Two powerful European Parliament committees have called on the European Commission to promote healthy plant-rich diets as part of a sustainable EU food strategy. The NGO Compassion in World Farming EU welcomes this call, as ambitious measures are needed in order to improve our food systems for the benefit of people, animals and the planet….
Reports
Angela Merkel Hailed as a Unifying Force for Europeans
Europeans still regard Angela Merkel, who will shortly step down as German chancellor, as a unifying force, and expect Germany to continue to provide leadership within the EU, according to new polling in a report published on Tuesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). In “Beyond Merkelism: What Europeans expect of post-election Germany”, the…
Food and Drink: What is the Real Impact of Brexit and Who Can We Believe?
Widening gaps on supermarket shelves and the promise of shortages of Christmas favourites like turkey and pigs-in-blankets have exposed a major flaw in the Government’s handling of the ongoing UK labour crisis and a new report. The report highlights the scale of the problem by stating that of the 953,000 current vacancies across all sectors in the UK,…
Parliament calls for better protection for “platform workers”
Speaking ahead of a crucial vote this Wednesday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Socialists and Democrats are calling on the Commission to better protect platform workers. The goal is to improve the working conditions for all digital platform workers, including the genuinely self-employed. Currently, platform workers are not covered by an EU legal…
“Meat Atlas” Exposes Damage Caused by Industrial Livestock Farming
Industrial animal farming is increasingly damaging the climate and biodiversity, according to the ‘Meat Atlas’ just released by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and Friends of the Earth Europe. The livestock industry is responsible for up to 21% of global greenhouse-gas emissions/ This figure is likely to escalate if the global meat and dairy consumption trends continue. The Meat Atlas…
Impact of Open Source Software on EU Economy
The Commission has published the results of a study analysing the economic impact of Open Source Software and Hardware on the European economy. It is estimated that companies located in the EU invested around €1 billion in Open Source Software in 2018, which brought about a positive impact on the European economy of between €65…
Rule of Law in the EU
The S&D Group in the European parliament said it welcomes the latest annual assessment on the rule of law in the EU but expresses concerns that the report will fail to improve the situation in the Member States without clear and specific recommendation to EU governments. Domènec Ruiz Devesa, S&D MEP who led the Parliament’s work…
EUA Open Science Survey
The European University Association (EUA) has released the findings of the latest edition of its Open Science Survey. The report provides hard data and evidence-based recommendations for institutions, researchers, research funders and policy makers on the transition towards Open Science. With more than 270 responses from 36 European countries, the survey report focuses on the…
Private jets: can the super-rich supercharge zero emission aviation?
CO2 emissions from private jets in Europe increased by nearly a third (31%) between 2005 and 2019, rising faster than commercial aviation emissions, finds a new report from campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E). The report, Private jets: can the super-rich supercharge zero emission aviation?, reveals the climate impact of private jets across Europe. It finds that private jetsare 10 times more carbon intensive than…
EU Must Show Tough Love to the Sahel
The European Union must apply a “tough love” approach to the Sahel, linking continued financial support for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to the implementation of long-promised governance reforms to prevent a further destabilisation of the fragile region, a new Friends of Europe report says. In “Crossing the Wilderness: Europe and the Sahel”,…