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2030
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An ageing workforce and replacement demand: the Cedefop projections for European employment to 2035
On 21 July 2026 the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) updated its Skills Forecast, the tool that projects European employment trends up to 2035 by country, sector and occupation. The 2026 edition introduces two new elements: analysis of replacement demand and, within medium-level qualifications, a distinction between vocational and general pathways.…
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Equal pay between women and men: the international day of 18 September and the European transparency rules
On 18 September 2026 the United Nations marked an international day devoted to equal pay for work of equal value. The observance fell in the first year of application of the European rules on pay transparency, transposed in Italy by a legislative decree in force since 7 June 2026. International Equal Pay Day International Equal…
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The PABS system of the WHO Pandemic Agreement: the eighth negotiating session in September 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, adopted in May 2025, leaves the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system to a technical annex. That annex is still under negotiation: the seventh session closed on 17 July 2026 and the eighth was convened from 14 to 18 September 2026 in Geneva. The Pandemic Agreement and…
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The energy bill of artificial intelligence: data centre consumption and reporting obligations
Over the past two years the electricity demand of data centres has become a matter of energy policy and no longer merely one of industrial efficiency. International projections indicate rapid growth concentrated in a short period of time, while the European Union has introduced the first obligations to collect and publish consumption data. This contribution…
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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…