The latest EU SME Barometer presented shows an unprecedented drop in the Business Climate for SMEs caused by the COVID-19 crisis. This is mainly due to very negative results for the past semester, but also the expectations from the second semester are subdued. As a consequence, the SME Climate Index fell by 18.8, reaching 54.6…
A new international report launched this week ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bankers’ meeting by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK), the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, unveils the significant, and growing, economic impact of older workers across the G20: Nearly 1 in 3 workers across…
There is a significant risk that the EU will not meet its plastic packaging recycling targets for 2025 and 2030, according to a review by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). The update of the legal framework for plastic recycling in 2018 reflects the EU’s increased ambitions and could help boost recycling capacity. The scale of the…
It is almost impossible to assess how the EU contributes to Member States’ efforts to reduce child poverty, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA). The relevance and strength of EU instruments examined are limited because they are not legally binding – and more powerful tools, such as the European…
In light of increasing cases of COVID-19 across Europe and the European Green Deal being discussed this month activists and campaigners including the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the European Roma Grassroots Organizations Network (ERGO), the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), the Partners For Democratic Change Hungary, the PAD Foundation, the Slovak Academy of Science, the Association of Roma Women of Dendropotamos, the Desire…
Global Witness has revealed the highest number of land and environmental defenders murdered on record in a single year, with 212 people killed in 2019 for peacefully defending their homes and standing up to the destruction of nature. Its annual report also sheds a light on the urgent role land and environmental defenders play in fighting climate breakdown,…
Europe is not fully benefitting from advanced technologies to innovate and remain competitive. In 2016, the European Commission launched the Digitising European Industry (DEI) initiative to boost the digitalisation of EU businesses. Despite the Commission’s efforts to support national authorities, progress of the initiative has been uneven among the Member States, according to a new…
A new report commissioned by the French government on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, to be presented to French Prime Minister today shows that solely the expansion of beef production in the Mercosur region as a result of the deal would accelerate deforestation by at least 25% annually and destroy 36,000 km2 of forest per year, which…
As European leaders prepare for talks with China’s Xi Jinping, on Monday 14 September, Datapraxis and YouGov polling commissioned by the foreign policy think-tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), has found that just 7% of Europe’s citizens see China as a “useful” ally in their battle with, and recovery from, COVID-19. Its new…
Low- and middle-income countries could soon leapfrog high-income countries in their adoption of new AI-enabled technologies in health, suggests a report led by the Novartis Foundation and Microsoft. Technologies such as mobile phone trading platforms, e-banking, e-commerce, and even blockchain applications have often been adopted faster and more comprehensively in low- and middle-income countries than…
