Joanna Gill profile background image
Joanna Gill profile image

Joanna Gill

Europe Correspondent

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Joanna Gill is Europe correspondent at the Thomson Reuters Foundation based in Brussels covering climate change, society and tech, LGBTQ+ rights and inclusive economies. Before joining the Thomson Reuters Foundation Joanna was Deputy Bureau Chief at Euronews Brussels covering breaking news as well as long-form reporting on EU policy impact.

March 15, 2024

Low pay, few labour rights and dangerous working conditions - for millions of European gig workers, it can be a rough job. But a deal thrashed out by EU ministers this week addresses one of their biggest headaches - management by algorithm.

Drivers and delivery riders for platforms such as Uber and Deliveroo say the opaque nature of algorithmic management can result in random job assignments and performance ratings, and even account deactivation - hitting their earnings and morale.

March 08, 2024

The employment rights of millions of European drivers and delivery riders at online platforms such as Uber and Deliveroo hinge on the outcome of last-ditch talks next week on rules aimed at making gig work fairer.

As digital platforms face scrutiny over gig workers' rights across the world, labour ministers from the 27-nation bloc are due to meet on Monday to try to agree a deal on draft employment rules for the sector, which have twice failed to win approval.

March 05, 2024

France has become the only country to explicitly guarantee the right to abortion in its constitution following a landmark vote by a special joint session of parliament.

The move was in direct response to a dramatic rollback of reproductive rights in the United States.

February 29, 2024

Flying in the face of a U.S. rollback on reproductive rights, France moved closer on Wednesday to making abortion a woman's constitutional right - a push hailed as a world first by supporters.

Lawmakers in the Senate overwhelmingly backed a constitutional amendment to grant women a "guaranteed freedom" to end any unwanted pregnancy up to 14 weeks. Final approval is expected in a special joint session of lawmakers due in the coming days.

February 27, 2024

Europe's farmers are angry, staging tractor blockades and noisy rallies from Spain to Belgium to protest an earnings squeeze they blame partly on green policies such as pesticide bans and nitrogen emissions curbs.

One of farmers' main complaints is high business costs - in part from the expense of complying with EU environmental targets aimed at cutting planet-warming carbon emissions and protecting nature. They also say price pressures and increasing competition from imports are hitting their income.

February 09, 2024

As Europe's cities seek to cut the emissions fuelling global warming and clear fume-filled air, one solution - restrictions on polluting cars - has sparked widespread protests, led to violent acts of vandalism and inflamed conspiracy theories. 

From London to Rome, the introduction of Low Emission Zones (LEZs) and Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZs) has enraged some city residents, who say fines and charges imposed on the most polluting vehicles mean more hardship for society's poorest during a global cost-of-living crisis. 

January 19, 2024

If last year's COP28 climate talks signalled the beginning of the end for the production and use of fossil fuels, they also marked a coming of age for energy efficiency, hailed as the "first fuel" in the transition to a greener future. 

As well as committing to triple installed renewable energy generation capacity, nearly 200 countries pledged to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. That would raise it from around 2% now to over 4%.

December 22, 2023

As governments across Europe pursue policies aimed at deterring growing migration from Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries, rights campaigners say some measures could shut out or even criminalise refugees.

With polls pointing to a swing to the far-right in June's European parliament elections, and migration dominating debate ahead of Britain's 2024 general election, the issue is set to stay high on the political agenda.

December 12, 2023

The EU reached a landmark deal on rules to govern the use of artificial intelligence (AI) on Friday - the world's first comprehensive regulations for the use of tools that are already transforming everyday life - from workplaces to law enforcement.

Europe's AI Act was hailed as "historic" by European Union lawmakers, who said it set a global benchmark.

October 30, 2023

As Europe's firefighters get back to normal duties after another devastating wildfire season, union leaders say investment in extra staff and equipment is urgently needed in hard-hit Mediterranean countries.

Firefighting unions say the rising workload posed by massive summer wildfires is taking a heavy toll on staff, putting their health at risk, hitting morale and potentially damaging their capacity to respond to forest fires, floods and other disasters.