First vote on the biggest EU customs reform since 1968

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Thursday, the Internal Market Committee adopted its position on the EU Customs Code reform that will restructure the way customs authorities work in the EU. The proposed reform aims to relieve customs authorities who have come under huge pressure due to the exponential […]

This is how biodiversity loss impacts medicine and human health

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 From creating the oxygen we breathe, to the food we eat, plants are essential to human existence. But they’re dying out 500 times faster than they did before we walked the Earth. […]

New EU deforestation law: A 5-step guide to giving deforestation the chop

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Jack Hurd, Executive Director, Tropical Forest Alliance, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum The first-of-its-kind EU legislation on deforestation-free products is just two weeks old, and is receiving mixed reviews, depending on your vantage point. The new […]

What are central bank digital currencies?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Victoria Masterson, Senior Writer, Formative Content Money isn’t paper and coins any more. It’s increasingly digital – and a growing number of central banks are considering issuing their own digital currencies. Australia is the latest country to trial […]

Energy Security: Commission welcomes swift adoption of new gas storage rules

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. New storage legislation adopted today will strengthen the EU’s security of gas supply in view of the upcoming and next winters. Faced with the threat of supply disruptions by Russia, the EU Gas Storage Regulation requires that Europe’s gas reserves are refilled before the winter, […]

Zero Pollution: Large number of Europe’s bathing waters meet highest quality standards

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The annual Bathing Water report  published today shows that in 2021 almost 85% of Europe’s bathing water sites met the European Union’s most stringent ‘excellent’ water quality standards. The assessment gives a good indication of where swimmers can find the best quality bathing sites […]

The UN tells Elon Musk how his money could end world hunger

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Johnny Wood, Senior Writer, Formative Content The Tesla founder has offered to pay to end world hunger if the UN explains how it would spend his money. Responding to the challenge, the UN’s World Food Programme has produced […]

Living in a pandemic: what are the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of the youth

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Abdul-Rahman Toufik, a medical student at Sumy State University. 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 and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the […]

Energy costs: MEPs debate measures to limit impact of price rises

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. With gas prices surging, and concerns over the impact on consumers and businesses, MEPs, the Council and the Commission debated how to address the crisis. Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said the EU should react in a quick and coordinated manner, and highlighted the measures […]

We must reform trade to build a sustainable, inclusive global recovery

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Børge Brende, President, World Economic Forum & José Viñals Group Chairman, Standard Chartered Bank Trade policy needs to evolve to meet growing global challenges. 29 CEOs and Chairpersons from five continents have called on world leaders to update […]

European Citizens’ Initiative: Commission decides to register ‘ReturnthePlastics’ initiative on plastic bottle recycling

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission decided to register a European Citizens’ Initiative entitled ‘ReturnthePlastics: A Citizen’s Initiative to implement an EU-wide deposit-system to recycle plastic bottles’. The organisers of the initiative call on the Commission to present a proposal to: implement an EU-wide deposit-system to recycle […]

What’s the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees of global warming?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Sean Fleming, Senior Writer, Formative Content The risks to our climate of a rise in global temperatures of 2C over pre-industrial levels could make life unbearable for millions of people. While limiting global warming to 1.5C could, for […]

New Pact on Migration and Asylum: Agreement reached on the new European Union Agency for Asylum

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Commission welcomes the agreement that the European Parliament and the Council have just found to transform the European Asylum Support Office into a European Union Agency of Asylum. It is a key initiative under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The new […]

Health Systems Strengthening amidst the COVID-19 third wave: are we executing what we’ve learned?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Raghad Abdullah Ahmed Tahir, a 20 years old second year medical student in Sudan University of Science and Technology who lives in Khartoum, Sudan. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this […]

Education: EU increases its commitment to Global Partnership for Education with a pledge of €700 million for 2021-2027

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Ahead of the G7 Summit, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced today that the European Union is pledging €700 million for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to help transform education systems for more than one billion girls and boys […]

COVID-19 lessons learnt: boosting EU civil protection

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Monday, a reform of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) was provisionally agreed, aimed at improving prevention, preparedness and response to disasters. Parliament and Council agreed to strengthen the existing legal framework on civil protection, in response to the unprecedented experience of the […]

Is the world up to the challenge of mass COVID-19 vaccination?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Margi Van Gogh, Head of Supply Chain and Transport, World Economic Forum & Ludwig Hausmann, Partner, McKinsey & Company & Christoph Wolff, Head of Shaping the Future of Mobility, World Economic Forum & Detlev Mohr, Senior Partner, McKinsey […]

Coronavirus: 4 new Member States join the rescEU medical reserve

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, Denmark, Greece, Hungary and Sweden have joined Germany and Romania as host states of the rescEU medical equipment reserve. With financial support from the European Commission now altogether 6 EU Member States are building up common European stocks of lifesaving protective and other […]

New Africa-Caribbean-Pacific/EU Partnership: moving forward towards a new partnership fit for the future

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, new impetus was given to the post-Cotonou negotiations on a new agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) as the two chief negotiators agreed on the way forward. Commissioner for International Partnerships and the EU’s new chief negotiator, Jutta […]

Go back up