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Although microelectronics have a significant role in modern life, their low visibility and complex value chain have contributed to concealing a decline in EU industry in the field. It is broadly assumed that microelectronics are designed in California and manufactured in Taiwan. What if the EU could take a particularly strategic position in this technology?

Fusion, regarded by many as the ultimate form of clean energy, may finally be within reach. This analysis looks at the context of the latest advances, in particular the explosion of private-sector interest. Overall, this has led to an acceleration of many planned timelines, although a lot of uncertainty remains, given the magnitude of the remaining technical challenges. In addition, questions also persist around skills, the regulatory environment, financing and economic viability. With a new EU strategy ...

This study explores the feasibility of a European news streaming platform (ENSP), with a focus on its governance, legal implications and potential added value for media pluralism in Europe. Such a platform would, according to its proponents, provide access to news and public interest content by audiovisual media service providers across the EU, with automatically generated subtitles that make content available in all EU languages. Such an initiative is a clear response to the requirements highlighted ...

Initiatives to restore European primary forests and thereby reverse centuries of decline are gaining traction. Such restoration could deliver significant ecological, environmental, climate-related and socio-cultural benefits, ranging from biodiversity conservation, water regulation and climate mitigation, to ecotourism and renewed human relationships with nature. However, a number of challenges and trade-offs need to be addressed, including the lack of primary forest mapping, concerns over human ...

This study explores the design of future Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation (R&I) in the European Union. Employing a foresight methodology – comprising a literature review, case studies, scenarios and foresight workshops with stakeholders – the study examines prevailing discourses on Framework Programme structures, identifies key R&I trends, and analyses the challenges posed by current developments. It presents a set of hypothetical programme structures alongside policy recommendations ...

This study addresses the interplay between the health and socio-demographic conditions characterising the EU's ageing population, focused on populations at risk of social inequality, to provide information that policymakers can use to promote healthy ageing. The goal of the study is to compare trends in healthy life years across both populations (countries) and specific populations (by gender and level of education), and to address the social inequalities associated with healthy ageing so that we ...

This report examines the emerging field of exposomics, which studies the cumulative impact of environmental exposures on human health. It highlights the limitations of established environmental health research and advocates a more comprehensive approach. The report explores exposomics' application in various sectors, including urban planning, chemical safety, climate adaptation, child health, workplace safety, clinical practice, and citizen empowerment. It emphasises the need for improved exposure ...

This study aims to offer an in-depth analysis of water scarcity, availability, and usage in the face of climate change. By employing a comprehensive foresight methodology that includes an extensive literature review, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and broad stakeholder consultation, the research provides a detailed overview of current water availability and consumption within the European Union (EU). It highlights the current and projected trends related to water resources, identifying ...

Academic freedom is widely recognised as a fundamental value of contemporary higher education and science, and as a prerequisite for well-functioning democratic societies. However, in recent years, major concerns have been expressed by various stakeholders about the state of academic freedom in the European Union. The European Parliament launched an annual EP Academic Freedom Monitor in 2022, to help improve the promotion and protection of academic freedom in the European Union. This report presents ...

Academic freedom is widely recognised as a fundamental value of contemporary higher education and research, and is often presented as a prerequisite for well-functioning democratic societies. However, in recent years, major concerns have been expressed by various stakeholders about the state of academic freedom in the European Union. The European Parliament launched an annual EP Academic Freedom Monitor in 2022, to help improve the promotion and protection of academic freedom in the European Union ...