Opinions

A study highlights how research funded by the European Research Council is more likely to inspire inventions than unfunded research of comparable quality. However, to dispel the myth of an EU incapable of transforming research into innovation, a more favorable environment is needed

On the one hand, it will have to be able to finance the huge amount of investment to remain at the forefront; on the other hand, it will have to think about enlargement into the Mediterranean and toward the Caucasus ridge, perhaps thinking about a system based on a Confederation of States

Aging will negatively affect the European labor market, barring offsets from additional migration, postponement of retiring and increase in women's participation rate. And elderly people are set to have more weight in welfare policy

With a series of initiatives undertaken in recent years, the European Union has shown that it has become aware of the new issues related to the social protection of European citizens. This is the right path, but there is still a long way to go

Russia's weaponization of the European energy industry and the widespread price hikes of 2022 have been met with a rapid reaction from the EU to cut its dependence on Russian gas, with measures ranging from gas storage regulations to the launch of REPowerEU to stabilize energy prices

Basel III and the Single Supervisory Mechanism have strengthened the European banking system over the years. The recent series of failures of lending institutions such as Silicon Valley Bank, however, remind us that we must not let our guard down, especially in times of tightening monetary policy