Euractiv
Covid Vaccine, Capitol Mob and China Deal (Tweets of the Week: S4 E16)
- Title
- Covid Vaccine, Capitol Mob and China Deal (Tweets of the Week: S4 E16)
- Runtime
- 4:50
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Brand new vaccine is just the job, US capitol stormed by angry mob, and China investment deal makes MEPs sob.
- Title
- A look-back at 2020
- Runtime
- 15:30
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Sam Morgan takes a look back of what happened in 2020.
00:00 Introduction
00:32 January
01:47 February
02:45 March
04:06 April
05:03 May
06:14 June
07:10 July
08:13 August
09:38 September
10:37 October
11:33 November
13:13 December
- Title
- Media advocate: Quotas could boost diversity in newsrooms
- Runtime
- 6:30
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Europe’s newsrooms are still predominantly white and middle-class, though societies are changing at a rapid speed. In Germany, Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen, an association of media professionals, advocates for more diversity in the media.
EURACTIV spoke to Tina Adomako, board member of the association about how to combat discrimination in the media sector.
- Title
- The Year in Tweets (Tweets of the Week S4 E15)
- Runtime
- 3:20
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- A look back on the highlights of 2020 - and the tweets that came out of it.
- Title
- Atteindre la souveraineté alimentaire: Quels rôles pour l'innovation et les technologies de rupture
- Runtime
- 1:13:50
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Often confused with food security or food self-sufficiency, food sovereignty refers to the right of populations to define their own agricultural and food policies, protect and control internal agricultural production and trade, determine their margin of independence and limit dumping of imported products at low prices in their markets. This concept therefore emphasizes local production and consumption.
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the need to increase food sovereignty, arguing that France should “strengthen its capacity to produce its own proteins” and promote a more autonomous model for this purpose. The French leader pledged to put in place an "agricultural sovereignty", after noting that the Hexagon currently imported most of its proteins, but that it was able to produce them on a national and European scale.
In Brussels, food sovereignty and the protection of local agriculture have been widely debated over the course of the SARS-C...
- Title
- Delivering on the EU Green Deal: What role for innovation and disruptive technologies in agriculture
- Runtime
- 1:31:41
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The EU Green Deal seeks to “transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use”. The development of innovative solutions is thus of key importance.
There are numerous efforts aimed at achieving a more sustainable future through inventions, including in the field of agriculture, which is both strongly impacted by climate change and a driver of climate change at the same time. Its role is therefore key for a sustainable future. New technological solutions in the field of biotechnology for instance have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to make agricultural resources more resilient to climate change.
In addition to a solid framework for innovation, a smart Intellectual Property (IP) system is considered as being essential in order to promote research ...
- Title
- How to talk climate? Engaging all EU citizens in the climate discussion
- Runtime
- 1:19:16
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Climate science and technology are complex topics with a high potential for controversy. But ensuring people adequately understand the climate challenges is an essential element of the global response to the climate crisis.
More than ever before, the European Commission is driving Europe's ambition to lead the fight against climate change. The European Green Deal announced by Commission President Von der Leyen in December 2019 is testament to that. As part of the Green Deal, the Commission launched a European Climate Pact to give everyone a voice and space to design new climate actions, share information, launch grassroots activities and showcase solutions that others can follow.
Whereas many EU citizens understand the urgency of global warming, the topic highlights certain social and economic divides. For example, the less privileged can perceive the debate as elitist. While the happy few worry about the end of the world, the majority worries about the end of...
- Title
- The importance of Azerbaijan to the EU: What path to develop deeper relations?
- Runtime
- 59:31
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- In the Caucasus, political stability in recent years has allowed the region to experience strong and consistent economic growth. More recently, big energy infrastructure projects such as the Southern Gas Corridor and the East-West Corridor have also underlined the strategic importance the region represents to its European neighbours.
Azerbaijan - the biggest country in the Caucasus - has played a constructive role in furthering economic ties with the EU, a key partner to all states in the region. However, the rekindling of a cross-border conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has shifted attention to underlying political tensions. This is at a time when the imminent completion of the Southern Gas Corridor project is due to increase the country's share of energy imports to the EU.
- Title
- A sustainable path to climate neutrality: How can energy utility operators contribute?
