The Commission yesterday endorsed Spain’s request for a specific revision of its Recovery and Resilience Plan, which Spain had submitted to the Commission on 19 March 2024. The proposed amendments are of a technical nature and stem from the comprehensive review of the Spanish plan, which was adopted by the Council on 17 October 2023. […]
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The European Union to conclude a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Japan
The Council adopted this week a decision on the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its member states and Japan. The decision facilitates, on the EU side, the entry into force of the agreement as soon as the parties have completed their internal procedures and have notified their counterparts. […]
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EU-Central America: EU Council gives green light to the Association Agreement
The Council adopted last week a decision to conclude the agreement establishing an association between the European Union and its member states, on the one hand, and Central America on the other. This is the final step of the ratification process of the agreement, through which the EU and Central America commit to a close, long-term relationship in […]
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CJEU: The name Pablo Escobar cannot be registered as an EU trade mark
The public would associate that name with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. On 30 September 2021, Escobar Inc., established in Puerto Rico (United States), filed an application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for registration of the word sign Pablo Escobar as an EU trade mark for a wide range of goods and services. […]
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EU requests consultations under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement on UK permanent closure of sandeel fisheries
The European Union requested consultations with the United Kingdom under the dispute settlement mechanism of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) regarding the United Kingdom’s decision to prohibit the fishing of sandeel, with the aim of reaching a mutually agreeable solution. Effective since 26 March 2024, the closure of the sandeel fishery covers English […]
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EU and US hold fourth Joint Dialogue on Technology Competition Policy
Today, European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, US Federal Trade Commission (‘FTC’) Chair Lina Khan and the Assistant Attorney General of the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division (‘DOJ’) Jonathan Kanter met in Washington for the fourth meeting of the EU-US Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue (‘TCPD’). The purpose of the dialogue is to further […]
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Monetary policy decisions: ECB keeps interest rates unchanged at 4.5%.
The Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided to keep the three key ECB interest rates unchanged. The incoming information has broadly confirmed the Governing Council’s previous assessment of the medium-term inflation outlook. Inflation has continued to fall, led by lower food and goods price inflation. Most measures of underlying inflation are easing, wage […]
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New rules on labelling of honey, juice, jam and marmalade adopted
The revision of the “breakfast directives” aims to help consumers make informed and healthier decisions on products such as honey, fruit juice, jam and marmalades. Parliament on Wednesday approved the provisional political agreement with Council on updated rules on the composition, name, labelling and presentation of certain ‘breakfast’ foodstuffs, the so-called “breakfast directives”, with 603 […]
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EU agri-food trade achieved a record surplus in 2023
EU agri-food trade balance reached its record level in 2023, according to the latest report published by the European Commission. After a good performance of the EU agri-food trade in 2022, the most recent report released by the European Commission indicates that the EU agri-food trade balance reached its record level in 2023. EU exports reached […]
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