Ausgabe Q3/2024
Wichtige News im Überblick
Pesticides: No residues of EU-banned products in imported food | News | European Parliament
The European Parliament voted to reject two Commission proposals that would allow higher pesticide residue levels in imported food for substances banned within the EU. MEPs emphasized that imported products should meet the same safety standards as EU goods to protect citizens’ health and ensure fair competition, calling for a reduction of residue levels to the lowest detectable limit.
Committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs elected | News | European Parliament
All of Parliament’s 20 standing committees and four subcommittees held their constitutive meetings on Tuesday to elect their Chair and Vice-Chairs.
How best to boost the potential of the European Research Area - European Commission
The EU's latest communication on the European Research Area (ERA) highlights four key areas to enhance its impact: aligning investments and reforms, improving access to research excellence, translating scientific outcomes into economic growth, and strengthening researcher career development. Although significant progress has been made in creating a unified and attractive research environment, more investment and reduced regulatory barriers are needed to meet the ERA's ambitious goals for innovation, economic resilience, and competitiveness across Europe.
Commission proposes digital passports and ID cards for easier travel - European Commission
The European Commission has proposed digital passports and ID cards to streamline border control and enhance security within the Schengen area. The new system, including a voluntary "EU Digital Travel" app, will allow travelers to create and store digital versions of their travel documents on their mobile devices, making border crossings faster and more secure by enabling advance checks and reducing administrative burdens.
The European Commission reviewed the Team Europe approach, which has unified EU institutions and countries to create sustainable global partnerships, emphasizing mutual benefits and resilience. As the main driver of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, Team Europe has mobilized substantial public and private investments in climate, digital transition, and other areas to support global development and create competitive opportunities for the EU, targeting €300 billion by 2027.
AI Act enters into force - European Commission
On 1 August 2024, the European Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) entered into force. The Act aims to foster responsible artificial intelligence development and deployment in the EU.
Wichtige Veranstaltungen in den nächsten 6 Monaten:
European Cybersecurity Month 2024: #ThinkB4UClick - European Commission
EU’s annual campaign dedicated to promoting cybersecurity among EU citizens and organisations and providing up-to-date online security information through awareness raising activities and sharing of good practices. Find activities here: Activities — ECSM
Relevante Publikationen mit Kurzzusammenfassung (u.a. Artikel, Studien, Medien, Webseiten):
Regulation - EU - 2024/1689 - EN - EUR-Lex – AI Act
The EU's AI Act, the world's first comprehensive AI regulatory framework, addresses AI-related risks and promotes safe and ethical AI use. It establishes obligations for AI developers, particularly for high-risk AI applications like those in critical infrastructure and public services, while banning practices deemed unacceptably risky. The Act classifies AI risks into four levels (unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal) and mandates transparency, quality, and monitoring standards to ensure AI’s trustworthiness and safeguard fundamental rights. To oversee compliance, the European AI Office coordinates enforcement and promotes international cooperation, with full implementation of the Act slated for 2026.
2024 Rule of Law Report - European Commission
The 2024 Rule of Law Report examines developments across all Member States, both positive and negative, in four key areas for the rule of law: the justice system, the anti-corruption framework, media pluralism and freedom, and other institutional issues related to checks and balances. It includes country chapters for all 27 Member States, which rely on a qualitative assessment carried out by the Commission, analyse new developments since the previous Report and the follow-up to the challenges and developments identified in the 2023 edition. The 2024 report highlights significant reforms to judicial independence, but systemic issues and specific cases of deterioration persist, necessitating stronger safeguards and resources. While anti-corruption efforts and media freedom improvements show progress, further measures are recommended to strengthen preventive frameworks, media independence, legislative quality, and institutional checks and balances.
Regulation - EU - 2024/1781 - EN - EUR-Lex – Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which entered into force on 18 July 2024, is the cornerstone of the Commission’s approach to more environmentally sustainable and circular products. The ESPR is part of a package of measures that are central to achieving the objectives of the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan. The ESPR aims to significantly improve the circularity, energy performance and other environmental sustainability aspects of products placed on the EU market.
Europe’s digital decade: 2030 targets | European Commission – Digital Decade 2024 report calls for strengthened collective action
The Digital Decade 2024 report emphasizes the need for EU countries to enhance investments in digital skills, connectivity, and the adoption of artificial intelligence to achieve the EU's digital transformation goals by 2030. Key findings indicate significant gaps, such as only 64% of households having access to fibre networks and a projected underachievement in AI adoption among businesses, with only 17% expected to use AI by 2030. While there is positive progress in making public services and electronic health records accessible online, the report calls for a multi-faceted approach to boost digital skills, especially among young people. EU countries are required to revise their national digital roadmaps by December 2, 2024, to align with the objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme, with progress to be monitored by the Commission.