Science & Policy

What’s on the EU's agenda?

September 2019

2

EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE

Strategy and Work Programme Coordination Interinstitutional, International Relations & Outreach

SCIENCE & POLICY: WHAT'S ON THE EU'S AGENDA?

2 September 2019

The DG JRC's monthly briefing to the scientific community, N° 83

Table of Contents

1. Activities of the European Institutions 3

1.1 European Commission 3

1.2 Council 3

1.3 European Parliament 4

1.4 Committee of the Regions (CoR) 9

1.5 European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) 10

2. Conferences & Meetings 11

2.1 DG JRC Conferences and Events 11

2.2 Further European Conferences and Meetings 13

2.3 International Conferences and events 17

3. DG JRC News 19

Correspondence: Strategy, Work Programme and Resources Interinstitutional, International Relations & Outreach– DG JRC European Commission, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11 Office: CDMA 05/155 JRC-STAKEHOLDERS@ec.europa.eu Prepared by Elisebha Fabienne Platzer Cover: 3D illustration of molecule model (©Fotolia, artemegorov)

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1. Activities of the European Institutions

1.1 European Commission

Date Event Subject

September College Meeting Please consult the webpage

All meetings of the College of Commissioners

1.2 Council

Date Event Location

13-14 September Informal meeting of Economic and Financial Affairs Ministers Helsinki, Finland

16 September General Affairs Council Brussels

20 September Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport) Brussels

22-24 September Informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers Helsinki, Finland

24 September Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Energy) Brussels

26-27 September Competitiveness Council Brussels

4 October Environment Council Luxembourg

7-8 October Justice and Home Affairs Council Luxembourg

10 October Economic and Financial Affairs Council Luxembourg

All meetings of the Council

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1.3 European Parliament

Plenary Sessions

Date Event Subjects Location

16-19

September Plenary

Among others: Appointment of the Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank; presentation by the Council of its position on the draft general budget- 2020 financial year; debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law;

Strasbourg

2-3

September Committee on Foreign Affairs

Among others: Exchange of views with Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and Pacific, EEAS, on the situation in Kashmir; exchange of views with Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, on the priorities of the Finnish Presidency; general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020- all sections; exchange of views with Johann Sattler, newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (in compliance with the Declaration on Political Accountability of the HR/VP); exchange of views with Hans Grundberg, newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to Yemen (in compliance with the Declaration on Political Accountability of the HR/VP); debriefing on the Parliamentary elections in Ukraine of 22 July 2019; exchange of views with Matti Maasikas, newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to Ukraine (in compliance with the Declaration on Political Accountability of the HR/VP); exchange of views with Aude Maio-Coliche, Head of the EU Delegation to Argentina; exchange of views with Ugo Astuto, newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to India (in compliance with the Declaration on Political Accountability of the HR/VP) tbc- pending diplomatic credentials; exchange of views with Robert van den Dool, newly appointed Head of EU Delegation to Sudan (in compliance with the Declaration on Political

Brussels

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Accountability of the HR/VP) tbc- pending diplomatic credentials;

2-3

September Committee on International Trade

Among others: General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020- all sections; state of play of International Trade Negotiations; presentation by Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, representing the President-in-Office of the Council, on the priorities of the Finnish Presidency in the area of International Trade Policy; presentation of the Trade and Investment Barriers report for the year 2018; recent developments in the EU investment policy; presentation by the Commission of the outcome of the trade related aspects of the G20 Summit in Osaka, 28–29 June 2019; presentation of the joint communication "European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean: joining forces for a common future"- trade related aspects; presentation on "EU preferential rules of origin"

Brussels

2-3

September

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Among others: Presentation of the Council Presidency’s programme with Ms. Katri Kulmuni, Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs and Mr. Timo Harakka, Finnish Minister of Employment; presentation of the studies on the digital single market and on consumer protection;