- Runtime
- 1:19:15
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The European Commission tabled the updated 2030 climate target in September, saying a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was “achievable” and “beneficial” for the EU economy. The European Parliament subsequently voted for a 60% target for greenhouse gas reductions by 2030. The political sensitivities around the target mean it will likely be decided by heads of government, meaning the target would need unanimous support from the 27 Member States.
A final agreement on the EU’s 2030 climate target is expected before the end of the year.
This significant increase in ambition requires a complete overhaul of the energy system, its infrastructure, and the respective EU policy framework, as mentioned in the EU strategies on hydrogen and energy system integration.
Industry stakeholders argue that a well-integrated energy system, building on the complementarity between electricity and gases, will deliver a sustainable decarbonisation path, both ...
- Title
- Transport Vlog - The 2021 timetable
- Runtime
- 4:51
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Want to know more about transport in the EU? We've got you covered. In the last Transport Vlog of the year, Sam looks at what is coming in 2021. For more updates, follow @SamJamesMorgan on Twitter!
- Title
- Offshore wind power: How to unlock the necessary investments?
- Runtime
- 3:56
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The European Commission estimates up to 450 GW of offshore wind power is needed by 2050 for Europe to deliver climate neutrality. Electricity will represent at least 50% of the total energy mix in 2050 and 30% of the future electricity demand will be supplied by offshore wind.
The EU is committed to drive offshore wind development. Continued improvements in manufacturing and turbine design, as well as improved capacity factors, have driven down the costs of wind power and confirmed its position as a key driver of the clean energy transition. In 2020, a new strategy on offshore renewable energy will be published as part of the European Green Deal.
EU companies have invaluable experience by being first movers - the first offshore wind farm was installed in Denmark, in 1991. But it is no longer just the North Sea producing vast quantities of offshore wind. There is large energy potential in the Baltic Sea, exceeding 93 GW, according to the European Commission. Th...
- Title
- Ethics in the use of AI: Can regulators agree a standard approach?
- Runtime
- 1:16:50
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The EU digital agenda for the 2019-2024 mandate is marked by a series of broad-ranging reforms, which are intended to guide Europe through the digital transition, as new technologies emerge. With Artificial Intelligence at the heart of the debate, the issue of ethics, namely in regulating data gathering and usage, remains centre stage.
But who should decide what is ‘ethical’ when it comes to regulation? A principles-based, human-centred framework might be the solution, as policymakers cannot foresee the direction in which technology will develop. Recent EU national strategies on AI are framed in this direction, since they underline specific needs and the hierarchy of steps needed to evaluate the potential harm of AI and to find legislation to address this.
In recent years, the European Commission has highlighted the importance of being a leader in the development of trustworthy AI technologies. Nevertheless, legislating all applications of AI can halt inno...
- Title
- Transport Vlog - Mobility masterplan
- Runtime
- 3:20
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Want to know more about transport in the EU? We've got you covered. Check back in regularly for bite-sized updates on everything mobility. This week: A lookahead at the EU's new massive transport plan. For more info throughout the week, follow @SamJamesMorgan on Twitter!
- Title
- Brexit Dinner, Vaccine Winner and Single Seat (Tweets of the Week: S4 E14)
- Runtime
- 4:36
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Boris and Ursula have ill-fated dinner, UK bizarrely claims it’s the world vaccine winner, and in the single seat row things have rarely been grimmer.
- Title
- Setting the EU on track for climate neutrality: The role of gas infrastructure
- Runtime
- 1:20:21
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- To successfully achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the EU needs to establish an integrated energy infrastructure. The European Commission underlined in its recent strategies that it’s essential to address decarbonisation with a holistic approach, tackling for instance energy together with the so-called “hard-to-abate” sectors. To become future-proofed, it is argued that today’s regulatory framework must be revised and while doing so, the multiple specificities of the EU regions should be taken into consideration.
We are on the eve of an energy revolution. As highlighted by the recent report of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the production of low-carbon and renewable gases is expected to substantially increase in the coming decades, leading our energy system to drastically evolve. But how do we transport and store these molecules?
The EU gas infrastructure states they offer sustainable and cost-effective solutions in transmission, s...
- Title
- Towards carbon neutrality – one year in
- Runtime
- 1:19:20
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- December 2020 marks the first anniversary of European Commission President Von der Leyen's announcement of the European Green Deal – with the centrepiece ambition to make Europe a carbon-neutral continent by 2050.
