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…
Journalism is more dangerous – and more under threat – than at any point in the last decade, according to a report by the globally respected international group, Reporters Without Borders (RWB). Both freedom of speech and information serve as indicators of freedom in society. But journalists, correspondents and reporters, even those who do not…
The European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee calls for more EU self- sufficiency and better-coordinated strategies to tackle medicine shortages. In a report on the shortage of medicines, adopted by 79 votes to 1 and 0 abstentions, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee addresses the root causes of medicines shortages….
A new report by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) highlights that older consumers could drive economic growth in the post-pandemic recovery but business is failing to meet their needs. “Lockdown not shutdown: How can we unlock the longevity dividend post-pandemic?” argues that older people on a fixed income may have not faced as significant a financial shock as younger people yet lockdown has made it difficult for this group, particularly those…
A new report by the charity Waterloo Uncovered reveals how archaeological work on the battlefield of Waterloo is helping Veterans and Serving Military Personnel with recovery from some of the mental and physical impacts of their service. Published to mark the 5th anniversary of the charity, and coinciding this week with the 205th anniversary of…
A new report has found nuclear-armed states spent a record $73 billion on nuclear weapons in 2019, a $14 billion increase from 2018 expenditures. The United States, the center of the global coronavirus pandemic, accounted for nearly half of that spending. As the economies of the US, China, France, and Russia all contract, their nuclear spending is…
How optimistic or pessimistic do people in the European Union view their personal future and the future of their country? How does this differ between EU member states? And how do these basic attitudes relate to party-political preferences? These questions are answered by the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s new eupinions study “The Optimism Paradox”. The key finding:…
