On 4 February, the European Union and Solomon Islands held their Partnership Dialogue, the first under the new Samoa Agreement, which is the basis for cooperation between the EU and the Pacific. In the margins of the Dialogue, Solomon Islands’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka met High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas, […]
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EU-Chile Interim Trade Agreement enters into force
The EU-Chile Interim Trade Agreement (ITA) has entered into force, following the completion of Chile’s ratification process. The ITA, which was signed in December 2023, is of key geopolitical importance. It will boost the competitiveness of businesses on both sides, while providing a shared platform for the development of our net-zero economies. This work will be further underpinned by ongoing […]
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The Commission acts to ensure the correct and timely transposition of EU directives
The Commission adopts a series of infringement decisions due to the failure of Member States to notify the measures adopted to transpose certain EU directives into national law. Letters of formal notice are sent to Member States that have not notified national transposition measures for directives whose transposition deadline has recently expired. In this case, […]
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Tariffs on agricultural products and fertilisers, new measures against Russia and Belarus
The European Commission has adopted a proposal to impose tariffs on a number of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, as well as on certain nitrogen-based fertilisers. The agricultural products affected by the new tariffs constitute 15% of agricultural imports from Russia in 2023 that had not yet been subject to increased tariffs. Once adopted by the Council, […]
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Democratic Republic of the Congo receives €60 million in humanitarian aid from EU
The European Commission today announced new humanitarian support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with an initial amount of €60 million for 2025. Following the latest developments in the East of the country, the European Union stands ready to boost emergency assistance, particularly for the newly displaced populations in and around Goma. The […]
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Georgia: Council suspends visa-free travel for diplomats and officials
Today, the Council decided to suspend parts of the EU-Georgia visa facilitation agreement. This may lead to Georgian diplomats and officials having to apply for visa when travelling to the EU. “Fundamental rights and democratic values are core principles of EU integration. Officials that represent a country which trample down these values should not […]
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Commission approves International Paper’s acquisition of DS Smith subject to conditions*
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of DS Smith Plc (‘DS Smith’)by International Paper Company (‘InternationalPaper’). The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by the parties. The Commission’s investigation International Paper and DS Smith are two vertically integrated paper and packaging companies. The Commission’s […]
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Economic governance framework: Council sets fiscal expenditure paths for 21 member states
As the next step in the implementation of the EU’s new fiscal rules, the Council today adopted recommendations endorsing the first-ever medium-term fiscal-structural plans and setting the net expenditure paths for 21 member states. The medium-term fiscal-structural plans are a cornerstone of the new economic governance framework. The plans contain member states’ fiscal trajectory, together […]
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Council greenlights the amended plans of Greece, Cyprus and Spain
The Council today endorsed the Commission’s positive assessment of the amended recovery and resilience plans submitted by Greece, Cyprus and Spain. According to the Commission’s analysis, the specific amendments submitted by the Member States do not affect the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and coherence of their recovery and resilience plans. Greece On 21 October 2024, Greece […]
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