europe
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Théo Wittersheim from the Shift Project on their report about Europe’s energy exposure
Could you elaborate on the technical foundations of your methodology, particularly what makes it novel compared to existing approaches, and which data sources were used to validate your approach? Théo Wittersheim: Our methodology is based on two core principles: analysing dependencies from the perspective of physical flows (for instance, barrels of oil, tonnes of steel, ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Ugnė Keliauskaitė from Bruegel on Europe’s energy dependency
The views expressed here are from Ugnė Keliauskaitė and do not necessarily reflect those of the think tank Bruegel. Do your findings suggest that Europe is shifting from fossil fuel dependency towards new forms of dependency, for example on critical materials or external clean energy supply chains? Ugnė Keliauskaitė: China dominates global production of the ...
Assessing EU’s direct and indirect energy dependencies
Europe is highly dependent on fossil fuels, and 97% of the EU’s oil consumption is imported as well as 90% of its fossil gas consumption. How can Europe address this issue, especially at a time of geopolitical tensions that have a significant impact on energy and the economy? Assessing EU's direct and indirect energy dependencies ...
Why technology alone won’t secure Europe’s rail future
Rail transport carries only a modest share of passengers and freight across the EU, yet it is widely regarded as one of the most important tools available for meeting Europe's climate targets. The European Union has spent decades building a Single European Railway Area but persistent gaps in governance, infrastructure investment and cross-border coordination continue ...
The future of automated vehicles in the EU: Interview with Prof. Michael Botsch and Prof. Werner Huber
Technology can take over an increasing amount of tasks when it comes to driving a vehicle - like braking or steering. The European Union is currently implementing and possibly reviewing some aspects of its regulation in the field of automated, connected and also self-driving vehicles, while vehicle manufacturers are increasingly putting more models on the ...
The changing attitudes of Generation Z towards substance use and risky behaviours
For approximately 30 years, the Italian National Research Council has partnered with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to survey more than 113,800 students aged 15–16 across Europe to monitor adolescent risk behaviours. The latest findings reveal that, although cannabis, alcohol, and traditional cigarettes use among European teenagers has steadily declined, new behavioural and health ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Dr Margreet de Looze on adolescent health and risk behaviours
Margreet de Looze is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Science at Utrecht University. Her research examines how social and cultural contexts shape young people’s health and well-being, with a particular focus on adolescent substance use, mental health, and sexual health. Over the past 17 years, her interdisciplinary and cross-national research has documented how adolescent ...
Beyond technology: How social sciences and humanities drive human-centric innovation
As the European Union (EU) prepares the groundwork for the next Horizon Europe Framework Programme, many experts have been calling for the human and social dimension of progress to be better integrated into the EU’s research and innovation agenda. The STOA workshop ‘Humanities and social sciences at the heart of Europe’s future’, organised on 3 ...