European Commission

EU member states agree specs for coronavirus app interoperability

European Union member states have agreed technical standards for interoperability between smartphone apps that track the risk of coronavirus infections, a step that could help revive travel and tourism, the…

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EU Bank to provide BioNTech with up to €100 million in debt financing for COVID-19 vaccine development and manufacturing

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and BioNTech has concluded a €100 million debt financing agreement to support the development of BNT162, the company's COVID-19 vaccine programme. The deal will also…

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EU Commission launches web platform for safe return of tourism

The European Commission has launched 'Re-open EU', a web platform containing essential information for a safe relaunch of tourism in Europe in the post-Covid period. Europeans will now be able…

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EU state aid regulators to ease bailout rules for small firms, startups

EU competition regulators plan to loosen the bloc's state aid rules to make it easier for private investors to team up with EU governments to bail out virus-hit start-ups and…

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Non-euro EU Member States remain far off from reaching convergence criteria

The European Commission has published the 2020 convergence report in which it provides its assessment of the progress non-euro area Member States have made towards adopting the euro. The report…

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EU strengthens action to tackle disinformation, expects reports from social media giants

Facebook, Google and Twitter should provide monthly reports on their fight against disinformation, two senior EU officials said on Wednesday as they called out Russia and China for their roles…

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Europe pushes forward trials of gene-engineered COVID-19 vaccine

European officials aim to speed up trials for coronavirus vaccines containing genetically modified organisms, two EU sources told Reuters, in a move that could help shots developed by companies like AstraZeneca and Johnson &…

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Malta welcomes EU recovery plan but challenges distribution criteria and taxation plans

Finance Ministers got together online to discuss the EU's proposed Recovery Plan, intended to kickstart the European economies after the challenges broughout about by the coronavirus pandemic. During his intervention…

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Health threats: boosting EU readiness and crisis management

The EU is proposing to substantially increase its health funding by €9.4 billion through a new Europe-wide programme, EU4Health, which aims to strengthen Europe’s health systems to respond better to…

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EU grants €314 million to innovative companies to combat the virus and support recovery

The European Commission has warded nearly €166 million, via the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Pilot, to 36 companies set to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, over €148 million…

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EP Transport Committee approves major reform of road transport sector

Transport Committee MEPs endorsed on Monday the deal reached with EU ministers on a major reform of the road transport sector. The revised rules for posting of drivers, drivers’…

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Temperature heats up as EU states share divergent views on migration

Summer is not yet here and migratory challenges across Europe have already increased tensions across EU Member States. As countries insisted with their standoffs to raise visibility of their plight,…

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EU wants power to investigate Chinese firms buying EU companies with state aid

European Union competition regulators want more power to investigate Chinese companies benefiting from state subsidies seeking to acquire EU firms because of the distortive effect of such aid, Reuters revealed. The…

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EU Commission consults with social partners on fair minimum wages

The European Commission has launched the second-stage consultation of European trade unions and employers' organisations on how to ensure fair minimum wages for all workers in the European Union. This…

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Combat 5G COVID-19 fake news, urges EU

European Union (EU) nations banking on 5G to boost economic growth are eager to tackle conspiracy theories linking the wireless technology to the spread of the novel coronavirus that have seen masts…

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EU to initiate controversial digital platform reforms

A significant, and politically-sensitive revolution in EU regulation is expected to be kicked off this afternoon by the European Commission. The EU's executive branch will be launching a public consultation…

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EU proposes financial instrument to support private investment

Private industry and investment need to be at the forefront of the recovery, according to the European Commission. In this context, it has proposed a new instrument to mobilise private…

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EU Commission launches new global fundraising campaign to finance development and distribution of vaccines against Covid-19

The European Commission launched a new global fundraising campaign on Thursday to finance the development and worldwide distribution of testing, vaccines and treatments against COVID-19, seeking to address concerns they may not be…

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Supporting the recovery: MEPs adopt budget priorities for 2021

