Rapporteur Talks

With the climate emergency at the top of the EU agenda and efforts due to intensify at COP 26 in November to implement the UN SDGs to fight climate change, concrete steps need to be established to rapidly reduce carbon emissions.

Industry sources estimate that food production from farm to fork represents 30% of total carbon emissions within the EU, with the manufacturing process accounting for 11% of this share, or 3% of the total.

Industry is exploring a roadmap that could serve as a basis for the decarbonisation of the food manufacturing sector, so as to significantly contribute to the EU carbon neutrality target and to the implementation of the United Nations SDGs.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, proposed by the European Commission in June 2018, introduces a more flexible, performance and results-based approach that takes into account local conditions and needs, while increasing EU level ambitions in terms of sustainability.

The Member States’ national administrations will from now on play a stronger role in devising and implementing their own CAP Strategic Plans according to their priorities and specific needs. But this also means an increased responsibility for monitoring and improving their delivery and performance, which need to be linked to the objectives agreed at EU level and specified in the Strategic Plan Regulation.

This process also changes the way interventions in Pillar 1 and 2 are regulated and administered by different entities. From 2021, they will be incorporated into one Strategic Plan for each Member State with a view to enhancing complementarity and performance.

Climate change remains an imminent threat at the core of many discussions between heads of state, industry and civil society. These stakeholders see recovery from the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to build back better by creating greener and more sustainable economies.

Cancer is a top health priority for the European Union, as every year, 3.5 million people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer, and 1.3 million die from it. The European Commission has taken critical action in regards to cancer. Europe’s recently published Beating Cancer Plan highlights the need to improve the lives of cancer patients during their treatment, all the while following a holistic approach.

The plan however, does not take into account the need to reconsider the approach to improvement of cancer patients’ lives. In this regard, integrative oncology is a key therapeutic solution that aims to improve the care of cancer patients and survivors by bringing the best of conventional treatments and the best of complementary therapies to the patient in a coordinated and personalised treatment plan.
 
The suffering caused by cancer on patients all over Europe calls for protecting their access to all the therapeutic solutions that might help. This includes complementary medicines, in the framework of integrative oncology, as well as support treatments therapies involving it, which numerous scientific
studies indicated the benefits of on the quality of life, symptom resilience and general capacity of survival of cancer patients.

Enhancing bilateral cooperation between Europe and the United States is key to boosting bilateral trade and investment, avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade, and strengthening global cooperation on digital policy, technology, and supply chains. The launch of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) on 29 September was a groundbreaking step in helping achieve a common vision and standards for governing new technologies and establishing effective and innovative Transatlantic tech policy for all.

ITI - The Information Technology Industry Council - is launching an event featuring tech industry leaders and policy makers on both sides of the Atlantic to discuss the future of the TTC and how industry and policy can work together to make this new venture a success.

As the EU moves away from its dependency on fossil fuel, hydrogen is expected to play a key role in our future energy systems, and for delivering on the aim set out in the European Green Deal of achieving carbon-neutrality in the EU by 2050.

The cleanest option of hydrogen is renewable hydrogen, often referred to as green hydrogen. It is created by putting renewable energy sources like wind and solar power through an electrolyser, and its only by-product is water. Accordingly, its production is almost emission-free, which is why it is the form of production generating the most interest – from policymakers, scientists and investors.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to discuss what we know and what we don’t yet know about green hydrogen, and when and how to use hydrogen most effectively to decarbonise Europe.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the digital transformation and can significantly bolster the European economy. Automation of processes will reshape workplaces across industries, increasing efficiency and productivity and creating new opportunities for innovation and professional development. Conversely, these changes also raise legitimate concerns about potential job losses and the need to help upskill and reskill workers in the sectors which will face the most significant disruption.

The EU AI Act will set out the regulatory framework for the way AI will be used across all industries. The legislation, combined with investments into AI and skills through mechanisms such as the Digital Europe Programme and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, could prove to be a game-changer for Europe, helping it to amplify its ambitions and become a global leader in developing cutting-edge, trustworthy AI. The AI Act will need to balance considerations of the benefits of AI to European workers and the economy with concerns on the potential widening skills gap and social inequalities.

