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In August 1988, the European Community established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, ending the 30-year-long policy of mutual non-recognition, ignorance, and hostility. This step secured the unconditional recognition by the USSR of the reality of the European Community, including the application of Community law to West Berlin. The reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev since 1985 made this normalisation possible. Equally important was the rise of the Community as an independent international ...

This in-depth analysis, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, assesses the European Commission of (EC) Communication of 29 November 2017 on the EU approach to Standard Essential Patents. The report examines the principles identified in the Communication with respect to the Commission’s proposals on (i) increasing transparency on SEPs; (ii) determining valuation of SEPs( Standard Essential Patents ...

2000 billion euros are spent every year on public procurement in the EU, a more than considerable amount which justifies investment and research in this area. e-Procurement is the end-to-end digitisation of the traditional public procurement process. Access is improved through the centralization of otherwise dispersed procurement processes in the form of one or a few central, electronic platforms, significantly reducing the search efforts for potential bidders With this, transparency and integrity ...

Despite the achievements of single market integration, many non-tariff barriers (NTBs) persist, preventing realisation of its full economic potential. These arise from laws, technical regulations and practices, and create obstacles for trade. NTBs can be of a general character, such as problems with the implementation and enforcement of EU law at the national level, missing or differing e-government solutions, or complex VAT requirements in intra-EU trade. NTBs can also be sector-specific and concern ...

Digitising European industry

At a Glance 24-05-2017

In response to the European Commission's recent efforts to advance the digitalisation of EU industry, the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) drew up an own-initiative report on the subject which is to be debated in plenary in May. The report proposes to develop an integrated strategy aimed at creating conditions conducive to reindustrialising the European economy so that it can fully benefit from opportunities offered by digitalisation.

On 15 July 2015, the Commission proposed a new regulation on energy efficiency labelling as part of its summer energy package. The proposed regulation seeks to restore the A-G scale for energy labelling; create a mechanism for rescaling products that can accommodate further improvements in energy efficiency; establish a product database on energy efficiency; and introduce a safeguard procedure to improve national market surveillance. Detailed legislation on energy labelling of household appliances ...

An aviation strategy for Europe

At a Glance 07-02-2017

Owing to the importance of aviation for the EU economy and to the many challenges with which the sector is confronted, in December 2015 the European Commission adopted a new aviation strategy for Europe. The purpose is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of aviation, and to help it cope with traffic growth and increased competition, while maintaining high quality standards. The Parliament is due to debate on an own-initiative report on the aviation strategy during its February II ...

This study is provided by the Policy Directorate at the request of the ITRE Committee. The EU energy infrastructure is transitioning into a decentralised, digitalised smart energy system. Already, energy operations are increasingly becoming the target of cyber-attacks with potentially catastrophic consequences. Development of energy specific cyber security solutions and defensive practices are therefore essential. Urgent action is required, including empowering a coordination body, to promote ...

Cloud computing is a model for providing information and communication technology (ICT) services over the internet. Businesses, public bodies and individuals can all benefit through lower costs, global access to data and applications, flexibility in provision, and the ability to innovate without large capital costs. Cloud computing may also have beneficial effects on energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, cloud computing raises concerns about personal data protection and privacy, security ...

5G refers to a future, fifth generation of mobile network telecommunications technologies. While research on the technical characteristics and potential uses of 5G is ongoing, 5G is expected to represent a major leap forward from current telecommunications technologies, including revolutionary changes in radio interfaces and spectrum use. On the basis of current trends and potential uses, 5G networks will be faster, always accessible, highly reliable and efficient in handling a very large number ...