Think Tank

On 21 February 2023, the European Commission published a 'fisheries and oceans' package, including an action plan for reconciling marine protection and fisheries. With this plan, the Commission is hoping to achieve more consistent implementation of EU environmental and fisheries policies. The main aim is to make fishing practices more sustainable by improving gear selectivity and reducing impacts on sensitive species (such as dolphins) and the seabed. On seabeds, the Commission is calling for a ban ...

In line with the EU-India Strategic Partnership of 2004 and the EU approach to global health, the EU and India have long-standing cooperation on health. The focus is on health research and innovation, public health and health security, as well as regulatory convergence. Often called the 'world's pharmacy', India significantly shapes global health outcomes due to its health diplomacy and its large share of the global population. While interests converge in numerous health-related areas, intellectual ...

Road safety has improved significantly in the EU, with the number of road fatalities falling by more than 60 % in the last 20 years. However, improvements in road safety have fallen short of the EU goals of decreasing the number of road deaths by 50 % between 2001 and 2010, and by an additional 50 % between 2011 and 2020. Directive (EU) 2015/413 facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road safety-related traffic offences – the Cross-border Enforcement (CBE) Directive – is one of the ...

Energy is a major cost item in EU fisheries and aquaculture. The recent energy crisis has hit the seafood sector hard, notably because of increased marine diesel prices, exposing one of the sector's major vulnerabilities: its high dependency on fossil fuels. A move towards alternative energy sources would not only address this vulnerability but also contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU's ambition to become climate neutral. On 21 February 2023, the European Commission ...

Restrictive monetary policy dampens inflation effectively, but it also raises stress in financial markets. This happens through revaluations of financial assets on banks’ balance sheets and through dampened economic activity. Moreover, apart from the positive effect of exiting negative interest rates, banks’ net interest margin is generally negatively affected by interest rate hikes. With most of the disinflationary impact of higher interest rates yet to materialise, monetary policy should allow ...