All posts tagged: Initiative

EU launches €25bn T-MED initiative to boost clean technology and renewables across Mediterranean

EU launches €25bn T-MED initiative to boost clean technology and renewables across Mediterranean

Published by skeptic

T-MED aims to accelerate the development of renewable energy, hydrogen, clean technology manufacturing and modern electricity networks across the Mediterranean region by 2035. Unveiled during the European Sustainable Energy Week by Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica and Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, T-MED aims to mobilise up to €25 billion in expected investments by 2035. The European Commission has made available more than €5 billion in guarantee capacity under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus. This guarantee capacity will help unlock public and private investment in sectors covered by T-MED. By 2035, the initiative is expected to contribute to the development of 15 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity, support regulatory reforms in partner countries, and help generate more than 100,000 jobs in clean energy sectors. T-MED will be implemented through five coordinated actions: Investment mobilisation: T-MED will bring together the Commission, European and international financial institutions, and the private sector to reduce investment risks, attract funding and support renewable energy and clean technology projects across the region. Regulatory cooperation: T-MED will support partner countries in improving the investment climate, including …

‘Once Trump accepted Iranian 14-point proposal as basis of talks, he gave Iran political initiative’

‘Once Trump accepted Iranian 14-point proposal as basis of talks, he gave Iran political initiative’

Published by Sam Flores

Carys Garland is pleased to welcome Scott Lucas, Professor of American Studies and International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. Amid the latest escalation between Iran, Israel, and the US, Lucas warns that both Tehran and Jerusalem are increasingly willing to act independently of Washington’s preferences, exposing what he describes as Donald Trump’s diminishing ability to dictate events. He also argues that Tehran is actively seeking to reshape the diplomatic framework, insisting on linking developments in Lebanon, the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, and regional security into a single bargaining process.  Keywords for this article Source link

Ukraine Donor Fatigue: Half Of Countries Withdraw From Czech Ammunition Initiative

Ukraine Donor Fatigue: Half Of Countries Withdraw From Czech Ammunition Initiative

Published by Jenni Sidey

According to Czech President Petr Pavel, a full half of the Kiev-supporting Western coalition has quietly abandoned Prague’s flagship initiative to jointly procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine’s military. Pavel said that while 18 countries participated last year, only nine are still making financial contributions now. “This initiative has been delivering up to 50 per cent of all large caliber ammunition to the Ukrainians, so in this sense it cannot be replaced easily by anything else,” the FT on Tuesday quoted the Czech president as saying. via Globesec It’s unclear precisely which precise countries have dropped participation, but reports indicate that Germany and some Scandinavian countries remain involved. But the program is now teetering on life support as donor fatigue morphs into outright abandonment, and also as the Ukraine conflict has mostly slipped from driving world headlines, as attention has turned to the US-Israeli war in Iran instead, alongside the Hormuz Strait standoff and global crude crisis. When Pavel first launched the initiative in 2024, 18 countries – including Canada, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands – …

EU launches Global Health Resilience Initiative

EU launches Global Health Resilience Initiative

Published by skeptic

The European Commission has formally adopted the Global Health Resilience Initiative, a new strategy designed to strengthen Europe’s role in preventing and responding to future international health emergencies. The framework aims to improve preparedness, reinforce health systems, and reduce vulnerabilities exposed by recent global crises. Under the plan, the European Union will position itself as a frontline global health actor by investing in stronger international coordination, expanding access to medical countermeasures, and supporting countries seeking greater health sovereignty. The strategy also seeks to reduce fragmentation in global health governance while improving resilience across supply chains and healthcare infrastructure. The result is a long-term roadmap that will guide EU global health policy from 2026 onward. Through nine flagship actions scheduled to launch between 2026 and 2027, the Global Health Resilience Initiative is intended to accelerate crisis response capabilities, improve international cooperation, and strengthen trust in science-based policymaking. Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. commented: “Global health is not immune to the fierce competition, coercive power politics, and information …

The UK’s New Multinational Naval Initiative Aims To Contain Russia In The Arctic & Baltic

The UK’s New Multinational Naval Initiative Aims To Contain Russia In The Arctic & Baltic

