European Union

Following the fiasco of the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, the EU adapted its engagement in international climate politics to take better account of emerging economies, write Sebastian Oberthür and Claire Dupont. Now, it should upgrade its policy to a "grand climate strategy," combining the domestic and external dimensions, they argue.

For many decades, policies for agriculture, research and development, education and training, and consumer demands have influenced the use of technology in farming as well as farm practices.  Roxane Feller is the Secretary-General of AnimalhealthEurope. Previously farmers looked to new...

Written by Eszter Fay.

©Viperagp/Adobestock

Fake news? Disinformation? Misinformation?

Misinformation is always troubling, not least in science. Scientists feel distress when public understanding diverges from facts. Intentional disinformation (fake news) is not, however, the only source of misinformation. Citizens living in modern democratic societies frequently face the dilemma of whether to consider true or false – and accept or reject – information they receive concerning climate change, vaccinations, genetically modified agricultural products, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, or Covid‑19.

Misinformation is not new – but the information ecosystem within which it is now spreading is. The public sphere has evolved into a completely new phase, where information filtering mechanisms are often ineffective. The producers of messages disseminated through social media can broadcast news unchecked by any scientific or editorial authority. We have entered a world of public communication where facts play a limited role in substantiating the content of the statements.

Political misinformation and disinformation have always existed. What is different today is that contemporary lies by populist actors often have no apparent purpose, but create a climate of shocks and chaos. Although misinformation is a topical issue, there is little consensus concerning the different types of misinformation, however. McCright and Dunlap[1] have recognised the need to differentiate between types of misinformation in order to know how to deal with them. Yet, their types – ‘truthiness, bullshit, systemic lies, and shock-and-chaos’ – are mostly connected with political misinformation and disinformation.

Disinformation is a hot topic today and is of course a global phenomenon, but may also have a correlation with how new and older democratic societies present and teach scientific achievements and innovation in their education systems. The topic of fake news has been extensively studied in political science, but surprisingly enough, no study has dealt with fake science news. As mentioned above, misinformation that contains intentionally false information is known as disinformation, and fake science news usually falls into this category.

Part of the mission of the European Science-Media Hub (ESMH), operating under the political responsibility of the EP’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA), is to identify and disseminate trustworthy information sources in the field of science. During a health emergency, it is essential to explore how science information circulates and how people get their news and knowledge about science and new technology. In this context, the ESMH supported a project to conduct a survey examining the spread of disinformation among young people in some countries of Central Europe and in Italy, to explore the public understanding of scientific topics and address the damaging impact of disinformation and junk science.

The survey outcomes were presented to the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) at its meeting on 19 April 2021. The recording is available here.

Gullibility of false science news in central European countries

The ESMH/STOA study ‘Disinformation and Science – A survey of the gullibility of students with regard to false scientific news’ resulting from the above ESMH project discusses the disinformation phenomenon, its causes related to social trust and types of media consumption among university students in Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, northern Italy and Slovakia. The survey was coordinated by Professor György Csepeli from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest.

How to tackle the infodemic?

In the midst of the research, Europe was hit by the coronavirus pandemic that highlighted the radically new features of our information ecosystem by magnifying the most controversial aspects of the public sphere. Falsehood has literally become a lethal problem on an unprecedented scale. Pandemics affecting our health will come and go, but the pandemic of misinformation (known as the ‘infodemic’) will stay. The lesson to be drawn from the survey’s results is that, to tackle the infodemic, there is a need to enhance the level of public trust in science. Consumers and producers of social media should be motivated and trained to use fact-checking mechanisms enabling them to distinguish between true and false information. Furthermore, misinformation consumed by credulous persons should be distinguished from disinformation that is manufactured intentionally to cause havoc.

Myths are no doubt inherent parts of the human mind-set. However, myths cannot serve as the only means of constructing reality. Real knowledge, in contrast, lies in recognising information and thoughts produced by trustworthy sources. Science communication alone, however, does not guarantee against inaccuracies and errors. Real wisdom is the art of doubting: this is a lesson Europeans can draw from this experience.

The EuroScience Open Forum 2020 Roundtable

The ESMH/STOA study findings were also presented at an earlier ESOF2020 roundtable discussion on 4 September 2020. The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) is a biennial, pan-European, general science conference dedicated to scientific research. The 2020 event brought together over 4 500 leading thinkers, innovators, policy-makers, journalists and educators from more than 90 countries, to discuss current and future breakthroughs in contemporary science.

The ESOF roundtable ‘Perspectives on science-related fake news among young people in Central-Eastern Europe and Italy’ was opened by Eva Kaili (S&D, Greece), STOA Chair. The project team members presented the results of the survey. Keynote speaker Stephan Lewandowsky from the University of Bristol addressed the questions of science, misinformation and conspiracy theories in the age of Covid‑19. The ESMH and its activities during the corona crisis were presented at another ESOF2020 panel session devoted to science communication in times of crisis.

