Space applications have never been so down to Earth... today, thanks to satellites orbiting thousands of kilometres above our heads, we can see when our bus will come, detect forest fires and even predict the course of a typhoon! But with an increasing number of countries getting access to space, the EU better make sure its space strategy is fit for the future! Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast.

The United States is a key European Union partner in the area of justice and home affairs (JHA), including in the fight against terrorism. While formal cooperation on JHA issues between the US and the EU goes back to the 1995 New Transatlantic Agenda, it is since 2001 in particular that cooperation has intensified. Today, and for the period up until 2020, the key areas of transatlantic efforts in the JHA field are: personal data protection; counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism; migration and border controls; tracing of firearms and explosives; money laundering and terrorism financing; cybercrime; drugs; and information exchange.

Source : © European Union - EP

The EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) lays down maximum annual levels of EU spending in different areas. The current MFF covers the 2014-2020 period and is the EU's fifth consecutive multiannual financial plan. However, the Framework is the first to take the form of a regulation, and the first to contain provisions providing for a mid-term review that may lead to its revision.

Source : © European Union - EP

In the European Union, parental leave is regulated by a 1996 Directive, last amended in 2013. Implementation of this Directive varies greatly among Member States, however, and parental leave overlaps other types of leave granted to families. The European Parliament is expected to call for an evaluation of the Directive's implementation, and for revision of both the Directive and related legislation.

The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), on 23 and 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey, will bring together a panoply of representatives of world governments, business, and civil society, to find a way to improve humanitarian responses to increasingly challenging conditions. The May plenary is due to hear from the Commission and Council on the EU approach to the WHS.

What started as a pro-European revolution in downtown Kiev has escalated into an full-blown international crisis, putting the European Union and the US at odds with Russia. And despite that the guns have largely fallen silent, the conflict is nowhere near over... Stay with us for a recount of the origins and evolution of a conflict that has shaken the foundations of Europe's security architecture. Today, more than two years after the Euromaidan revolution, Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and the eruption of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the country is still at a crossroads between war and peace, between corruption and reform. Find out more in this EPRS Policy podcast.

Source : © European Union - EP

For many, Schengen is one of the EU´s most important achievements. Today, more often than, we can jump on a train or hop in the car to visit friends in neighbouring countries without having to show our passport at the border. But current migratory pressures and security concerns have led several countries to reintroduce temporary border controls. Will this be the end of Schengen? Or will the EU manage to preserve this 30-year long achievement? Join us on this journey through Schengen in this EPRS Policy podcast.

Source : © European Union - EP

Train passengers may not even notice when they cross a border... but running a train from one country to another is technically complex and costly! And despite the EU's efforts to harmonise rail systems and create an integrated EU railway area, the journey is not yet over... Travel with us, it's all aboard for the fourth railway package. Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast. NB. The debate and vote on this item has been postponed until the April II plenary session in Brussels.

Industrial espionage is a growing problem in the EU. To allow companies to better protect their trade secrets and be compensated when confidential information gets stolen, the EU is working out new common rules to harmonise the fight against corporate espionage. The theft of business secrets is an increasingly widespread problem in the EU. According to the European Commission, one in four European companies was stolen vital information, at least once, in 2013, compared to not even one in five, in 2012... But what is a trade secret? Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast.

What started as local anti-government protests in south-western Syria in 2011 has evolved into a fully-fledged war whose end is not yet in sight. The conflict has forced over 4.5 million Syrians to flee the country, many of them seeking refuge in Europe. In this EPRS policy podcast, we will analyse the roots, evolution and international response to an external conflict that became EU business.

Source : © European Union - EP