Niet te missen

There is still gender bias and inequality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math-ematics) fields and the digital sector. This study, an up-to-date litera-ture review on women’s educa-tion and employment, shows that there is still gender bias and inequality in STEM and the digital sector. It identifies obstacles and bottlenecks that prevent gender parity in these sectors and provides suggestions for future re-search, initiatives and policies.

Exception to the budgetary principle of universality, assigned revenues flatten at 10.5 % in last years. The emergency European Recovery Instrument amounts to EUR 750 billion. Out of this amount, more than a third of it will be considered as assigned revenue in the EU budget. On assigned revenue, the Parliament is excluded from the decision-making process. Given the size of the amount in question, the budgetary treatment of external assigned revenue should be reassessed.

Africa has become a major focus for the EU in terms of security, migration, develop-ment, climate change and of rising interest in a fair and sustainable economic part-nership. Following the publication of the new EU-Africa strategy, these briefings give a first evaluation in the areas of competence of three committees and should also contribute to the envisaged meetings between the EU and the African Union end of October this year.

AI applications are expected to deliver a wide range of positive impacts, for individu-al firms, across value chains, as well as at the societal and macroeconomic levels. This study, provided by Policy Department A at the request of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), scrutinises the state of play around AI in the EU, as compared to key competitor countries. It also highlights areas of industry where AI will bring significant socioeconomic benefits.

The Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) stands out among multiple initiatives as the flagship agri-food element of the European Green Deal. The Farm to Fork Strategy with its goal of providing European citizens with nutritious, affordable and safe food is the first attempt by the European Commission to present a comprehensive approach covering every step in the food supply chain from production to consumption and supporting farmers’ adaptation.

‘Conflict of interests’ is defined in many legal acts and codes of conduct at international and EU level. The regulations of EU agencies are not homogeneous on the degree of independence that agencies should maintain from the Institutions and Member States. This study reviews and assesses the existing rules and policies on conflicts of interests in EU agencies and examines if and how scrutiny can be improved, and if it is required to streamline and enhance the coherence of the rules in place.