Development banks as key players in defense financing
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and other national promotional bank institutionsโ experience is readily available to leverage military expenditure in Europe.
ecosystems
The Union of Skills is Born: From First Steps to Great Strides
Labour shortages in Europe are worsening. The European Commission’s “Union of Skills” proposal is a good start, but innovative solutions are needed. The private employment services sector emphasizes the importance of skilling and advocates for collabor…
Sponsored content: Davos marks a new era of collaboration on AI
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The world has entered a new era of intelligence, as artificial intelligence technologies are being rapidly developed and adopted across industries and around the globe. So, itโs apropos that the theme of the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was โCollaboration in the Intelligent Age.โ With the first provisions of the European Unionโs AI Act set to roll out shortly after the forum wraps, conversations in Davos were buzzing around AI.
In an ever-changing global marketplace, collaborative development and effective governance are essential to building AI ecosystems that are transparent, ethically compliant and safe. On a special branded episode of Power Play, presented by IBM, POLITICO Focus contributor David Himmel explores what true collaboration looks like, the ways open AI systems are changing the game for businesses of all sizes and how industry leaders can work with governments to ensure a return on investment that benefits everyone.
Himmel speaks with Christina Montgomery, IBMโs chief privacy and trust officer and interim leader of government affairs. She talks about the need for access to open AI development, the importance of privacy and how diverse, global collaboration will help solve the questions and challenges we face in this new age of intelligence.
Power Play is a POLITICO original podcast series. This special branded episode from IBM was produced by POLITICO Focus.
Colonialism and greed are undermining action to stop biodiversity loss, report says
Radically transforming the way we live is challenging, experts say, but itโs necessary to address nature destruction as well as social inequity.
Ending harmful subsidies will benefit small-scale fishers
WTO members are negotiating new rules that would limit damaging fisheries subsidies. Finalizing these is essential for protecting the health of the fish stocks on which many coastal communities rely.
Our Communities Cannot Sieve Their Way Out of Plastic Pellet Pollution [Promoted content]
Coastal communities across Europe face increasing devastation from plastic pellets, a major source of microplastic pollution. Strong, EU-wide regulation is urgently needed to prevent pellet loss along the supply chain and protect ecosystems, livelihood…
Want food security? Eat less meat, major report says.
Europe’s top farming university is calling for smaller livestock herds and a shift toward plant-based diets.
COP16 fizzles out as rich countries block global nature fund
The outcome left African and Latin American nations furious and prompted some to refuse to engage on other biodiversity issues.
How do we close Europeโs innovation gap? Start with advanced connectivity and a strong intellectual property rights frameworkย
Mobile technology underpins technologies ranging from AI to self-driving cars. To create more of these advances, we need proper incentives to further develop a dynamic standardization ecosystem that nurtures innovation.
What Boris Johnson can teach the EU about restoring nature
The European Commission hopes capitalism can help solve the biodiversity crisis. Britain might have the answer.
Rewriting Alzheimerโs future together โ a call to action for G7 countries
Treatments for this disease have already advanced dramatically, but there is much further to go. We must take this historic opportunity to usher in a new era
Costas Kadis: A bookish technocrat to handle oceans and fisheries
A conservation biologist by training, Kadis has held several ministerial posts over the past 25 years.
Swiss voters reject biodiversity proposal in blow to conservation campaigners
Plan aimed to expand protection of endangered ecosystems but opponents say it posed risk to business developmentVoters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to make authorities do more to protect natural habitats from pollution and development, preli…
Nature-based Solutions benefit people and planet, so why are they missing from EU policies? [Promoted content]
Europe is set to face immense socio-ecological challenges in the coming decades, including extreme heat and flooding, with dire impacts for community health and city infrastructure. There is, however, good news: we have a powerful tool at our disposal:…
The plan to save European farming
Five things you need to know about a report on the future of farming presented to Commission chief von der Leyen.
I went to Iceland for a road trip. I left with climate anxiety.
