European Commission

‘No journalist should die’: EU calls for better media safety

The European Union’s executive arm asked its member countries Thursday to better protect journalists amid a rise of physical attacks and online threats against media professionals. According to the European…

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Watch Live – Debate on the State of the Union 2021

Today at 0900h (GMT+2), Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, which will be followed by a debate…

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European Commission disburses €237 million in pre-financing to Latvia

The European Commission has today disbursed €237 million to Latvia in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country's financial contribution as established in the Council Implementing Decision. The pre-financing payment…

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EU joining discussions organised by the United Nations on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič participated on behalf of the European Commission, at the High-level Ministerial Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan. The meeting, convened by the United Nations Secretary-General António…

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European Commission disburses €157 million in pre-financing to Cyprus

The European Commission has today disbursed €157 million to Cyprus in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the grant and loan component of the country's financial allocation. The pre-financing payment under…

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European Commission concludes Italian loans worth €900 million to Alitalia are illegal aid

The European Commission has concluded that two State loans for an amount of €900 million, granted by Italy to Alitalia in 2017, are illegal under EU State aid rules. Italy…

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European Commission gearing up for issuing €250 billion of NextGenerationEU green bonds

The European Commission has today adopted an independently evaluated Green Bond framework, thus taking a step forward towards the issuance of up to €250 billion green bonds, or 30% of…

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EU seeks penalties on Poland in dispute over judicial reform

The European Commission said on Tuesday it had asked the EU's top court to impose financial penalties on Poland over the activities of a judges' disciplinary chamber, stepping up a long-running dispute with…

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EU Weekly agenda

Here are the latest events in the European Parliament and European Commission for the week 6 September until 10 September Monday 6 September: Members of the Women's Rights Committee and…

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EU calls for immediate release of Belarus protest leader Kolesnikova

The European Union has called for the immediate release of Belarus protest leader Maria Kolesnikova after she was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Kolesnikova and her fellow oppositionist Maxim Znak, who…

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Connecting Europe Express now leaving the station

The ‘Connecting Europe Express', a special train put together as part of the European Year of Rail 2021, will pull out of Lisbon train station on 2 September. It will stop in…

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Back to school: EU support to pupils, students and teachers

As millions of pupils and teachers in Europe start the new school year, the Commission continues to accompany and support them. The pandemic has highlighted schools' capacity to innovate, but…

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Vice-President Jourová in Poland to commemorate anniversary of the outbreak of the 2nd World War

Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová is today in Poland, where she will meet Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek. She will also meet the President of European People's…

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European Commission disburses €2.25 billion in pre-financing to Germany

The European Commission has today disbursed €2.25 billion to Germany in pre-financing, equivalent to 9% of the country's financial allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This corresponds to…

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EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to deliver emergency aid to Haiti following earthquake

An EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of two flights is delivering more than 125 tonnes of life-saving materials to humanitarian organisations active in Haiti, as part of the EU…

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European Commission disburses € 2.25 billion in pre-financing to Germany

The European Commission has today disbursed € 2.25 billion to Germany in pre-financing, equivalent to 9% of the country's financial allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This corresponds to…

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EU Commission presses for overhaul of asylum rules as Taliban enter Kabul

Aug 15 (Reuters) - The crisis in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus demonstrate the need for a fast overhaul of the European Union's migration and asylum rules, EU Commissioner…

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European Commission approves €36.7 million to support migration management in Lithuania

The Commission has decided to make available €36.7 million to Lithuania in emergency assistance under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund to help improve reception capacity in Lithuania following the…

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Malta: Brussels orders hunting quotas for turtle dove to be cut by 50%

Malta will have to reduce its hunting bag limit on turtle dove by 50% during the autumn, after the European Commission deemed the species needed more protection. In a statement, BirdLife Malta…

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Six EU countries warn against open door for Afghan asylum seekers

Six EU member states have sent a letter to the bloc's executive warning against halting deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers despite major advances of Taliban militants in their country.…

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European Commission approves Slovak scheme to support sport clubs affected by coronavirus

The European Commission has approved a Slovak scheme, with a total budget of €10 million, to support professional sport clubs participating in leagues in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.…

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European Commission disburses €4 billion in pre-financing to Greece

The European Commission has today disbursed €4 billion to Greece in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country's grant and loan allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Greece…

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€662 million of additional Cohesion Policy resources for the recovery in Germany and Poland

The European Commission has approved the modification of six Operational Programmes (OP) for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund in Germany and Poland under REACT-EU for a total of €662 million. In…

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European Commission publishes proposals inclusive primary and secondary education

Today, the Commission published a proposal for a Council Recommendation on blended learning to support high quality and inclusive primary and secondary education. ‘Blended learning' in formal education and training is the…

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European Commission approves Italian scheme to compensate ski lift operators following coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €430 million Italian measure to compensate ski lift operators for the damages suffered due to the restrictive measures introduced…

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European Commission disburses €12.1 million in pre-financing to Luxembourg

The European Commission has today disbursed €12.1 million to Luxembourg in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country's financial allocation. Luxembourg is one of the first countries receiving a pre-financing…

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European Commission approves Vatican and San Marino Covid-19 vaccination certificates

The Commission has adopted decisions ensuring that COVID-19 certificates issued by the Vatican City State and San Marino will be considered equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate. This means that…

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European Commission launches call worth €12 million in support of news media

The Commission published four new calls for proposals aiming to stimulate a lively and diverse public sphere and promoting citizens' access to reliable information across the EU. One call will…

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EU supports Member States with transport of essential Coronavirus supplies

