Language models such as ChatGPT are both a risk and an opportunity for Europe. The Centre for European Policy (cep) outlines a ten-point guide for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Key question: How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) create competitive advantage efficiently? Key demand: Companies should be pragmatic – and less hesitant.

While the war in Ukraine is still raging, the EU has decided to reintroduce tariffs on key Ukrainian agricultural products. This decision may sound like a betrayal, as Ukraine needs financial resources more than ever to defend itself against Russia. In a cepAdhoc, the Centres for European Policy Network (cep) analyzes the EU's considerations and assesses the current situation.

Whether in digital technology, energy or transport, the European Commission wants to tie emerging and developing countries more closely to the EU economy. Up to €300 billion is to flow into the Global Gateway investment programme by 2027. In its analysis, the Centre for European Policy Network (cep) has for the first time comprehensively examined its trade effects on the EU. Key finding: in order to strengthen the EU's economic resilience, the Global Gateway should not be a solo initiative; it must be combined with the broader European Green Agenda.

The EU wants to expand recycling in the automotive sector. The Centre for European Policy (cep) welcomes the plans in principle. However, according to a new study by the European policy think tank, the targets may be too ambitious. For example, the targets for re-use and recycling are incompatible with bans on toxic substances.

Italy recently held regional elections that could have a major impact on European politics as a whole. The elections in Sardinia and Abruzzo have confirmed the strength of the Italian centre-right coalition. However, the right is in a difficult position as it maintains a blatant ambivalence between the anti-European, pro-Trump and pro-Putin positions of Matteo Salvini's Lega and the increasingly pro-EU, pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine positions of Prime Minister Meloni in recent times.

The European Commission wants to remove barriers so that third parties can more easily develop new products and services using customer data from financial institutions. The basis for this is a legal act for an open finance framework. The Regulation regulates the access, transfer and use of financial customer data. The Centre for European Policy (cep) has serious concerns. The Regulation is neither proportionate nor practicable.

Times are getting increasingly difficult for European security. Russia is becoming more and more aggressive on the Ukrainian front and elsewhere – including cyberspace with disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks. The US is unable to vote for more Ukrainian military aid, although it has been providing most of it in recent years.

The European Commission is reviewing merger control proceedings against Microsoft. This is due to the US tech giant's close partnership with OpenAI, the world's leading generative artificial intelligence (AI) company. The Centre for European Policy (cep) warns that the US tech companies already dominates the AI value chain and calls for strict competition law controls.

Recent disruptions in the Baltic Sea and elsewhere highlight the integral role of digital and physical conduits such as gas pipelines, telecommunications cables and undersea data cables in maintaining European connectivity and security.

Biotechnology has long since become a global job engine. However, compared to the US and China, Europe is lagging in terms of innovation dynamics. This is the conclusion of a study by the Centre for European Policy (cep). This stagnation is forcing the EU to significantly im-prove the conditions for the development and production of bio-based industrial products.