Housing crisis: Only 300 properties available for rent in Dublin
While supply is becoming virtually nonexistent, rents are increasing faster than anytime in the last 16 years
A French company developed a tissue destroying viruses and bacteria in just one minute
Public transport is without a doubt among the riskiest environments for spreading viruses. This is especially valid now, with European cities returning to normality after months in isolation and with public transport regaining its usual occupancy rate. Hence, assuring a clean environment on public transport vehicles through an effective disinfection process is key to preventing new waves of Covid-19.
Naturally, transport operators have tried different innovative solutions to reduce the health risks caused by the increased passenger flow – Krakow tested UV cleaning the compartments with special lamps, while Prague spays nano-polymers to rapidly destroy bacteria and other microorganisms.
Lyon, too, is considering its locally-born solution – a self-cleaning fabric used for seats which can eliminate the new coronavirus in just 60 seconds. The innovative product that is currently being tested on the metro trains on Line C is developed by French enterprise Trajet Aunde and has already attracted the attention of public and private companies and policy-makers.
Their fabric, explain Trajet, is revolutionary as at the end of its production an additional manufacturing process grants the textile disinfectant and decontaminating properties. This happens without water or moisture and turns compounds into harmless molecules, the company’s president Jérôme Blanc told Euronews.
“We have developed a totally innovative technology which gives the textile, once treated with titanium dioxide, the ability to destroy in just a minute polluting particles, organic volatiles, microparticles, bacteria and viruses, Coronavirus, H1N1, seasonal flu, Ebola, hepatitis… thanks to the principle of photocatalysis ”, explained Blanc quoted by LeParisien.
In seconds, the tissue can eliminate over 99,99% of the viral load, which drastically reduces the risk of transmission from one person to another. The self-cleaning process is triggered by UV radiation emitted naturally or from artificial light.
Furthermore, according to the company, the presence of this fabric significantly improves the decontamination of the ambient air since the surface coated with the textile destroys the particles in suspension. This decontamination process works for viruses, pollution and stains.
The Lyonnaise transport syndicate Sytral considers expanding the use of the new fabric of its other lines, should the current tests show promising results. The innovative solution can prove useful in other contact-intense public spaces like schools, hospitals, restaurants, cinemas, etc.
The country now joins Finland in urging the EU to stop the issuing of Schengen visas to Russian citizens
While supply is becoming virtually nonexistent, rents are increasing faster than anytime in the last 16 years
Share your thoughts on how the European funds can work better for you and people like you
The isle is a member of the Blue Municipalities Network, which aims to help clean up the Aegean Sea
This year, authorities will be boosting their efforts to get people familiar with different sides of the water body
The country is keen on doing its part to ensure technological independency for the EU
Eric Straumann appealed to local restaurant businesses and citizens to step in, facing the ban on watering due to the extreme drought
A giant underground reservoir will purify water and release it when needed, thus preventing drought and saving a lot of money for the municipality
Mayor Katja Dörner explained that the measure is aimed at low-income residents, as a response to rising fuel prices
If we already have low-emissions and low-speed areas, why not also have ones dedicated to lots-of-love?
Authorities in the city of Bonn have issued a warning to citizens to avoid the unpaved areas in the drying riverbed
The pets living with disadvantaged residents in the Portuguese capital have not been forgotten
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy
Interview with Herald Ruijters, Director, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), European Commission
A conversation with the Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal’s first UN Resilience Hub