angelika Mlinar (ALDE, Austria) 2018/0227 (COD) Shadow rapporteurs:

 

 

  Pilar del Castillo Vera (EPP, Spain)
Carlos Zorrinho (S&D, Portugal)
Ashley Fox (ECR, United Kingdom)
Paloma López Bermejo (GUE/NGL, Spain)
Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA, Germany)
Dario Tamburrano (EFDD, Italy)
Barbara Kappel (ENF, Austria) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Vote in committee

Estimated breakdown of Digital Europe funding in current prices

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has formally thanked the Greek far-right Golden Dawn party for their support during last month's vote on the activation of Article 7 against Hungary in the European Parliament. The move is likely to cause new frictions in the European People's Party, Orbán's political home in the EU.

With its cash-for-passport practices, Europe has opened its door to the criminal and corrupt, with some member states running a lucrative industry of trading citizenship for money, said a new report by Transparency International and Global Witness.

A new blog is collecting accounts of sexual harassment at the European Parliament, whether they be inappropriate comments, touching or sexual assaults. An advisory committee has also put new measures in place. EURATIV France’s media partner Ouest-France reports.

Poland and Hungary have been on collision course with Brussels. The EU wants to up the pressure to restore the rule of law in the member states. But what are the instruments at hand? EURACTIV Germany spoke to Nicole Koenig.

The two major far-right parties in Italy and France have started their joint campaign for the European elections. Salvini and Le Pen announced in Rome that they would seek to establish a "Europe of nations" after the May vote. While some commentators see the end of the EU approaching, others say the right-wing populists' promises are doomed to fail.

In Romania a referendum aimed at having marriage defined as a union exclusively between a man and a woman in the country's constitution failed on the weekend. For the vote to be valid at least 30 percent of those entitled to vote would have had to participate, but the turnout was only around 21 percent. Commentators continue their lively debate on the lessons to be learned from the vote.