Think Tank

At more than one in five, the number of children at risk of poverty in the European Union (EU) remains high. This year's International Day for the Eradication of Poverty presents an opportunity to take stock of what the EU is doing to fight child poverty. Even though legal competence for child policy remains primarily with the Member States, the fight against child poverty is a major EU priority. The European strategy on the right of the child now reflects the EU's increasing willingness to tackle ...

The provisional agenda for the 17-18 October European Council meeting has three main topics. First, EU Heads of State or Government will address Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and the EU's support to Ukraine and its people. Second, they will consider the situation in the Middle East, amid concerns over regional escalation following Israel's targeting of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran's missile strikes on Israel. Third, EU leaders will discuss competitiveness, with a first exchange on ...

The European Council consists of the 27 Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States, who are voting members, together with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, who have no vote (Article 15(2) Treaty on European Union). The chart shows the current members, the national office they hold, their most recent European political affiliation, and the year their membership began.

Animal diseases can result in heavy livestock losses and economic costs, and potentially threaten human health. Through the 'One Health' approach and the EU4Health programme, the European Commission wants to link animal, human and soil health, biodiversity, climate, sustainable use of pesticides, and disease surveillance and prevention, to ensure prompt action in future health emergencies. The topic is scheduled for question time with the Commission during the October I plenary session.

EU legislation calls SMEs to contribute to the twin transition. This study analyses the cumulative costs of selected pieces of EU digital and green legislation on SMEs and explores the effectiveness of costs mitigation tools at their disposal. This document was prepared for the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).