The initial climate action initiatives include the European Climate Law to enshrine the 2050 climate-neutrality objective into EU law, the European Climate Pact to engage citizens and all parts of society in climate action, and the 2030 Climate Target Plan to further reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
In early 2021, the Commission will adopt a new, more ambitious EU strategy on adaptation to climate change.
Businesses and consumers will be central actors in achieving the EU ambition, and the way we produce and consume our food and drink will be at the heart of fighting climate change and achieving the transition to a climate-neutral society.
Deep decarbonisation should be in lockstep with preserving mark...
- Title
- The transition to sustainable and smart mobility: How do we get there?
- Runtime
- 1:26:11
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- In February 2020, European Commissioner for Transport Valean gave her first insight into the Commission's reflections on the future of transport and mobility. She welcomed the European Parliament's choice to put sustainability at the centre of the debate as it perfectly mirrors EC President Von der Leyen’s political guidelines driven by the ambition of the European Green Deal to ensure that transport makes its important contribution to climate neutrality by 2050.
She also stressed that transport must be fit for the digital age, when it comes to harnessing digital technologies to make mobility smart as well as sustainable.
The Commission will adopt a forward-looking strategy later this year, following a public consultation. It is designed to pave the way for equipping the EU with a mobility that is sustainable, modern, accessible, safe, secure and competitive for the decades to come. The strategy will include ambitious measures aimed at significantly reducing...
- Title
- Sustainable Products Policy: Do all stakeholders agree on what is 'sustainable'?
- Runtime
- 1:18:21
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- For decades, the standard approach to production and consumption has been “ make, use, dispose”. The European Commission considers that current linear pattern does not give producers an incentive to make their products more sustainable. Many products break down too quickly, cannot be easily reused, repaired or recycled, and many are made for single use only. Prices of products do not often reflect their environmental and societal costs, which reduces the incentives to produce and consume more sustainably. Missing or unclear information for consumers on the sustainability of products further contribute to the problem.
As warnings about climate change intensify, some civil society organisations are starting to challenge the sustainability of the linear model of production and consumption. At the same time, the single market provides a critical mass enabling the EU to set global standards in product sustainability and to influence product design and value chain management...
- Title
- Clean Gas Technologies: What opportunities for the EU?
- Runtime
- 1:18:36
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- According to the European Commission, renewable and low-carbon hydrogen is a key building block towards a climate-neutral and zero-pollution economy in 2050, by replacing most fossil fuels and feedstock. It can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions ahead of 2030 and to a green recovery of the EU economy.
Renewable and low-carbon hydrogen also offers a unique opportunity for EU research and innovation, maintaining and expanding Europe’s technological leadership in these technologies, and creating economic growth and jobs across the full value chain and across the Union. It also offers a chance to manufacture and deploy clean energy technology here in the EU.
Gas advocates argue that biomethane, green hydrogen and synthetic gases should be seen as a crucial part of the EU’s long-term energy security as they are renewable and easily transported and stored. Taking into consideration the different needs of different countries, renewable and low-carbon...
- Title
- Offshore wind power: How to unlock the necessary investments?
- Runtime
- 1:31:15
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The European Commission estimates up to 450 GW of offshore wind power is needed by 2050 for Europe to deliver climate neutrality. Electricity will represent at least 50% of the total energy mix in 2050 and 30% of the future electricity demand will be supplied by offshore wind.
The EU is committed to drive offshore wind development. Continued improvements in manufacturing and turbine design, as well as improved capacity factors, have driven down the costs of wind power and confirmed its position as a key driver of the clean energy transition. In 2020, a new strategy on offshore renewable energy will be published as part of the European Green Deal.
EU companies have invaluable experience by being first movers - the first offshore wind farm was installed in Denmark, in 1991. But it is no longer just the North Sea producing vast quantities of offshore wind. There is large energy potential in the Baltic Sea, exceeding 93 GW, according to the European Commission. Th...
- Title
- Implementing the EU Industrial Strategy – how to track Europe’s competitiveness?
- Runtime
- 1:21:01
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- In March 2020, the European Commission presented a “new Industrial Strategy” to help Europe's industry lead the transitions towards climate neutrality and digital leadership.
The Strategy aims to drive Europe's competitiveness and its strategic autonomy, at a time of agitated geopolitics and intensifying global competition.