Your opinion matters! If you read our study or watched the presentation, let us know what you think at stoa@europarl.europa.eu.

What are the psychological determinants of gullibility? 'Escape from complexity' @ISIG_Gorizia @EPCulture

Study: https://t.co/YjIh40khwW #ESMH #STOA #disinformation #falsenews pic.twitter.com/qflc93WgWV

— STOA Panel (@EP_ScienceTech) April 19, 2021

[1] A. M. McCright and R. E. Dunlap, Combatting Misinformation Requires Recognizing Its Types and the Factors That Facilitate Its Spread and Resonance, Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2017, 6(4) 389-396.

The European Green Deal affects sectors of the European economy in different ways and poses a major challenge.

While Europe is vaccinating its teens, without a second thought about giving away doses to vulnerable people in poorer countries, EU parliamentarians got an offer they could not refuse in return for their comeback to Strasbourg.

Real Betis Balompié is an excellent example of what football clubs can do to fight climate change and to have an impact well beyond the pitch. All it takes to achieve positive change and winning ways is leadership, vision, and the creative energy of fans and the community.

EU lawmakers approved a report on the EU's 2030 Biodiversity Strategy on Tuesday night (8 June), calling for legally binding measures to protect nature and biodiversity. A heated debate was sparked by amendments calling for forest protection to be weakened, which were eventually rejected.

An analysis of 12 recovery plans submitted by European Union member states and seen by EURACTIV ahead of publication indicates that the investment proposed will see the bloc falling radically short of the digital targets it has set itself for the end of the decade.

Greece's minister for migration and asylum on Wednesday (9 June) defended his country's use of "sound cannons" to deter irregular migrants, as a senior EU official called their use "strange" and legally questionable.

In 2020, the agricultural sector faced unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 crisis. From logistical issues, a shortage of workforce, to radical changes in demand, the sector showed its resilience by adapting to the different challenges. Overall, the impact of...

Sanctions for the Western Balkans are not on the agenda, the European Commission said on Wednesday (9 June) after US President Joe Biden signed order blocking property banning entry to the country of those "contributing to the destabilising situation in the" region on Tuesday.

After being delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 crisis, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, will take place in Glasgow from 1 – 12 November 2021. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described 2021 as a “make or...

The EU said Wednesday (9 June) that Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych and his son remain subject to asset freezes despite a court annulling an earlier decision to renew the sanctions.

On Wednesday morning, MEPs debated with Commission and Council the upcoming G7 summit and the topics they expect to be raised during the EU-US summit on 11 June.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On Wednesday morning, MEPs debated with Commission and Council the upcoming G7 summit and the topics they expect to be raised during the EU-US summit on 11 June.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Written by Magdalena Sapała with Nina Thomassen.

© European Union, 2021, EPRS

In December 2020, the adoption of the legislative package on the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery instrument marked the end of an important stage in the process of launching a unique financial stimulus package – the recovery plan for Europe. However, in order to make the plan fully operational, additional conditions need to be met and preparatory steps completed.

First, there is the financing of NGEU, based on borrowing operations carried out by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. These operations could start only once the Member States had ratified the Own Resources Decision (ORD). This procedure was completed before the end of May 2021. In the meantime, the Commission started preparing for its role as a borrower on an unprecedented scale and published its diversified funding strategy for the financing of NGEU. The Commission has ensured that the preparations are advanced and that it would be ready to begin the borrowing operations as soon as ratification of the ORD was finalised and the act in force.

In parallel, preparations are ongoing for the spending of the biggest part of NGEU (90 %) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This process includes the drawing up of national recovery and resilience plans by the Member States, their evaluation by the European Commission, and approval by the Council of the EU. Only then will the Commission conclude an agreement with each Member State on a legal commitment authorising the financial contribution to be made, and begin pre-financing. An indicative timeline of the whole process shows that the first payments for Member States could be made between July and September 2021.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Recovery plan for Europe: State of play‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

• Figure 1 – Overview of the recovery plan for Europe, € billion, current prices.
• NRRPs: state of play as of 31 May 2021 (€ billion, current prices)
• Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) grants by Member State and per capita (current prices)
• Structure of the recovery and resilience facility (current prices)
• Timeline and main steps in the procedure
• NGEU resources pre-allocated to Member States (RRF, REACT-EU, JTF and rural development) by Member State and per capita (€, current prices)

President David Sassoli awarded the 2021 LUX Audience Award to Collective during a ceremony in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

President David Sassoli awarded the 2021 LUX Audience Award to Collective during a ceremony in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On Wednesday morning, Parliament debated the outcome of May’s special summit with European Council President Michel and Commission President von der Leyen.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On Wednesday morning, Parliament debated the outcome of May’s special summit with European Council President Michel and Commission President von der Leyen.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP