The European Policy Centre in Brusses has appointed Garvan Walshe as its new Head of Communications. A political strategist, Garvan has almost twenty years’ experience working in political strategy and communication technology with a focus on policy development. Since the Brexit referendum, he has concentrated on strengthening democratic governance in Europe. Commenting on the appointment, EPC Chief…
Photo by Jack Sloop on Unsplash The EPP Group says it wants to slash industrial emissions, but wants to “do it together with industry, farmers and SMEs, not against them.” This is the line the EPP Group has taken on the so-called Industry Emissions Directive. “We want less pollution, but more innovation. The new Industry Emissions Directive will…
Photo by Marcus Santos on Unsplash When it comes to their use of cotton, the vast majority of international brands (89%) are “non-transparent, unsustainable and show little progress towards improving labour conditions,”, according to the 2023 Cotton Ranking, published by Solidaridad Europe and the Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK). This, it is further alleged, is despite a…
Photo by Michael Beener on Unsplash Bringing together international headquarters cities and highlighting the challenges and opportunities they face was subject of a debate hosted by Alain Hutchinson, Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations. Strasbourg, Vienna, Geneva, The Hague, Montevideo and Montreal were represented. The discussions provided an opportunity to share best practice in this area and to gain a better understanding of…
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash Influencer advertising and marketing has been one of the fastest-growing industries of the last decade. Perceived by consumers as closer, more authentic and more trustable than traditional advertising or celebrity endorsement, influencers are attracting more and more brand investment. However, unlike traditional advertising, which is subject to very strict rules, influencer advertising…
Photo by David Becker on Unsplash The European Commission has approved an amendment to an existing Polish scheme, including an overall €266 million budget increase, to support agricultural producers in the wake of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. The amendments were approved under the State aid temporary crisis framework. These were first adopted by the Commission on 9 March to support measures in sectors which are…
Photo by Finn on Unsplash With the mental health of Europeans deteriorating, the European Economic and Social Committee is urging policy-makers at EU and national levels to make it a top priority The Brussels based Committee has called for the reform of health systems across the EU in a bid to ensure a comprehensive approach to mental health…
Photo by L N on Unsplash The EU Commission has proposed a Toy Safety Regulation revising the current rules to protect children from potential risks in toys. Toys put on the EU market are said to be already among the safest ones in the world. But the EC says the proposed rules will further improve this protection, in…
Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash Parliamentarian cooperation “will be crucial” to strengthening ties between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the keynote message to emerge from the 15th plenary session of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) taking place in Madrid from 24 to 27 July. The Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly is a trans-national…
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash Even in the absence of legal hurdles by comparison with third-country national migrant workers a new report shows that intra-EU mobile workers also face similar difficulties in the labour market, with generally lower employment probabilities and lower quality jobs for the same level of skills. The report was conducted by the European…
