Policy

Each Member State has the authority to decide and plan its education system. In this framework, EU education policy is thought to support the national initiative and to help address common challenges, like skills deficits in workforce and employability, technological development, global competition. To achieve these objectives, the EU provides numerous funding opportunities to strengthen international cooperation.

One of the most important funding schemes is Erasmus+ Program, which aims to contribute to other European policies such as Europe 2020, ET2020 and EU Youth Strategy by fighting against youth unemployment.

They hope to achieve so by empowering young people promoting innovation and cooperation among countries, and enhancing their ability to participate actively in a more inclusive and democratic society, and by promoting cooperation between bodies, organizations and institutions within the EU MS, Erasmus+ reinforce EU identity, cohesion and the promotion of EU values across all the Member States.

Europe and the rest of the world have been facing a rising energy demand, volatile prices, a decrease in the supply and an increase in the environmental impact of the energy sector.

The European energy strategy aims to tackle these problems by tackling the three main factors: security of supply, competitiveness, and sustainability. To achieve these goals with a long-term strategy, the EU has formulated targets for 2020, 2030 and 2050 to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20% compared to 1990, 40% (2030), and 95% by 2050, other aims to improve energy efficiency at last 20% (2020) and an increase of at least 27% by 2030.

The transport sector is one of the main contributors to climate change. It has contributed to 14% of emissions in 2014 and 27% of emissions in 2016 at the EU level. In the European Union, GHG emissions from the transport sector have increased by 20% between 1990-2014 (over 170 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent).

In addition to this, other challenges affect this sector such as fossil fuel scarcity and volatility in prices, energy security, increasing congestion in the cities, etc. In the EU, mobility is crucial for economic growth, job creation and people’s everyday quality of life. Thus, the EU strategy aims to gradually increase the number of passengers and mobility opportunities in public transportation, while tackling GHG emissions by 80-95% below 1990 levels in 2050.

To achieve this goal, joint efforts need to be made to promote cleaner, safer and multimodal transport, to develop better infrastructures, to integrate ICT and Intelligent Transport System, to enhance linkages with Research and Innovation and to facilitate access to investments.

Good waste management begins with preventing and reducing the waste we generate. Planners and managers in companies must always choose the optimal treatment option, with the lowest possible risks to human health and the environment.

European waste measures have a hierarchic structure: prevention and minimization, reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal. By contributing to create a circular economy, treating and recycling waste, the EU can obtain many social, environmental and economic benefits such as reducing environmental pressures, ensuring availability and security of vital resources, creating jobs and boosting competitiveness.

The EU estimates that full implementation of existing waste legislation could save up to 72 billion € per year by 2020 while creating over 400 000 jobs and increasing annual EU waste management and recycling sector turnover by 42 billion €.

Imagine if, from here on out, the European Union were to communicate so effectively and so clearly that everyone could immediately understand its actions and intentions. Just picture an EU able to convey its long-term vision in a way that actually inspires people.

This ideal scenario describes why the EU should actively communicate in the first place. It also gives us a lens through which we can examine current communications and how citizens perceive the Union.

At this point it is important to mention that the EU communicates mainly through its behaviour – in other words, by what it does or does not do, and how it does or does not do it. In fact, only a small part of this happens through its active and targeted modes of communication.