Search results

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  Labour market and wage developments in Europe
  Annual review 2018

  • Published: 2018-10-26
  • Corporate Author(s): Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (European Commission)
  • Subject: EU employment policy, euro area, Europe, labour market, labour mobility, report, wage cost, wage determination
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  Electric vehicles in Europe from 2010 to 2017
  Is full-scale commercialisation beginning? : an overview of the evolution of electric vehicles in Europe

  Latest edition.

  This study analyses electric vehicle deployment in Europe from 2010 to 2017. Since 2010, the number of models offered, the size segment coverage, the number of registrations, the electric vehicle market share and available recharging infrastructures have increased significantly, albeit still sma...

  This study analyses electric vehicle deployment in Europe from 2010 to 2017. Since 2010, the number of models offered, the size segment coverage, the number of registrations, the electric vehicle market share and available recharging infrastructures have increased significantly, albeit still small to be characterised as full-scale commercialisation. Further research and development efforts are needed while the European political trajectory should be adjusted according to the needs introduced by current technological trends, towards a sustainable and economically viable future.

  • Published: 2018-11-13
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Subject: electric vehicle, Europe, financial aid, industrial policy, market, marketing, motor vehicle industry, research and development, research report, transport infrastructure
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  Impact of a changing climate, land use, and water usage on Europe’s water resources
  A model simulation study

  This report describes an assessment of the projected future impacts of climate change, land use change and changes in water consumption on water resources for the European continent, as obtained using JRC’s LISFLOOD water resources model. For this study, two 30-year climate windows were investig...

  This report describes an assessment of the projected future impacts of climate change, land use change and changes in water consumption on water resources for the European continent, as obtained using JRC’s LISFLOOD water resources model. For this study, two 30-year climate windows were investigated and compared to the 1981-2010 control climate window. A 30-year window (on average 2026-2055) around the year that global warming reaches 2°C at global scale has been analysed, to assess the consequences of climate change if Europe would meet the targets of the Paris climate agreement of December 2015. Depending on the level of emission reductions, the 2 degree global temperature increase limit may be reached already around 2040 when there would be limited mitigation (RCP8.5 scenario) or much later this century – or never - when there would be subtantial mitigation and thus reduced emissions. For a more worst-case situation and its effects, a further window 2070-2099 under an RCP 8.5 emission scenario was investigated as well. This reflects a situation where global temperature increase is already 3.5-4 degrees. We conclude in this report that meeting the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 will lead to substantially less severe impacts for the water resources in Europe as compared to the impacts of climate change beyond 2 degrees global temperature increase. Issues with flooding and especially summer water scarcity are projected to increase. A North-South pattern emerges across Europe for water availability under a 2°C warming scenario. Overall, Southern European countries are projected to face increased water shortages, particularly Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Turkey. The contribution of land use changes and water demand changes combined are in the order of 10-20%, whereas climate is responsible for 80-90% of the projected changes. The severity of impacts under the 2°C warming scenario suggests that mitigation alone is not enough to avoid adverse climate change impacts; adaptation strategies such as water savings and efficiency measures will be needed too.

  • Published: 2018-10-31
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Subject: climate change, environmental research, EU environmental policy, Europe, hydrology, land use, quality of the environment, research report, simulation, soil protection, wastewater, water consumption, water protection, water treatment, watercourse
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  The changing geography of finance and regulation in Europe
  

  The Florence School of Banking and Finance at the European University Institute’s Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies and the Brevan Howard Centre at Imperial College London, in cooperation with BAFFI CAREFIN at Bocconi University, organised on 27 April 2017 a conference entitled ‘The Chan...

  The Florence School of Banking and Finance at the European University Institute’s Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies and the Brevan Howard Centre at Imperial College London, in cooperation with BAFFI CAREFIN at Bocconi University, organised on 27 April 2017 a conference entitled ‘The Changing Geography of Finance and Regulation in Europe’. The event was held at the European University Institute campus in Florence, Italy. The conference is a high-level debate convened every year since 2011 at the EUI’s Villa Schifanoia, on the hills of Florence. It gathers a limited group of leading economists, lawyers, political scientists and policy-makers to review selected contemporary challenges related to Europe’s economic and financial governance. This year’s discussion focused on the rapid evolution of the geography of finance, particularly taking into account the sudden shifts in the regulatory framework caused by the profound changes which are currently happening in the sector. In fact, the advent of innovative technologies, collectively known as FinTech, is revolutionising the modus operandi of the global financial infrastructure. The introduction of novel elements such as cryptocurrencies, big data, block-chain and the proliferation of distributed ledgers are only a few illustrations of a wider financial technology industry build-up, which has already had an impact on several different activities in banking and finance. FinTech is now offering advantages in terms of speed, ease of access and simplicity. However, despite these benefits, the quick disruption of traditional practices and the decentralisation of the sector have also created an environment where new risks could arise.