As Iceland melts, visiting eco-tourists face a wake-up call.
I went to Iceland for a road trip. I left with climate anxiety.
As Iceland melts, visiting eco-tourists face a wake-up call.
I went to Iceland for a road trip. I left with climate anxiety.
As Iceland melts, visiting eco-tourists face a wake-up call.
New mandate, new opportunity: A competitiveness strategy for European life sciences
We have an important chance to regain Europeโs edge in one of its most important sectors โ and, in turn, help people live longer and feel better.
Serbiaโs leader wins the West with promises of โwhite goldโ โ but loses the people
Aleksandar Vuฤiฤ accuses protesters who oppose an EU-backed lithium mine of trying to overthrow him.
Inside the battle for top job that will decide the future of deep-sea mining
Marking a pivotal moment for the fate of the barely known ecosystems on the ocean floor, 168 nations will decide this week who will head the International Seabed AuthorityLeticia Carvalho is clear what the problem is with the body she hopes to be elect…
Yellen says $3T of fresh capital is needed annually to fight climate change
The Treasury secretary called the shift to a low-carbon global economy โthe single greatest opportunity of the 21st century.โ
EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities ย โ uncovering the major impacts of a 15-year experiment
The EITโs first three industry-focused networks are now set to โgraduateโ. What have they achieved and are they ready to operate independently?
CODE calls for open ecosystems, enabling Europe to become AI app world leader [Advocacy Lab Content]
Is openness at the heart of the EUโs competitiveness strategy? Euractiv spoke with Lorenzo Frollini founder, CEO & CTO of Flywallet, a wearable technology, biometrics and AI company. Frollini explains why Flywallet supports open digital ecosystems….
CODE Talks: A More Competitive Europe Starts with Open Digital Ecosystems [Advocacy Lab Content]
On 22 May, the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE) hosted “CODE Talks: A More Competitive Europe Starts with Open Digital Ecosystems.”
Microsoft and Google AI deals get EU antitrust scrutiny, Vestager says
“We cannot just sit back and see how things pan out,” the competition commissioner said.
Polandโs eastern Maginot Line raises nature worries
New border defenses running through the ancient Biaลowieลผa Forest are “all about taking advantage of natural terrain,” says a retired general.
The New Council Conclusion on the 8th EAP: A new step towards a Water-Smart Strategy [Promoted content]
On Monday, the 17th of June, the Council adopted its conclusions on the mid-term review of the 8th environment action programme, paving the way forward to a green, just and inclusive transition for a sustainable Europe. The water community welcomes the…
Disputed Nature Restoration Law finally gets approved in Council
Countries in the Union will now have to respect legally binding targets regarding national efforts to restore degraded land and sea ecosystems in compliance with the newly endorsed Nature Restoration Law. Due to its politicized nature, the text risked …
Open digital ecosystems, a catalyst for European growth [Advocacy Lab Content]
Open-source software is at least as secure as closed-source according to 86% of surveyed tech experts. Consumer tech choice and EU competitiveness now depend on transparency, interoperability and good governance.
Do We Have All the Right Networks for the Future? [Promoted content]
The EU Single Market is an achievement. Now, we need a true Digital Single Market. Companies must be able to scale up and compete in a global digital economy. We must also strengthen educational networks for healthy European socioeconomic ecosystems.
New tech coalition, CODE, is growing a collaborative digital ecosystem to boost EU growth [Advocacy Lab Content]
The Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), recently held its first public event in Brussels, with Qualcomm and Meta headlining. The technology coalition is emerging as a serious new stakeholder in the Brussels digital, tech, and competition poli…
How Open Digital Ecosystems Can Boost Europeโs Competitiveness [Promoted content]
Embracing open digital ecosystems is vital for Europe’s future. By focusing on openness, choice and collaboration, the EU can foster innovation and competitiveness. Lynx CEO Stan Larroque and Wire Group CEO Benjamin Schilz argue for bold action in
cre…
Open digital ecosystems, the starting point for a competitive Europe [Advocacy Lab Content]
Open digital ecosystems, the starting point for a competitive Europe
LIVE NOW! A roadmap to EU forest resilience โ Tackling climate change and forest disturbances
Forests play a vital role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. They act as carbon sinks and preserve biodiversity and ecosystems. Yet, climate change is increasingly causing extreme weather conditions, and damages such as wildfires, windstorms …
MEPs to watch in the next EU Parliament (if they get elected)
POLITICOโs guide to key European lawmakers to pay attention to in the run-up to EU election June 6-9.
