The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive. Once adopted, the new law will set 2030 EU air quality standards aligned more closely with the WHO global air quality guidelines. This is an important step to better protect our health and move forward on the path to zero pollution in our environment by 2050.
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Some related activities in the field:
The European Cancer Inequalities Registry hosts a topic dedicated to Childhood cancer. A panel discussion was organised in December 2023, with key speakers from the International Organisation for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) and the European Commission. The report from the event was just published.
HaDEA showcased two EU4Health projects, EU-CAYAS-NET and OACCUs, that are transforming childhood cancer care.
IARC published a new infographic showing the incidence of childhood cancer types by age group.
Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (15.3.2024) A study mapping and evaluating the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan was launched under the EU4Health Work Programme 2022, the results of which are expected to be available in mid-2024.
Brussels, 28 March 2024
The Easter Bunny is having an expensive year. Cocoa prices are going through the roof.
Cocoa bean prices have climbed to record nominal levels over the past six months, more than doubling since August 2023.
This is a short week for some of us lucky enough to be born in - or live in - countries where Easter celebrations are a multi-day affair. Unfortunately, that group does not include me.
The process of structural transformation is a hallmark of development economics: when economies shift away from agriculture towards manufacturing and services, this typically drives sustained economic growth, increased living standards, and poverty reduction.
Agricultural area, abbreviated as AA, describes the area already used for farming, or that could be brought back into cultivation using the resources normally available on an agricultural holding. It includes the land categories: - arable land; - permanent grassland; - permanent crops; - kitchen gardens; - unutilised agricultural area; - special holding areas; The term does not include wooded land and land occupied by buildings, farmyards, tracks, ponds, etc.
The US Department of Agriculture has released a plan including programs to encourage climate-smart production and use of domestic biomass. The plan describes current understanding of biomass use and availability and identifies current challenges and vulnerabilities to biomass supply chain systems in the US, taking stock of existing initiatives and recommending additional actions to support the expansion of the bioeconomy.
Launched by the Commission on 6th February, the EU Rural toolkit provides local authorities, regions, businesses, and individuals with a means to access more easily information on the different EU funding opportunities and take advantage of EU initiatives to improve the quality of life in their territories. The toolkit gathers opportunities from 26 EU funds and offers an interactive funding finder that lets beneficiaries tailor their search based on several criteria, such as the organisation they represent, their proposed activity and the type of support they want.
The Commission has launched an online survey to gather the views of EU farmers on the burden represented by procedures and rules linked to financial support under the CAP, as well as other EU rules for food and agriculture in the EU. The survey is open from 7 March to 8 April. Preliminary results will be presented already by mid-April. In parallel, interviews will be organised with farmers' organisations to complete the picture.
The European Partnership on Agroecology and the European Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare were launched under the umbrella of the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon Europe. These Partnerships will bring together funding organisations, research institutes, laboratories, universities, industrial partners and other key stakeholders from EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe to advance research and generate ready-to-use innovations, in key areas of agricultural production.
The EU Bioeconomy Youth Ambassadors were selected by the European Commission in 2022 to represent the voice of the youth within bioeconomy. They have recently published their vision on how to shape the bioeconomy concept and upcoming EU and national bioeconomy policies to align them with the shared mission of tackling climate change and protecting nature. This document addresses the bioeconomy at different levels in terms of geographic boundaries, economic models, technology relevance, educational systems, and citizen engagement, being aware of differential priorities, and the need for coordinated political action from various sides.
The Commission has published a detailed impact assessment on possible pathways to reach the agreed goal of making the European Union climate neutral by 2050, recommending a 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. The Communication also sets out a number of enabling policy conditions which are necessary to achieve the 90 % target.
The Commission has proposed a series of targeted actions to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU and reap the related benefits. The list of actions includes the review of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy by 2025, to take into account the current societal, demographic and environmental challenges, reinforcing the bioeconomy's industrial dimension and its links to biotechnology and biomanufacturing to contribute to a stronger EU economy.
In this report, JRC scientists aim to assess plausible future forest management options at EU level and their long-term impacts on the forest carbon sink. Simulating different socio-economic pathways and various levels of intensity of forest removal, they show that only a prolonged reduction in wood consumption will keep the forest carbon budget above the EU target until 2050 and thereafter. Nevertheless, the need to increase the forest carbon sink to mitigate climate change could be challenged by an increase in future harvest intensity and wood utilisation.
This JRC study reports the results of a modelling exercise focusing on the economic impact of upcoming free trade agreements on EU agriculture, looking into bilateral trade, production, demand and prices. According to the analysis of 10 new trade agreements, concluded or under negotiation, the EU exports to the 10 partners will increase strongly: by 27 % (EUR 3.5 billion) in a conservative scenario and by 38 % (EUR 4.8 billion) in an ambitious scenario, as compared to a baseline in 2032.
This report captures the main findings of the European Commission (EC) Conference entitled "Food 2030: Green and resilient food systems", held in Brussels on 4-5 December 2023. The event, which represents an important milestone in the EC's Food 2030 process, served to showcase promising R&I outcomes contributing to sustainable food systems transformation in Europe and beyond. Furthermore, the conference provided a space for multi-stakeholder reflection and dialogue towards envisioning future R&I needs.
This paper presents results from a study addressing knowledge gaps in the EU bioeconomy modelling capacity, particularly representations of contemporary bio-based industrial markets. The authors have developed an integrated model toolbox, consisting of five state-of-the-art bioeconomy simulation models. Amongst other things, results indicate that the promotion of biomass for industry reduces fossil dependence, although if enacted globally, may result in a substantial increase in biomass demand.