Targeted actions to boost European bio-technology and bio-manufacturing

Views: 48Present socio-economic, demographic and environmental challenges are reinforcing the bio-economy’s industrial dimension and its closer links with the biotechnology and bio-manufacturing sectors. Corresponding Commission’s actions will contribute to stronger economy in the member states and stimulate the demand and market uptake for bio-manufactured products. 

Market exchange rates: “real” and hidden payments

Views: 39Hidden fees in international payments have been always a common place. However, in the EU they have been banned legally since 2020 for cross-border payments among the member states. But, it is still a serious problem in trade outside the EU-27 that cost people and businesses in the EU about €30 billion in 2023 […]

Risk aversion in business: getting through modern challenges

Views: 42Modern challenges have greatly altered traditional approaches to managing risks; besides, the concept of risk aversion in entrepreneurship has been transformed as well by the digitalization and the new ICTs. Conference at Latvian Turiba University this March is devoted to analysis of some vital issues concerning risks in contemporary socio-economic development and business.  

Supporting agro-sector in the EU states

Views: 47Quite often the EU member states’ leaders are discussing agricultural issues with the EU institutions and, particularly, with the Commission as a main EU executive organ. Thus, recently the Polish Prime Minister Tusk and the Commission President von der Leyen held an in-depth discussion on a new series of the EU proposals. 

European agriculture’s future under discussion: online survey

Views: 56Agricultural policy is about many things, including not only food production and safety, public health, environment, climate and trade; it is also to consider the cumulative impacts of numerous modern challenges on different aspects of agro-policies and tackling climate and biodiversity challenges from other parts of the economy. The EU agro-policy is being discussed […]

European ways for growth through recovery and resilience: midterm review

Views: 86Since early 2021, the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, RRF has been transforming the member states’ socio-economic development. The EU-27 states adopted national recovery-resilience plans, NRRPs in line with the RRF’s requirements and according to nation-specific growth reforms. Bringing additional clarity to the EU-wide transformation efforts during the three years in action, the review […]

European social market economy: the concept of stable growth

Views: 48The European integration “project” with its seventy years experience is based on a specific development model called “social market economy”, in which the member states’ growth sectors are heavily regulated by the EU institutions. Particularly, the post-pandemic period has shown the growing amount of the EU support for “managing” the states in the transition […]

Education policy in Latvia: urgent reforms are needed

Views: 75The number of students in Latvia during the last two decades dramatically decreased: from about 131 thousand in 2005 to 74 thousand presently. About half of the students enrolled in 52 higher education institutions are in bachelor programs, about a quarter at masters’ level, three percent are in doctoral programs, plus about 20 percent […]

EU’s renewables: third project in the hydrogen value chain

Views: 74Although the renewable hydrogen supply chain in Europe is still in a nascent phase, however, the new Hy2Infra project will deploy the initial building blocks of an integrated and open EU-wide renewable hydrogen network. This project was jointly prepared by seven states: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Slovakia.  

New EU-wide consumer protection rules are expected

Views: 119Consumer protection is within a shared competence among the EU institutions (mainly, the Commission) and the member states’ authorities. The member states, generally, are responsible for enforcing consumer rights, with the EU having some coordinating and supporting functions. Therefore among the rules in place are mostly directives, e.g. regulating “common” better enforcement and modernisation […]