Greece becomes first European country to ban bottom trawling in marine parks
The law will come into force in national parks within two years and in all of the countryโs marine protected areas by 2030Greece has become the first country in Europe to announce a ban on bottom trawling in all of its national marine parks and protect…
Stop EU companies from bankrolling nature destruction
Europe is complicit in the destruction of ecosystems and should regulate its funding of companies associated with deforestation.
Droughts prove EUโs water resilience urgently needs holistic strategy [Advocacy Lab Content]
With several EU member states facing the impacts of drought conditions and the blocโs water ecosystems under pressure, experts have voiced the need for a โholistic approachโ to increase Europeโs water resilience.
Sh*t hits the fan as Britainโs politicians squabble over record sewage spills
England’s reputation as a green and pleasant land takes a knock.
The European โBusiness Caseโ for Nature Restoration [Promoted content]
Letโs be clear โ the value and benefits of healthy natural ecosystems are priceless.ย From businesses large and small, to landowners and farmers, innovators, public sector authorities and citizens of every EU Member State, all our different ways of life…
EUโs telecom regulatory body needs to change, says Commissionโs director Kloc
The role of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications needs to change, given the expanding regulatory scope of its members in broader ecosystems, said Kamila Kloc in an interview with Euractiv.
LIVE NOW! Securing water for tomorrow โ What course should the EU take?
Water is essential to human life, to the health of our ecosystems and to European economies, yet it is under increasing stress due to overexploitation, rising demand and the effects of climate change.
Kate Middleton photo scandal shows Britainโs royals are flailing in the digital age
The Prince and Princess of Wales have fallen foul of increasing public suspicion about manipulated images.
5 things we learned from the EUโs big (and first) climate risk report
Farming must change. Diets must evolve. Southern Europe is at risk. And disaster looms if EU leaders donโt act after Juneโs elections.
Ammonia levels four times higher in Europeโs farming regions, study finds
Agriculture produces 80% of ammonia in air which forms particle pollution when it reacts with traffic emissionsA study has revealed the sources of ammonia that is polluting our air and damaging our health and ecosystems.Researchers collected measuremen…
European parliament votes for watered-down law to restore nature
EU target aims to restore at least 20% of land and sea ecosystems by 2030 despite farmersโ protests and rightwing oppositionThe European parliament has given the green light to a watered-down law to restore nature, after weeks of fierce protests from f…
Press release – Nature restoration: Parliament adopts law to restore 20% of EUโs land and sea
The new law sets a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EUโs land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP
EU conservatives are fueling far right with Green Deal crusade, Spainโs deputy PM warns
โThey tried to emulate the far right to avoid the far right. At the end, everybody goes towards the far right,โ Teresa Ribera told POLITICO.
Norway lured by deep-sea mining for rare metals
Norway has just authorised commercial deep-sea mining on its seabed, which is rich in rare and precious metals. This announcement has whetted the appetite of mining companies, which are developing robots and drones to collect the potato-sized rocks, l…
Unlocked: Top 10 behind-the-paywall stories of 2023
A Christmas gift for all the policy wonks out there.
Meet the moment: Donโt set back the clock on patients
A wave of concerning policies around the globe that are currently being implemented or are under discussion will, if the trend continues, have a profoundly negative impact on patients.
Norwayโs parliament backs deep-sea mining plans
Environmentalists warn move to extract minerals needed for green industries risks damaging fragile ecosystems
Turning the Tide: Prioritising Regenerative Agriculture to secure a sustainable future in the EU
We are facing environmental crisis and must act immediately to avert it. Regenerative agriculture could be one of the answers.
