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Luxembourg's National Recovery and Resilience Plan: Latest state of play
Luxembourg's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) was initially to be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) with a total of €93.4 million in grants. This allocation accounted for around 51 % of the total estimated value of the Luxembourgish NRRP (€183.1 million). Further 46 % of the costs are to be covered by the national budget, and 3 % from other EU co-financing. Under the RRF Regulation, Member States can request RRF loans until 31 August 2023; Luxembourg has not yet done ...
Urban wastewater treatment: Updating EU rules
Under the European Green Deal, the European Commission tabled a proposal for a recast of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive in October 2022. Dating back to 1991, and instrumental to the achievement of European Union water policy objectives, the directive needs to be updated and adapted to new challenges and realities. The recast proposal would introduce new obligations to better control pollution due to rainwater, impose stricter standards for nutrient removal and require advanced treatment ...
The European public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons for future cross border health threats
This study was drawn up to support the work of the European Parliament's Special Committee on the COVID 19 pandemic. It examines the European Union's public health response to the COVID 19 pandemic across the following five pillars: (1) the EU vaccines strategy and national vaccination strategies; (2) independent scientific evidence on vaccine effectiveness; (3) the EU public health response to COVID 19, addressing the EU framework for crisis response; (4) the EU's prevention and preparedness efforts ...
Building up resilience to cross-border health threats: Moving towards a European health union
On 11 November 2020, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a regulation on serious cross-border threats to health. In the light of lessons learned from the coronavirus crisis, it aimed to strengthen the EU's health security by revising Decision 1082/2013/EU (the 'Cross-Border Health Threats Decision'). The proposal was presented in a package that also included proposals to strengthen the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) ...
‘Forever chemicals’: More stringent EU limits from 1 January 2023
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a large class of synthetic chemicals known as ‘forever chemicals’, contain one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry. This accounts for the fact that they persist in the environment longer than any other man-made substance. As long as PFASs continue to be released in the environment, humans and other species will be exposed to ever greater concentrations of these substances.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza
During the 2021-2022 epidemiological year, highly pathogenic avian influenza struck Europe, leading to the death or cull of 50 million birds across the continent, with a considerable impact on the poultry sector. While EU legislation establishes strict biosecurity measures and allows vaccine use in such cases, more research and investment is needed to reach definitive solutions.
THE EFFECT OF COMMUNICATION AND DISINFORMATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
This study analyses how governments, public health experts and other professionals communicated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of these communication strategies. It investigates COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation practices, and how these practices were addressed in the European Union by the Member States and the European Commission. It draws up recommendations to improve responses in the future, including by analysing the role of the Code of Practice on disinformation ad the ...
EU feed autonomy: Closing the gaps in European food security
People in the EU consume millions of tonnes of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products every year. Animal products, which many consider essential for a balanced and nutritious diet, account for more than a third of the EU's total agricultural output, and are an integral part of Europe's rich and diverse gastronomic culture. Meeting the high demand for nutritious and affordable products of animal origin is a key task of the EU's agricultural sector, which employs millions across all Member States. However ...
World Cancer Day 2023
Cancer can affect everyone, regardless of age, gender or social status and puts immense pressure on European health systems. Fighting cancer is one of the priorities of the European Health Union. Delivering better long-term care for patients living with cancer also means reducing significant disparities, both between and within Member States. World Cancer Day, marked every year on 4 February, reminds us that cancer is a huge health threat to our society.
Croatia's National Recovery and Resilience Plan: Latest state of play
Croatia's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is an ambitious outline of reforms and investment designed to mitigate the pandemic's socio-economic fallout. Compared with the size of its economy, Croatia is the largest recipient of Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds, with a total financial allocation of €6 295 million, or 11.6 % of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The allocation corresponds to 0.9 % of the total RRF volume, and is entirely grant-based. In June 2022, the ...