Commission proposes increased tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain products

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission is today proposing to increase the tariffs on imports into the EU of cereals, oilseeds, and derived products (‘grain products’) from Russia and Belarus, including wheat, maize, and sunflower meal.  These tariffs, while high enough to suppress such imports into the EU […]

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Korea will join the growing group of countries associated to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. Today, Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Lee Jong Ho, Korean Minister for Science and Information and Communication Technology concluded negotiations on […]

Commission opens non-compliance investigations against Alphabet, Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets Act

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission has opened non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) into Alphabet’s rules on steering in Google Play and self-preferencing on Google Search, Apple’s rules on steering in the App Store and the choice screen for Safari and Meta’s “pay or consent model”. The Commission suspects that the measures put in […]

New survey shows Pact for Skills helped train 3.5 million workers

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. More than 3.5 million workers received training from 2,500 organisations under the Pact for Skills in 2022 and 2023, according to key results of the annual survey on the Pact, published today on the occasion of the Pact for Skills Forum. These results highlight the importance of skills development, in line with […]

How innovation can save the world’s remaining biodiversity

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: John Dutton, Head, Uplink; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, Allison Voss, Innovation Ecosystem Lead – Nature, World Economic Forum The concept of biodiversity may be broad and complex, encompassing all life-forms on our planet and the finely-tuned […]

Team Europe and African partners launch four initiatives to strengthen health systems and social protection in Africa

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Three health Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs) were launched today during the high-level event on the European Union (EU) – African Union (AU) partnership on Global Health for equitable access, in Brussels. The TEIs will strengthen health security, support Public Health Institutes in Africa, and boost […]

Commission sends Statement of Objections to Kingspan for providing incorrect, incomplete and misleading information during merger investigation

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Kingspan alleging that the company provided incorrect, incomplete and misleading information during the 2021 Commission’s investigation under the EU Merger Regulation (‘EUMR’) of Kingspan’s planned acquisition of Trimo. Kingspan ultimately abandoned the transaction. In March 2021, Kingspan notified to the Commission […]

Commission recommends actions to combat counterfeiting and better protect intellectual property rights

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission has today adopted a Recommendation to combat counterfeiting, both offline and online, and enhance the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR). The Recommendation, also known as the EU toolbox against counterfeiting, aims to foster collaboration between rights holders, service providers, and law enforcement, […]

Parliament calls on Israel to open all crossings to Gaza for humanitarian aid

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs are deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the risk of imminent starvation. In a resolution adopted by 372 votes in favour, 44 against and 120 abstentions, MEPs call on Israel to immediately allow and facilitate full aid delivery into […]

Commission welcomes political agreement on European Health Data Space

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) – one of the central building blocks of a strong European Health Union. The rules proposed by the Commission in May 2022 […]

Memo on the Commission’s package of support to EU farmers

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Delivering on its commitment to ease administrative burden for EU farmers, the European Commission has today proposed to review certain provisions of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) related to conditionality and CAP Strategic Plans. These proposals aim to reduce the burden related to controls for EU […]

MEPs agree to extend trade support for Moldova, continue work on Ukraine

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Wednesday, MEPs endorsed the renewal of trade liberalisation measures for Moldova and amended the proposal on Ukraine to reinforce safeguards for EU farmers. Parliament voted with 347 votes in favour, 117 against and 99 abstentions to amend the Commission’s proposal to suspend import duties and […]

International Women’s Day: Give girls role models to overcome obstacles

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. In a ceremony marking International Women’s Day, Ivana Andrés and Alba Redondo from the Spanish women’s national football team addressed MEPs in Strasbourg. President Metsola thanked the players for shattering stereotypes and showing that gender does not have to hinder the road to success. […]

EU sanctions: new rules to crack down on violations

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs have approved new rules to harmonise the enforcement of EU sanctions across member states. With 543 votes in favour, 45 against, and 27 abstentions, the European Parliament has adopted a directive, agreed with member states, on criminalising the violation and circumvention of EU […]

How universities can use blockchain to transform research

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Scott Doughman, Chief Business Officer, Seal Storage Technology Imagine a scenario where you are a professor at a research university entering the next stage of your research project. Just as you’re about to dive deeper, you find yourself in […]

Weekend reads: Microfactories, what ‘inclusion culture’ requires and gearing up for the new energy era

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Gayle Markovitz, Acting Head, Written and Audio Content, World Economic Forum Look beyond the headline noise for these thoughtful expert insights and one-of-a-kind features that put the world’s biggest changes into fresh context. This week: the future of factories […]

