The European Commission and the High Representative have today adopted their 24th annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region. This report covers developments in 2023. The report illustrates the continuously increasing focus on national security, which risks weakening fundamental freedoms in Macao, eroding […]
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EU external borders: Irregular border crossings fall 23% in Jan-May
The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union in the first five months of 2024 fell by nearly a quarter (23%) to nearly 80 000, according to preliminary data collected by Frontex. The Western Balkans and Central Mediterranean saw the biggest drops in detections of irregular crossings among the major migratory routes (-71% […]
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Annual EU report illustrates continuous deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong
The European Commission and the High Representative have adopted the 26th annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This report covers developments in 2023. The electoral overhaul of the District Councils, adopted on 6 July, drastically reduced the number of directly […]
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European Commission presents the Common Implementation Plan of the Pact on Migration and Asylum
After a historic agreement was reached on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, work has started to translate the large and complex set of legislative acts into an operational reality over the next two years. This will be a common endeavour, with the Commission supporting Member States every step of the way. The Common Implementation Plan […]
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European Commission approves preliminary assessment of Spain’s fourth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism
The Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of 60 out of the 61 milestones and targets linked to Spain’s fourth payment request for €10 billion (net of pre-financing) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Positive preliminary assessment of all but one target The payment request covers important steps in the delivery of 34 reforms and 26 […]
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Commission secures access for Member States to 665,000 doses of zoonotic influenza vaccines to prevent avian flu
The Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) as part of its mandate on preparedness, has signed on behalf of participating Member States, a joint procurement framework contract for the supply of up to 665,000 pre-pandemic vaccine doses of the up-to-date Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Seqirus, as well as an option for a further 40 million doses […]
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EU Justice Scoreboard 2024 shows that perception of judicial independence has improved
The European Commission has published the twelfth edition of the EU Justice Scoreboard, an annual overview providing comparative data on the efficiency, quality, and independence of justice systems among the EU Member States. Compared to last year, the public’s perception of judicial independence has improved, also in countries that had experienced systemic challenges. This year’s […]
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Europe’s air quality keeps improving but pollution levels are still unsafe in many areas
Air quality has improved considerably in Europe over the past decades, but polluted air is still the biggest environmental health hazard in Europe and globally. According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) analysis on air quality data for 2022 and 2023, published today, Europe’s air quality continues improving but, in many areas, especially in cities, […]
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Auditors join the all-new EU ethics watchdog
This spring, negotiations on setting up a new EU body for ethical standards were concluded between the EU institutions and advisory bodies, including the ECA. As a result, the founding agreement was signed on 15 May in Brussels by the eight participating institutions and bodies, namely the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the European Commission, […]
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