In her State of the Union in September, President von der Leyen announced that the Strategy would be updated. It is now expected by Q2, as indicated by the 2021 Commission Work Programme. The update could represent a unique opportunity to follow through on the Commission’s own commitment to develop a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for “regular monitoring of the Strategy's implementation”.
The priorities are well-known: improving European industry's global competitiveness; ensuring a level playing field, at home and globally; making Europe climate-neutral by 2050; and shaping Europe's digital future.
- Title
- Farm to Fork and feed additives: What lies ahead?
- Runtime
- 1:27:36
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- With its newly-adopted pivotal agrifood policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F), which is at the heart of the EU Green Deal, the European Commission has set the goal to make food systems fair, healthy and sustainably-friendly.
One of the outlined objectives of F2F is the revision of the feed additives regulation, to help reduce the environmental and climate impact of animal production, avoid carbon leakage through imports, and to support the ongoing transition towards more sustainable livestock farming.
For organisations working in the livestock food chain, these steps represent a unique opportunity to move forward from the current sectoral regulation for animal nutrition developed almost two decades ago and work towards ensuring a modern EU regulatory framework that promotes innovation within the feed chain.
Having stated the need for a revision to the regulation in its Work Programme for 2021, the European Commission has reiterated its preferenc...
- Title
- MEP Sex Party, Brexit Tunnel and Vaccination Plans (Tweets of the Week S4 E14)
- Runtime
- 4:31
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- MEP makes hasty exit, there’s still no movement over Brexit, and new Covid vaccine the UK gets it.
- Title
- Reducing EU transport emissions: Can C-V2X deployment play a significant role?
- Runtime
- 3:27
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Transport and mobility play a vital role in the everyday lives of people and businesses. European transport policy is designed to meet their needs as well as to address climate change and reap the benefits of digitisation.
The European Commission is currently working on a comprehensive Strategy for a Sustainable and Smart Mobility as part of the European Green Deal. It is scheduled for release before the end of 2020.
The Strategy intends to propose matching measures to the “ambition to achieve the 90% reduction in emissions by 2050”. In pursuing this goal, policymakers intend to leverage “digitalisation and automation, enhancing connectivity to the next level and last, but not least, it will ensure safety and accessibility”.
Researchers are currently working to identify and assess the most promising benefits of Cellullar Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) functionalities that could contribute to reaching Europe’s ambitious emission reduction ...
- Title
- EU 2050 climate targets: Are they feasible and can they be achieved without stunting economic growth
- Runtime
- 1:30:35
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal and in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement.
The EU is on track to meet its emissions reduction target for 2020 and has put in place legislation to achieve its 2030 climate and energy targets of reducing emissions by at least 40% by 2030. In her 2020 State of the Union speech, President von der Leyen announced the EU’s plan to raise its ambitions and reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
It is difficult to predict whether achieving the 2050 target would damage economic growth and prosperity. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that reducing emissions could slow economic growth by 0.06 per cent annually. On the other hand, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) argues that tackling climate change, as part o...
- Title
- Changing the future of Europe's energy mix: What role for different technologies?
- Runtime
- 1:33:41
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- In order to help the EU achieve its ambitious climate change targets and deliver on its clean energy targets in a cost effective manner, significant investment is needed in the energy sector. This is important especially as European electricity markets are currently undergoing structural challenges to ensure security of supply, due to lack of capacity and funding restraints.
Deep decarbonisation should be in lockstep with preserving market competitiveness and security of energy supply. Clean energy, natural gas, and advanced energy technologies will increase energy security while contributing to decarbonisation, but only if financial, technical, societal, and geopolitical issues are addressed.
The total costs of reaching the EU’s climate change targets could be a burden for Member States with GDP per capita below the EU’s average (and heavily reliant on coal) which have a different starting point in the transformation to a climate-neutral economy. Stakehol...
- Title
- Media partnership - How to enable aviation to meet its climate goals? Net zero 2050 is possible!
- Runtime
- 1:18:24
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- What prevents us from starting today? What is getting in the way of EU-wide implementation of aviation emission reduction? We want to raise the discussion on the pathways that the aviation sector needs to achieve its climate goals. Net zero 2050 is possible, let’s discuss how it needs to be done.
- Title
- Carbon pricing: The best instrument for climate change mitigation?
- Runtime
- 1:18:01
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- To limit global warming to 2°C or less—the level deemed safe by science—large emitting countries need to take ambitious action.