Brussels

2-3

September Committee on Transport and Tourism

Please consult the website Brussels

3 September Committee on Budgets Please consult the website Brussels

3 September Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Please consult the website Brussels

3 September Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Among others: Presentation of the Political Department A stud "In-depth analysis of 5G deployment"; exchange of views with Director-General Eric Paquet on the strategic planning process of Horizon Europe; presentation of the Political Department A study "Europe- the global centre for excellent research"; exchange of views with Mr Juhan Lepassaar, Executive Director candidate of the European Union

Brussels

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Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), selected on 16 July 2019 by its Management Board; presentation by the Commission by Ms Ditte Juul-Jørgensen, Director-General in DG Energy, on the State of the Energy Union and the state of play as regards the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) for 2021-2030;

3 September Committee on Regional Development

Please consult the website Brussels

3 September Committee on Legal Affairs

Among others: Subsidiarity (Rule 43); Action of the Union following its accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications; request for waiver of the immunity of José Manuel Fernandes; verification of credentials and term of office (Rule 3 and 4); disputes involving Parliament (Rule 149); exchange of views with Anna-Maja Henriksson, Finnish Minister of Justice; statements by selected candidates for the post of Deputy Executive Director of EUIPO-exchange of views; exchange of views with the Legal Service on Immunities;

Brussels

3 September Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Among others: Elections of the second, third and fourth Vice-Chairs; general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020- all sections; Council Presidency- presentation of the programme of the Finnish EU Council Presidency by Ms Tytti Tuppurainen, President of the Council of the European Union, Minister for European Affairs;

Brussels

4 September Committee on Budgetary Control

Among others: Discharge 2017: European Asylum Support Office (EASO); Hearing with Ms Nina Gregori, Executive Director of EASO; Discharge 2017: General budget of the EU- Council and European Council; General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020- all sections; The OLAF Annual Report 2018: exchange of views with OLAF Director-General, Ville Itälä; The OLAF Supervisory Committee Annual Activity Report 2018: exchange of views with the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee, Jan Mulder and Members of the Supervisory Committee;

Brussels

4 September Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Among others: Exchange of views on the issue of patentability of plants with a view to submitting a written statement to the

Brussels

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Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office; exchange of views with Jari Leppä, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry on the priorities of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union;

4 September Committee on Fisheries

Among others: State of the Seas-exchange of views with Commission representatives on the state of the stocks in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Western Waters; study on engine power verification by Member States- presentation by the Commission; conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; delegated acts;

Brussels

4 September Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

Among others: Visit of Tiina Astola, Director-General for Justice and Consumers; European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE): exchange of views with Carlien Scheele, nominated candidate for Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality; General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020- all sections;

Brussels

4-5

September Committee on Development

Please consult the website Brussels

4-5

September Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Please consult the website Brussels

4-5

September

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Please consult the website Brussels

4-5

September Committee on Culture and Education

Please consult the website Brussels

4-5

September Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Among others: Presentation of the priorities of the Finnish Council Presidency; Presentation of the activities of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies- EUROPOL: presentation of the tasks and activities of Europol by Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director, presentation of the JHA Agencies network, presentation of the EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report; Council implementing decision on the launch of

Brussels

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automated data exchange with regard to vehicle registration data in Ireland; Discharge 2017: European Asylum Support Office (EASO)- Hearing with Nina Gregori, Executive Director of EASO; Presentation of the activities of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies- EUROJUST, EMCDDA and CEPOL; European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust): presentation of the tasks and activities of Eurojust by Ladislav Hamran, President; European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA); European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL): presentation of the tasks and activities of CEPOL by Detlef Schröder, Executive Director, presentation of the EU Strategic Training Needs Assessment (EU-STNA), presentation of the strategic priority "Cybercrime and digital competence of law enforcement", presentation of the Consolidated Annual Activity Report 2018, presentation of the Single Programming Document 2019; implementing decision approving the conclusion by Eurojust of the Agreement on Cooperation between Eurojust and Serbia: presentation by the Commission of the agreement; election of the third Vice-Chair; Strengthening the rule of law within the Union- A blueprint for action; exchange of views with Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission; European Asylum Support Office (EASO): presentation of the tasks and activities of European Asylum Support Office (EASO) by Nina Gregori, Executive Director; European Agency in charge of the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA): presentation of the tasks and activities of eu-LISA by Krum Garkov, Executive Director; hearing of the candidate selected for the post of Deputy Executive Director of Europol (Art. 54 of Regulation (EU) 2016/794), Mr Jürgen Ebner; European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): presentation of the tasks and activities of the FRA by Michael O’Flaherty, Executive Director; European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS): presentation of the tasks and activities of the EDPS by Giovanni Buttarelli, Supervisor; possibly: agreement between Canada and the European Union on the transfer and processing of Passenger Name Record data;

