European Union

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

The Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs representing the trio of Presidencies of the Council, together with the European Commission met with their counterparts from six Western Balkan partners at the annual EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home affairs.

The European Union signed an agreement with Albania on cooperation on border management.

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© niroworld / Fotolia

With less than six months to go before the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union, there is a palpable sense of tension surrounding the Brexit negotiations. At their most recent meeting in Salzburg, Austria, in September, EU leaders in effect rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May’s ‘Chequers’ plan’ for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. The move prompted acrimony among British politicians and jolted the financial markets, fearful of a no-deal Brexit. However, both sides are working hard to make progress in negotiations ahead of the next European Council meeting, on 18 October.

This note offers links to reports and commentaries from some major international think-tanks and research institutes on Brexit negotiations and related issues. More reports on the topic can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are thinking’, published in June 2018.

Brexit brief
Institute of International and European Affairs, September 2018

Digesting the Salzburg summit
Bruegel, September 2018

After Salzburg: Time for realistic UK proposals on the Irish border and future relations
Scottish Centre on European Relations, September 2018

After Salzburg: How to salvage the Brexit negotiations
Centre for European Reform, September 2018

Brexit: Who will blink first?
Carnegie Europe, September 2018

The Brexit endgame: A guide to the parliamentary process of withdrawal from the European Union
A UK in a Changing Europe, September 2018

The UK’s chronic Brexit crisis
Scottish Centre on European Relations, September 2018

Extending the transition period
European Policy Centre, September 2018

The road to nowhere? Prospects for a post-Brexit trade deal
European Policy Centre, September 2018

Le Brexit et la grande lassitude du peuple britannique
Institut Montaigne, September 2018

A guide to Brexit and data flows
Jacques Delors Institute Berlin, September 2018

Brexit: Six months to go
Institute for Government, September 2018

There’s nothing ‘super’ about Boris Johnson’s tired old Brexit ideas
Centre for European Reform, September 2018

Post-Brexit: What could a transformative, values-based EU and UK partnership in Foreign Policy look like?
Foreign Policy Centre, September 2018

Safer together: The United Kingdom and the future of European security and defence
Friends of Europe, September 2018

Brexit and the Irish question IN FOCUS: Part one: Ireland’s slow Road to peace
Wilfried Martens Centre, September 2018

Will Eurosceptics compromise to get Brexit over the line?
Chatham House, September 2018

Is a Brexit deal possible?
Carnegie Europe, September 2018

Negotiating Brexit: Policing and criminal justice
Institute for Government, September 2018

The cost of Brexit to June 2018
Centre for European Reform, September 2018

Do voters still want to leave the EU? How they view the Brexit process two years on
A UK in a Changing Europe, September 2018

Immigration after Brexit
Policy Exchange, September 2018

Cost of no deal revisited
A UK in a Changing Europe, September 2018

LSE blog: Brexit
London School of Economics, September 2018

The long arm of Whitehall post-Brexit: Evidence from the Common Assembly (1952-1956)
DCU Brexit Institute, September 2018

Brexit deadline looms for citizens’ campaign to secure permanent EU citizenship
Polish Institute of International Affairs, September 2018

Criminal justice and police cooperation between the EU and the UK after Brexit: Towards a principled and trust-based partnership
Centre for European Policy Studies, August 2018

Brexit: Beyond the transition
European Policy Centre, August 2018

Autumn surprises: Possible scenarios for the next phase of Brexit
Institute for Government, August 2018

Partnering for democracy: Protecting the democratic order in post-Brexit Europe
Real Instituto Elcano, August 2018

An orderly ‘no deal’ Brexit would still come with costs
Chatham House, August 2018

The Brexit white paper: What does it mean for higher education and research?
A UK in a Changing Europe, August 2018

Labouring toward a new Brexit vote
Carnegie Europe, August 2018

Sustaining Europe’s security trio
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, August 2018

Ten different formulas for Gibraltar post-Brexit
DCU Brexit Institute, July 2018

Brexit: Next steps in UK’s withdrawal from the EU
House of Commons Library, 2018

Read this briefing on ‘Brexit negotiations‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Crunch time in Brexit talks dominate the EU's agenda as a withdrawal agreement between the EU and the UK could be within reach - after months of lack of progress in negotiations. Plus, Bono's in Brussels.