Online Personal Data Processing and EU Data Protection Reform. CEPS Task Force Report, April 2013

This report sheds light on the fundamental questions and underlying tensions between current policy objectives, compliance strategies and global trends in online personal data processing, assessing the existing and future framework in terms of effective regulation and public policy. Based on the discussions among the members of the CEPS Digital Forum and independent research carried out by the rapporteurs, policy conclusions are derived with the aim of making EU data protection policy more fit for purpose in today’s online technological context. This report constructively engages with the EU data protection framework, but does not provide a textual analysis of the EU data protection reform proposal as such

As the EU gears up to reform data protection rules, the rift between individuals and companies over online personal data processing is gaping.

The EU is currently seeking to replace its nearly two decade old policy on data protection for the Internet, social networking and smartphone age. Its proposed reforms seek to deliver better data protection, legal certainty and trust, with the aim of enhancing the EU’s competitiveness. Kristina Irion and Giacomo Luchetta discuss their new report on Online Personal Data Processing and EU Data Protection Reform, arguing that the reforms may fail due to the real risks of the politicisation of data protection, the still fragmented nature of regulations on electronic privacy, and a lack of innovative elements in the proposals

Policy Options for Improving the Functioning and Efficiency of the Digital Single Market in the Field of Copyright. CEPS Special Report No. 121, 19 November 2015

This study explores the existing policy problems and the possible options for reforming the EU copyright framework as provided by EU Directive 29/2001 on Copyright in the Information Society (InfoSoc Directive) and related legislation, with a specific focus on the need to strengthen the Internal Market for creative content. We find two main policy problems: i) the absence of a Digital Single Market for creative works; and ii) the increasing tension between the current system of exceptions and limitations and the legal treatment of emerging uses of copyrighted content in the online environment. Without prejudicing a future impact assessment that might focus on more specific and detailed policy options, our analysis suggests that ‘more Europe’ would be needed in the field of copyright, given the existing sources of productive, allocative and dynamic efficiency associated with the current system. Looking at copyright from an Internal Market perspective would, in this respect, also help to address many of the shortcomings in the current framework, which undermine legal certainty and industrial policy goals

Study on Council Directive 92/83/EEC on the structures of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages. Final Report Volume 1 – Main Text June

The purpose of this Study is to contribute to the Impact Assessment of a possible revision of Council Directive 1992/83/EEC on the harmonisation of the structure of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The Study includes a baseline assessment of a series of issues emerged from the previous evaluation of the Directive and analyses how these problems may evolve if no EU action is taken. Secondly, the Study formulates a set of possible policy options to address these problems, assesses their likely impacts (legal certainty, market functioning, administrative costs, tax revenues, alcohol control policies, fraud etc.), and compares the outcome with the baseline situation. The main issues analysed in this Study includes: the uncertainties in the excise duty classification of certain new ‘borderline’ products; the functioning of Article 27 concerning the exemptions extended to denatured alcohol; the reduced rates applicable to low-strength alcoholic beverages and to small producers; the exemption for private production and home consumption; and the disparities of methods for measuring the Plato degree of sweetened and flavoured beer. The underlying evidence is based on the triangulation of in-depth interviews with stakeholders from the Member States, the results of an open public consultation online, a quantitative analysis of the market, and the review of other literature and documentary sources

The Implementation, Application and Effects of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Information Society. CEPS Special Report No. 120, 19 November 2015

This study provides an ex-post evaluation of the EU copyright framework as provided by EU Directive 29/2001 on Copyright in the Information Society (InfoSoc Directive) and related legislation, focusing on four key criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and relevance. The evaluation finds that the EU copyright framework scores poorly on all four accounts. Of the four main goals pursued by the InfoSoc, only the alignment with international legislation can be said to have been fully achieved. The wider framework on copyright still generates costs by inhibiting content production, distribution and creation and generating productive, allocative and dynamic inefficiencies. Several problems also remain in terms of both internal and external coherence. Finally, espite its overall importance and relevance as a domain of legislation in the fields of content and media, the EU copyright framework is outdated in light of technological developments. Policy options to reform the current framework are provided in the CEPS companion study on the functioning and efficiency of the Digital Single Market in the field of copyright (CEPS Special Report No. 121/November 2015)

A Comparison of Power Quality Disturbance Detection and Classification Methods Using CNN, LSTM and CNN-LSTM

The use of electronic loads has improved many aspects of everyday life, permitting more efficient, precise and automated process. As a drawback, the nonlinear behavior of these systems entails the injection of electrical disturbances on the power grid that can cause distortion of voltage and current. In order to adopt countermeasures, it is important to detect and classify these disturbances. To do this, several Machine Learning Algorithms are currently exploited. Among them, for the present work, the Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), the Convolutional Neural Networks Long Short Term Memory (CNN-LSTM) and the CNN-LSTM with adjusted hyperparameters are compared. As a preliminary stage of the research, the voltage and current time signals are simulated using MATLAB Simulink. Thanks to the simulation results, it is possible to acquire a current and voltage dataset with which the identification algorithms are trained, validated and tested. These datasets include simulations of several disturbances such as Sag, Swell, Harmonics, Transient, Notch and Interruption. Data Augmentation techniques are used in order to increase the variability of the training and validation dataset in order to obtain a generalized result. After that, the networks are fed with an experimental dataset of voltage and current field measurements containing the disturbances mentioned above. The networks have been compared, resulting in a 79.14% correct classification rate with the LSTM network versus a 84.58% for the CNN, 84.76% for the CNN-LSTM and a 83.66% for the CNN-LSTM with adjusted hyperparameters. All of these networks are tested using real measurements

Composition and drivers of energy prices and costs: Case studies in selected energy-intensive industries. Final Report. CEPS Special Report, January 2017

Researchers at CEPS, in cooperation with researchers at Ecofys and Economisti Associati, have carried out a comprehensive examination of energy prices in selected EU industries, commissioned by DG Grow of the European Commission. The 309-page study concentrates on three sectors and two sub-sectors of the ceramics industry: Steel Aluminium (primary & downstream) Wall and floor tiles Bricks and roof tiles Refineries For each of these five (sub-)sectors, the study provides an overview of energy price developments, with particular attention paid to i) energy price levels and ii) the structure of energy prices, i.e. the components of energy bills. The analysis was conducted between December 2015 and June 2016, with the primary information collected between February and March 2016 via a questionnaire sent to the selected plants. The questionnaire contains (inter alia) questions on production levels, financial data and energy costs and consumption

Composition and drivers of energy prices and costs: Case studies in selected energy-intensive industries. Final Report. CEPS Special Report.

Researchers at CEPS, in cooperation with researchers at Ecofys and Economisti Associati, have carried out a comprehensive examination of energy prices in selected EU industries, commissioned by DG Grow of the European Commission. The 309-page study concentrates on three sectors and two sub-sectors of the ceramics industry: Steel Aluminium (primary & downstream) Wall and floor tiles Bricks and roof tiles Refineries For each of these five (sub-)sectors, the study provides an overview of energy price developments, with particular attention paid to i) energy price levels and ii) the structure of energy prices, i.e. the components of energy bills. The analysis was conducted between December 2015 and June 2016, with the primary information collected between February and March 2016 via a questionnaire sent to the selected plants. The questionnaire contains (inter alia) questions on production levels, financial data and energy costs and consumption