  • Published: 2018-08-31
  • Corporate Author(s): BAFFI CAREFIN ; Brevan Howard Centre at Imperial College London ; European University Institute
  • Subject: banking, economic policy, Europe, financial policy, governance, innovation, market, regulation (EU), report
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  Annual review of working life 2017
  

  'Annual review of working life 2017' is part of a series of annual reviews published by Eurofound and provides an overview of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the EU and Norway. The annual review collates information based on reports from Eurofound’s ...

  'Annual review of working life 2017' is part of a series of annual reviews published by Eurofound and provides an overview of the latest developments in industrial relations and working conditions across the EU and Norway. The annual review collates information based on reports from Eurofound’s network of European correspondents throughout 2017. This review is divided into seven thematic chapters, which provide an overview of the current situation, explore developments at European and national level and examine particular issues arising from the analysis of the quarterly reporting from Eurofound’s network of correspondents.

  • Published: 2018-10-22
  • Corporate Author(s): Eurofound (EU body or agency)
  • Subject: activity report, Eurofound, Europe, research report, social situation, working conditions
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  Fear the Walking Dead?
  Incidence and effects of zombie firms in Europe

  The European corporate sector currently lacks investment dynamism and one explanation is that socalled zombie firms are spreading and that they crowd out the growth of other, potentially more “lively”, companies. Zombie firms are firms that apparently are unable to repay their debt and yet, they...

  The European corporate sector currently lacks investment dynamism and one explanation is that socalled zombie firms are spreading and that they crowd out the growth of other, potentially more “lively”, companies. Zombie firms are firms that apparently are unable to repay their debt and yet, they continue operating. The note describes estimates for 2010 and 2013 of the incidence of zombie firms across 19 European countries, using firm-level data for more than one million companies and considering three alternative definitions to ensure robustness of estimates. The note finds that zombie firms are spreading in Europe, judged by estimates for 2013 compared to those for 2010. It also finds that the aggregate figures hide considerable differences across countries. Zombie firm shares as of overall corporate capital are particularly high in Greece and Spain, while low in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The estimates distinguish between size and age of firms and suggest that larger and older firms are more likely to be zombie firms than relatively smaller and younger firms (although very young firms of less than three years of age are not included in the sample). The report also finds that the growth of zombie firms in terms of employment crowds out the growth of other, non-zombie firms, especially young ones.

  • Published: 2018-08-30
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Subject: branch of activity, business policy, cost of capital, debt, economic growth, Europe, investment policy, redemption, research report
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  Promoting online training opportunities for the workforce in Europe
  Interim report

  This document is the interim report for the new European initiative on “Promoting Online Training Opportunities for the Workforce in Europe” (2017-2019) and has been prepared for the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, ...

  This document is the interim report for the new European initiative on “Promoting Online Training Opportunities for the Workforce in Europe” (2017-2019) and has been prepared for the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission. This work is carried out by PwC, EDEN (the European Distance and E-learning Network) and Espace Mendès France. It presents the key findings from the activities performed during the first phase of the initiative (2017-2018). It contains a state-of-play analysis in the European Union with regard to the adoption of online training solutions by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for the acquisition of high-tech skills by the European workforce. It specifically presents a description and in-depth analysis of the market and policies and initiatives on online training for the workforce in specific Member States, as well as inputs for a common vision - towards 2030 - based on stakeholder contributions. Finally, it addresses key challenges, mitigation measures and proposed solutions. It is very difficult for SMEs to find, attract and retain skilled workers especially in high-tech fields. In addition, they typically cannot afford significant training costs requiring long periods of absence of their staff. However, upskilling and reskilling is of key importance for them, as new technological developments quickly make existing knowledge and skills obsolete. New online training developments offer promising opportunities in this respect as they can provide a more flexible, cost-effective and efficient way to train staff. Online training has already become an invaluable resource for most established, large-scale businesses. The adoption of online training solutions by SMEs happens at a slow pace, as the market – in spite of considerable progress – remains immature. This will change in the coming years, as new developments enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) and pedagogical innovation will foster the emergence of powerful online learning platforms and solutions. In order to stay competitive, SMEs need to embrace the emerging education and training revolution and develop a culture of open learning, just in time and just for me training.

