European Union

The EU and the UK Tuesday formally filed to split at the World Trade Organisation ahead of Brexit, reports Reuters. The draft membership agreements seek to remove the UK rights and obligations in merchandise trade from the EU. Another split of services trade will follow. The updated membership "seeks to replicate the concessions and commitments applicable to the UK as part of the EU today," said the UK's WTO ambassador.

The Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday reported that the European Commission has uncovered evidence that car producers are manipulating CO2 emissions for new climate rules that take effect in 2020. The EC's Joint Research Centre, or JRC, says it found evidence some "were configuring their test vehicles in such a way that the measured Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) are inflated".

Ukraine hopes that the Slovak presidency of the Visegrad group will resuscitate stalled cooperation between the group and the Eastern European country. But Kyiv still has a lot to learn about how the V4 does business, warns Hennadiy Maksak.

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 translators and interpreters.

Are you a translator or interpreter working in some of the European Union’s 24 official languages? As the EU has grown, so has the number of official languages, now more than any other organisation (the United Nations has only six).

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

© Minerva Studio / Fotolia

Multilingualism is therefore at the heart of the EU, which needs to make sure that its laws are understood by all 500 million citizens, and to listen to what they have to say in their own languages. To make this happen, the EU employs 4 300 translators and 800 interpreters on its permanent staff, as well as freelancers. As a result, the EU is by far the biggest employer of linguists in the world. Why not apply for a job and join them?

The EU promotes translation and interpreting in many ways. For example, EU interpreters regularly teach courses at European universities, and produce training materials. If you are still a student, the EU organises the annual Juvenes Translatores competition for young translators. Or, if you’re an already established interpreter or translator, you might like to use the EU’s IATE terminology database, a valuable, and free, resource for language professionals.

Finally, the EU is at the forefront of machine translation technology development. When readers only need to understand the gist of a text, the European Commission’s MT@EC service provides instant raw translations. However, many documents still require the human touch, and EU translators are not at risk of losing their jobs to computers yet. Machine translations are a useful starting point, helping to make the job easier, and speed up the translation process.

Further information

• EU administration – staff, languages and location, https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/figures/administration_en
• Juvenes Translatores competition, https://ec.europa.eu/info/education/skills-and-qualifications/develop-your-skills/language-skills/juvenes-translatores_en
• IATE terminology database, http://iate.europa.eu/SearchByQueryLoad.do;jsessionid=oEaaAkNmBY3XCvRgucIVXdLvzH1lOCri5nOceSmPo9dIC_4IrNVA!1644451700?method=load
• EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service: www.epthinktank.eu

US President Donald Trump insisted Tuesday (24 July) that imposing tariffs forces other countries to negotiate with Washington, a day before the European Union chief visits trying to prevent an all-out trade war.

Prime Minister Theresa May announced yesterday (24 July) she will take personal control of Brexit negotiations with the EU, as time runs out to get a deal before Britain leaves the bloc in March.

Greece was in mourning on Tuesday (24 July) following some of the worst wildfires this century, with fears the toll -- at least 74 dead and 187 injured so far -- could rise, as rescuers search for people trapped in their homes or burned-out cars.

British Airways-owner IAG, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air on Tuesday (24 July) filed a complaint to the EU over what they say is France's failure to tackle strikes by air traffic controllers.

Hungary yesterday (24 July) criticised legal action by the European Union to make the country comply with EU asylum rules as "unacceptable" and an attack against those who protect Europe.

Italy's new infrastructure minister denounced on Tuesday (24 July) an ambitious, transalpine rail link as an enormous waste of public money and said he wanted to re-negotiate the project with neighbouring France.

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Belarus on Tuesday (24 July) announced that it is extending visa-free travel for tourists from five days to 30 days in a move that could attract more visitors to the ex-Soviet state on the European Union's doorstep.

Written by Philip Boucher,

© Crystal Eye Studio / shutterstock

3D printing refers to the production of physical artefacts by the gradual addition of layers of material. Scientists are now exploring methods of 3D bio-printing, defined here as the production of biological and ‘biologically relevant’ materials for medical and human-enhancement purposes.