The 2021 budget priorities should be to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and support the recovery, building on the Green Deal and digital transformation. In the resolution by…

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EU Commission proposes a public loan facility to support green investments

The European Commission has today presented a proposal for a public sector loan facility encouraging investments that support the transition towards a climate-neutral economy by public sector authorities to the…

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Malta set to benefit one billion euro from EU Recovery Plan

Malta will be receiving around a billion euro to support its economic and social efforts in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is understood that this allocation will consist…

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European Commission lays down plan for unprecedented €750 billion recovery plan

The European Commission has this afternoon put forward its proposal for a major recovery plan. To ensure the recovery is sustainable, even, inclusive and fair for all Member States, the…

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Italy and Spain to get lion’s share of EU recovery fund

The European Commision will propose later today that Italy and Spain -- the countries most affected by the coronavirus epidemic -- get the lion's share of a new recovery fund offering a…

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EU terminates controls on export of coronavirus protective equipment

The European Union ended its controls on the export of coronavirus protective equipment on Tuesday after concluding that supplies for European medical and other workers were now adequate. It's the latest phasing down of coronavirus…

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EC adopts Biodiversity strategy in bid to work towards a competitive, sustainable future

The European Commission has adopted a comprehensive new Biodiversity Strategy to bring nature back into our lives and a Farm to Fork Strategy in its efforts towards a fair, healthy…

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EU approves €8 billion Austrian scheme to compensate companies for damages related to COVID-19

The European Commission has found a €8 billion Austrian scheme to compensate companies for damages related to the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. Under…

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The new face of travel: the EU’s plans to get you back in the skies

While the public is still engaged on social media debating whether airports should open any time soon, the EU is forging ahead with its plans to make travel a reality…

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EC approves €9 billion scheme to support the Italian economy

The European Commission has approved a €9 billion Italian scheme to support the Italian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid…

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Farm to Fork policy changes should not be hurried at time of insecurity – EPP

The centre-right European grouping in Parliament expressed its concern that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission is pushing for deep changes to the EU's food production…

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EU calls on Malta to invest in green and digital transition in country-specific recommendations

The Commission has proposed today country-specific recommendations (CSRs) providing economic policy guidance to all EU Member States in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, focused on the most urgent challenges…

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Coronavirus: Commission boosts urgently needed research and innovation with additional €122 million

The Commission has mobilised another €122 million from its research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, for urgently needed research into the coronavirus. The new call for expressions of interest contributes…

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EU supports ArcelorMittal with EUR 75m EIB loan to scale up technology to reduce carbon emissions

The European Investment Bank (EIB), with the support of the European Commission, has granted a EUR 75m loan to ArcelorMittal for the construction of two ground-breaking projects at ArcelorMittal…

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EU Task Force brings home more than 580,000 EU citizens

The President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that a specially-created European Union Consular Coordination Task Force has brought home more than 580,000 EU citizens. The Task Force was…

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Commission approves €40 million Maltese support scheme to grant interest rate subsidies to companies

The European Commission has approved a €40 million Maltese interest rate subsidy scheme to support companies facing acute liquidity shortages due to the current coronavirus outbreak. In a statement, the…

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EU plans to cut pesticides by half in ten years in support of biodiversity

The European Commission is seeking to halve the use of chemical pesticides by 2030 to halt the decline of pollinators, in a plan likely to draw criticism both from those urging a…

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EU supports Horn of Africa region to the tune of €105m as pandemic worsens humanitarian situation

The EU is providing an additional €105.5 million to countries in the Horn of Africa as the coronavirus pandemic risks worsening the humanitarian situation across the region where many continue…

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EU urges voluntary use of virus-tracing apps to speed recovery from pandemic

The European Commission has urged EU governments to use COVID-19 contact tracing apps on a voluntary basis as part of efforts to lift border restrictions and revive the European Union's tourism and travel industries.…

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EU seeks new revenue sources to finance economic recovery

