Tech

The future for next-generation AI in the EU
Est. 1minArtificial Intelligence technologies in the EU are set to come under the scope of new legislation that the European Commission aims to put forward in April. This comes after a protracted period of policy consultation on the best direction for the …

The future for STEM in Europe
Est. 1minAs Europe reels from the aftereffects of the coronavirus crisis, talk in Brussels is moving towards how the bloc can retain the momentum garnered from the deployment of innovative digital tools. In the education sector, with European educational establishments being closed …

Emerging media policies for EU 2019-24
Est. 2minDISCLAIMER: All opinions in this dossier reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV.COM Ltd. “Healthy democracies depend on a healthy media sector,” Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel told a recent EURACTIV event. Yet, the media sector consistently faces multiple …

Media4EU: Editorial project and research for Erasmus4media
Est. 1minDuring the #Media4EU editorial series more than 30 media experts from six countries were interviewed about how the sector can overcome its crisis. This LinksDossier refers to all the interviews that have been published, as well as a bibliography of relevant …

New telecoms rules: bringing Europe’s internet up to speed?
Est. 1minThe European Commission proposed changes to laws governing telecoms service in September 2016 that will affect how people use the internet and phones around the EU. There's a lot at stake for consumers, former state-owned monopolies and emerging service providers: the …

Cloud computing: Leveraging the digital economy
Est. 1minThe migration of computing into a cloud of massive data centres spread all over the world is giving regulators a headache as they find themselves on the back foot of an industry-driven trend.

Cybersecurity: Protecting the digital economy
Est. 1minOnline security cannot be taken for granted as hackers and cyber attackers continue to outdo software engineers. Although there are means of beefing up security, including hardware and server backups, remote security controls, filtering and encryption, the scale and risk of attacks is becoming more pronounced and political.

Greening ICT
Est. 1minInvestments in information and communication technologies (ICT) are set to double by 2020 across the European Union, to match consumers' ever-growing hunger for online services. But this also comes at a cost for the environment in terms of electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The European Commission is now openly asking itself whether the industry should be regulated.

The global battle to rule the Internet
Est. 1minGovernments, industry and rights campaigners are engaged in a global battle to shape the Internet as formal and informal policies emerge to assert control over an increasingly powerful media.

Policing the Internet?
Est. 1minPolicymakers worldwide are at loggerheads over how to crack down on cyber-criminals, unlawful content and illegal downloading. But laws have been slow to arrive as legislators try to reconcile fundamental rights and Internet security.

Child protection on the Internet
Est. 1minThe protection of children online has become an EU priority as lawmakers wake up to the risks of social networking sites and ramp up the fight against child pornography.

Copyright protection of online content
Est. 1minAs cultural content migrates online on a massive scale, legal battles are multiplying to prevent piracy, protect copyright and make money out of this growing business.

Media regulation in the Internet age
Est. 1minThe fast-moving world of Web-based media has long been defined by a lack of regulation, but as legislators and industry begin to grapple with reigning in the Internet, issues of state aid, freedom of expression and intellectual property have come to the fore.

Radio Frequency Identification tags (RFID)
Est. 1minMinute tags embedded in many different physical devices link up the material world with the information super-highway. Technological obstacles, regulatory issues and privacy concerns must, however, be dealt with before the technology can be implemented to its full potential.

Telecoms and Internet regulation review
Est. 1minThe European Union has embarked on a broad review of the telecoms and Internet sector in an attempt to adapt legislation to the latest technological developments. EU institutions reached a broad agreement in April 2009, but a highly political fight over the protection of Internet users' rights in France has put the entire reform on ice, holding it hostage to an unpredictable horse-trading process.

Web 2.0: New opportunities, new risks
Est. 1minNew user-friendly technologies have made the Internet more interactive, turning millions of users into content creators and increasing the services available online. The changes introduced have created a kind of second-generation Internet - the so-called Web 2.0.

Electronic Health Records
Est. 1minPatients' health records saved in databases could boost the efficiency of health markets in the EU but pose major challenges regarding interoperability and safeguarding patient privacy.
Internet Security
Est. 1minSecurity in the online world is essential for the internet to realise its economic potential - but experts agree that there is no simple solution to a problem that has multiple dimensions: technological, societal, economic and psychological.
eGovernment
Est. 1minThe aim of eGovernment - one of the key objectives laid out in the Commission's i2010 Action plan - is to bring administrations closer to citizens and businesses by providing online public services; a goal that was to be achieved by 2005.

e-Accessibility
Est. 1minThe information society should be open to all and not discriminate against people with physical and sensory disabilities or senior citizens. In a joint effort with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, the EU is attempting to ensure that all citizens can use computers and the internet to realise their potential.

i2010
Est. 1minThe Commission’s i2010 programme aims to promote convergence in information and communication technologies by 2010, an ambition that Brussels considers vital to the overall objective of boosting innovation and jobs.

Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights
Est. 1minIn the face of the rising counterfeiting and piracy across Europe, the Commission is proposing a historical but controversial Directive that would - for the first time ever - force member states to adjust their penal codes and establish harmonised criminal sanctions against IPR-infringers.

Interoperability of ICT systems
Est. 1minIn order to face the challenges of global competitors and boost the growth potential of Europe's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, hardware and software products, systems and networks need to work smoothly together.

Mobile phones and health
Est. 1minThe explosion in the use of mobile phones during the past decade has been accompanied by much debate on their potential side-effects. A number of studies have been carried out in an attempt to ascertain whether using mobile phones has an adverse effect on health. While it is difficult to disprove health risks, industry points out the inconclusiveness of the majority of studies undertaken thus far.