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4-5

September Committee on Petitions

Among others: Presentation by the European Commission of its cooperation with the Committee on Petitions; Presentation by the Legal Service of its cooperation with the Committee on Petitions; presentation by the Policy Department C of its cooperation with the Committee on Petitions; Presentation by the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, of her Annual report 2018; Petitions for discussion in committee on the basis of the Commission's written reply or other documents received in the fields of: environment, health, agriculture, consumer's right, migration, fundamental rights, disability;

Brussels

9 September Subcommittee on Human Rights

Please consult the website

Brussels

9 September Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Please consult the website

Brussels

25-26

September Subcommittee on Human Rights

Please consult the website Brussels

25-26

September Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Please consult the website Brussels

All European Parliament Committee Meetings

1.4 Committee of the Regions (CoR)

Date Event Location

10 September Stakeholder consultation on "A macro-regional strategy for the Carpathian

region"

Brussels

11 September Urban rail investments in the next MFF Brussels

12 September Stakeholders' consultation on a European framework for regulatory responses to the collaborative economy

Brussels

10

17 September No Democracy without Accountability Brussels

19 September 25th Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) Meeting

Brussels

27 September Annual meeting of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Platform

Palma de

Mallorca, Spain

30 September 25th Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC) Meeting

Brussels

7 October 136th-CoR-Plenary-Session Brussels

10 October Thematic Seminar- Regions and Cities catalyse Social Innovation- in the context of the Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP)

Brussels

All Events of the Committee of the Regions

1.5 European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Date Event Location

6 September 2019 EESC Civil Society Prize Brussels

12 September Civil society contribution to the next European Semester cycle Brussels

16 September Boosting EU competitiveness- 3 pillars for sustainable growth Helsinki, Finland

23 September Hearing in Brussels on: The new European rules on retail– between the free market and sustainability

Brussels

2 October Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030- Putting citizens at the centre of the implementation strategy

Brussels

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3 October "Use-value" is back: the key to sustainable competitiveness Tampere, Finland

All events of the European Economic and Social Committee

1.6 International Relations

Date Event Venue/Location

27 September EU-Asia Connectivity: Building bridges for a sustainable future Brussels

Kjiv, Ukraine

3-4 October EU Arctic Forum Umeå, Sweden Umeå, Sweden Umeå, Sweden

2. Conferences & Meetings

2.1 DG JRC Conferences and Events

Date Event Organiser Location

9-13 September

36th European PV Solar Energy (EU PVSEC) Conference and Exhibition

JRC, EU PVSEC Marseille, France

16-20 September

ELINDER Specific Course in Metrology for Radioactive Waste Characterisation and Clearance

JRC Ispra, Italy

17 September

Natural risk management- Austria JRC, Tyrol Region,

Innsbruck University

Innsbruck, Austria

17-19 September

Genetics in support of fisheries and aquaculture management

JRC, International Council of the

Exploration of the Sea (ICES),

University of Washington,

Bangor University,

Faro, Portugal

12

Danish National Institute of

Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua)

18 September

Science for Policy- Slovenia

JRC, Slovenian Ministry of Education,

Science and Sport

Ljubljana, Slovenia

23-27

September

Workshop: Extreme Events and Energy Transitions- Tackling the Challenges of Climate Change by Integrating Social and Complex Systems Science

