Category: Science and Technology

State Aid and Steel: How Much Are the Government’s Hands Tied?

Francesco de Cecco One of the primary reasons cited by the UK Government for not intervening directly to rescue plants and jobs in the steel sector is EU state aid rules, which prohibit governments from providing certain kinds of support to industry, writes Francesco de Cecco. He argues that, while EU provisions for steel are …

EU Energy Union: Is There Anything New Under the Sun?

Francesca Batzella The European Commission’s proposal for a European Energy Union is just the latest development in the long history of EU energy policy, writes Francesca Batzella. She suggests that the aims and substance of the Energy Union are broadly a continuation of previous initiatives, and that its greatest innovation may well be its new …

Will China Cooperate with the EU at the Paris Climate Conference?

Feng Cunwan China and other major developing countries will play an increasingly important role in global climate negotiations, writes Feng Cunwan. He suggests that, although China has recently adopted a number of measures to step up its approach to addressing climate change, the differences on policy and worldview between China and the EU are significant …

The EU’s Energy Union: Solidarity amid Dissensus?

Antti Silvast The European Commission’s proposal for a European Energy Union, designed to integrate EU energy markets and energy supplies, is in large part a collection of previous policy goals, writes Antti Silvast. He argues that, in the attempt to connect all the related elements of energy policy together in one, the plans risk being …

Sports and Film Rights in the EU: The Legacy of Murphy

Arianna Andreangeli and Rachael Craufurd Smith In this event report, Arianna Andreangeli and Rachael Craufurd Smith review a recent one-day workshop considering the implications of the EU courts’ Murphy judgement on sports broadcasting rights for the audiovisual sector, as well as the European Commission’s Digital Single Market agenda. They write that the discussions underlined that, …

The EU Copyright Reform Debate is Marked by Diverging Views

Nevena Kostova In this extended article, Nevena Kostova considers the implications of the European Parliament’s recent non-binding resolution on copyright in the EU. She argues that the document sends mixed signals to the EU Council and to the European Commission, which is currently preparing a copyright reform proposal. Extended Article Large Copyright Sign Made of …