Economists have long agreed that the most effective way to meet the climate challenge is to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions. About 50 countries have a carbon pricing scheme in some form. But the global average carbon price is currently only $2 a ton, far below what the planet needs. A 2019 study from the International Monetary Fund says that price should be $75 per ton by 2030. The report acknowledges that such a price will drive up energy costs associated with fossil fuels, but it concludes that the money could be used to cut other taxes and generate billions of new jobs if properly deployed.
Different regions and countries have adopted different policies. Sweden is a EU Member State with a high carbon tax - $127 per ton. It has reduced emissions 25 percent since 1995, while the economy has expanded 75 percent since then...
- Title
- Chemistry - Can it serve as a catalyst for a green and circular rebound?
- Runtime
- 1:31:26
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The European Green Deal aims to help businesses grow in a sustainability-conscious manner, so they contribute to a sustainable economic rebound, in which a circular economy plays a key role. In October 2020, the European Commission adopted the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.
The Strategy is the first step towards a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment announced in the Green Deal. The strategy reflects the Commission's belief that chemistry has an important role in closing the loop in a European circular economy.
In a clean circular economy, it is essential to boost the production and uptake of secondary raw materials and ensure that both primary and secondary materials and products are always safe. The Commission wants to ensure that substances of concern in products and recycled materials are minimised.
To achieve this, alliances between and suppliers and customers all along the value chain are key. A single industry cannot ac...
- Title
- Transport Vlog - Internal combustion affairs
- Runtime
- 4:27
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Want to know more about transport in the EU? We've got you covered. Check back in regularly for bite-sized updates on everything mobility.
This week: How will the EU go about regulating road transport next year? A quick look at the key milestones coming up. For more info throughout the week, follow @SamJamesMorgan on Twitter!
- Title
- Green Deal vor Ort: Umsetzung der EU-Klimapläne in den Regionen und Städten Deutschlands
- Runtime
- 4:05
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Zunächst als Motor zur Erreichung der Klimaziele der EU konzipiert, ist der Europäische Green Deal nun auch von zentraler Bedeutung für die Konjunkturprogramme der EU. Diese Gesetzgebung wird aber nicht von der EU allein umgesetzt werden: An vorderster Front in jeder Krise werden Städte und Regionen entscheidend sein für die Entwicklung und Umsetzung von Gesetzen, die für ihren jeweiligen lokalen Kontext funktionieren.
So hat der Präsident des Ausschusses der Regionen, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, kürzlich gewarnt: "Wenn der Green Deal nicht gemeinsam mit unseren Städten und Regionen aufgebaut und umgesetzt wird, wird er überhaupt nicht zustande kommen.”
Doch trotz der Forderungen nach einem grünen Wiederaufbau kürzte der EU-Rat in seinem Vorschlag vom Juli das Budget für den Fonds für einen gerechten Übergang (Just Transition Fund) und die Kohäsionspolitik. Auch die für Deutschland verfügbaren Mittel wurden zusammengestrichen. Derweil zeigen s...
- Title
- Meeting the 2030 emissions targets: Are we on the right track?
- Runtime
- 1:21:09
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to target at least a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as part of a broader European Green Deal programme aimed at reaching “climate neutrality” by mid-century.
“For us, the 2030 target is ambitious, it’s achievable and it is beneficial for Europe,” von der Leyen said as she unveiled the EU’s new climate proposal. The difference today, she said, is that “Europe now has the technology, the expertise and the financial firepower necessary to make it happen, with a €1.8 trillion EU budget and recovery fund that was agreed by EU leaders in July for the years 2021-2027”.
But the European Parliament voted in October for an even greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade - 60%. This decision divided the hemicycle. While green MEPs and environmental campaigners hailed the vote as a victory in the fight against climate change, other lawmakers consid...
- Title
- Exploring discontent with the EU
- Runtime
- 6:34
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The discontent of EU citizens with the Union has been growing fast over the past decade, and has doubled since 2012. Democracy has started translating this dissatisfaction into new political realities via the ballot box. Often, it seems that dissatisfaction with the Union is coming from underdeveloped regions of the EU, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time, we have also seen a rise of parties opposed to EU integration across the continent.
EURACTIV takes a closer look a what the geography of EU discontent is, what a regional analysis of the citizens’ dissatisfaction can reveal about the places that are most anti-EU and what the EU can do.
