This week, Horizon Magazine met Jean-Eric Paquet, Director General of DG Research and Innovation and at the helm of Horizon Europe, for a last interview before he takes up a new role of EU Ambassador to Japan in September. In his final interview with the Magazine as Director General, Paquet shares the things that kept him up at night, the future of science collaboration with Japan, and the biggest achievements of the Horizon programme.
As the European Union presses ahead with the EU Green Deal to become the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050, many ordinary people in Europe are doing their part by modifying their lifestyle choices, buying fewer things, and focusing on longer-lasting, quality goods. Our journalist spoke with two new research projects that are studying these emerging lifestyles that shun excess and embrace "sufficiency".
Governments' handling of the covid pandemic and the many false assertions about the vaccines eroded public trust in authorities, media and health experts. EU-backed researchers are now looking at how changing the tone in official health messaging could help build back people's trust, and developing digital tools to flag fake news content on the internet and social media.
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