This is the state of gender parity in the film industry in 2024

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda Barbie was the highest-grossing film of 2023, earning $1.4 billion at the box office worldwide and receiving eight Oscar nominations. It’s essentially a feminist film that takes a gentle pop at the patriarchy […]

OECD warning on government bond debt and other economic stories to read

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda 1. OECD expects government bond debt to rise in 2024 The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) anticipates total government bond debt across its 38 member countries will climb to $56 […]

The European Commission invites farmers to participate in online survey on simplification

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. As announced in its proposals to reduce the burden weighing on farmers’ shoulders, the Commission is launching today an online survey to gather directly the views of EU farmers. The survey is open from 7 March to 8 April, and will ask short questions, available in all […]

The European Commission launches new migration partnership with Mauritania

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Union is strengthening the cooperation between EU and Mauritania by launching a migration partnership and dialogue. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson together with the Mauritanian Minister of Interior and Decentralisation, Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine, have signed a Joint Declaration launching an […]

Excerpts from the Press Conference of China’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi on March 7 2024

This article was first published at the website of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China On March 7, 2024, a press conference was held on the margins of the Second Session of the 14th National People’s Congress at the Media Center, during which Member of the Political Bureau of the […]

Protecting Children: Healthcare and Safety in Conflict Zones

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Bibek Shrestha is a fourth year medical student from Maharajgunj medical Campus, Institute of Medicine Maharajgunj medical campus, Nepal. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer […]

Cooperating on mass timber: How bio-based construction can build a greener future 

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Scott Francisco, Founder and Director, Pilot Projects Collaborative To make progress on decarbonizing the built environment, currently responsible for approximately 35-40% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we need to understand a few key figures. The first is that […]

Disinformation is a threat to our trust ecosystem. Experts explain how to curb it

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Jesus Serrano, Global Communications Group, World Economic Forum In an era where digital technology is part of almost every aspect of our lives, the dissemination of information has never been easier or more instantaneous. Yet, in a world where […]

What are forever chemicals, and why does the EU want to ban them?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Andrea Willige, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda “Forever” usually has positive connotations. But sometimes we don’t want things to last forever – pollutants, for example. Risk experts surveyed for the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024 said pollution was one of […]

What do scientists think about different climate policy? And why should we care?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Ivan Savin, Professor of Quantitative Analytics, ESCP Business School (Madrid campus) , Research Fellow, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA – UAB) Understanding scientists’ opinions about climate policy is important for at least two reasons. Firstly, scientists advise policymakers […]

How technology is driving net zero in the Middle East

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Emma Charlton, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda We are in real trouble. Unless humanity acts now, the world is on track for a climate catastrophe that will completely disrupt how and where we live. There are few bigger red flags […]

The European Union continues to implement the Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia with the disbursement of EUR 150 million in financial support

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Union maintains its commitment to Tunisia through the disbursement of financial aid in the form of budgetary support worth EUR 150 million under the support programme for macroeconomic reforms by Tunisia (programme d’appui aux réformes macro-économiques de la Tunisie (PARME)) approved by the EU and Tunisia […]

Deal on new rules for more sustainable packaging in the EU

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Monday, Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on revamped rules to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging, increase safety and boost the circular economy. The new measures aim to make packaging used in the EU safer and more sustainable, by requiring all packaging […]

EU secures results at WTO Ministerial but important work remains to reform global trade rulebook

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission was instrumental in brokering important outcomes at the 13th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (MC13) that ended Friday in Abu Dhabi. After a week of intense engagement, EU negotiators secured important agreements on e-commerce, new rules to improve global services trade, […]

Commission fines Apple over €1.8 billion over abusive App store rules for music streaming providers

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission The European Commission has fined Apple over €1.8 billion for abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users (‘iOS users’) through its App Store. In particular, the Commission found that Apple applied restrictions […]

Our resources are running out. These charts show how urgently action is needed

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Emma Charlton, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda We’re racing into a resources crisis that’s set to intensify unless urgent action is taken. Global natural resource consumption is predicted to increase by 60% by 2060, compared with 2020 levels, according to […]

Commission will proceed to paying EUR 50 million to UNRWA and increase emergency support to Palestinians by EUR 68 million in 2024

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission has decided to allocate an additional EUR 68 million to support the Palestinian population across the region to be implemented through international partners like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. This comes in addition to the foreseen EUR 82 million […]

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