- Title
- Christmas Brexit Plenary, BlackRock, Orban v Clooney and Maradona (Tweets of the Week: S4 E12)
- Runtime
- 4:30
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Christmas plenary plans are not much to applaud, Blackrock contract inherently flawed, Orban versus Clooney leaves us all slack jawed, and we bid farewell to the Hand of God.
- Title
- The European Food System: The transition towards sustainability and climate mitigation
- Runtime
- 1:32:10
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Our society faces challenges more urgent than ever. The food sector is striving to transform the way that we produce, manage and consume food. This will achieve sustainable and resilient agricultural production systems that can at the same time help reduce emissions and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Agriculture is both strongly impacted by climate change and a driver of climate change. Globally, the food system as a whole represents up to 37% of total global human-induced emissions.
The Covid-19 pandemic has also raised questions about the fragility of our food supply, putting food security back on the agenda. Coupled with the on-going threat of climate change, agriculture has a crucial role to play to ensure European food remains safe, nutritious, affordable and plentiful.
A sustainably-driven recovery in Europe will require a re-think of the agrifood system with an integrated approach to climate, food and ecosystems. There is a gro...
- Title
- #Renovate2Recover – Why prioritise Energy Renovation in the National Recovery Plans?
- Runtime
- 2:57
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Energy renovation stands at the intersection of the EU’s green priorities and growth objectives and is the linchpin to the EU’s recovery. How are Member States prioritizing energy renovation in their National Recovery Plans? What expectations from the revision of the EPBD next year?
- Title
- Kazakhstan-EU relations: From establishing the partnership to driving it forward
- Runtime
- 1:29:25
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Kazakhstan’s first President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is given credit for being instrumental in helping to establish Kazakh-EU relations. He helped lay the foundations for the landmark EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), which entered into force on 1 March 2020.
The EU is Kazakhstan's main trade and investment partner, representing over one third of Kazakhstan's external trade and over a half of total foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan’s exports to the EU are almost entirely in the oil and gas sectors, alongside other minerals, chemicals and food products. From the EU, Kazakhstan imports machinery and transport equipment and pharmaceuticals, alongside chemical products, plastics, medical devices and furniture.
Kazakh-EU relations have significantly strengthened in the last two decades and go beyond trade and investment ties or political dialogue. The EU and Kazakhstan succeeded in establishing other successfu...
- Title
- Reducing EU transport emissions: Can C-V2X deployment play a significant role?
- Runtime
- 1:18:56
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Transport and mobility play a vital role in the everyday lives of people and businesses. European transport policy is designed to meet their needs as well as to address climate change and reap the benefits of digitisation.
The European Commission is currently working on a comprehensive Strategy for a Sustainable and Smart Mobility as part of the European Green Deal. It is scheduled for release before the end of 2020.
The Strategy intends to propose matching measures to the “ambition to achieve the 90% reduction in emissions by 2050”. In pursuing this goal, policymakers intend to leverage “digitalisation and automation, enhancing connectivity to the next level and last, but not least, it will ensure safety and accessibility”.
Researchers are currently working to identify and assess the most promising benefits of Cellullar Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) functionalities that could contribute to reaching Europe’s ambitious emission reduction ...
- Title
- Transport Vlog - Diplomatic efforts
- Runtime
- 7:11
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Want to know more about transport in the EU? We've got you covered. Check back in regularly for bite-sized updates on everything mobility.
This week: Aviation and shipping policies need a gentle hand, here's how Europe is going to approach them in the coming year. For more info throughout the week, follow @SamJamesMorgan on Twitter!
- Title
- Rule of Law, Brexit mascot and vaccine efficacy claims (Tweets of the Week: S4 E11)
- Runtime
- 4:33
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- #Hungary and #Poland scupper #RuleOfLaw aims,
#Brexit talks seem to be going down in flames,
and #vaccines efficacy sparks spurious claims!
- Title
- Green Deal vor Ort: Umsetzung der EU-Klimapläne in den Regionen und Städten Deutschlands
- Runtime
- 1:19:51
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Zunächst als Motor zur Erreichung der Klimaziele der EU konzipiert, ist der Europäische Green Deal nun auch von zentraler Bedeutung für die Konjunkturprogramme der EU. Diese Gesetzgebung wird aber nicht von der EU allein umgesetzt werden: An vorderster Front in jeder Krise werden Städte und Regionen entscheidend sein für die Entwicklung und Umsetzung von Gesetzen, die für ihren jeweiligen lokalen Kontext funktionieren.
