The Commission last week disbursed the fourth payment of EUR 9.9 billion (net of pre-financing) in grants to Spain under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM). As with the other Member States, payments made to Spain under the RRM are performance-based and depend on Spain’s implementation of the investments and reforms outlined in its recovery […]
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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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Increase in tourist overnight stays in the European Union in 2024
In the first quarter of 2024, there were 452.6 million overnight stays in tourist accommodations across the EU, marking a 7% increase compared with the same quarter of 2023. January recorded 133.9 million nights (+3% compared with January 2023), February 149.2 million (+6%) and March 169.5 million (+9%). This information comes from monthly data on tourist accommodation up to […]
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Spain: EIB and Banco Sabadell sign guarantee agreement to facilitate up to €400 million in new financing for SMEs and mid-caps
The signed agreement worth up to €200 million is the first tranche of an EIB-approved operation of up to €300 million in total — under which Banco Sabadell will finance projects over the next two years. The operation will promote private sector investment and support the financing needs of a key segment of the Spanish economy […]
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