European Union

Interpol's fight against cross-border crime demands cooperation, not politics - be it from Serbia or China.

Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini threatened Sunday (7 October) to shut the country's airports after media reported that Germany planned to send charter flights of rejected asylum-seekers to Italy.

A referendum to change Romania’s constitution to prevent same sex couples from securing the right to marry failed to draw enough voters to validate the result on Sunday (7 October), after a campaign that led to a rise in hate speech against the gay community.

Dissatisfied Latvians rejected the right-of-centre ruling coalition in Saturday's (6 October) parliamentary election but suspicion of the left-leaning pro-Russia party makes it likely the next government will be another formation of ethnic Latvian parties to the right.

Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik and Šefik Džaferović, the candidate of the largest Muslim Bosniak party, have won the Serb and Bosniak seats in Bosnia's triumvirate presidency, the election commission said early Monday (8 October).

The adoption of a life-course immunisation approach in the EU will have significant multi-level effects, ranging from a healthier population to savings in healthcare budgets, Professor Daphné Holt told EURACTIV.com.

MEPs must ensure that drinking water remains affordable while protecting public health at the same time, writes Claudia Castell-Exner.

In his 2017 State of the Union speech, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said it was “unacceptable” that children are still dying from diseases that can easily be prevented with vaccines, like measles.

A Romanian referendum on Sunday aimed at blocking gay marriages failed to meet the necessary electoral threshold, with a 20.41 percent turnout - below the 30 percent treshold, the country's electoral bureau announced on Sunday evening. Romania holds same-sex marriages as illegal, but the constitutional change would have prevented gay couples from ever gaining this right in the future.

A television journalist has been raped and murdered in Bulgaria's northern town of Ruse, prosecutors and a minister said Sunday (7 October), in a case that has shocked fellow journalists and sparked international condemnation.

Last week, the German cabinet agreed the key points for a “skilled workers immigration law” from third countries. But what are its aims and what will change? EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

Warming beyond 1.5C will unleash a frightening set of consequences and only a global transformation, beginning now, will avoid it, according to the latest report from scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.

Many praise Georgia as being a good pupil in the Eastern Partnership class, but cementing contacts between Georgia and EU citizens is much more than signing political agreements, writes Mikheil Batiashvili.

A possible institutional battle is looming over a proposal to give the EU's agency in charge of the Galileo satellites more powers in the field of space.

Despite Brexit and new priorities, it is important to keep EU funds for all regions - rich and poor - argues the regions commissioner. But more controls, including a link to rule of law issues, are part of the discussion.

Following the recent setback, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s decision to proceed with new elections might be the only way forward, writes Neophytos Loizides.

The European Commission’s long-term climate plan could be hamstrung by a semantic dispute over vague figures and a fear of failure left over from previous ill-fated attempts at ambitious climate action, EURACTIV has learned.

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for seniors using e-health services.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

Did you know that 30 % of Europeans will be over 65 in 2060? Our population is ageing and the number of people with age-related impairments is expected to reach 84 million already in 2020.

To address the challenges posed by an ageing society, the EU promotes E-health solutions based on communication technologies to improve prevention, diagnosis, and patients’ treatment.

© De Visu / Fotolia

The EU funds several research projects in the field of telemedicine services for improving distant healthcare, especially for seniors living in remote or sparsely populated areas where there is a lack of specialised healthcare professionals. For instance, thanks to the CommonWell project, new solutions for a better monitoring of patients with heart failure were developed. Mobile Health services are also increasingly accessible using a mobile phone. For instance, apps can be used to remind you to take your medication or help administer insulin to a diabetic.

Service and care robots could also play a supportive role in the life of many patients and elderly people. That’s why the EU is funding research in robotics. Thanks to the Silver project, seniors can already purchase a robot to help them to walk better and stand up. The GrowMeUp Project is developing personal care assistant robots to help seniors and dependent or disabled people to live independently at home. Zacharias, a prototype robot, is being tested to assist people at home and will be able to alert your family or your doctor automatically in case of need.

Further information

• EPRS publication ‘How assistive technologies could make society more inclusive of people with disabilities’, 2018,
  https://epthinktank.eu/2018/01/17/how-assistive-technologies-could-make-society-more-inclusive-of-people-with-disabilities/
• European Commission webpage on policies for ageing well with ICT,
  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/ageing-well
• European Commission webpage ‘Silver Economy strategy’,
  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/growing-silver-economy-europe

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for internet users whose personal data is collected online.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

Are you one of the 71 % of people in the EU that use the internet every day or almost every day? The rapid development of digital technologies means we increasingly use the internet in our daily activities. As citizens and consumers, you probably use public institutions’ or companies’ services online: from filing a tax declaration to shopping online or using social media. When you access these services, personal data about you are collected and transferred. While more than 70 % of Europeans feel they have to provide personal data to obtain products or services, they are also concerned about not having complete control over what their data are used for.

© Andrey Popov / Fotolia

To promote fair use of personal data and allow you to enjoy your related rights, the EU has taken several initiatives. From May 2018, new rules, adapted to the new technologies, will strengthen these rights. These include: getting easy-to-understand information, in particular for children, on how data are used; being asked for your approval, unless there is a legitimate need to collect your data; freedom to transfer your data from one service provider to another (data portability); to have your data deleted if you no longer want them online and there is no legitimate grounds to keep them (the right to be forgotten). Data protection must also be respected when accessing free digital content (such as media platforms, online games) and when data are transferred outside the EU.

Now that you know about your rights, the EU also provides information on the remedies available in case of infringement.

Further information

• EPRS publication on Fundamental rights implications of big data, https://epthinktank.eu/2017/03/10/fundamental-rights-implications-of-big-data-plenary-podcast/
• EPRS publication on Contracts for the supply of digital content and personal data protection, https://epthinktank.eu/2017/05/16/contracts-for-the-supply-of-digital-content-and-personal-data-protection/
• EPRS publication on Transatlantic data flows, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2016/583773/EPRS_ATA(2016)583773_EN.pdf
• European Commission’s Directorate General for Justice and Consumers, data protection website https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection_en

Weekly schedule of President Donald Tusk 6-14 October 2018