Winter holidays in Europe offer a unique glimpse into the diverse traditions, activities and customs that make this season memorable across different countries in the region. Public holidays during this period reflect Europe’s rich cultural, religious and national diversity, balancing shared holiday traditions with unique regional customs. This data story explores some enjoyable and light-hearted trends to celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday season. Specifically, it uses open data to identify (1) the travel destination preferences of members of different EU Member States, (2) the reading

This series of data stories is intended to bring attention to the European Union's (EU) high-value datasets, and to demonstrate how they can be used to inform public discussions of relevant issues. Each story is paired with a visualisation note, an article that introduces readers to the language of data visualisation.

In July 2024, Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union , one of the key institutions responsible for EU decision-making . Hungary’s term follows that of Spain and Belgium, marking the final phase of an 18-month cycle . This ' trio presidency ' system allows for continuity and coordinated progress, as each country builds on the work of its predecessors while advancing its own priorities. For further insights into Spain ’s and Belgium ’s presidencies, explore previous data stories. During their trio presidency, Spain, Belgium and Hungary have collaborated to

1. How many projects are supported by the EU's cohesion policy? In the context of the EU's cohesion policy – funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, and the European Social Fund – hundreds of thousand projects are funded in each 7-year financing period. In this article we look at how we count thematic allocations reported to projects (operations) based on the detailed Intervention field data and we provide interactive charts to explore the data and themes. We also look at some other methods to count projects, operations, and beneficiaries. 2. Counting ERDF/CF

Humanitarian data encompasses a wide array of information collected to understand the needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises, the crisis context and the necessary response. It includes, for example, demographic details, health statistics, geospatial information, damage assessments and response metrics. This data plays a critical role in identifying needs, allocating resources, coordinating efforts, monitoring and evaluating interventions and advocating for affected populations. In a world facing increasingly complex crises – ranging from conflicts and climate issues to economic

Data is transforming the way we produce, consume and live. It is a key driver of innovation for services and products. In our previous data story, ‘ When open data meets data spaces ’ , we explored the concept of data spaces, particularly the establishment of common European data spaces in strategic fields such as health, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, mobility, finance and public administration. Today, we are focusing on one of those data spaces, namely the European Health Data Space . This is one of the first common European Union (EU) data spaces to emerge from the European strategy

The blue economy has been defined by the World Bank as the ‘sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.’ The blue economy of the European Union (EU) encompasses every industry and sector linked to oceans, seas and coasts, whether they operate directly within the marine environment or on land. The established sectors include marine living resources (such as fishing and aquaculture), marine non-living resources (mining), marine renewable energy, port activities (such as cargo and passenger services)

Hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe and can be a versatile energy source once separated from other elements. It can be produced from many resources, including fossil fuels, nuclear energy, biomass and renewable energy sources. When burned, hydrogen emits only water. However, producing it from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas results in significant carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, renewable hydrogen, also known as clean hydrogen, is made by using renewable electricity (e.g. wind, solar and hydropower) to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through a

Space technology plays a crucial role in our daily lives, contributing to a digital, green and resilient future. Satellites provide vital data and services, including weather forecasts, broadband internet access, GPS navigation and support in areas like agriculture, crisis response and climate change mitigation. In line with the EU’s ambitious plans for environmental and digital transformation laid out in the Green Deal and Digital Decade , the EU Space Programme ensures we have the data we need to tackle these challenges. The EU Space Programme covers a wide range of activities, including

In the European Parliament elections, citizens have the opportunity to choose their direct representatives at EU level in the European Parliament . Comprising Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected in each EU Member State, the European Parliament is the world’s only directly elected transnational assembly . The number of MEPs per Member State follows a degressive proportionality model based on population size, with a minimum of six MEPs for smaller Member States and a maximum of ninety-six for larger ones. While candidates present themselves in national parties, elected MEPs often