European Union

The British Labour Party may change its position on holding a second Brexit referendum: several motions put forward at the Labour Party Conference that kicked off on Sunday call for a new referendum should the government fail to reach a deal in the Brexit negotiations. According to surveys a majority of party members are in favour of a referendum. Should Labour seek a new Brexit vote?

In Russia the gubernatorial elections have had an unexpected outcome: in Primorsky Krai the run-off vote was declared invalid due to electoral fraud, in Khakassia the encumbant threw in the towel after the first round, and in Khabarovsk and Vladimir the incumbents belonging to Putin's United Russia party trailed behind the challengers from the populist LDPR. A positive development?

Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople has tasked two of his envoys with making preparations in Ukraine for the formation of an independent church there. The decision prompted the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church to convene a synod and condemn the step as an "invasion" of their territory. Why the panicked reaction?

In the course of a money-laundering investigation the Finnish police have searched several properties belonging to a company based in southern Finland. The company owns numerous plots of land on the skerries off the coast of Turku which are strategically positioned and could potentially be acquired by Russians. The press sees the operation as a national security matter.

Pope Francis will visit Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from September 22 to 25 - the first papal visit to the Baltic countries in 25 years. Different media outlets have very different expectations of the pope.

Written by Denise Chircop and Eulalia Claros,

Did you know:

• a really good way of improving your child’s chances of success at school is to continue your own education? Yet only 4 % of adults with a low level of education attend any training.
• that children from disadvantaged backgrounds who attend pre-school reap even greater benefits than other children later on at school? Yet the participation rate of young children is on average 7 % lower if parents have not received tertiary education and 13 % lower if children came from migrant families.
• that as an eighteen-year-old woman, you are more likely to be studying than a young man of your age?

Duration of full time compulsory education

As ‘that time of the year’ comes round for many young people in the EU, the time is right to take an in-depth look at the state of education in the Union. As the basis of a level playing field in the labour market, how can we make sure that all EU citizens can benefit from the opportunities provided by education? Do people make full use of learning opportunities in the work place? Do greater educational opportunities really increase a woman’s chance of success in the labour market?

This European Parliamentary Research Service interactive infographic explores the learning universe from early childhood through to adulthood. The interactive infographic ‘Lifelong learning in the EU‘ does not just stop at our formal systems of education but looks at all forms of learning for a comprehensive insight into what is happening in each of the Member States inside and out of schools.

Do you know what qualifications you need to become a teacher in Europe? Who benefits from education and training and who is left behind? Is the European Parliament a real actor in education and training?

Our interactive infographic allows you to view graphs according to the variable that interests you most, or to find out more about individual Member States and compare them with others. Links to the original sources are provided, most of which were financed by the European Union as a means to obtain comprehensive data upon which to formulate its policies.

Puzzled by the jargon? Read on!

George Soros' Open Society Foundations have lodged a case with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, over the Hungarian government's crackdown on NGOs - often referred to as the 'Stop Soros' laws. Viktor Orban's government has barred civil society organisations from helping with asylum or migration cases, leading the foundation to close its Budapest office. The Foundation's lawyers argue the legislation infringes on freedom expression and association.

Plastics in our sewer system costs consumers money and the European water sector has its daily challenges, one of them being sewers getting clogged regularly by plastics and wet wipes, explain Oliver Loebel and Maxime Bineau.

Vision 2050 has already started. Discover all the technologies that are well advanced to develop low-carbon liquid fuels for transport and feedstocks.