The Commission continues to provide further financial support to six Member States through the Mobility Package of the Emergency Support Instrument amounting to over €14 million, for the transport of…

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European Commission endorses recovery and resilience plans of Greece, Spain and Portugal

The European Commission has adopted positive assessments of the recovery and resilience plans of Greece, Spain and Portugal. This is an important step towards disbursing funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to…

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EU agenda

Discover the latest events happening across the European insititutions: Tuesday 15 June: Health ministers will meet in Luxembourg. Ministers will exchange views on the pandemic situation. Wednesday 16 June: The…

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EU clears way for the EU Digital COVID Certificate

Today, the Presidents of the three EU institutions, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission attended the official signing ceremony for the Regulation on the…

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EU sees first probes under money for rule-of-law regulation in Sept-Oct

The European Commission could in September or October start its first investigations into whether EU governments sufficiently respect the rule of law to qualify for EU budget and recovery funds,…

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European Commission flags data accumulation concerns over Alexa

Today, the Commission has published the preliminary findings of its competition inquiry into the consumer “Internet of Things”. Sector inquiries help us identify potential competition concerns in markets where…

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First bond sale backing EU recovery fund imminent – EU Commission

The first bond sale to finance the European Union's coronavirus recovery fund is expected "imminently", the European Commission said in an investor meeting on Tuesday. The EU last week sent a request to 11…

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EU agenda

Here are the events set to take place in the European Union institutions for the week 8-11 June: Tuesday 8 June: MEPs are set to debate and vote on the…

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New study shows rise in antisemitic online content during the pandemic

Today the European Commission has published the findings of the study “The rise of Antisemitism online during the pandemic”, conducted by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which analyses online content…

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EU Commission presents new Schengen strategy

The European Commission presents today a new Strategy aiming to make the world's largest free movement area - the Schengen area - stronger and more resilient. The Schengen area is home to…

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European Commission and national consumer protection authorities launch dialogue with TikTok

Today, the European Commission and the network of national consumer authorities (CPC) have launched a formal dialogue with TikTok to review its commercial practices and policy. This follows an alert by the European Consumer…

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European Commission to close half of its buildings as telework is ‘new norm’

The European Commission plans to close half of its 50 office buildings across Brussels by 2030 as it aims to merge office space and allow home working beyond the pandemic.…

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Commission disburses €14.1 billion under SURE to 12 Member States

The European Commission has today disbursed €14.137 billion to 12 EU Member States in the seventh instalment of financial support under the SURE instrument. As part of today's operations, Belgium…

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EU agenda

Tuesday 25 May: Conference on a European approach on housing policies Wednesday 26 May: EP President David Sassoli will address the special European Council meeting on Monday at 19:00, where…

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Coca Cola in EU antitrust regulators’ crosshairs

EU antitrust regulators have launched a preliminary investigation into Coca Cola Co, the European Commission said. "We can confirm that the Commission has sent out questionnaires, as part of its…

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Commission approves €90 million Dutch scheme to support SMEs in context of coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €90 million Dutch scheme to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State…

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2021 Annual Report highlights the contribution of taxation towards a more innovative, business friendly and healthier EU

The European Commission has published the 2021 Annual Report on taxation, a yearly review of Member States' tax policies and their contribution to the priorities of the EU, such as the twin digital…

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European Commission proposes new, ambitious business tax agenda

The European Commission has today adopted a Communication on Business Taxation for the 21st century to promote a robust, efficient and fair business tax system in the European Union. It sets out…

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Political agreement reached on EU blue card in new rules for migrant workers

The Commission welcomes the agreement reached yesterday by the European Parliament and the Council on new rules for the entry and residence of highly skilled workers from outside the EU…

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European Commission appoints the first ever Anti-Racism Coordinator

The European Commission has appointed Michaela Moua as its first ever Anti-Racism Coordinator, delivering on an important commitment set out in the EU anti-racism action plan. In her new role, the…

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EU eyes another go at more unified European business taxation

The European Commission wants to propose in 2023 a more unified way of taxing companies in the European Union, hoping that such rules, which have failed to win support in…

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European Commission calls for limiting essential travel from India

The Commission calls on EU Member States to take coordinated action to further restrict travel from India on a temporary basis, with a view to limiting the spread of the…

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Commission launches consultation and discussion on EU digital principles

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the formulation of a set of principles to promote and uphold EU values in the digital space. The consultation, open until…

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Coronavirus: EU helps Nepal to tackle infections surge

Nepal has requested EU assistance to help contain the explosion in COVID-19 cases. In response, the EU has mobilised an initial €2 million in humanitarian funding, which will support monitoring…

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Commission aims for zero pollution in air, water and soil in Green Deal

Today, the European Commission adopted the EU Action Plan: “Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil” – a key deliverable of the European Green Deal and the main topic of this year's EU Green…

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UPDATED: EU seals new Pfizer deal for 1.8 bln COVID-19 vaccines

The European Union signed a new contract with Pfizer-Biontech to receive 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 2021-2023, to cover booster shots, donations and reselling of doses, the European…

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EU plans faster approval, new joint purchases of COVID-19 drugs

The European Commission wants to speed up the approval in the European Union of experimental COVID-19 drugs, according to a document released by the EU executive, with the aim of…

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Commission proposes new Regulation to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies in the Single Market

The European Commission proposes today a new instrument to address potential distortive effects of foreign subsidies in the Single Market. Today's legislative proposal follows the adoption of the White Paper in June 2020…

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Commission extends flexibilities of Common Agricultural Policy checks for 2021

With restrictions still in place across the EU, the Commission adopted today rules to extend to 2021 flexibilities for carrying out checks required for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) support. The…

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