  • Published: 2018-10-30
  • Corporate Author(s): Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (European Commission) ; EDEN ; Espace Mendès France ; Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EU body or agency) ; PwC
  • Subject: artificial intelligence, Europe, information technology, Internet, labour market, professional qualifications, report, small and medium-sized enterprises, teaching method, vocational training
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  Building a people’s Europe
  4-6 May 2017, Florence

  The present dossier illustrates some of these phenomena through facts and figures. It informs about ‘Access to Citizenship and Political Participation’ and gives insights into ‘Attitudes towards Citizenship and Immigration in Europe’. The dossier has been created in a collaborative effort by the...

  The present dossier illustrates some of these phenomena through facts and figures. It informs about ‘Access to Citizenship and Political Participation’ and gives insights into ‘Attitudes towards Citizenship and Immigration in Europe’. The dossier has been created in a collaborative effort by the Global Citizenship Observatory and GlobalStat Database at the EUI’s Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in close cooperation with nccr – on the move, a Swiss National Center of Competence in Research based in Neuchatel.

  • Published: 2018-10-10
  • Corporate Author(s): European University Institute ; GlobalCit ; GlobalStat ; Nccr – on the move
  • Subject: citizens' Europe, cultural difference, database, EU migration policy, Europe, European citizenship, European identity
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  The impact of private R&D on the performance of food-processing firms
  Evidence from Europe, Japan and North America : task 4.4 report

  This report investigates the impact of corporate research and development (R&D) on firm performance in the food-processing industry. The agro-food industry is usually considered to be a low-tech sector (the share of total output that is attributable to R&D is around 0.27% in the EU). However, th...

  This report investigates the impact of corporate research and development (R&D) on firm performance in the food-processing industry. The agro-food industry is usually considered to be a low-tech sector (the share of total output that is attributable to R&D is around 0.27% in the EU). However, the agro-food industry is very heterogeneous. On the one hand, there are many highly innovative food-processing firms with intensive R&D activity and, on the other hand, many food-processing firms derive and adopt innovations from other sectors such as machinery, packaging and other manufacturing suppliers. We perform data envelopment analysis (DEA) with two-step bootstrapping, which allows us to correct the bias in (in)efficiency and generate unbiased estimates for (in)efficiencies. We use a corporate dataset of 307 companies from agriculture and food-processing industries from the EU, the USA, Canada and Japan for the period 1991–2009. The estimates suggest that R&D has a positive effect on firms’ performance, with marginal gains decreasing at the R&D level, and performance differences detected across regions and food sectors. General public expenditure in R&D is also associated with a positive impact on firm performance. As a result, policy support for this type of non-high-tech innovative sector is expected to generate growth. However, results that suggest heterogeneity in R&D effects across EU Member States may point to differences in the implications of innovation policies across EU regions.

  • Published: 2018-09-19
  • Corporate Author(s): Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Subject: agri-foodstuffs, agro-industry, Europe, food processing, innovation, Japan, North America, private investment, productivity, research and development, research report
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  Research for AGRI Committee: the revival of wolves and other large predators and its impact on farmers and their livelihood in rural regions of Europe
  

  This study surveys the current status of large carnivores in Europe and assesses their impact on livestock from the available data on compensation payments and from field research. Recommendations on livestock protection measures are provided, as well as on the integration of these into locally ...

  This study surveys the current status of large carnivores in Europe and assesses their impact on livestock from the available data on compensation payments and from field research. Recommendations on livestock protection measures are provided, as well as on the integration of these into locally adapted holistic management systems.

  • Published: 2018-09-12
  • Corporate Author(s): Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union (European Parliament)
  • Subject: damage, economic disparity, Europe, farmer, indemnification, livestock, protection of animals, rural region, wild mammal