So hat der Präsident des Ausschusses der Regionen, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, kürzlich gewarnt: "Wenn der Green Deal nicht gemeinsam mit unseren Städten und Regionen aufgebaut und umgesetzt wird, wird er überhaupt nicht zustande kommen.”
Doch trotz der Forderungen nach einem grünen Wiederaufbau kürzte der EU-Rat in seinem Vorschlag vom Juli das Budget für den Fonds für einen gerechten Übergang (Just Transition Fund) und die Kohäsionspolitik. Auch die für Deutschland verfügbaren Mittel wurden zusammengestrichen. Derweil zeigen s...
- Title
- 2020 - The 'perfect storm' for Europe's SMEs?
- Runtime
- 1:20:51
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of Europe's economy. They represent over 90% of all businesses in the EU. They employ around 100 million people, account for more than half of Europe’s GDP and play a key role in adding value in every sector of the economy. SMEs bring innovative solutions to challenges like climate change, resource efficiency and social cohesion, and help spread this innovation throughout Europe.
SMEs have been at the front line of the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In early surveys, over 50% of SMEs indicated that they could be out of business within the next few months. Since then, many have gone bankrupt. And Brexit will provide more uncertainty for business, regardless of whether there is a deal or not. With many SMEs in its ecosystem, 'food and drink' is a sector especially hard hit by the crisis. The sector's SMEs are looking at how EU policies, such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, can help them.
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- Title
- Neue Techniken der Pflanzenzüchtung: Die Farm-to-Fork-Strategie und den Green Deal umsetzen
- Runtime
- 3:17
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Der European Green Deal verspricht, "die EU in eine faire und wohlhabende Gesellschaft mit einer modernen, ressourceneffizienten und wettbewerbsfähigen Wirtschaft zu verwandeln". Die Europäische Kommission hat erklärt, dass die Farm-to-Fork (F2F)-Strategie im Mittelpunkt dieses Plans steht. Die Vorschläge erfordern weitreichende und grundlegende Änderungen, um die Umwelt- und Gesundheitsstandards zu erhöhen und gleichzeitig von den Landwirten erwarten zu können, dass sie die Lebensmittelversorgung aufrechterhalten. Um dieser gewaltigen Aufgabe gerecht zu werden, setzen sich einige Landwirte für Innovation und "wissenschaftsbasierte" Lösungen, wie z.B. neue Pflanzenzuchttechniken, ein.
Aus Sicht einiger Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler könnte das Gen-Editing, also die Veränderung des genetischen Materials durch Einfügen, Editieren oder Löschen einer DNA-Sequenz, das Potenzial haben, die Resistenz einer Nutzpflanze gegen Schädlinge und Umweltbedingungen...
- Title
- Food production and the trade map: buying local vs buying global
- Runtime
- 1:19:41
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The ongoing health crisis has reinforced those voices calling for a greater degree of self-sufficiency for the European Union, in anything from raw materials to medicines.
When it comes to food production, the concept of a shorter supply chain had already been a part of the European Commission’s attempt to extend the Green Deal’s reach to food by the time COVID-19 hit the Continent. Initial sustainability concerns were supplemented by the economic outfall from the crisis, as well as uneasiness over dependability. This has led to talk of ‘food security’, which is slowly but steadily losing ground to the more wide-reaching concept of ‘food sovereignty’, especially in countries where traditional farming communities have long been under threat.
For a European Commission that has from the outset aspired to play a geo-strategic role, the narrative of thinking globally while buying locally seems conflictual. A potential attempt to decouple the European ma...
- Title
- Transport Vlog - Planes, trains and automobiles
- Runtime
- 9:16
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Want to know more about transport in the EU? We've got you covered. Check back in regularly for bite-sized updates on everything mobility.
This week: three nuggets of news in the aviation, rail and car sectors that you simply cannot miss. For more info throughout the week, follow @SamJamesMorgan on Twitter!
- Title
- Meeting the new 2030 emissions targets: how do we get there?
- Runtime
- 1:24:05
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Alongside the ambition of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, President von der Leyen’s Commission has made clear its aim of ensuring a ‘just transition’ for all European citizens and territories. Vice-President Frans Timmermans has explicitly stated that it was the EU’s responsibility to “make sure nobody is left behind” in the transition.
