The EU and Angola has signed a Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA), the first EU agreement of its kind, during the EU-Angola Business Forum in Luanda. It responds to Angola’s ambition to diversify its economy beyond the oil and gas sectors, which historically attracted most foreign investment. The agreement, with its commitments to improve business […]
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Value of EU trade deals surpasses €2 trillion
The value of EU trade through free trade agreements with global partners surpassed €2 trillion for the first time in 2022, according to the 3rd Annual Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade Policy. The European Commission report shows that trade with our top 20 trade agreement partners grew by close to 30% […]
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Mexico and the European Union hold the 11th High-Level Dialogue on Human Rights in Mexico City
On November 17th, Mexico and the European Union held the 11th High Level Dialogue on Human Rights in Mexico City. The Dialogue addressed an extensive array of human rights issues in Mexico and the European Union, including gender equality and the care agenda, femicides, combating gender-based and domestic violence, migrant rights, xenophobia, enforced disappearances, torture prevention, […]
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Agreement to update the EU Cybersecurity Regulation
To enhance EU’s cyber resilience by enabling the future adoption of European certification schemes for ‘managed security services’, member states’ representatives (Coreper) reached a common position on the proposed targeted amendment of the EU’s cybersecurity act (CSA) of 2019. ‘Managed security services’, provided to customers by specialised companies, are crucial for the prevention, detection, response, and recovery from cybersecurity […]
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Commission refers Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to fully transpose the directive on reconciliation of work and family life
The European Commission has decided to refer Belgium, Ireland and Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to notify national measures fully transposing EU rights on Work-Life Balance for parents and carers (Directive (EU) 2019/158). The Work-Life Balance Directive, adopted in 2019, is an important legislation which aims to enable working parents to better […]
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New European Union rules on short-term accommodation rentals
As part of the ongoing efforts to promote a balanced tourism ecosystem within the EU, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a draft regulation on data collection and sharing for short-term accommodation rental services. Simpler, harmonised system of data collection The proposal for a regulation aims at enhancing transparency in […]
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Council greenlights UK participation in Horizon Europe and Copernicus
The Council gave its green light to UK participation in the EU’s Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes, approving the agreement in principle reached between the Commission and the UK government on 7 September 2023. According to the agreement in principle, as of 1 January 2024, researchers and organisations in the UK will be able to […]
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European Union signs the Samoa agreement
The EU and its member states signed today a new Partnership Agreement with the Members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) that will serve as an overarching legal framework for their relations for the next twenty years. This agreement will succeed the Cotonou Agreement and will be known as the “Samoa Agreement”. The […]
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EU-Armenia: joint press release on the Second Political and Security Dialogue
The second high-level EU-Armenia Political and Security Dialogue took place on Wednesday in Brussels. Building upon the inaugural meeting of the dialogue held in Yerevan this January, the meeting confirmed mutual interest of Armenia and the EU to further enhance political dialogue and cooperation in the areas of foreign, security and defence policy. The EU […]
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