scholarly journals Impact of Artificial Intelligence Research on Politics of the European Union Member States: The Case Study of Portugal

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6708 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Reis ◽  
Paula Santo ◽  
Nuno Melão

Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) is at the center of academic and public debate. However, its implications on politics remain little understood. To understand the impact of the AI phenomenon on politics of the European Union (EU), we have carried out qualitative multimethod research by performing a systematic literature review and a case study. The first method was performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA), in order to report the state-of-the-art in the existing literature and explore the most relevant research areas. The second method contained contributions from experts in data science and AI of the Portuguese scientific community. The results showed that solutions such as intelligent decision support systems are improving the political decision-making process and impacting the Portuguese society at local, regional, and national levels. We also found that practitioners and scientists are currently shifting their interests from environmental and biological sciences to healthcare services, which is bringing new challenges in terms of protecting patient/citizen data and growing concerns about handling of critical information. Future research may focus on comparative studies with other EU States to obtain a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the AI phenomenon.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustin Ignatov

Abstract Entrepreneurship is the driving force of economic development and progress. A successful state, first of all, provides favourable conditions motivating the businesses to grow and flourish. Presently, the European Union is developing unevenly with multiple economic misbalances across the community, the West and the North being more competitive than the South and the East. The aim of the present research is to examine the framework of interdependence between the degree to which the governance quality and economic freedom in the European Union are supporting entrepreneurial activities and the performance of the community in terms of entrepreneurial innovation. The results reached through applying both qualitative and quantitative analyses show that the interdependence between entrepreneurial innovation and regulatory efficiency is strong for many of the European Union states which is determined by multiple factors including the institutional and economic ones. Also, the present paper underlines the importance of the proper regulatory framework for the efficient development of business innovation. The future research on this matter could consider in depth the impact of socio-cultural environment, its influence on the quality of governance and the impact of both upon the European entrepreneurial innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 669-690
Author(s):  
Federico M Mucciarelli

This work addresses the impact of language diversity and nation-specific doctrinal structures on harmonized company law in the EU. With this aim, two emblematic case studies will be analysed. The first case study is related to the definition of ‘merger’ adopted in the Company Law Directive 2017/1132 (originally in the Third Company Law Directive and the Cross-Border Merger Directive); by relying on the example of the SEVIC case decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), it will be shown that scholars’ and courts’ conception of the definition of ‘merger’ varies according to own domestic doctrinal structures. The second case study is related to the notion of ‘registered office’, which is key for establishing the scope of several harmonizing provisions and the freedom of establishment; this paper analyses terminological fluctuations across language versions of EU legislation and the impact of domestic taxonomies and legal debates upon the interpretation of these notions. These case studies show that company law concepts, despite their highly technical nature, are influenced by discourse constructions conducted within national interpretative communities, and by the language used to draft statutory instruments and discuss legal issues. The task of the CJEU is to counterbalance these local tendencies, and yet it is unlikely that doctrinal structures, rooted in national languages and legal cultures, will disappear.


Data & Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Starke ◽  
Marco Lünich

Abstract A lack of political legitimacy undermines the ability of the European Union (EU) to resolve major crises and threatens the stability of the system as a whole. By integrating digital data into political processes, the EU seeks to base decision-making increasingly on sound empirical evidence. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) systems have the potential to increase political legitimacy by identifying pressing societal issues, forecasting potential policy outcomes, and evaluating policy effectiveness. This paper investigates how citizens’ perceptions of EU input, throughput, and output legitimacy are influenced by three distinct decision-making arrangements: (a) independent human decision-making by EU politicians; (b) independent algorithmic decision-making (ADM) by AI-based systems; and (c) hybrid decision-making (HyDM) by EU politicians and AI-based systems together. The results of a preregistered online experiment (n = 572) suggest that existing EU decision-making arrangements are still perceived as the most participatory and accessible for citizens (input legitimacy). However, regarding the decision-making process itself (throughput legitimacy) and its policy outcomes (output legitimacy), no difference was observed between the status quo and HyDM. Respondents tend to perceive ADM systems as the sole decision-maker to be illegitimate. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for (a) EU legitimacy and (b) data-driven policy-making and outlines (c) avenues for future research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Wimmel

This article examines the impact of national borders on public discourses, based on a case study of the struggle surrounding Turkey’s application to join the European Union (EU). Comparing opinions, reasons and interpretation patterns in quality press commentaries about enlarging the EU beyond the Bosphorus, the article confirms the importance and robustness of national cleavages between the German and the French public spheres on the one hand and the British public sphere on the other. Whereas Turkish membership was predominantly rejected on the continent, the British commentators strongly and almost unanimously supported Ankara’s request. These similarities and divergences, I argue, are first and foremost the result of competing visions of Europe’s finality, especially regarding various constitutional ideas and cultural principles. Against this background, the Turkey question was partly exploited as an instrument to advance or to suppress different concepts on the future of European integration.


Author(s):  
Maria Elena Aramendia-Muneta

This theoretical chapter tries to underpin the European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative that was launched in 2018 for the cities of the European Union. It therefore starts with an introduction to smart tourism and to the meaning of a smart tourism city. It follows this with a description of the impact of the smart tourism city award on the European Union, and the rules of the challenge, emphasising the good practice of the two 2019 winning cities, Helsinki and Lyon. Finally, some recommendations for future research and a conclusion are given.


Author(s):  
Kirsten Westphal

Energy politics in the European Union is characterized by a combination of intergovernmental and supranational forms of governance. Scholars analyze the EU’s energy politics through the lenses of various theoretical approaches, with intergovernmental and neofunctional/supranational approaches dominating. The two approaches explain certain dynamics within the EU and the balance of power between Brussels and the member states. Energy policy is guided by the strategic energy triangle of sustainability, competitiveness, and energy security. The EU’s Energy Union marks a substantial shift: internally, to incorporate energy security as a primary objective together with sustainability and competitiveness; and externally, to use the EU’s economic weight and regulatory power in relation to external actors. Given its multilateral and rules-based character, the EU sui generis relies on a corresponding international environment and the liberal global order. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research on EU governance to achieve its climate and energy targets, the role of the EU in the global energy landscape, and the impact of energy transformation.


Author(s):  
F. Javier Heredia Yzquierdo

The United Nations have developed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a global agreement aiming to eradicate extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice and leave no one behind. Agreed by world leaders at the UN in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) succeed the well-known Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Parts of the Goals directly address environmental issues. Other do indirectly. In response to this growing awareness, the European Union has enacted a number of policies targeting environmental issues, including lowering carbon emissions and water conservation. It can be argued that the EU is at the forefront of addressing the environmental issues outlined in the SDGs. These policies are mentioned in this Paper and they are to be considered strategic. Artificial Intelligence has been having an impact in human activities for decades. Lately the impact is happening exponentially. The European Union is aware of such a fact and it implements policies towards increasing innovation in the public and private sector, including funding programmes and instruments to foster business development and efficiency in the Union and in the Member States. AI is also capable of having a profound impact in the environmental issues that the Agenda 2030 is bringing.


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