European Parliament Webmaster Podcasts

The proposed directive on liability of defective products aims to bring the European Union's product liability rules up to speed with the digital age, circular economy business models and global value chains. Consumers would be better protected against defective products and the damages they might cause. Compensation for defective products would al…

The proposed 'AI liability directive' introduces new rules specific to damages caused by AI systems. These rules are intended to ensure that consumers harmed by AI systems enjoy the same level of protection as consumers harmed by other technologies in the EU. The directive would also ease the burden of proof for victims to establish damage caused b…

The European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act, or EDIRPA, is a short-term joint defence procurement instrument worth €500 million. It seeks to address the most urgent and critical defence capability gaps and to incentivise EU countries to procure defence products jointly. - Original publication on the EP Think Tank webs…

As the European Commission prepares to launch a much awaited revised EU pharmaceutical strategy, two recent studies by the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) advance possible options to tackle current weaknesses in drug development and ensure access to high-quality medicines, including the creation of large-…

The Commission proposes, Parliament and Council decide … has been the traditional approach to law-making in the European Union, until now … But the increasing need to put the citizens' voice at the heart of EU law-making, giving the European Parliament greater power to propose laws, is challenging this assumption and could open the door to a more d…

The fifth generation of communication technologies, known as 5G, is fundamental to achieving a European gigabit society by 2025. But how will this affect our health and that of our children? Is 5G really safe? https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)646172 Source: © European Union - EP…

Key to a fair single market, EU rules do not allow State aid, unless it is used to promote general economic development, for example, when tackling the challenges of global competition or the ongoing financial crisis … The European Parliament agrees with this general principle, but calls for less and better targeted state aid in the future. https:/…

By 2050, an estimated two thirds of the world population will live in urban areas. Could vertical farming help feed this growing urban population sustainably by reducing the demand for agricultural land and shortening the travel distance between food production and consumption? - Original publication on the EP Think Tank website - Subscription to o…

In this podcast, we look at the potential gains of more European action versus the costs of non-Europe in the area of energy, one of the 50 policy areas investigated in one of the latest studies from EPRS: “Increasing European added value in an age of global challenges: Mapping the cost of non-Europe (2022-2032)”. We analyse how closer EU cooperati…

European integration has been a key driver of growth, peace and social prosperity. But challenges remain and crises could arise. Further European integration can help respond to present and future challenges and generate benefits of over €2.8 trillion per year by 2032, as shown in one of latest EPRS studies, “Increasing European added value in an a…

The volume of online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and frequency of grooming activities, increasingly targeting younger children, is rising sharply. Reporting of suspected online child sexual abuse increased by 35 % in 2021 compared with 2020, representing a historical peak. The proposed regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat chil…

The European media freedom act proposes a new set of rules and mechanisms to promote media pluralism and independence across the European Union. The aim is to prevent political interference in editorial decisions and ensure transparency of media ownership. The proposed act stresses the importance of an independent and adequately funded public servi…

The European Union has set itself a double target: a 50 % reduction in the overall use of and risk from chemical plant protection products,and a 50% reduction in the use of more hazardous ones by 2030. A proposed regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products would require EU countries to contribute collectively to achieving these E…

For over half a century now, European integration has been a key driver of economic growth, environmental protection, peace and social prosperity. And one of Europe's landmark achievements is, without a doubt, the single market. In this podcast, we look at the benefits for EU citizens from more ambitious and united EU action in the single market fo…

European integration has been a key driver of economic growth, peace and social prosperity. But challenges remain and crises could arise. In one of its latest studies, “Increasing European added value in an age of global challenges: Mapping the cost of non-Europe (2022-2032)”, EPRS finds that more EU action in 50 policy areas could bring large gain…

As AI spreads into workplaces, workers and employers are increasingly confronted with applications and software that affect labour relations. While AI systems could be introduced with the explicit aim of improving working conditions, this cannot be expected in general and evidence suggests that it may be the exception. In this podcast, we'll talk a…

Platform work is an umbrella concept covering a heterogeneous group of economic activities completed through a digital platform. As platform workers' rights are not enshrined in EU labour law, this increasingly leads to problems related to various aspects of their work and human development. To remedy this situation, the European Commission has pro…

Quantum technologies could be a game-changer in the digital transformation of health care. By enabling much faster and more complex data analysis, they could open the door to the accelerated discovery and development of novel therapeutics, improved diagnostics and treatments, including for rare and complex diseases, genuinely personalised medicine,…

At least 80 % of European citizens should have the possibility to use a digital identity to access key public services by 2030 and to do so across EU borders. The updated European digital identity framework would also allow citizens to identify and authenticate themselves online (via their European digital identity wallet) without having to resort …

For two decades, the EU has sought to modernise its preferential trade relationship with the sub-Saharan African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and establish free trade areas with regional groupings under so-called economic partnership agreements (EPAs). These are free trade agreements that allow ACP countries to continue exporting their pr…

The European Commission outlined various approaches to capture and store or isolate carbon dioxide emissions, or capture already released carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere to reduce the concentration and thereby its warming effect. Various solutions, both technology- and nature-based, are being brought forward to this end. A key challenge…

The proposed EU data act lays down harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data. The aim is to remove barriers before consumers and businesses' access to data in a context in which the volume of data generated by humans and machines is increasing exponentially and becoming a critical factor for innovation by businesses (e.g. algorithm trainin…

The European Commission proposed to expand the scope of the existing EU rules on the deployment of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in road transport to cover new and emerging challenges and to make essential ITS services mandatory across the EU. The proposal seeks to resolve problems stemming from the lack of interoperability and continuity of …

Antimicrobial-resistant infections are predicted to become the second biggest cause of death worldwide by 2050. Despite increasing investment in the development of new antimicrobials, awareness campaigns on antimicrobial misuse and abuse, and monitoring of antimicrobial use and resistance in animals, humans and the environment, antimicrobial resist…

The European Union's outermost regions (ORs) qualify for special treatment owing to structural difficulties – such as remoteness, difficult topography and economic dependence on a few products – that can severely hamper their development. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has hit their economies particularly hard. While these regions are quite …

Care work provided in homes and institutions is a public good that is under-valued by society. Care workers are more likely to have low earnings and precarious working conditions. About 9 in 10 care workers are women. Most unpaid care work within households is carried out by women. The 'unpaid care penalty' for women in the EU, which is equivalent …