Think Tank

Since the overthrow of Muammar al Qaddafi in a 2011 uprising, Libya has been mired in a civil war that has divided the international community and set several internal factions against one another. The ceasefire proclaimed on 23 October 2020 opened a path for a political process wherein an interim government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was able to lead the country to agreed presidential and parliamentary elections, to be held on 24 December 2021. These elections will be the first since ...

Due to the deteriorating Covid 19 situation, Members were again able to choose to vote remotely during the December plenary session in Strasbourg. Parliament nevertheless held a joint debate on the preparation of the European Council meeting of 16 17 December 2021 and the EU's response to the global resurgence of Covid 19 and new emerging variants. Members debated statements by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell ...

The role of the European Council is to 'provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development' and to define its 'general political directions and priorities'. Since its creation in 1975, the European Council has exercised considerable influence over the development of the European Union, a process enhanced by its designation as a formal institution of the Union under the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The European Council Oversight Unit within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS ...

As the use of biometrics becomes commonplace in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), this study aims to identify the impact on fundamental rights of current and upcoming developments, and to put forward relevant policy options at European Union (EU) level. Taking as a starting point the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on AI, presented by the European Commission in April 2021, the study reviews key controversies surrounding what ...

Enormous natural gas resources have turned Qatar into one of the world's richest countries. The 11 610 km2 nation currently has the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world. The absolute monarchy's estimated 340 000-350 000 citizens benefit from free education, free healthcare, virtually guaranteed – and well paid – employment, and pay almost no taxes. However, the great majority of the emirate’s nearly 3 million inhabitants live in very different conditions. Qatar has the highest ratio of migrants ...