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This Special Report examines the new SEP framework and its implications across different areas. In April 2023, the European Commission proposed a new framework for Standard Essential Patents (SEP). The proposed SEP Regulation aims to streamline SEPs licensing by improving transparency about SEPs.

Europe’s Standard Essential Patents system lacks transparency regarding FRAND licenses, said Christopher Vajda KC, a former judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union, he remarked that legal tactics often take prominence over legal substance.

Polish farmers will not cease their grain blockade on the Ukrainian border, despite Warsaw's designation of border crossings as "critical infrastructure" following concerns that the passage of military and humanitarian aid is being blocked.

After months of delays, the controversial law to partially legalise cannabis in Germany finally passed in the Bundestag on Friday (23 February), paving the way for making the possession and cultivation of the drug legal by April.

The EU executive will unlock a total €137 billion in recovery and cohesion funds for Poland, which had been frozen due to concerns about the rule of law, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday (23 February) in Warsaw.

The chances of the European Court of Justice ruling in favour of the European Parliament’s lawsuit against the Commission over its decision to unfreeze €10 billion for Hungary are "very weak", European Parliament vice president Katarina Barley said. 

When I joined Euractiv 20 years ago to cover the EU’s environment policies, the talk in Brussels was all about the trade-off between green policies and economic growth. 

Introduced into the EU debate by the French EU Council presidency in 2022, the concept of 'mirror clauses' - or ‘measures’ - has become ubiquitous in all discussions of EU trade, agricultural, and environmental policy.

The Catalonia region has decided to invest almost €500 million from EU funds to make its capital city more resilient to droughts, with two new desalination plants expected to come online by the end of the decade. But for the more than 500 Catalan towns that aren’t connected to the water grid, there is little prospect of improvement.

The European Union plans to revoke sanctions against two Russian businessmen and a Slovak national associated with the pro-Kremlin biker group Night Wolves, whose case Prime Minister Robert Fico has repeatedly supported and discussed with top EU officials.

Public support from the West is growing for the Dutchman Mark Rutte to become NATO's next secretary-general, but he will still need to secure crucial support among members from Eastern Europe.

Among other problems, Germany is plagued with severe labour shortages that will only get worse as ‘baby boomers’ retire. Still, politicians think they need to preserve jobs in industries where Germany is clearly uncompetitive, whatever the costs.

Hungary and Sweden enhanced their military cooperation on Friday (23 February), just days before the Hungarian parliament is expected to vote on the Nordic country's NATO bid on Monday.

A document sent by the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council to the EU delegations on the future of the bloc's digital policy, dated 19 February and seen by Euractiv, argued that the implementation of already-adopted regulations should be prioritised over the creation of new laws.

The proposed EU SEP Regulation is a form of “light-touch”, proportionate regulation to enhance transparency and predictability and offer non-binding expert opinions, that should, on balance, benefit EU industry and consumers.

As the security and resilience of submarine cables became a priority for Europe after the sabotage of a cable between Finland and Estonia in October 2023.

Swiss solar company Meyer Burger will close its Freiberg plant to focus on its US production sites, after years of posting losses, reducing the overall EU solar panel production capacity by about 10%. 

Welcome to Euractiv’s Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.

A letter sent by member of European Parliament Paul Tang, seen by Euractiv, raises questions regarding the potential effects of the UK's Data Protection Bill on the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Latvia approving a ban on Russian agricultural products, Slovakia's Fico backtracking on criminal law reform, and so much more.