The 3D bioprinting sector is often subject to optimistic predictions and exaggerated headlines. The term ‘organ printing’ was only introduced in 1999, but by 2003 Mironov et al. felt ‘safe to predict’ that they would be as widely used for biomedical research in the 21st century as the electron microscope was in the 20th century. Snappy headlines about lifesaving 3D-printed hearts and portable skin printers might attract readers, but these applications, in fact, face substantial technical barriers – not to mention regulatory, commercial and other hurdles – that will not be resolved any time soon.

Despite the hype, 3D bio-printing does offer substantial benefits in other more realistic, if less sensational, domains. This includes the production of surgical tools and instruments, such as drilling and cutting guides and knives that can be designed for specific one-off procedures, allowing surgeons to work with greater precision and speed. Anatomically accurate models of patients could also be produced, which would allow doctors to practice for a specific operation, or could be used by medical students as part of their training. The same anatomical models could also be used to facilitate discussions about procedures with patients, and might even be used to produce ‘before and after’ mock-ups of a patient’s body, which could be useful for reconstructive, therapeutic or cosmetic surgery. 3D printing also has substantial development potential in the production of prosthetic limbs. While 3D printing is not yet widely used, the level of personalisation it allows could bring improvements in their functionality, aesthetics and fit, this last being a crucial factor in their success.

It is difficult to estimate which medical uses of 3D printing will break through, but some applications can develop extremely quickly. For example, all US manufacturers of hearing aids shifted to 3D printing in less than two years, with late adopters pushed out of the market. Such anecdotes provide no guarantees, but illustrate the potential game-changing power of 3D printing for ‘mass customised’ and biologically relevant products.

This week, STOA published the results of its study on 3D bio-printing for medical and enhancement purposes. The study was requested by Dario Tamburrano (EFDD, Italy), and carried out by the European Technology Assessment Group (ETAG), under the management of STOA. The study followed STOA’s foresight methodology, which starts with the identification of broad trends and their potential impacts, before moving on to the development of scenarios to support the exploration of possible futures and, finally, back to the present day with reflections on how to prepare for and shape the future. Three key challenges are identified in the approach to regulation, in managing the distribution of costs and benefits, and in the role of citizens in technology development. The study offers two distinct sets of policy options in response to each of these three challenges.

The whole study is described in detail in a report, which is augmented by a further analysis of legal and ethical issues. The key insights of the study are summarised and developed in an In-Depth Analysis, which offers concluding remarks on three key trends (decentralisation, DIY and mass customisation), the ambiguous boundary between medical recovery and human enhancement, responsible research and innovation, managing expectations of the technology, and how to develop socially acceptable technologies.

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Read the In-Depth Analysis on ‘3D bio-printing for medical and enhancement purposes‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The European Commission unveiled concept papers on centres in the EU and platforms in north African states where disembarked migrants would be screened for protection or sent home. The plans build on EU summit conclusions but still remain vague.

EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly closed Tuesday her inquiry into the European Commission's handling of the new job of former president Jose Manuel Barroso and said that she stood by her finding of maladministration, detailed in an earlier report. She said the commission should have taken a "formal reasoned decision" over whether Barroso's job at Goldman Sachs violated its rules and should refer the case to the ethics committee.

The European Commission put forward a proposal on Tuesday (24 July) to provide financial support to the member states in setting up "controlled centres" on their territory, whose aim is to expedite the assessment of asylum claims in the EU.

In the past decade, Germany's traditional all-white national football team underwent a sea change, with at least four prominent players of African or Turkish descent. But this symbol of a new, multi-cultural Germany has now been completely shattered.

The European Commission levied fines totalling €111 million against Asus, Philips, Pioneer and Denon & Marantz on Tuesday (24 July) for imposing fixed or minimum resale prices on online retailers.

UK prime minister Theresa May announced Tuesday that she is taking charge of Brexit negotiations. "I will lead the negotiations with the European Union, with the secretary of state for exiting the European Union deputising on my behalf," she said in a statement, referring to Dominic Raab who replaced David Davis two weeks ago. Talks will take all summer, as the EU is preparing for a 'no-deal' scenario.

The French president is seeing his authority weakened by revelations over one of his bodyguards - and this could affect his capacity to reform.