Mental health in the world and in Europe

Views: 46The world is grappling with a mental health crisis: e.g. in Europe, antidepressant consumption has more than doubled during last twenty years. According to recent OECD report, this dramatic increase in consumption of antidepressant drugs, AD – at least in the EU – is mainly due to recent pandemic. However, it is still unclear […]

Tackling modern European energy policy challenges

Views: 16Deep changes in Europe and the world, which have generated growing tensions in politics and economics, need scientists’ closer attention. The real challenge is to understand the core and essence of these changes so that national governance can manage them for the common good. Such an understanding is also required in analysing the urgent […]

Global and European sustainability: examples for the SDG-community

Views: 25Sustainability issues, both public and corporate, have been hot topics at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. Hence, it is vital not only mentioning companies that are the world’s most sustainable, but to underline necessity in preparing skills and professions required for sustainability and socio-economic transition. Besides, some examples from the Baltic Sea […]

The ERC’s agenda and the EU research and innovation perspectives

Views: 30According to the President of the European Research Council (ERC) Maria Leptin, expressed recently in the Robert Foundation’s policy paper, the EU is able to “produce the cutting-edge knowledge needed for economies on the technological frontier to grow further and for Europe to remain a leader at global level”. However, numerous barriers are on […]

The EU Modernisation Fund’s disbursements: supporting “green deal”

Views: 31In its second year of operation, the European “modernisation fund” has disbursed over €4 billion in support of 61 projects in eight beneficiary countries. During summer 2022, about €2.4 billion was already disbursed to support 45 investment proposals; it is now complemented by another €1.71 billion disbursement to support another 16 investment projects into […]

New efforts in the European energy supply and security

Views: 21Joint gas purchasing under the EU Energy Platform has been supported by a regulation which the EU-27 energy ministers adopted on December 19, 2022 to provide a necessary legal basis. It is another vital step in preparation for next winter; the EU institutions have made extensive efforts during 2022 to reduce Russian gas supply: […]

European energy market: recent transformations

Views: 41Gas pipeline supplies to the EU states this winter from Russia have been reduced by 80 percent (compared to the last year); it was acknowledged by the European Commission. Transformed gas supply distribution has invoked unprecedented pressure on the global energy markets, with severe knock-on effects on Europe’s energy system. The EU institutions have […]

EU-wide education area for 2025: ongoing initiatives and trends

Views: 41The Commission approved a report on progress towards the achievement of the European Education Area by 2025; the report takes analyses the ongoing initiatives and trends on progress to attain EU-level targets in education and training. The progress report is assisted by the Education & Training Monitor with the EU-wide analysis of education and […]

Perspectives for farmed seafood in seas around Europe

Views: 21Farmed seafood has been for long identified as a low-carbon source of food and feed; additionally, algae have a growing number of potential commercial uses in such sectors as pharmaceuticals and plant bio-stimulants, bio-packaging, cosmetics and biofuels. With the recent EU’s “algae initiative”, the Commission wants to unlock EU algae sector potentials by supporting […]

EU funding for Latvia with €4.6 billion: supporting progressive growth

Views: 59The EU financial assistance to Latvia with €4.6 billion through the Union’s cohesion policy funding up to 2027 is aimed at supporting economic growth, territorial cohesion and improving social fairness. EU funding will be invested in national green and digital transitions, in boosting innovation in the economy, as well as in healthcare and social […]