The European Union executive will ask member states to allocate new sources of revenue to the EU's long-term budget to help finance an economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, its…

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EU calls for non-discriminatory opening of borders in coordinated effort to boost tourism

The European Commission has presented a package of guidelines and recommendations to help Member States gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown, while…

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EU Commission approves €11.5m Maltese scheme to support coronavirus-related investments

The European Commission has approved a Maltese aid scheme of €11.5 million to support investments in the production of products that are relevant to the coronavirus outbreak, including vaccines, ventilators…

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European Commission urges Member States to prepare for second wave of infections

As countries are starting to ease the lockdown measures, experts have expressed fear of a new wave of infections in Summer. The concern is that lower infection rates combined with…

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EU grants €117 million for treatments and diagnostics through the Innovative Medicines Initiative

The Commission announced today that eight large-scale research projects, aimed at developing treatments and diagnostics for the coronavirus,were selected in a fast-track call for proposals, launched in March by the…

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EU Commission delivers first batch of 1.5 million masks from 10 million purchased to support EU healthcare workers

Over the coming days, 1.5 million medical masks will be delivered to 17 Member States and the UK to protect healthcare workers against coronavirus. This latest EU mask delivery is…

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EU Commission launches Fit for Future Platform

The European Commission has today launched the Fit for Future Platform – a high-level expert group, which will help the Commission simplify existing EU laws and reduce administrative burden for…

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EU could open legal case against Germany over ECB bond-purchases ruling – Commission

Reuters reports that the European Commission could open a legal case against Germany over a ruling by the country's constitutional court that the European Central Bank had overstepped its mandate with bond purchases, the…

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Coronavirus Response: EU sets up a Humanitarian Air Bridge

The European Commission has set up an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to transport humanitarian workers and emergency supplies for the coronavirus response to some of most critical areas around the…

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Commission steps up fight against money laundering and terrorist financing

The European Commission has put forward a comprehensive approach to further strengthen the EU's fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. This ambitious action plan, targeting one of the biggest…

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The global response: Working together to help the world get better

Opinion article co-authored by Giuseppe Conte, President of the Government of the Italian Republic, Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Charles Michel,…

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EU pledges €3.3 billion to Western Balkan countries

The European Commission has announced over €3.3 billion of EU financial support mobilised jointly with the European Investment Bank to the benefit of the Western Balkans' citizens. This package aims…

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EU and Mexico conclude negotiations for new trade agreement

The European Union and Mexico have concluded the last outstanding element of the negotiation of their new trade agreement. Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan and Mexican Minister of Economy Graciela Márquez…

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EU seeks to mitigate disruption on clinical trials during pandemic

The European Commission has published guidance to ensure that clinical trials can continue taking place in the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim is to mitigate the disruption of clinical…

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EU Commission adopts banking package to facilitate lending to households and businesses in the EU

The Commission has today adopted a banking package to help facilitate bank lending to households and businesses throughout the European Union. The aim of this package is to ensure that…

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EU Commission hosts a European hackathon to develop innovative solutions to fight the outbreak

The European Union's efforts to respond to the COVID crisis include a major participative initiative to harvest the ideas of organisations, experts, and ordinary citizens across the continent. To…

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EU’s economic recovery fund should be available by Summer – Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni

The recovery fund to support EU Member States survive the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic should be available by latest mid-September and its “reasonsable size” should reach €1.5 trillion.…

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Coronavirus Global Response: EU launches pledging effort

The European Union is joining forces with global partners to kick-start a pledging effort – the Coronavirus Global Response – starting on 4 May 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) and global…

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European Union pledges €3bn assistance package for 10 neighbouring countries

The Commission has adopted a proposal for a €3 billion macro-financial assistance (MFA) package to ten enlargement and neighbourhood partners to help them to limit the economic fallout of the…

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EU Commission announces exceptional measures to support the agri-food sector

The European Commission is taking swift action and proposes additional exceptional measures to further support agricultural and food markets most affected. The EU agri-food sector is showing resilience in these…

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