FACT SHEET/ What the European Commission does

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The European Commission's four leading-roles:

aaaaaaaaaaaaRight of initiative - to submit new legislative acts and policies; 

aaaaaaaaaaaaExecutive power - to manage EU policies and single budget;

aaaaaaaaaaaaGuardian of the Treaties - to make the EU law applied;

aaaaaaaaaaaaGlobal dimension - to guarantee the EU external representation

«Nobody knows the real impact of AI on jobs»

EU commissioner Jyrky Kataine recognised that automation and robotics represent an opportunity posing some risks. “The Commission has a limited role” to play. Everything is up to Member States, but training and education cost

by Emanuele Bonini for eunews

Without any doubt an opportunity, for sure a pitfalls-rich change. Certainties are there, incognita don’t lack. The European Commission cannot do a lot, the major part of the job will be up to the Member States, of course if they will be able to understand the ongoing evolving times and act on time. Here’s how the change over from the traditional labour market to the digital and technological one turns into a true political rebus, a brain teaser causing a head break for many in absence of proper measures aimed to adapt the society to a change as quick as unpredictable.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have consequences on society. “According to the latest OECD estimates, around 35%-40% of job places will be replaced, but the truth is nobody knows which will be the real impact”, EU commissioner Jyrki Katainen admitted today. The Finnish member of the team Juncker is in charge of Growth and investments, but he's is also responsible for jobs and competitivness. Addressing the audience of the Google and Debating Europe conference on the ‘Future of work’, Katainen made clear how the future of labour market is more unpredictable than ever.

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Indirect democracy means no power to all

The Second Chamber of the EU General Court made clear that the Citizens’ initiative cannot impose anything to the legislative-elected bodies

by Emanuele Bonini

Direct democracy is not for ever, and is not for everything. Especially in context of indirect democracy. The latter is based on representative bodies such as Parliaments, meaning that these bodies keep their supremacy, their own right to decide. Do the people decide? Yes and not. They decide who will decide on their behalf. With such rules of the game, people's Institutions elected by people «are the law» and always retain discretionary power as regards the action to be taken. So ruled today the Second Chamber of the General Court of the European Union, making clear that European citizens’ initiative (ECI) cannot replace the law-making power of the European Commission.

ECI is a EU mechanism aimed at increasing direct democracy by allowing active participation of EU citizens. Citizens’ initiative is nothing but the possibility of submitting to the European Commission any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required. In order to have a proposal notified, at least one million eligible signatories coming from at least one quarter of all Member States are required.