Think Tank

This study provides the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) with an assessment of the potential of sustainable fuels, in particular biofuels, to decarbonise the transport sector, and help the sector achieve the 2050 decarbonisation goals. It assesses their potential for use in maritime, aviation and road transport, considering their technology readiness, feedstock availability, sustainability of supply, resource and energy efficiency, and the most appropriate match-making ...

The Commission mobilised considerable time and resources to prepare this initiative, in an extensive 'back to back' (ex post evaluation and ex ante impact assessment) process that started in 2018 with the set-up of the Advisory Group on Vehicle Emission Standards. The IA draws on numerous external studies, stakeholder consultations, relevant data sources and approved modelling tools (SYBIL and COPERT). In spite of some weaknesses in the definition of the problems and objectives, the intervention ...

Most goods require packaging at several stages of their product life. Today, the diversity of packaging items and materials is considerable. Between 2009 and 2020, the total mass of packaging waste generated in the EU rose by 20 %. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD – Directive 94/62/EC) lays down measures to prevent the production of packaging waste, and to promote reuse of packaging and recycling and other forms of recovering packaging waste. It also sets out the requirements that ...

The EU faces the challenge to combine large and sustained investments to promote the transition towards a green, digital, and competitive Europe while maintaining fiscal sustainability. Based on a comprehensive literature review on the effects of fiscal rules and investment clauses on public finances, this in-depth analysis provides some guidance how higher public investments can be achieved by a targeted golden rule without harming fiscal sustainability in the EU fiscal framework. The study also ...

The highlight of the March II plenary session was the debate on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 March 2023. In a formal ceremony held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, the Presidents of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, each underlined the significance of the 1998 Agreement and the importance of ensuring reconciliation between the two communities ...