European Union

In many EU countries, mental health is still a taboo. However, the economic impact of psychological disorders is a loss of 4% of GDP and changes in the labour market only aggravate the situation, according to a report by the OECD.

Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party (EPP) Spitzenkandidat for the EU elections, has been silent over the name change deal reached this year between Athens and Skopje. The deal has been generally endorsed by the EPP but rejected by some of its members, including those from the two countries involved.

Brazil’s far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday (28 November) that he pushed the government to withdraw its offer to host the United Nations climate conference next year, maintaining that his country’s sovereignty over the Amazon was at stake.

The European Defence Agency’s Annual Conference 2018 entitled 'From Unmanned to Autonomous Systems: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities’ was opened this morning in Brussels by the Head of the Agency, Federica Mogherini.

Addressing a 400-strong audience representing the whole European defence spectrum - governments, armed forces, industry, EU institutions, NATO, think tanks and media - Ms Mogherini welcomed that the Agency's annual conference "once again, is a place to talk about innovation, and to look at the trends that are shaping our world and our security environment".

Devoting this year's conference to unmanned & autonomous systems and artificial intelligence proved to be a very timely choice as "this is not a debate about some distant future, or about science-fiction" but about technological developments which are already part of our lives, Ms Mogherini said. Artificial intelligence is everywhere and its applications are expanding at incredible speed, "also contributing to our security – for instance, in building stronger defence systems against cyber-attacks".
 

Humans must always remain in control of the use of lethal force

Yet we also know that artificial intelligence poses new security challenges, and it is now starting to be weaponised, the Head of the Agency said. "We are entering a world where drones could independently search for a target and kill without human intervention. Artificial intelligence could take decisions on life and death, with no direct control from a human being. The warning about the dangers ahead is coming from the very people who are working on artificial intelligence: researchers, pioneers, and business people as well, who don't want to see their own discoveries exploited for malicious goals". 

Against this background, the EU has a very special role to play – as a promoter of new global rules to protect our citizens' security, and at the same time, as a force for innovation and progress at the service of human beings, she stressed.

"So first of all, we are working to build consensus on what should and should not be allowed in the field of autonomous weapons. We would like scientists and researchers to be free to do their job knowing that their discoveries will not be used to harm innocent people. Together we can define the boundaries of artificial intelligence applications, so that within those limits, scientists are free to explore the immense positive potential of artificial intelligence", said Ms Mogherini, adding: "Our position on this has always been very clear: all weapon systems should comply with international law, and humans must always remain in control of the use of lethal force". 

Work is currently ongoing at the United Nations to define a first set of guiding principles on autonomous weapons, and this work needs close cooperation between governments, the industry and civil society.
 

"No time to waste on Artificial Intelligence"

Supporting innovation and having a strong industry is essential for Europe's security, and this is also true with artificial intelligence, Ms Mogherini stated. "Almost 50 per cent of global private investment in artificial intelligence start-ups is happening in China. We Europeans cannot afford to waste time, and to be less innovative than other world powers. It is a matter of economic growth, and it is a matter of security". 

Our European defence industries and research laboratories are among the best in the world. And yet, investment from European national governments in research and technology in the field of defence continue to decrease, she underlined.

"We, as the European Union, cannot tell national institutions how much to spend on defence or on research. What we can do – and what we are doing, is to incentivize our Member States to join forces, create new economies of scale, to the benefit of our industry and of our collective security. This is the logic behind all the work we have been doing on security and research, with the European Defence Agency, with the European Commission and with our Member States".
 

EDA's essential contribution to recent EU defence initiatives

The revised Capability Development Plan (CDP), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF) are all tools recently set up to allow and foster increased defence cooperation. The European Defence Agency, Ms Mogherini said, "provided an essential contribution in crafting these initiatives, to ensure their coherence and to help turn them into concrete action". 

The Europe of defence is taking shape, and in the years ahead, the role of the European Defence Agency will be even more important, she stressed. "This can be the hub where governments and the industry meet. A place for coordination among national defence policies, following the guiding light of innovation and of our collective security".

  

In the upcoming elections for the European Parliament next May, Bulgaria's conservative ruling party GERB could receive almost 40% of the votes, followed closely by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, according to a poll of voting intentions.  EURACTIV’s media partner Dnevnik reports.

While policymakers craft a new long-term European Union framework for the energy transition, some of the most intense changes will fall to local utilities in Europe's cities. For some cities, their own preparations closely track what the European Commission is envisioning.

Inter-Environnement Wallonie and Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen
Environment and consumers
Advocate General Kokott sees grounds for taking the view that the Belgian Law on the extension of the lifetime of the Doel 1 and 2 nuclear power stations was adopted without the necessary prior environmental impact assessments

Plenary and committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

The Visegrad Four would be wise to focus on how the lack of migrants could undermine their economic models, future prosperity and welfare.

German finance minister Olaf Scholz on Wednesday urged France to cede its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and hand it over to the EU. "I realise this will take some convincing in Paris but it would be a bold and smart goal," Scholz said. France immediately rejected the idea. In a tweet, France's ambassador to the US Gerard Araud described it as "legally impossible".

The US and the UK agreed on Wednesday how to govern air travel after Brexit. UK transport minister Chris Grayling said the deal would ensure that the UK remains one of the world's leading aviation hubs after Brexit for both travellers and businesses. Around 20 million passengers fly between the two countries each year, accounting for nearly one-third of all air travel between the US and Europe.

The UK is not the only country currently negotiating its future relations with the European Union. On Friday, the Swiss federal council will discuss the final stages of renewing some 120 bilateral accords with the EU. The EU regards Switzerland as having cherry picked the best parts of EU membership, something it wants to avoid in its Brexit talks with the UK.

Italy on Wednesday adopted an anti-migrant bill designed to more easily expel migrants and limit residency permits. Pushed through the lower parliament with 396 against 99, the bill spells the end for two-year "humanitarian protection" residency permits. Its adoption followed moves by Rome to also distance itself from ratifying the UN migration pact. Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia also oppose the non-binding UN pact.

Austria on Wednesday wrapped up the final details of a bill that cuts welfare and other benefits to migrants and asylum seekers with poor German language skills. The reforms, pushed through by the ruling centre-right People's Party (OVP) and far-right Freedom Party (FPO), will be put to a vote early next year. Minimum monthly payments will be set at €863. Asylum seekers with poor German or English will get €563.

President Vladimir Putin insisted on Wednesday (28 November) that Russian forces were in the right to seize three Ukrainian ships last weekend, while his Ukrainian colleague Petro Poroshenko invited NATO ships in the Azov Sea.

Backsliding on rule of law and democracy have led to EU penalties for Moldova - a former success story for EU policy in the former Soviet region.

The leaders of the Social Democrats (S&D), Greens and leftist group (GUE/NGL) sat for the first time at the same table to discuss the possibility of a common strategy ahead of the EU elections in May to face down the rise of far-right and neoliberal forces.

"We will leave the European Union with a vision for the future," the commissioner told  EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News as he prepared to fight for net-zero emissions.

Just days from a deadline to settle a legal dispute with a university founded by US billionaire George Soros, Hungary's foreign minister indicated Wednesday (28 November) his government will not back down.

Danish prosecutors have filed criminal charges against the country's top bank, but it remains to be seen if any individuals will face justice over mass-scale money laundering.