Marine heatwaves hit Mediterranean as eastern US braces for storms
Eastern Mediterranean sea surface temperatures up to 4C above normal, while Black Sea up to 6C higherAbove-normal sea surface temperatures are being recorded across much of the Mediterranean, especially in eastern areas. While sea surface temperatures …
Whoโs who at COP28
Biden and Xi will probably skip it, but the summit will have Lula, the pope and King Charles. And yeah, Rishi Sunak.
Oil industry rides into climate summit bigger than ever
Price spikes driven by the war in Ukraine are helping fill the petroleum giantsโ coffers, despite governmentsโ promises of a greener era.
Are wetlands really flood risk? Experts debunk most common myths around these precious ecosystems
Bog bodies and flood risks: Hereโs what Europeans are getting wrong on wetlands.
Restoring nature is possible โ but we must work together
Long-lasting partnerships between governments, businesses and NGOs are needed to realize a positive future for climate, nature and communities.
EU nature law fight ends in pyrrhic victory for Green Deal defenders
The final text includes major concessions to conservative lawmakers, weakening key parts of the legislation.
Press release – EU Nature restoration law: MEPs strike deal to restore 20% of EUโs land and sea
The new law, agreed with member states, sets a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EUโs land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.Committee on Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentCommittee on the Environment…
Crunch time for EU conservativesโ push to kill nature law
Whether the EU’s nature restoration bill lives or dies lies largely in the hands of the European Peopleโs Party.
Advancing animal welfare is key to preventing next pandemic
Improving the welfare of farm animals is fundamental to more sustainable food systems. However, it looks increasingly likely that the Commission will sacrifice animal welfare on the altar of economy.
Hydropower: The only sustainable European energy transition
There is an urgent need for flexible solutions to speed up the fight against climate change and shape a clean-energy future.
Regulating AI through shared, secure and sustainable approaches
The three Sโs that can guide us in harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence.
Putting hearts first when it comes to aging healthily
Heart failure is the greatest health risk facing our aging population. Governments can help prevent premature death and โadd life to our yearsโ with immediate action and investment in accessible diagnostics.
UK wildlife continues long-term decline in diversity and abundance
Comprehensive assessment finds little sign of overall improvement in health of Britainโs ecosystems
High seas treaty moves closer to reality with first signatures
Nearly 70 countries at the United Nations on Wednesday (20 September) signed a first-ever treaty on protecting the international high seas, raising hopes that it will come into force soon and protect threatened ecosystems vital to the planet.
What Ursula von der Leyen said vs. what she meant
We peel back the rhetorical layers of the Commission president’s carefully calibrated State of the Union speech.
Europeโs conservative lawmakers are at it again โ this time on air pollution
Center-right lawmakers are pushing to significantly water down proposed European guidelines on cleaner air.
Towards global action on resource governance
With mining set to increase in the near future, its negative impact on vulnerable communities and ecosystems is bound to worsen. Governments need to ensure their protection from the activities of the mining industry, write Diego Marin and Jan Morrill.ย
Article – Preventing groundwater and surface waters pollution in the EU
Clean water is essential for humans and healthy ecosystems. Find out what the EU and European Parliament are doing to safeguard it. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2023 – EP
Summer 2023 was the hottest ever, scientists say
This summer was the hottest on record โby a large margin,โ the EUโs Copernicusย Climate Change Service said today, with a global average temperature of 16.77 degrees Celsius, which is 0.66C above the 1991-2020ย average. โGlobal temperature records continue to tumble in 2023, with the warmest August following on from the warmest July and June leading to [โฆ]
What can we learn from this summer of wildfires?
EURACTIVโs Beyond the Byline podcast is back and this week, we’re looking at the wildfires that have devastated regions across southern Europe. The continent was once again battling scorching temperatures this summer, with wildfires blazing acros…