JRC Ispra, Italy

24

September European HTCondor Workshop 2019 JRC Ispra, Italy

24-26

September Global Summit on Regulatory Sciences (GSRS) 2019- Nanotechnology and nanoplastics

JRC, Global Coalition for Regulatory

Science Research (GCRSR)

Ispra and Stresa, Italy

24-26

September Scientific workshop on nuclear fission dynamics and the emission of prompt neutrons and gamma rays

JRC, Romanian National Institute for Physics and

Nuclear Engineering

(NIPNE)

Barga, Italy

25-27 September

7th European conference on corporate research and development (R&D) and innovation (CONCORDi 2019)

JRC, Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development

(OECD)

Seville, Spain

25-26 September

EUROMOD workshop JRC, University of

Milan Milan, Italy

26 September

Coastal and maritime tourism & sustainable growth- Finland

JRC Pori, Finland

3 October Sustainable development, energy & climate change- Slovakia

JRC Košice Region,

Slovakia

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4 October Space Research- Luxembourg JRC Luxembourg

4-7 November

International Conference on Effective Nuclear and Radiation Regulatory Systems: Working Together to Enhance Cooperation

JRC, IAEA The Hague, The

Netherlands

26-28 November

25th MARS Conference

JRC, DG AGRI, Czech Republic

Paying Agency for Agriculture (SZIF)

Prague, Czech Republic

All upcoming DG JRC Events

All upcoming events in the EU Newsroom Calendar

2.2 Further European Conferences and Meetings

4-6 September 7th International colloquium on scientific and fundamental aspects of global navigation satellite system (GNSS)

European Global Navigation Satellite

System Agency (GSA)

Zurich, Switzerland

5 September European high-level conference on carbon capture and storage

EC, Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and

Energy

Oslo, Norway

5 September Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) Energy market integrity and transparency forum 2019

ACER Ljubljana, Slovenia

6 September European Institute of Innovation Technology (EIT) Food innovation competition 2019

EIT Aarhus,

Denmark

6-7 September Embassy Festival-Lifting Global Culture

EC, Municipality of The Hague

The Hague, The Netherland

10 September Citizens’ dialogue in Madrid with Commissioner Cecilia Malmström

EC Madrid, Spain

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10 September How to ensure the resilience of our societies in a changing European landscape-The interaction between democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights

Finish Presidency of the Council of the EU

Helsinki, Finland

10 September EIT digital conference 2019- For a strong digital Europe

EIT Brussels

10-11 September Creation, innovation and promotion: competitiveness

of the European audiovisual industry

Finish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Finish Ministry of Education and Culture

Helsinki, Finland

10-12 September

7th EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) international cooperation forum

EASA Budva, Montenegro

12 September

Digital European Sky- High Level Conference on the Future of Single European Sky

Finish Presidency of the Council of the EU,

Finish Ministry of Transport and

Communications

Helsinki, Finland

12 September

Informal Workshop on Global Environmental Issues

Finish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Finish Ministry of the

Environment

Helsinki, Finland

12-13 September

11th Citizens Energy Forum

EC, Irelands Commission for

Regulation of Utilities (CRU)

Dublin, Ireland

12-13 September

Horizon 2020 space information day and brokerage event

GSA, H2020 Space NCP Network

(COSMOS2020plus)

Prag, Czechia

16-22 September

European Mobility Week 2019 EC Brussels

16-17 September

Horizon 2020 environment and resources information days

EC, EASME Brussels

17 September Public stakeholder workshop on the studies: 'User needs in the postal sector' and 'International postal services, remuneration and regulation’

EC, DG GROW Brussels

15

18 September

Training session on EU public procurement for economic operators

EC, Agency for support for the Body of

European regulators for electronic

communications (BEREC Office),

Latvian Ministry of Economics, Latvian

Ministry of Transport, Latvian Procurement Monitoring Bureau

Riga, Latvia

18 September

High-level conference on the economy of well-being

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, European Foundation for the

Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

Helsinki, Finland

19 September 3rd Annual conference on regulatory scrutiny in the EU

EC Brussels

19-20 September

Workshop on key competences in initial vocational education and training: digital, literacy and multilingual

European Centre for the Development of Cocational Training

(Cedefop)

Thessaloniki, Greece

19-20 September

3rd CareersNet meeting

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training

(Cedefop)

Rome, Italy

19-20 September Conference on data protection in law enforcement-

Paradise lost? Policing in the age of data protection Europol

Copenhagen, Denmark

20 September Annual meeting of EU accessible cities EC, DG EMPL

Breda, The Netherlands

23-24 September

High-level conference on advancing LGBTI equality in the EU: from 2020 and beyond

EC, Finnish Presidency of the Council of the

EU

Brussels

16

23-24 September Workshop on REACH review action 3

EC, European Chemicals Agency

(ECHA)

Helsinki, Finland

23-30 September

European Week of Sport 2019 EC Brussels

24 September

Conference on sport

EC, Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Finish Ministry of

Education

Helsinki, Finland

24 September

Seminar on the future of EU transparency

EC, Finnish Presidency of the Council of the

EU, University of Helsinki

Brussels

24-26

September

European Research and Innovation Days

The JRC contributes also to the Village section "Home International" of the European Research and Innovation Days.

EC, DG RTD Brussels

24-25 September European geostationary navigation overlay service’s

(EGNOS) annual workshop

European Satellite Services Provider

(ESSP), GSA, Italian Space Agency

Rome, Italy

25-26 September

4th Regional seminar for candidate countries EC, ETF Skopje,

Macedonia

25-26 September

3rd Justice and home affairs agencies network meeting

Europol The Hague, the

Netherlands

26 September 2nd European Education Summit EC Brussels

26 September High-level conference- Towards a more inclusive and diverse transport sector

EC Brussels

26 September

7th ENISA National Cyber Security Strategies (NCSS) workshop

EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), Polish National

Research Institution (NASK)

Warsaw, Poland

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26 September High-level conference- Towards a more inclusive and diverse transport sector

EC, Women in Transport Platform for

Change

Brussels

26-27 September

IP HORIZON 5.0- Mapping opportunities and challenges for Intellectual Property in a globalised economy

European Intellectual Property Office

(EUIPO), McCarthy Institute

Alicante, Spain

30 September High-level conference: Europe for gender equality? Taking stock, taking action

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU

Helsinki, Finland

30 September

European Days for sustainable circular economy

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU,

Finish Ministry of Economic Affairs and

Employment, Finish Ministry of the

Environment

Helsinki, Finland

30 September Trade for Her: Empowering women through international trade

EC Brussels

30 September- 2 October

Workshop on integrated sustainable nitrogen management

EC, Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen

(TFRN)- United Nations Economic Commission

for Europe (UNECE)

Brussels

2.3 International Conferences and events

Date Event Organiser Location

2-3 September Open Living Lab Days Global Living Lab

Community Thessaloniki,

Greece

14-18 September

INGSA 2020: International Conference on Science Advice to Government

International Network for

Government Science Advice (INGSA)

Québec, Canada

16-20 September

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 63rd General Conference

IAEA Vienna, Austria

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23 September UN Climate Action Summit UN New York, USA

24-25 September

High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development: SDG Summit 2019

Under the auspices of the UN General

Assembly (UNGA), UN New York, USA

24-27 September

International Symposium on Digital Earth (ISDE) 2019 ISDE Florence, Italy

15-17 October Budapest Water Summit

Under the patronage of Mr János Áder-President of the

Republic of Hungary, Hungarian

Government, Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

and Trade

Budapest, Hungary

21 October 2019 Euro-Case Annual Conference on the Future of Work

Norwegian Academy of Science (NTVA)

Oslo, Norway

23-25 October Lisbon Addictions 2019

Portuguese Directorate-General for Intervention on

Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD), Journal

Addiction/Society for the Study of

Addiction, European Monitoring Centre for

Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), International Society of Addiction Journal

