Written by Enrico D’Ambrogio and Matthew Parry, Japan’s budget is compiled by its Ministry of Finance based on estimates from other ministries and guidance from the Cabinet, before being approved by the Diet. In Japan’s parliamentary system, the executive is drawn from the majority in the House of Representatives, the Diet’s lower house, which generally… Read More Japan’s national budget: Procedure and the public debt burden
Written by Nicole Scholz The rapid spread of the Zika virus, and especially its suspected link with an observed increase in congenital malformations and other neurological complications, has created worries. The response strategy globally, including in the EU, is taking shape. Where do we stand? Zika virus disease The Zika virus is named after the… Read More Zika virus: Stepping up preparedness
Written by Naja Bentzen, When Ukraine’s then President Viktor Yanukovich caved in to Russian pressure and refused to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in 2013, he triggered the ‘revolution of dignity’, that paved the way for his own ousting on 22 February 2014 and sparked hope for a European future. Today — two years after… Read More Supporting Ukraine between crisis and transformation – Ukraine Week in the European Parliament
Written by Marcin Grajewski, After more than 20 years of negotiations, nearly 200 countries reached a landmark agreement in December 2015 on tackling climate change and its impacts. The European Union, with its ambitious climate policy, had been a strong advocate on a deal to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The… Read More Paris Agreement on Climate Change [What Think Tanks are Thinking]
Written by Eva-Maria Poptcheva and David Eatock, Following the election of a majority Conservative government in the UK general election of May 2015, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, opened negotiations with the other EU Member States and the EU institutions to establish a ‘new settlement’ between the UK and the Union. This renegotiation, conducted… Read More The UK’s ‘new settlement’ in the European Union: Renegotiation and referendum
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Torlach Grant The European Council meeting of 18-19 February 2016 was dominated by the negotiation of an agreement between the United Kingdom and the other 27 Member States the basis for the former’s continued membership of the European Union. The migration crisis received less attention and mainly led to calls… Read More Outcome of the European Council of 18-19 February 2016
Written by Ralf Drachenberg Is the European Council doing a good job in crisis management, or is it reaching its limits in times of crisis? These, and other questions concerning the European Council’s recent performances, were discussed at the EPRS event “The European Council and crisis management” on 16 February 2016 in Parliament’s Library main… Read More The European Council and crisis management
Written by Anna Dimitrova-Stull, Ulla Jurviste and Irene Penas Dendariena, Every year hundreds of thousands of children across the EU are involved in judicial proceedings. They may enter into contact with justice systems in many different ways: for family issues such as divorce or adoption, in administrative justice for immigration or nationality matters or in… Read More Child-friendly justice in the EU
Written by Ulla Jurviste and Irene Penas Dendariena, Domestic work , as defined in the ILO Convention (2011), is work performed in or for a household or households; domestic worker – a person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship. A person who performs domestic work only occasionally or sporadically and not on an occupational basis… Read More Women and domestic work in the EU
Written by Magdalena Pasikowska-Schnass, The internet offers digital spaces that can connect creators and service or content providers with consumers, and with new work, business or financing possibilities. In the sphere of arts and culture, this offers new opportunities for fundraising for events and projects, and for developing collaborative projects among artists, sometimes with public… Read More Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding in the cultural and creative sectors