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The supplementary protection certificate (SPC) is a specific intellectual property right that extends the basic patent's market exclusivity for plant protection products. The unitary patent became operational in the EU on 1 June 2023, unifying patent protection in all participating Member States. Despite this significant change, SPCs, which are inseparable from patent protection, remain regulated at national level. This fragmented regulatory approach has proven ineffective, leading to excessive administrative ...

The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the growing importance of digital health technologies, both to enable remote medical care and to facilitate the health response from international, national and local authorities. The European Commission's May 2022 proposal for a regulation on a European health data space aims to improve individuals' access to and control over their electronic personal data (primary use), while facilitating data re-use for the good of society across the EU (secondary use). The ...

Climate change, a global phenomenon, affects every aspect of our lives, including cultural heritage in both its forms – tangible and intangible. Extreme weather conditions expose these important elements of our cultural identity to serious threats. These threats must be addressed to protect valuable sites and preserve them for future generations. Research on climate change is not a novelty, but climate change as it relates to cultural heritage is a relatively new area of exploration and policy. The ...

A key function of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is to serve for its members as a forum for the negotiation of global trade rules. However, since the WTO's foundation in 1995, WTO members have largely failed to meet their self-defined negotiating objectives as set out in the comprehensive 2001 Doha Development Agenda (DDA). By the time of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Ministerial Conference, WTO members had settled on merely two multilateral agreements in almost 30 years: a 2013 agreement on trade facilitation ...

From 19 April to 1 June 2024, 968 million Indian voters are eligible to elect the members of the Lok Sabha (lower house). Voting is to take more than six weeks in seven phases across states and territories, concluding with a final round on 1 June; the votes are set to be counted on 4 June. Since 1999, elections to the Lok Sabha have coincided with those for the European Parliament. In 2023, India overtook China as the world's most populous country. The government has been able to lower India's poverty ...

During its April II session, Parliament is expected to adopt its first-reading position on a proposal aimed at preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution. The Council has yet to agree its position.

During its April II plenary session, Parliament is expected to vote on the extension for an additional year of the autonomous trade measures (ATM) that liberalised Ukrainian exports to the EU, to support Ukraine's economy. The proposal includes reinforced safeguards to protect EU farmers in case of market disruption.

In November 2022, the European Commission presented a proposal for a revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD – Directive 94/62/EC). During its April II 2024 plenary session, Parliament is due to vote on the political agreement reached by Council and Parliament negotiators on 4 March 2024.

The Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans has been designed to support internal reforms in the Western Balkan countries, by providing certain benefits of EU membership even before EU accession. The Facility will provide up to €6 billion over the 2024-2027 period. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the agreed text, resulting from interinstitutional negotiations, during its April II 2024 plenary session.

The Parliament is due tol vote on the agreement reached with the Council on a new directive that sets minimum standards to improve working conditions for people who work through digital labour platforms. It introduces the first-ever EU rules regulating algorithmic management in the workplace. The directive is the outcome of difficult negotiations and sends a signal to taxi and food delivery drivers and domestic workers that the EU is determined to set straight platforms' use of gig work, albeit with ...