However, some Member States argue that the European Commission’s proposal to increase the 2030 target to 55% does not adequately reflect their different starting points. Moreover, they consider that the proposal does not provide sufficient burden-sharing mechanisms based on the compensations for the Member States with coal-dependent economies.
The latest vote in the European Parliament in favour of increasing the target to 60% brings an even bigger challenge for the Member States with higher greenhouse gas emissions and lower GDP per capita. These Member States are concerned that the bur...
- Title
- EU trade policy under pressure: The example of steel
- Runtime
- 1:17:41
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- The EU is at a crossroads, having suffered a sharp economic and social hit in recent months. The European Commission predicts a drop in EU GDP of 7.5 per cent in 2020. However, even in 2019, there were signs of underlying frailty in the EU economy.
Despite this, the EU has ambitious plans for its future, aiming to go green, digital and high-tech. But the global challenges remain the same: third countries taking advantage of the EU’s open borders and markets whilst refusing to share the same high ambition to decarbonise by 2050. EU trade policy is thus under pressure. It must evolve to meet rising competition abroad, while giving the space for EU companies to survive, thrive and go green.
This recession will have severe effects on global supply chains, especially if countries around the world seek to dump products on world markets to make up for a loss of local demand.
Three trends look set to be reinforced by the global economic and health crisi...
- Title
- 30 Jahre deutsche Einheit: Wie steht es um die ostdeutsche Landwirtschaft?
- Runtime
- 4:11
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Es war ein tiefgehender struktureller Wandel, der die ostdeutsche Landwirtschaft nach der Wiedervereinigung vor 30 Jahren erfasste. Die Landpreise sind seitdem in die Höhe geschnellt, während sich Großinvestoren ganze Landstriche aneignen. Das stellt insbesondere junge Landwirte vor große Probleme: Land kaufen oder pachten, um einen landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb zu gründen, werden zunehmend zur Herkulesaufgabe.
Die Politik ist sich des Problems bewusst und möchte den Landwirten unter die Arme greifen sowie ländliche Räume attraktiver machen. „Wir wollen, dass die zwanziger Jahre das Jahrzehnt der ländlichen Räume werden”, erklärte Landwirtschaftsministerin Julia Klöckner (CDU) Anfang des Jahres.
Die Politik hat eine Vielzahl innovativer Lösungen gefordert, um den Weg für eine erfolgreiche Zukunft der ostdeutschen Landwirte zu ebnen. Dazu gehörten die Reform des öffentlichen Ausschreibungsverfahrens zur Kontrolle der Bodenpreise und die Ein...
- Title
- Covid Vaccine, Imam Schools, MEP in a Bus (Tweets of the Week: S4 E10)
- Runtime
- 3:53
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Covid vaccine hope is a major stock market plus, Michel’s EU school for imams causes a fuss, and an outraged MEP doesn’t want to take the bus.
- Title
- Neue Techniken der Pflanzenzüchtung: Die Farm-to-Fork-Strategie und den Green Deal umsetzen
- Runtime
- 1:31:15
- Date posted
- 6 years ago
- Description
- Der European Green Deal verspricht, "die EU in eine faire und wohlhabende Gesellschaft mit einer modernen, ressourceneffizienten und wettbewerbsfähigen Wirtschaft zu verwandeln". Die Europäische Kommission hat erklärt, dass die Farm-to-Fork (F2F)-Strategie im Mittelpunkt dieses Plans steht. Die Vorschläge erfordern weitreichende und grundlegende Änderungen, um die Umwelt- und Gesundheitsstandards zu erhöhen und gleichzeitig von den Landwirten erwarten zu können, dass sie die Lebensmittelversorgung aufrechterhalten. Um dieser gewaltigen Aufgabe gerecht zu werden, setzen sich einige Landwirte für Innovation und "wissenschaftsbasierte" Lösungen, wie z.B. neue Pflanzenzuchttechniken, ein.
Aus Sicht einiger Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler könnte das Gen-Editing, also die Veränderung des genetischen Materials durch Einfügen, Editieren oder Löschen einer DNA-Sequenz, das Potenzial haben, die Resistenz einer Nutzpflanze gegen Schädlinge und Umweltbedingungen...
