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 […]
Read More
CJEU Judgment: the Court upholds the Commission’s decision authorising the solvency support fund for strategic Spanish undertakings
Ryanair had challenged that decision, relating to an aid scheme amounting to €10 billion. In July 2020, Spain notified the European Commission of an aid scheme to set up a solvency support fund. The beneficiaries were (non-financial) strategic Spanish undertakings experiencing temporary difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. That aid scheme provided for […]
Read More
Eurostat: do you know in which EU country people work the longest hours?
In 2023, the actual weekly working hours for people aged 20-64 in their main job, in the EU, averaged 36.1 hours. A closer look at EU countries reveals notable differences. The longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), Romania (39.5), Poland (39.3) and Bulgaria (39.0). By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest working […]
Read More
Commission kick-starts work on a new pilot mechanism to boost the hydrogen market
The Commission is taking further steps to support the development of the European hydrogen market by launching work on a pilot mechanism. The new mechanism was created under the recently-adopted decarbonised gases and hydrogen package, and aims to accelerate investments by providing a clearer picture of the market situation of both off-takers and suppliers and facilitating contacts between them. It will be in […]
Read More
More than 27 000 unitary patents registered in the first successful year of the unitary patent system
Over the first successful year of application of the Unitary Patent system, the European Patent Office (EPO) has already registered more than 27,000 unitary patents. This means that on average, almost one in four (23%) granted European patents apply across all participating Member States. This rate is also steadily increasing. The uptake rate reaches almost […]
Read More
European Commission designates Temu as Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act
The Commission has formally designated Temu as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Temu is an online marketplace with an average of more than 45 million monthly users in the European Union. This user number, which Temu has communicated to the Commission, is above the DSA threshold for designation as a […]
Read More
European Commission approves up to €1.4 billion for fourth major project of common European interest in the hydrogen value chain
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a fourth Important Project of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI’) to support research, innovation and the first industrial deployment in the hydrogen value chain. The project contributes to the EU’s target of 90% reduction of emissions from the mobility and transport sectors, in order for the […]
Read More
European Commission approves up to €1 billion for fourth major project of common European interest in the health sector
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the first Important Project of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI’) to support research, innovation and the first industrial deployment of healthcare products, as well as innovative production processes of pharmaceuticals. This IPCEI will notably contribute to the European Health Union‘s objectives by delivering innovations addressing diseases for […]
Read More
Eurostat: EU natural gas demand falls by 7.4% in 2023
The EU‘s demand for natural gas has been declining for 2 consecutive years. After a 13.3% yearly decrease in 2022, demand fell by another 7.4% in 2023, totalling 12.72 million terajoules in 2023. This also marks the lowest demand recorded since the collection of monthly cumulated data began in 2008. This reduction has been affected by measures outlined […]
Read More