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Andrew Korybko, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, head of the British Royal Navy, announced that his counterparts from the 10-nation Joint Expeditionary Taskforce comprised of the UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands agreed to create “a family of allied fleets”. Officially known as the “Northern Navies Initiative” (NNI), it’s explicitly aimed at containing Russia in the Arctic and Baltic. This represents the evolution of the UK’s Arctic-Baltic policy that was elaborated on last summer here. Estonia, at the far end of the Baltic Sea in proximity to St. Petersburg, was identified as the eastern lynchpin of this strategy with Greenland now becoming its western one. The inclusion of (for now still Denmark’s) Greenland, Iceland, and of course the UK hypothetically enables this “family of allied fleets” to monitor the so-called GIUK gap, which is Russia’s Arctic gateway to the Atlantic. Denmark also controls the Baltic Straits so the NNI can indeed potentially blockade Russia to an extent. As was explained here last month, however, any blockade would be an act of war that could prompt …

European Processor Initiative finishes second stage

European Processor Initiative finishes second stage

Published by skeptic

As the EPI completes its second stage, it speaks to some of its project partners to find out more about the processors being developed by the project European Processor Initiative, a project of 27 partners from ten countries working on developing a low-power processor that will power European exascale supercomputers, finished last month, after two stages of a special Framework Partnership Agreement. Even though the official period of project duration is over, project stream leaders are still steering considerable IPs of consortium partners’ work towards final results. It started out as an initiative to help bring about European digital sovereignty after winning the FPA call from the largest funding programme for research and innovation in 2017, Horizon 2020. EPI consortium members aimed to develop a processor that would power supercomputers achieving exascale: a high-performance, low-power processor implementing vector instructions and specific accelerators with high-bandwidth memory access. The second stage started in 2022, with two processor families being developed under EPI: an Arm-based General-Purpose Processor (Rhea GPP) and the European accelerator (EPAC). The first one, Rhea1, …

UK’s £500m Sovereign AI initiative backs domestic AI innovators

UK’s £500m Sovereign AI initiative backs domestic AI innovators

Published by skeptic

The UK Government has launched an ambitious £500m initiative to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence (AI), placing homegrown startups at the centre of its AI strategy. Branded Sovereign AI, the programme is designed to fund British founders, accelerate innovation, and ensure the country retains control over technologies increasingly tied to both economic growth and national security. At its core, Sovereign AI represents a deliberate shift: rather than relying on external tech giants, the UK is seeking to cultivate its own AI ecosystem, keeping talent, intellectual property and long-term value within its borders. UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall explained: “We believe in Britain, and we are betting on Britain. We are backing our brilliant innovators and entrepreneurs, so we seize the benefits of AI to reshape Britain for the benefit of all. “Sovereign AI is unlike anything the government has ever done before. Its unique approach will help break down the barriers that have too often held back British enterprise and innovation. This is how we ensure Britain’s economic prosperity and national security in the modern age. “My message …

After Five Years, Social Practice CUNY Initiative to End in 2027

After Five Years, Social Practice CUNY Initiative to End in 2027

Published by Jenni Sidey

“I don’t think that anybody ever starts with a clear plan to sunset, but nor did I think that this would necessarily institutionalize in a way that would make it exist forever,” artist and Chloë Bass told ARTnews in a recent interview about Social Practice CUNY, the initiative she has co-directed for the past five years. “Somewhere in between those two things comes the decision to sunset.” Social Practice CUNY will sunset in February 2027, with its 2025–26 fellowship cohort being its last. Housed at the CUNY Graduate Center, the program provided fellowships to graduate students and faculty at any of the 25 campuses of the City University of New York. In addition to the funds it created, Social Practice CUNY has helped foster a network and community between its fellows. Related Articles The decision, which they described as “the result of a very intentional process,” comes partially from changes within the personal lives of Bass and her co-director Greg Sholette. Bass stepped away from a full-time teaching job at Queens College at the end …

Michigan Launches ‘Safe Prisons’ Initiative Amid Growing Assaults, Concerns

Michigan Launches ‘Safe Prisons’ Initiative Amid Growing Assaults, Concerns

Published by Sam Flores

Amid a continued rise in prison assaults, the Michigan Department of Corrections this month launched a new “safe prisons initiative” that aims to improve conditions for inmates and officers alike. Among other things, the initiative seeks to provide improved prisoner programming to promote positive behavior, review segregation needs for violent inmates and provide corrections officers with both targeted training and technology to assist them in day-to-day operations. Additional details are not immediately available, but a spokesperson told Bridge Michigan the department is working to expand evidence-based programs for violence prevention and substance use treatment, while also reviewing tools to better equip officers. “The department is committed to our core mission of public safety, with the vast majority of day-to-day prison activities being conducted in a safe and compliant way,” Director Heidi E. Washington said in a statement announcing the initiative. “Our staff, those we supervise and the friends and family of both, deserve nothing less than our best when it comes to their well-being and the safety of the ones they love.” The initiative, which …