European Parliamentary Research Service

📊 Our latest Economic Outlook Quarterly is out!  What is the state of the EU economy? 🔎 Here are some key insights ↓ 📌 In the first half of 2025, the economy grew by 1.6 % in the EU and 1.5 % in the euro area (compared with the same period in 2024) 📌 Euro-area inflation is projected to average 2.1 % in 2025, with energy prices still deflationary and food inflation easing 📌 The EU continues to run a goods trade surplus with the US, largely offset by energy and services deficits 📌 The EU's trade deficit with China is deepening as imports rise and EU exports weaken 📥 Find more insights in our infographic series on the EU economy: https://europa.eu/!twCYnJ

The European Union aims to become a leading #AI continent. 📑 With the adoption of the #AIAct in 2024, the EU became the first global actor to establish a comprehensive legal framework for AI. Progress has been made to implement the AI continent action plan, but much work still lies ahead. The European Parliament will play a central role in scrutinising the European Commission's activities and shaping legislation, such as the forthcoming Cloud and AI Development Act. ❓What is the state of play? What else to expect? 📝 Read our briefing ↓ https://lnkd.in/eZXqmVEy

Everyone provides or receives care at some point in their life.  However, care work is often: - invisible, - not fully recognised as work, - largely carried out by women. 🔎 What are the consequences? The gender care gap impacts the EU's labour market and competitiveness as well as the well-being and cohesion of society. 📝 To support the work of the European Parliament's committees, EPRS has produced a briefing and presented it this week to the committees on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), as they prepare an own-initiative report calling for more action to address the gender care gap. Curious to learn what the EU could do? Read our briefing ↓ https://lnkd.in/egVEXqDg

❓Trilogue meetings. Do you know what they are and why they matter? 📺 Our video breaks it down in less than 2 minutes ↓ The European Parliament legislates on an equal footing with the Council of the European Union under the ordinary legislative procedure. This means both institutions have equal say in shaping new laws. But that takes time and negotiation. 🤝 To agree on a common text, they usually meet to negotiate carefully during 'trilogue' meetings. 📋 Parliament's Rules of Procedure set out how trilogues are conducted... but we will explore that in another episode. Stay tuned! Curious to learn more about #trilogue meetings? 📝 Our briefing dives deeper into the details: https://lnkd.in/eaXrxUHk

❓ Do you know what military mobility is? It is the capacity of armed forces to move troops and equipment swiftly across the EU. And that is a crucial but long-overlooked aspect of European defence. ➡️ Upcoming EU initiatives are an opportunity to finally adopt a comprehensive approach to military mobility. Yet ambitious projects and declarations require sufficient budgetary resources. 🔎 Let's take a look at the figures: For the first time, under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (#MFF), the EU has allocated €1.7 billion for military mobility under a dedicated envelope in the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). 🛤️ With this, the EU has co-funded 95 military mobility transport infrastructure projects, across 21 Member States. The chart below shows the allocation of this funding by transport mode ↓ But this funding, frontloaded in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and envisaged to last until 2027, has already been exhausted. 📈 What comes next? In its proposal for the 2028-2034 MFF, the European Commission has proposed to expand the CEF to support investments in military mobility, alongside civilian infrastructure, with nearly €17.6 billion (10 times higher than the current MFF). However, this fund could still be reduced during negotiations. 📝 Learn more about military mobility and its potential benefits in our briefing: https://lnkd.in/eMngqERE #EUDefence

Today is International Equal Pay Day. What is the state of play on the gender pay gap in the European Union and worldwide? 📊 Here are some figures: 🔎 In the EU, the gender pay gap varied widely, from -0.7% in Luxembourg to 19.0% in Latvia. 🔎 Across OECD countries, it stands on average at 11.9%. The median full-time working woman earns about 88 cents for every euro or dollar earned by a man. Overall, the gender pay gap persists globally and in the EU, and progress in reducing it is slow. It continues to be a persistent and multi-dimensional issue in all countries and across all economic sectors. ❓What are the EU initiatives to tackle this issue? Find out in our latest note ↓ https://lnkd.in/e9_7XcGA

🧰 Do you know what is in the EU's trade defence toolbox? The EU's trade defence arsenal can be divided into two categories: 1️⃣ EU trade defence instruments 2️⃣ EU autonomous trade instruments Recent US tariff policies are likely to divert trade flows to other markets, including the EU, and drive a further increase in the global use of trade defence measures. In this context, the relevance of the EU's trade defence toolbox is expected to grow in the future. 📝 Read more about key trade defence tools in our briefing ↓ https://lnkd.in/eFSD4-SH #EUTrade