Towards a Code of Practice for Smart Use of IP

The communication “A New Era for research and innovation” announces the development of the Code of Practice for the smart use of intellectual property (IP) to translate research results into the economy ensuring market uptake and Europe’s competitive leadership in technology.

Have your say on the content of the Code of Practice by replying to this new survey, published earlier this morning.

EU Open Data Days

Data will play a key role in our future. Sometimes called ‘the new oil’, they form a basis for research and innovation and for the development of new products, services and powerful technologies. Innovations arising from open data will improve our lives and boost economic growth. The Publications Office of the European Union is organising the EU Open Data Days that will take place from 23 to 25 November 2021. This event will give you a unique opportunity to meet the open data community, share experience with experts in the field and explore successful data-driven projects. This fully online event will start with EU DataViz 2021, a conference on open data and data visualisation, on 23 and 24 November. It will close with the finale of EU Datathon, the annual open data competition, on 25 November. All the info here.

Carbon economy – Studies on support to research and innovation policy in the area of bio-based products and services

This report aims to map out the current pathways available for the transition towards a low carbon economy as well as the barriers that hinder this transition. Based on key findings, the authors set the scene for the future of the bio-based sector with a particular focus on ten case studies of regions and cities across the EU. The report includes as well an evaluation of promising innovations and novel technologies for the realisation of such an economy and a sweeping analysis on EU directives and regulations that pertain to the low carbon economy. The attention to the local level as well as the broader policy sphere is supported by a scientific understanding of the low carbon economy, potential future scenarios towards 2050 as well as clear dissemination of the findings across the entire study.

Zero pollution action plan

Last week the European Commission has published the Zero pollution action plan and the relative factsheet. The zero pollution action plan sets out an integrated vision of the EU for 2050, with its main goal being the reduction of pollution to levels that are no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems, and sets out the steps to get there. The action plan also spells out the need for Europe to halve premature deaths caused by air pollution by 2030 and bring air quality standards closer to WHO guidelines. However, the idea to “more closely” align European air quality standards with WHO guidelines has come under criticism for not being new, as this objective was already part of the revision of air quality standards published in December 2020. The action plan also sets targets for reducing pollution in water and soil by 2030 with the aim of reaching “zero pollution” by 2050. It includes targets to tackle plastic pollution, aiming at halving plastic litter in the sea and residual municipal waste by 2030 and cutting microplastics released into the environment by 30%. The plan also calls for a change in consumption and production towards zero waste without slowing down economic activities. The action plan and the factsheet are also available in the Private Area of this website, together with other useful factsheet and policy documents.

Global data transfer uncertainty to jeopardise EU digital ambitions

According to a sponsored article on Euractiv, EU GDPR regulation came into force, confusion over international data transfers following the landmark Schrems II ruling is threatening to hamper new technologies and jeopardise the bloc’s digital agenda. GDPR enforcement is left to the member states’ Data Protection Authorities (DPAs). For third countries where data protection level is not considered adequate by the EU, the individual DPAs are left to interpret the requirements on their own. Too loose an interpretation is a risk to GDPR, while too strict an interpretation risks creating additional barriers to global data transfer. What’s more, legislative ambiguity or strict regulation might create barriers or raise the cost of accessing the EU digital market. Data transfers are at the core of international trade and technological exchanges. Unpredictable data flows could marginalise European technological development and jeopardise the bloc’s digital ambitions.

Digital Service’s Act to tackle online disinformation

According to a leaked paper, the European Commission has been pitching the Digital Services Act’s (DSA) measures to tackle online disinformation to national governments. Following the publication of the proposal last December, several EU countries were reported as requesting that the DSA be beefed up to address harmful content, notably Germany, Austria and Finland. The Commission presents its approach as risk-based and focusing on the systemic level rather than the specific content. Facebook is mentioned several times as a platform where fake and harmful content was disseminated, together with TikTok. One of the main legislative initiatives on the Commission’s digital agenda, the DSA is intended to regulate digital services that mediate goods, services and content.