This second EURACTIV virtual conference of the 'Future of Work Lab debate series' will focus on the opportunities and risks posed by AI to the workforce and the development of standards for AI. Questions to be addressed include:

-How can AI be regulated to be true to the EU's core values?
-How can innovations in AI contribute to workforce development?
-How can policymakers ensure AI implementation in the workplace is ethical and fair?
-Is there scope for a digital social contract to ensure an inclusive future of work?

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that connectivity is essential, more than ever before, for citizens, businesses and institutions across the EU. Electronic communications networks, in particular very high capacity networks, have played a crucial role in the response to the crisis by enabling remote working, learning and healthcare, and personal communication and entertainment services.

The OECD reports that, since the start of the crisis, demand for broadband communication services has soared, with some operators experiencing as much as a 60% increase in internet traffic compared to before the crisis. Industry sources estimate that data traffic will surge throughout the region, quadrupling overall by 2026.

But a new digital divide has also emerged, not only between well-connected urban areas and rural and remote territories, but also between those who can fully benefit from an enriched, accessible and secure digital space with a full range of services, and those who cannot. The main goal for connectivity in the EU’s Digital Decade is for every European household to have access to high-speed internet coverage by 2025 and gigabit connectivity by 2030.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to discuss the EU's digital future, and the value of connectivity for social and economic development. Questions to be discussed include:
- How does the EU compare with other regions and economies, including the US and Asia, in 5G development?
- What policies can best support future growing demand for mobile connectivity?

Batteries are key to the EU's transition to a climate neutral economy, given the role they play in the green transport revolution and the storage of renewable energy. A carbon neutral economy, as outlined in the European Green Deal, would require scaling up global battery production by a factor of 19, according to the World Economic Forum.

In the transport sector, the growing demand for electric vehicles (EV) means a rise in demand for batteries as well as an increase in the demand for battery raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium. For EV batteries and energy storage, the EU will need up to 18 times more lithium and 5 times more cobalt by 2030, and nearly 60 times more lithium and 15 times more cobalt by 2050, compared with the current supply to the whole EU economy.

The successful roll-out of electric vehicles in the EU depends on the co-operation of many stakeholders. Policymakers, academia, industry and civil society must together find solutions to make e-transport a reality for all EU citizens. There are many moving parts to the transition, and a supportive regulatory framework to support this innovative market is crucial.

Listen to this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to discuss how the EU can lead battery innovation, and ensure that e-transport plays its role on the road to climate neutrality in 2050. Our panellists will tackle questions including:

- Is the developing EU regulatory framework for batteries fit for purpose?
- Can it respond fast enough to rapid innovation?
- What are the bottlenecks for a comprehensive recycling system for batteries?
- How can different EU strategic industries collaborate in order to increase competitiveness and accelerate innovation?

Food systems cannot be resilient to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic if they are not sustainable. We need to redesign our food systems which today account for nearly one-third of global GHG emissions, consume large amounts of natural resources, result in biodiversity loss and negative health impacts (due to both under- and over-nutrition) and do not allow fair economic returns and livelihoods for all actors, in particular for primary producers.

The Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, published in 2020, have been driving the key discussions on what sustainable production of food should look like. In line with the European Green Deal, they proposed ambitious EU actions and commitments to transform our food systems and halt biodiversity loss.

Since the publication of the strategies, several reports have been published that look at their impact, including a report by the European Commission's Joint Research Center. USDA (the United States Department of Agriculture) has released a report looking at the potential economic and related impacts of the strategies. And Wageningen University & Research is due to publish their report in October.

Listen to this EURACTIV Scientific Dialogue to hear the impact of the targets and the findings of the different impact assessment reports. Questions to be discussed include:

• Despite differing methodologies, what are the common trends and where does the research agree?
• What requires further research?