The EU/European Union describes a economical and political union of 28 States. With an estimated population of around 510 million the European Union policies aim to allow the free movement of people, goods and services. Within the internal market it aims to maintain common policies on agriculture, trade and more.
Members
The EU and European citizenship were established in 1933. With the inner original 6 being Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. Although no member state has ever left, in 2016 the UK announced its intention to leave and has begun negotiating their departure for 2019.
More foreign aid is provided by the EU than any other economic union. Due to its Global influence and reach the Union has been described as an emerging superpower.
As Europe charts its economic future amid global uncertainties, the European Commission’s new Startup and Scaleup Strategy signals a pivotal shift in how innovation is conceived—not only as a commercial activity, but as a core strategic asset underpinning EU sovereignty, resilience, and growth.
On March 25, 2025, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Tripartite Governance joined in Krakow to define key developments for advancing research data and digital resource sharing across Europe.
Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities in Brussels, emphasises the need to seek comparative advantages in the European Union’s pursuit of a new R&I programme amid Donald Trump’s push for AI.
The continued meeting of the parties to the COP16 Global Biodiversity Conference in Rome ended on February 27, 2025. This meeting reached important agreements that show the global community's determination to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
The EU-India Science and Technology Agreement was first signed in 2001 and has since been renewed multiple times. Promoting research and innovation collaboration between the European Union and India is important.
The European Commission has released a new report showing how the European Union's commitment to collaborative research and innovation has a strong effect and what projects are using the most of their support and funding.
Pietro Vittorio Barbieri, a member of the EESC, and the rapporteur for the EESC opinion on mental health community services, emphasises the necessity for increased resources and enhanced coordination at the European level.
Twelve Ukrainian cities have started their journey towards a climate-neutral development with the launch of the SUN4Ukraine initiative, part of the EU's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission.
We might be about to see a collaboration between Japan and Horizon Europe, with the European Union announcing ongoing discussions on the topic of Japan's association to the research funding giant.
Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, examines the themes of research and innovation in Europe’s quest for a global comeback.
European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator has witnessed an unprecedented surge in interest from startups and SMEs seeking funding, with the recent October cut-off receiving a record-breaking 1211 full applications.
