The farm-to-fork strategy is one of the pillars of the European Green Deal , which strives to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent. In this regard, the farm-to-fork strategy strives to accelerate the European Union’s transition to a sustainable food system. A sustainable food system includes schemes such as creating a sustainability labelling framework that aligns with other initiatives like front-of-pack nutrition labelling and animal welfare labelling. Such efforts reflect the close links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet. Open data can be an important

The European Union implemented a new trade policy in 2022, aiming to transform its economy. This policy represents a shift towards an economy that is robust and responsive, focusing on three main goals: supporting the EU’s economic recovery, aligning with green and digital initiatives, and reshaping global trade for fairness and sustainability. Data is crucial for comprehending the complexities of trade within EU Member States. It provides a detailed, quantifiable representation of trade flows, revealing patterns, trends, and interdependencies between different economies within the EU. The

The open data maturity (ODM) assessment by data.europa.eu measures the progress of European countries in making public sector information available and stimulating its reuse. The results show the level of maturity of the participating countries and support the development and sharing of best practices regarding open data across Europe. A total of 35 countries participated in the ninth consecutive annual report, including the 27 EU Member States, three European Free Trade Association countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), and five candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Three leading institutions are involved in EU decision-making. The European Parliament represents EU citizens, the Council of the European Union represents EU governments, and the European Commission represents the EU’s overall interests. The Council of the European Union comprises government ministers from each EU Member State, who make decisions on EU laws jointly with the European Parliament, based on legislative proposals put forward by the European Commission. The Presidency of the Council rotates every 6 months among the governments of the EU. Spain held the Council Presidency from 1

This data story explores family spending by using official EU bodies’ data. The analysis of family budgets reveals the complexities involved in household financial decision-making and identifies key trends in family spending. Each expenditure, whether on necessities or discretionary items, contributes to understanding a broader economic landscape by showing disparities across different socioeconomic groups. Household expenditure indicators are essential components that offer valuable insights into these trends. They belong to the ‘statistics’ category of high-value datasets established by the

The European Drug Report is an annual report on the drug situation in Europe published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), an agency of the European Union. It provides an overview of the current drug landscape in Europe, focusing on aspects such as illicit drug consumption, associated risks and drug distribution. For the first time, this year’s report was designed as a digital-first publication. It is interactive and visually rich, with over 100 data visualisations, graphics and maps. Additionally, all the source data behind the visualisations is available

In today’s increasingly digital world, protecting the EU’s cyber realm is becoming more and more important to safeguard digital innovation from threats and vulnerabilities. One of the contemporary challenges identified by ENISA in its annual Threat Landscape report (2022) on the state of cybersecurity is the spread of disinformation. The report gives examples on how disinformation online (also called cyber disinformation) poses a challenge to democracy and public debate and it also mentions that the distribution of disinformation can be connected to cyberattacks. In this data story, we harness

Digital skills are becoming increasingly essential for both personal and professional life. Currently, more than 90 % of jobs in Europe require basic digital knowledge alongside traditional skills like literacy and numeracy. However, approximately 32 % of Europeans still lack basic digital skills. Given the pervasive role of digital technology in sectors ranging from business to transport to agriculture, there is a growing emphasis on the importance of measuring and enhancing digital skills across the EU. To address the digital skills gap, the EU has implemented a variety of policies and

Interested in data visualisation? We invite you to explore our Data Visualisation Guide and dive into seven subjects to gain a deeper understanding of various aspects related to visualising data. The guide was created by the Publications Office of the European Union in collaboration with data visualisation expert Maarten Lambrechts. Find out more about the guide’s content and how you can use it in the interview with Dr Simon Steuer, Head of Open Data Services Sector of the Publications Office, who worked on the guide together with colleagues from his team. Could you tell us more about the

At the heart of flood risk assessment and management in the European Union is Directive 2007/60/EC, which acknowledges the impact of human activities and climate change on the increasing severity of floods. This legislation strives to mitigate the adverse consequences of flooding through tailored solutions, regional cooperation and the development of comprehensive flood hazard maps. The European Commission further underscores the urgency of addressing these issues with the priorities set in the European Green Deal. Recent heavy precipitation events in Italy and Slovenia and Mediterranean Storm