Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton and Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne met on 1 February to begin work on implementing the EU-Canada Digital Partnership, which was concluded at the 23-24 November summit held in Canada. They issued the following joint press release following their virtual meeting: The new Digital Partnership will help the EU and Canada […]
Read MoreFirst evaluation of the Frontex Regulation delivers overall positive assessment despite challenges
On 2 February, the Commission adopted the evaluation of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation (Frontex Regulation) together with an Action Plan to support its implementation. With this first evaluation of the Frontex regulation, which is a legal obligation, the Commission has assessed the impact, effectiveness and efficiency of Frontex. Ensuring a robust and […]
Read MoreEuropean Commission disburses €1.4 billion in pre-financing to Spain for implementation of its REPowerEU plan
Last Thursday, the Commission disbursed €1.4 billion to Spain in pre-financing grants related to the REPowerEU funds under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM). This second and final REPowerEU pre-financing tranche complements the €340 million of loans previously disbursed to Spain on 25 January 2024. This pre-financing will help accelerate the implementation of the key […]
Read MoreEU leaders greenlight €64.6 billion in additional funding
EU leaders greenlit additional funding for the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 and discussed support for Ukraine. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agriculture, and paid tribute to former European Commission President Jacques Delors, who passed away on 27 December 2023. Mid-term revision of EU long-term budget 2021-2027 As a follow-up to their meeting in December, EU leaders discussed […]
Read MoreEU reaffirms trade support for Ukraine and Moldova
The Commission has proposed to renew the suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year, while reinforcing protection for sensitive EU agricultural products. This is done in line with EU commitments to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. These Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) have been in place […]
Read MoreEU and Japan update partnership agreement to include cross-border data flows
On behalf of the EU, the Belgian Presidency of the Council has signed the protocol to include provisions on cross-border data flows in the agreement between the EU and Japan for an Economic Partnership. The protocol will provide greater legal certainty, ensuring that data flows between the EU and Japan will not be hampered by […]
Read MoreEU and US take stock of trade and technology cooperation
The European Union and the United States held the fifth meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Washington, D.C. The meeting allowed ministers to take stock of the progress of the TTC’s work and to provide political steer on key priorities for the next TTC Ministerial meeting, which will take place in […]
Read MorePractical arrangements for the participation of Commissioners in European and national elections
The European Commission has issued, based on guidelines adopted in 2019, a reinforced guidance on ethical standards for Members of the Commission who take part in electoral campaigns for the European Parliament. In addition, dedicated guidelines have also been developed regarding participation in election campaigns at Member State level. Both guidelines build on opinions of the Commission’s Independent Ethical Committee and […]
Read MoreCommission decides to register two new European Citizens’ Initiatives
The European Commission decided to register two European Citizens’ Initiatives, entitled ‘Ban on conversion practices in the European Union’ and ‘European Citizens’ Initiative in Defence of Agriculture and Rural Economy in Europe’. The organisers of the ‘Ban on conversion practices in the European Union’ initiative call for a ban on interventions aimed at changing, repressing or suppressing […]
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