European Parliament - Eprs Policy Podcasts

In the first two decades of the 21st century, with new risks and opportunities arising owing to the twin digital and green transformations there is an emerging debate, rethinking economic growth theories with more focus on inclusion and combatting inequality, and exploring the relevance of traditional welfare state models. This debate has intensified in the wake of the 2008 crisis, and now also as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis. The social economy can play a central role in this context. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659336 https://youtu.be/yOSmw0F_DbE Source: © European Union - EP

European territorial cooperation has brought Europeans closer together, strengthened connectivity and improved the natural environment, supported by EU mechanisms such as the European groupings of territorial cooperation, and macro-regional strategies. Yet despite these achievements, numerous obstacles to closer cooperation still remain, such as divergent national rules in the areas of employment, healthcare and social security. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659340 https://youtu.be/qxGml8XKEeE Source: © European Union - EP

Covering nearly one third of the land surface of the globe, forests make a wide range of direct and indirect contributions to human well-being. Home to most of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, they also play an essential role in climate change mitigation, removing about a quarter of the CO2 that human activities add to the atmosphere. Worldwide, millions of hectares of forests and other types of vegetation burn every year. Fire dynamics are shaped by a complex set of factors, including human activity and climate. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659353 https://youtu.be/JluwTE3Z4Zs Source: © European Union - EP

The marked political shift towards greater technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy within the EU has been given further impetus with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted global value chains and highlighted the case for a more self-sufficient EU model. Important projects of common European interest may be useful tools for creating complex new value chains that have the potential to ensure the EU's long-term competitiveness and economic growth. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659341 https://youtu.be/Hrz-79HM_M0 Source: © European Union - EP

International maritime transport is the backbone of the global economy. However, vessels release emissions that pollute the air and contribute significantly to global warming. As shipping is forecast to grow, reducing these emissions is urgent, in order not to undermine emissions-reducing efforts in other areas, to keep humans healthy, preserve the environment and limit climate change. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659296 https://youtu.be/JzMNAmOALq4 Source: © European Union - EP

Household consumption in the EU has major environmental impacts, which in a number of cases exceed planetary boundaries. Two thirds of consumers in the EU realise that their consumption habits have negative effects on the environment, and the solution that they mention most often is to change consumption habits and production patterns. However, a number of studies have shown a gap between consumers' good intentions and their actual behaviour. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659295 https://youtu.be/xOT6q4vk3FE Source: © European Union - EP

The question of setting a minimum wage is one of the most analysed and debated topics in economics. Over recent years and in the context of the economic and social crisis engendered by the COVID-19 outbreak, the creation of a European minimum wage is increasingly considered as a useful instrument to ensure fair wages and social inclusion. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659294 https://youtu.be/BneiRi_3CpY Source: © European Union - EP

Statistics and research results show that in recent decades, before the coronavirus pandemic, the EU's labour market witnessed an increase in female employment rates. Women's employment seems to have been more resilient than men's to the economic and financial crisis in 2008. The coronavirus crisis, however, has had a harsher impact on women than on men when it comes to the labour market. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)659307 https://youtu.be/L-VxBkfdP1c Source: © European Union - EP

Intergovernmental organisations need money to finance their activities, realise their goals and maintain their own structures. But where does this money come from? How big are the budgets? And how much do citizens of different countries contribute? Let’s try to answer these questions by comparing the numbers of three of the world’s largest intergovernmental organisations: The United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652084 https://youtu.be/gY3555eD1cQ Source: © European Union - EP

As governments scramble to protect their populations from COVID-19 many of the personal freedoms and rights we take for granted are being –temporarily- taken away… Although certain rights enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights can be suspended in situations of emergency, an extra effort is needed to prevent abuse and protect the most vulnerable. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652085 https://youtu.be/2mVYyharO1U Source: © European Union - EP

The EU is set to review the way it has implemented the so-called permanent structured cooperation in the field of security and defence - PESCO for short - before the end of the year. It’ll be an opportunity to review strengths and weaknesses and see how to better match ambitions with capabilities to pursue its own security interests and become a strategic global security provide… but without clear purpose and direction, the EU’s quest for “strategic autonomy” could end up being little more than a catchphrase… https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652051 https://youtu.be/3PsHCnpkqHM Source: © European Union - EP

As the world’s second largest economy and with an ever-expanding domestic market, including a growing wealthy middle-class with a taste for high-quality products with foreign labels, China is an opportunity European businesses and investors cannot afford to ignore… But it’s a difficult market to access! And not a very fair nor transparent one… So, what is the EU doing to achieve a real level playing field for EU investors in China? https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652066 https://youtu.be/oFxIoMtz2ms Source: © European Union - EP

With a population of around 150 million, there are more pigs than any other livestock category in the EU! The sector is supported by the Common Agricultural Policy, but it is facing serious challenges… Its negative impact on the environment, concerns about animal health and an uncertain international context need to be addressed if the sector is to become more sustainable in the future and match the EU’s green ambitions. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652044 https://youtu.be/wDIfNDq1tvM Source: © European Union - EP

Torn by climate change, food insecurity, uncontrolled population growth, political instability and terrorism, the Sahel poses an evolving threat on Europe’s doorstep, as the August coup in Mali has once again shown. With more or less success, the EU’s strategy for the region has tried to address the multiple factors of instability but the new action plan for the region will need to take the EU’s and Africa’s new geopolitical interests on board if it is to be more successful than its predecessor… http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652050 https://youtu.be/gxKNSSl5LlQ Source: © European Union - EP

The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on our lives, our economies, our societies but also on electoral processes around the world, with many elections being postponed in order to protect citizens’ health. But this involves a delicate balancing act between ensuring the democratic right to vote and a government’s responsibility to protect public health. So, what can we learn from experience? http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652017 Source: © European Union - EP

To help consumers to make healthier food choices, the European Commission wants producers of foods and drinks to display clear nutritional information on the front-of-pack. But this may not be so simple… Some Member States have already introduced their own labelling schemes to mark “healthy” products but will the EU win the battle at European scale? http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652028 Source: © European Union - EP

Following the post-Cold War reset, EU-Russia relations have been strained, not least by Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, to which the EU responded with hard-hitting sanctions. Putin’s support for rebel groups in eastern Ukraine, his policies in the neighbourhood, disinformation campaigns and Russia’s intervention in Syria just added fuel to the fire... And yet, the two remain closely interdependent… So, how to deal with Putin’s Russia? http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652030 Source: © European Union - EP

Organised crime is a growing threat to the EU and its citizens. And new digital technologies, combined with open borders and free trade, only make it easier for criminals… But the EU is stepping up police and judicial cooperation, as well as information-sharing, in order to stay one step ahead of them and make sure that crime does not pay! http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)652043 Source: © European Union - EP

An efficient and modern public system is a pre-condition for smart societies and economies. But how do we foster public sector innovation? The EU doesn’t have a direct role here, but it can definitely provide direction! So, stay with us… as we spell out a new vision for the public sector in Europe! https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)651954 Source: © European Union - EP

As more and more European countries went into lockdown, trade within the EU and the foundations of its single market were hit hard! The EU was quick to respond, but the effects of the pandemic on both European and world economies will be deep and long-lasting… https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2020)651974 Source: © European Union - EP