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This briefing traces the evolution of the debates on the European Parliament's powers, and their (dis)connection to the organisation of the first direct European elections in 1979. It spans the period leading up to 1979, and also assesses the aftermath of these landmark elections. It shows that well into the 1970s, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) put great effort into de coupling the debates on organising Parliament's direct elections from those on expanding its institutional powers. MEPs ...

Strategic foresight was identified as a political priority by the European Commission back in 2019, and was integrated into the EU's better regulation guidelines in 2021. It allows practitioners to anticipate alternative futures and, hence, represents a key tool for the EU to future-proof its policies and legislation. Its relevance spans the policy cycle, being of interest ex ante to impact assessments (IAs) and ex post to evaluations. This briefing examines the use of strategic foresight by the ...

Plenary debates on the conclusions of European Council meetings with the president of the European Council are among the most visible and frequently recurring interactions between Parliament and the European Council. These debates are important because they are the only place at EU level where the results of European Council meetings are examined and scrutinised, and the institution is held accountable. By examining and assessing the reports made by Charles Michel to the European Parliament following ...

This in-depth analysis commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, looks at the past and current developments in the EU better regulation agenda. The author finds that, despite important achievements that put the EU at the forefront in this field, many of the most ambitious reforms announced over the past few years are still far from complete. The in-depth analysis offers several policy recommendations ...

This briefing examines the revised Better Regulation guidelines and toolbox the European Commission presented in November 2021, which translate the Commission’s communication ‘Joining forces to make better laws’ into practice. Compared to the previous edition, many tools and principles are just validated and adjusted, such as the three pillars of ex-ante impact assessment, ex-post evaluation and stakeholder consultation, or the evaluate-first principle. Two major innovations stand out: the introduction ...

Ten composite indices for policy-making

In-Depth Analysis 08-09-2021

Evidence and data are key to good policy-making, in particular when it comes to setting priorities, mitigating negative impacts and finding optimum trade-offs. The information provided in this publication is designed to help policy-makers by providing sources of data and identifying possible bias in their use. EPRS has selected 10 composite indices in a range of policy areas from reliable sources; indices already used as references by policy-makers. For each index, a chapter presents the producers ...

The analysis considers evidence on the expected impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on jobs, discusses the potential of AI to create decent jobs and explores the extent to which AI offers opportunities and poses risks to working conditions. The analysis examines current policies at the European Union (EU) and Member State level and recommends some areas for action at the EU level.

The study analyses recent trends in teleworking, its impacts on workers, employers, and society, and the challenges for policy-making. It provides an overview of the main legislative and policy measures adopted at EU and national level, in order to identify possible policy actions at EU level. The study is based on an extensive literature review, a web survey, interviews with representatives of European and national stakeholders, and five case studies of EU countries: Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy ...

The implementation of foresight routines will help in preparing future policies. Evidence-based foresight practices will ensure that policy-making is trustworthy and future-fit. This paper is partly inspired by the evidence-related policy issues encountered in managing the coronavirus outbreak. The Covid 19 crisis was, and remains, characterised by uncertainties and evidence that change by the hour through progressive insight. Policy-makers had to make decisions that balanced expert advice and presumed ...

The current coronavirus crisis emphasises the need for the European Union to devote more effort to anticipatory governance, notably through analysis of medium- and long-term global trends, as well as structured contingency planning and the stress-testing of existing and future policies. In order to contribute to reflection on and discussion about the implications of the coronavirus pandemic for EU policy-making, this paper builds on an initial ‘mapping' of some 66 potential structural risks which ...