Editors (ISAJE)

Lisbon, Portugal

20-23 November

World Science Forum 2019 World Science Forum Budapest, Hungary

19

2-13 December UNFCCC COP 25

COP25 Presidency, Chilean Ministry of

Environment, Chilean Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, Chilean Ministry of

Science, Technology, Knowledge and

Innovation, Fundación Imagen de

Chile

Santiago, Chile

13-16 February 2020

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting 2020

AAAS Seattle, USA

8-12 June 2020 2020 International Conference of Young Scientists-Heal the Earth- and Global Young Academy (GYA) Annual General Meeting

GYA Mysore, India

14-18 September

2020

4th International Conference on Science Advice to Government (INGSA)

International Science Council, International

Network for Government Science

Advice

Montreal, Canada

3. DG JRC News

August DG JRC Newsletter August 2019

2018 JRC Annual Report

Open Open access to JRC Research Infrastructures- Call

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Actinide User Laboratory-ActUsLab

Open The EU is recruiting researchers- Call for expressions of interest

Open JRC Alumni Network Membership: Already Member of the JRC

Alumni Network? Not yet-Take the opportunity to join!

1-3 July Summer School on Sustainable Finance

The Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development mark historical international commitments to a more sustainable economy and society. In this context, the financial system has a key role to play. While policy initiatives on sustainable finance are advancing at the European level, there is a strong need for sharing knowledge and experience on substantive sustainable finance issues. To answer this need, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Community of Practice in Financial Research (CoPFiR) had organised the summer school on sustainable finance.

3-4 July Learning Lab on "Supporting the effective uptake of Cohesion Policy funds in energy"- S3 as a tool to enhance innovation capabilities in EU13

This learning lab was organised as part of the Stairway to Excellence (S2E) project and the Smart Specialisation Platform on Energy (S3PEnergy), managed by the JRC, in close cooperation with DG REGIO, and in collaboration with the Ministry for Innovation and Technology and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary.

8-12 July ELINDER Generic Course 5- Decommissioning Summer School

The ELINDER Decommissioning Summer School was addressed to students with a graduate degree pursuing a master in the area of engineering, science and technology. The course gave in 5 days an overview of the important issues related to nuclear decommissioning and waste management. The course included visits of the nuclear installations from JRC Ispra and practical illustrative cases studies. The participation was free of charge; interested students could complete the application form and were selected on this basis.

10 July Climate change- mitigation and adaptation

One event of the series took place in an EU associated country, namely Serbia. Climate change is a particularly threatening issue for the Western Balkans in general and Serbia in particular. During this conference, researchers and policymakers engaged in a dialogue on several connected topics (water management, air quality and greenhouse gases, renewable energy sources).

10-12 July Cross-domain conference on Benford's Law application

The European Commission was organising a cross-domain conference on Benford's Law foundations, methods and applications. The general goals of the conference were to:

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Provide insight on the suitability of the Benford's Law (BL) for fraud detection

Discuss the state of the art in the field

Reflect on new BL-based procedures

The conference had a cross-domain dimension and participants had the opportunity to discuss the applicability of statistical tools derived from Benford's Law to major anti-fraud problems arising in other financial contexts than international trade.

15-26 July Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) International Summer School 2019

The ten-day course covered all aspects of satellite navigation, including:

Theory of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), threats to satnav systems, patents and intellectual property right, creation of satnav-based businesses.

The school also offered participants the opportunity to develop a GNSS-based business idea, as part of a group project. The project built on innovative ideas and took into account the planning of the novel product or service, its technical realisation and its marketing to customers.

18 July Launch of new report "Understanding our political nature”

We are at a defining moment for the way our societies are governed. The report highlights that there is a need to change our policymaking. Renowned experts discussed and explored "Understanding our political nature". The understanding of human behaviour can put knowledge and reason at the heart of political decision-making.

All DG JRC news

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