European Union

 Czech police will probe whether a crime against the republic was committed by the office of Czech President Miloš Zeman, as his office did not inform the public and other officials about him Zeman is unable to fulfil his duties, despite being...

When Europe is looking to diversify its energy sources, Egypt can become a provider of electricity that will be produced mainly by the sun, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said. “Energy is becoming a bridge between Egypt and Europe,” he...

As German parliamentarians are seated by fractions, the spot next to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is particularly unpopular resulting in a recent dispute among lawmakers. As the German business-friendly liberal FDP is set to enter government in...

Ahead of this week's EU summit, Spain has urged the bloc to implement urgent and coordinated measures to mitigate rising energy prices, warning of a "risk" that energy shortages could last beyond next winter in Europe.

Slovenia, the current holder of the rotating EU Presidency, said it hoped for "constructive dialogue" between the European Commission and Poland to bridge their differences over the rule of law.

Germany has suggested increasing joint patrols along its border with Poland in response to increasing numbers of migrants arriving via Belarus, according to a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday (19 October).

The winner of the DesignEuropa awards has come from the healthcare sector for the second edition in a row, highlighting the increasing importance of a user-friendly approach in developing medical devices. The portable and compact patient monitor IntelliVueX3, developed by...

"Polexit is fake news," Polish leaders Mateusz Morawiecki and Jarosław Kaczyński are saying in unison. Their party, the not-so-aptly named Law and Justice (PiS), has even adopted a position supporting EU membership.

To facilitate the prosecution of online offenders, a French senator has proposed the creation of an independent supervisory authority that would collect the identity of users when they register with online platforms. EURACTIV France reports.

Sky-high gas prices forced EU fertilizer industry to curtail production. Gas is the most important raw material for fertilizer production, and unless this crisis is quickly averted, the short-term crisis could lead to permanent closures or industry relocation outside of Europe.

Alitalia took its final flight last week, a short journey from the island of Sardinia to Rome. It was a muted end to an airline that exemplified Italian style - with uniforms designed by Giorgio Armani no-less - before drowning in an economic quagmire (largely of its own making).

Trade between the EU and China encounters political issues as global tensions rise and climate change mitigation measures are destined to influence patterns of production and exchange. At the same time, economic developments in both China and Europe seem highly...

China wants more dialogue with Europe on climate measures, according to the chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU, who also detailed China's new data security law, which he said was the equivalent of the EU's data protection rules.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) – commonly known as 3D-Printing – has been identified as a technology that could significantly reduce the logistic footprint of armed forces deployed on missions. As part of its work to enhance the use of AM in the armed forces, EDA supported the first European Military Additive Manufacturing Symposium which took place in Bonn, Germany on 12-13 October. The conference heard that AM offers unique opportunities for the armed forces especially in logistic support, but its advantages are yet to be fully embraced within the military and faces several hurdles impeding fuller implementation in defence.

In his keynote speech to the 2-day event, EDA Deputy Chief Executive, Olli Ruutu spoke on how EDA supports its Member States in their efforts to employ AM by sustaining newest technical developments and the necessary elaboration of common standards to enhance interoperability.

“AM technologies can be highly promising for enhancing defence capabilities such Logistic Support for Deployed Forces in remote or hostile environments. Having AM technologies in the area of operation might significantly impact the course of CSDP missions. Time between failure and restoring the availability of platforms, transportation and storage of significant quantities of spares can be decreased, reducing the logistic footprint of an operation” Mr. Ruutu said. 

He also pointed to the important transfer of EDA’s work on AM from research and technology to capability development.

   

Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support (AMLS)

Building on the results of its 2018 R&T project on AM, a new project, Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support (AMLS) was launched by EDA within the area of Capability Development. Eight areas of activities were identified for this project, including technology aspects, training and education, as well as procurement processes. The ultimate objective is to elaborate and determine solutions in the eight areas which will foster the cooperation and enhance the interoperability among participants. 

A dedicated panel on Best Practice, moderated by EDA, addressed some of the practicalities and hurdles for the AMLS project to overcome. The panel underscored the distinction that AM is not a capability shortfall but an important skill which has the potential to reduce the logistics footprint. Two EDA supported R&T projects were also presented in this panel, which are aiming to enhance the performances of ballistic protections and energic material development for AM respectively. 

Emergence of Circular Economy and AM  A second panel discussion also moderated by EDA, discussed the emergence of AM as one of the key contributors to the circular economy. The event heard how AM is a means to intensify the use of materials and expand systems’ lifetime by providing on-demand solutions for repair, remanufacturing and recycling. The panel also pointed to EDA’s new Incubation Forum on Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) to create common initiatives to make the most of AM’s potential for circularity: both technical and logistics aspects will be addressed in the next two years.   A first European AM Symposium

The conference was organed by the German Association for Defence Technology (DWT) and supported by EDA. Attended by over 160 representatives of industry, armed forces, academia and institutions, the event offered a unique European overview on the rapid development of AM in industry and opportunities on offer for military.

 

 

 

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stood firm on Warsaw's challenge to the primacy of EU law and accused the EU of overstepping its competences in an emotionally charged speech before the European Parliament on Tuesday (19 October).

Carbon payments for emissions reductions could be a more politically attractive way of promoting EU country-level cuts than current effort sharing regulation targets and providing more solidarity and additional finance for the green transition, writes Arpad Cseh.  

Written by Joanna Apap with Capucine du Perron de Revel.

According to statistics published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, since 2008 over 318 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced by floods, windstorms, earthquakes or droughts, 30.7 million in 2020 alone. This is equivalent to one person being displaced every second. Depending on the frequency and scale of the major natural disasters occurring, there are significant fluctuations in the total number of displaced people from one year to the next, yet the trend over recent decades has been a growing one. Many find refuge within their own country, but some are forced to go abroad. In the summer of 2021, Europe witnessed heavy and unprecedented flooding, particularly in Belgium and Germany, and heat domes in the Mediterranean region. Scientists relate this directly to climate change. All things considered, the number of ‘climate refugees’ looks set to rise.

So far, the national and international response to this challenge has been limited, and protection for the people affected remains inadequate. What adds further to the gap in protection of such people – who are often described as ‘climate refugees’ – is that there is neither a clear definition of this category of people, nor are they covered by the 1951 Refugee Convention. The latter extends only to people who have a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, and who are unable or unwilling to seek protection from their home countries. While the EU has not so far recognised climate refugees formally, it has expressed growing concern and has taken action to support the countries potentially affected by climate-related stress and help them develop resilience.

This briefing is an update of an earlier one from January 2019.

Read this briefing on ‘The concept of ‘climate refugee’: Towards a possible definition‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

• Internal displacement of people due to natural disasters

Parliament asks the Commission to act immediately to defend Polish citizens and the foundations of EU law, by triggering the conditionality mechanism.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Parliament asks the Commission to act immediately to defend Polish citizens and the foundations of EU law, by triggering the conditionality mechanism.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The EU member states recently returned counterfeiting as a priority (EMPACT). We fully support this reinstatement. National governments now need to translate this commitment locally and support law enforcement authorities so they can catch and prosecute counterfeiters.