2030
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The European Digital Identity Wallet towards the December 2026 deadline: implementing acts and technical specifications
Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 established the European Digital Identity Framework and requires every Member State to make at least one European Digital Identity Wallet available. The deadline depends on the entry into force of the European Commission’s implementing acts and falls at the end of December 2026. In July 2026 the Commission updated the applicable standards…
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Exceeding the 1.5°C threshold: the UNEP report on peak and decline pathways
On 2 September 2026 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published the report Limiting Overshoot, on the exceedance of the 1.5°C threshold set out in the Paris Agreement. The document examines what entering a period of exceedance involves and which choices remain available to bring temperatures back below that threshold. The report and the notion…
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Digital platform work: ILO Convention No. 193 and the transposition of the European directive
In June 2026 the International Labour Conference adopted the first convention devoted to work in the digital platform economy, Convention No. 193 of the International Labour Organization (ILO). In the European Union, meanwhile, the 2 December 2026 deadline for transposing Directive (EU) 2024/2831 on platform work is approaching. This contribution gathers the main references of…
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The High Seas Treaty enters into force: a new framework for biodiversity in international waters and the road to the first Conference of the Parties
On 17 January 2026 the United Nations Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, known by the English acronym BBNJ and also as the High Seas Treaty, entered into force. It is the first legally binding framework dedicated to biodiversity in international waters, which cover almost…
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Packaging and end-of-life vehicles: the new European rules for the circular economy
In August 2026 the European Union’s circular economy legislation passed two milestones: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste applies from 12 August 2026, and Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on the management of end-of-life vehicles entered into force on 13 August 2026. This contribution gathers the main references,…
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IRIS², the European Union satellite constellation: the implementation agreement of 7 August 2026
On 7 August 2026 the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed the implementation agreement for IRIS², the European Union satellite constellation for secure connectivity. The agreement brings the main constellation to 348 satellites, brings the first launches forward to 2029 and marks the move from planning to full-scale deployment. This note sets out its…
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The United Nations scientific panel on artificial intelligence: the preliminary report and the Global Dialogue
On 26 August 2025 the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus resolution A/RES/79/325, establishing two standing mechanisms devoted to artificial intelligence: an independent scientific panel and an intergovernmental forum open to all Member States. Both became operational in 2026, with the first scientific report on 1 July and the first session of the forum…
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The post-2030 strategic framework of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: the work of COP17 in Ulaanbaatar
The seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is taking place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026 under the theme Restoring Land. Restoring Hope. The agenda includes preparations for the strategic framework of the Convention for the period beyond 2030, currently entrusted…
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Minors online, from protection to autonomy: safeguards and skills in 2026
European policy for minors online moves along two complementary lines: protection, with obligations for platforms and safeguarding tools, and autonomy, with the development of digital skills and artificial intelligence literacy. This contribution reconstructs both lines on the basis of the official documents of 2025 and 2026. The protection framework The Digital Services Act (DSA) requires…
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Minors, screens and digital well-being: the 2026 European figures
On 16 June 2026 the European Commission released the results of a European Union-wide survey on the time minors spend online and its effects on their health and well-being. The publication coincided with the final meeting of the special panel on the online safety of minors. This contribution gathers the main figures and the institutional…