MSCA co-funds doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes with €96.2 million

The European Commission will provide co-funding for 12 doctoral training and 15 postdoctoral fellowship programmes. The European Commission has announced the results of the 2023 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) call for Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND), part of the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe. The European Commission will provide …

Read more

New EEA monitoring tool reviews progress on plastics circularity in Europe

Plastics production and consumption patterns across Europe remain unsustainable and need to be made more circular to reduce waste, pollution, climate change and other negative impacts on the environment according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published. The briefing also highlights the introduction of a new monitoring tool where people, policy makers and others can check …

Read more

Strong coverage of education in this year’s European Semester Spring package

Education is featured prominently throughout the package, which acknowledges the importance of human capital and skills development for productivity, competitiveness, and the green and digital transitions. The European Commission published its European Semester Spring package, including 27 country reports and country specific recommendations, 18 of which concern education. Country reports The reports outline key economic, …

Read more

Commission seeks input from industry on the use of artificial intelligence in finance

The Commission has launched a targeted consultation and a workshop series to seek input from stakeholders on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in finance. The initiatives cover use cases, benefits, barriers, risks and stakeholder needs. The consultation and workshops target all financial stakeholders. The input received will enable the Commission to provide guidance to …

Read more

The 2024 EU Prize for Citizens Science goes to three projects addressing marine pollution, agricultural biodiversity, and mental health

The winners of the EU 2024 Prize for Citizen Science were announced on June 12th. Citizen science – the general public engagement in scientific research activities – contributes to a vibrant civil society and is getting increasingly popular with Europeans. Out of the 288 applications, three citizen science initiatives received the main prizes and 27 …

Read more

Commission secures access for Member States to 665,000 doses of zoonotic influenza vaccines to prevent avian flu

The Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) as part of its mandate on preparedness, has signed on behalf of participating Member States, a joint procurement framework contract for the supply of up to 665,000 pre-pandemic vaccine doses of the up-to-date Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Seqirus, as well as an option for a further 40 million doses …

Read more

EU Justice Scoreboard 2024 shows that perception of judicial independence has improved

The European Commission has published the twelfth edition of the EU Justice Scoreboard, an annual overview providing comparative data on the efficiency, quality, and independence of justice systems among the EU Member States. Compared to last year, the public’s perception of judicial independence has improved, also in countries that had experienced systemic challenges. This year’s Scoreboard …

Read more

EU law on combatting violence against women enters into force

The first ever EU rules on combating violence against women and domestic violence entered into force. Violence against women and domestic violence affect an estimated one in three of the 228 million women in the EU. By criminalising certain forms of violence against women across the EU, including online, and strengthening victims’ access to justice, protection and support, …

Read more