The Council formally adopted a directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law. The law will improve the investigation and prosecution of environmental crime offences. The directive establishes EU-wide minimum rules on the definition of criminal offences and penalties. It replaces the previous law which dates back to 2008. The law will only […]
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EU approves extra €5 billion in military support for Ukraine
The Council decided to increase the financial ceiling of the European Peace Facility (EPF) by €5 billion in current prices, and ringfence this top-up for Ukraine, by establishing a dedicated Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) within the EPF. The newly established UAF will allow the EU to further support the evolving needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces through the […]
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The Commission allocates €500 million to ramp up ammunition production
The Commission allocated the €500 million foreseen under the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP). This will allow the European defence industry to ramp up its ammunition production capacity to 2 million shells per year by the end of 2025. The Commission also launched the Work Programme for the instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence […]
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Russian voters had no real choice, says the EU
The presidential elections held by Russia on 15-17 March took place in a highly restricted environment exacerbated also by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Russian authorities have continued to increase the systematic internal repression by cracking down on opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices with the use of […]
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Commission initiates formal proceedings against AliExpress under the Digital Services Act
The Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether AliExpress may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas linked to the management and mitigation of risks, to content moderation and the internal complaint handling mechanism, to the transparency of advertising and recommender systems, to the traceability of traders and to data access for researchers. On the basis […]
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Europol: 13 victims of human trafficking rescued in Spain
Europol has supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) in an operation targeting a criminal organisation trafficking human beings for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation in Spain. The investigation has resulted in 17 arrests and the safeguarding of 13 victims. The suspects were arrested in Madrid, […]
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Safeguarding EU elections amidst cybersecurity challenges
Preluding 2024 EU elections, the NIS Cooperation Group with the support of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the European Commission and the European External Action Service updated the compendium on elections cybersecurity. The first compendium on elections cybersecurity was published in 2018. Since the last EU elections in 2019, the elections threat landscape has […]
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20th European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism
Ahead of the 20th European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism, the Commission issued the following statement: “On the European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism we honor the memory of all those who have tragically fallen victims to terrorist acts, whether on EU soil or beyond our borders. This year holds particular significance as […]
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First ever defence industrial strategy and a new defence industry programme to enhance Europe’s readiness and security
The European Commission and the High Representative presented the first-ever European Defence Industrial Strategy at EU level and proposed an ambitious set of new actions to support the competitiveness and readiness of its defence industry. Two years ago, Russia’s unjustified, on-going war of aggression against Ukraine marked the return of high-intensity conflict on our continent. The […]
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