Global CO2 emissions declined sharply in 2020, but with a rebound expected in 2021 efforts must be intensified if the world is to reach the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement and keep global warming well below 2°C, a new study shows. The study, which has been conducted as part of the Global Carbon Project, was published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change today, on 3 March 2021. It…
A new report, Digitalisation: An opportunity for Europe, shows how increased digitalisation of Europe’s services and value chains over the next six years could boost the European Union’s GDP per capita by 7.2% – equivalent to a €1 trillion increase in overall GDP. The report, commissioned by Vodafone and conducted by Deloitte, looks at the five…
Transparency International (TI) has published their annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). This index ranks countries based on their exposure to corruption in the public sector. Scores range from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt). The CPI 2020 found that Hungary scored 44 in 2020 and ranked 69th overall – placing the country alongside Bulgaria…
This year’s National Sickie Day falls on the 3rd of February, with researchers predicting it will cost employers £34million in total. There was an estimated 350,000 absences* from work on the first Monday of February last year, indicating this is when employees are most likely to call in sick, leaving employers unsure whether they are telling…
Evidence has been tabled before the US congress in a committee report alleging that China may have committed genocide in Xinjiang. The report is the latest in a long series of indictments of China’s treatment of Uighurs and other non-Han racial minorities. China has come under intense international criticism over its policies in Xinjiang. China…
Despite a spectacular economic reaction to the pandemic crisis, the authors of the 2020 edition of the European “Bilan social’’, express concerns about the so-called ‘social affairs players’ being sidelined in the new Recovery and Resilience Facility, the “fuzzy” EU commitment to gender issues, the EU response to rising in-work poverty and the setting a new…
The UK-EU trade deal prioritises sovereignty over economics. Politicians will soon be talking about how to improve the deal. Very little about the UK’s long-term relationship with the EU has been settled, writes Charles Grant. One particular comment that I heard during the Brexit negotiations has lodged in my memory. In September 2020, a senior…
Vodafone Institute has released a new report in partnership with the Borderstep Institute and the Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany. Key highlights include: CO2 emissions from data centres have been declining in Europe for 5 years, despite a massive increase in processing power; Politics must invest in research and funding in areas such…
New essay published by Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform is a must read. For the third time this century, the geopolitical kaleidoscope has been severely shaken. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the financial crisis, the double whammy of Donald Trump’s presidency and COVID-19 is causing further disruption to the global order. Each of…
There has never been a greater focus on the development of a clean hydrogen market. However, the focus of policy to date has been directed towards increasing production using electricity generated by renewables, ignoring the potential role of other low-carbon power sources, notably nuclear power. A new report by the New Nuclear Watch Institute analyses…
