Cuardaigh
Artificial intelligence act
European Union lawmakers reached a political agreement on the draft artificial intelligence (AI) act in December 2023. Proposed by the European Commission in April 2021, the draft AI act, the first binding worldwide horizontal regulation on AI, sets a common framework for the use and supply of AI systems in the EU. It offers a classification for AI systems with different requirements and obligations tailored on a 'risk-based approach'. Some AI systems presenting 'unacceptable' risks are prohibited ...
Digital labelling of EU fertilising products
On 27 February 2023, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation to allow voluntary digital labelling of EU fertilising products. This initiative follows similar EU legislative initiatives establishing the digital labelling of goods in other economic sectors, such as batteries. The rationale for digital labelling is provided by the deployment of digital solutions, such as QR codes, that can lower the cost of labelling while facilitating the updating of content, and also by the increasing ...
Artificial intelligence [What Think Tanks are thinking]
On 8 December, the European Parliament and Council reached a landmark agreement on the rules for using artificial intelligence (AI), including governments' handling of AI in biometric surveillance and how to regulate AI systems such as ChatGPT. The political deal between the European Parliament and the Council came after more than 2 days of negotiations. If, as expected, the agreed text is formally adopted by both the Parliament and Council to become EU law, the EU will become the first major world ...
Public benefit status and CMD systems for associations and non-profit organizations in the EU
This study, which was commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, provides a comparative analysis of the laws on public benefit status found in the Member States of the EU from the perspective of associations and discusses the state of the art of EU law in this field. The study also deals with the legal regulation of cross-border conversion, merger and division of associations, focusing on some problematic ...
European health data space
On 3 May 2022, the Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation establishing the European health data space (EHDS). It aims at ensuring individuals' access to and control of their electronic personal data (primary use), while setting the framework for data re-use across the Union (secondary use). The European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) adopted their joint report on 28 November ...
EU cyber-resilience act
New technologies come with new risks, and the impact of cyber-attacks through digital products has increased dramatically in recent years. Consumers are increasingly falling victim to security flaws linked to digital products such as baby monitors, robo-vacuum cleaners, Wi-Fi routers and alarm systems. For businesses, the importance of ensuring that digital products in the supply chain are secure has become pivotal, considering three in five vendors have already lost money owing to product security ...
EU Company law: Expanding and upgrading the use of digital tools and processes
The initiative's objective is to facilitate the use of digital tools and processes in EU company law. The problem definition appears to be well supported by evidence. The IA substantiates the nature and scale of the problem, as well as who it affects (business registers, public authorities, businesses, citizens/ consumers) and how. The policy options are not alternatives to each other but each one of them is a group of (sub-) options for each of the four intervention areas. The sub-options under ...
Virtual worlds (metaverses)
The EU has started reflecting on its vision for emerging virtual worlds (metaverses) and providing funding opportunities to develop these worlds. The aim is to ensure that people are protected in virtual worlds and that EU businesses, in particular SMEs, are not driven out of competition.
Developing the video games and e sports sector in the EU
The video games sector is the fastest growing cultural and creative sector in Europe, with an estimated European market size of €23.3 billion in 2021. A highly innovative digital sector, it directly employs more than 90 000 people in Europe, and continues to generate new employment opportunities for many creators, including game developers, designers, writers, and music producers. Half of all Europeans consider themselves to be video game players; of these, almost half are women. An essential part ...
Digital platform workers: EU rules one step closer
Platform work is on the rise, with hundreds of digital platforms active in the EU and millions of workers earning some income by working for them. A proposed EU directive seeks to set criteria to determine whether platform workers are self-employed or employees, which is key for improving their working conditions and social rights. In addition, it would set the first EU rules on the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. With their positions agreed, the European Parliament and the Council ...