The EU is preparing rules which would make it possible to stop payments from the EU budget to member states that do not respect the rule of law. Parliament negotiators reached a provisional agreement with the Council presidency on 5 November on legislation establishing a mechanism that would allow the suspension of budget payments to […]
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Eurogroup statement on COVID-19 developments this autumn
At the outset of Eurogroup meeting, members of the Eurogroup offered condolences to Austrian and French colleagues on the recent horrific attacks and reiterated that Europe will always stand together. The Eurogroup had a thorough discussion on the economic outlook in view of current COVID-19 developments. The Eurogroup was briefed by the Director of the […]
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Thirteen Spanish entities will receive funding for health research projects
Commission grants EUR 508 million for a total of 75 projects across the EU The last year of Horizon 2020 represents a record in funding for collaborative health research. The 75 projects selected following the evaluation involve 1158 professionals from 58 countries. Following the signing of grant agreements in the coming weeks, they should receive […]
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EU reaches political agreement on updated enforcement regulation
The Council presidency has reached an agreement with the European Parliament on a revised enforcement regulation. The aim of this regulation is to better protect the EU’s trade interests and rights in the context of the current blockage of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement system. The regulation also ensures that the EU can […]
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Commission disburses €17 billion under SURE to Italy, Spain and Poland
The European Commission has disbursed a total of €17 billion to Italy, Spain and Poland in the first instalment of financial support to Member States under the SURE instrument. As part of today’s operations, Italy has received €10 billion, Spain €6 billion, and Poland €1 billion. Once all SURE disbursements have been completed, Italy will […]
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Latest Eurobarometer survey: Economic situation is EU citizens’ top concern
In the new Eurobarometer conducted in July and August, concern about the economic situation is reflected in the perception of the current state of the economy. 64% of Europeans think that the situation is ‘bad’ and 42% of Europeans think that their country’s economy will recover from the adverse effects of the coronavirus outbreak ‘in 2023 or […]
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Statistics: ICT usage in Europe in 2020
Last June the Commission published the results of the 2020 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which monitors Europe’s overall digital performance and tracks the progress of EU countries with regard to their digital competitiveness. This year’s DESI report shows that there is progress in all Member States and in all key areas measured […]
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Council agrees its position on the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Following the political agreement reached by the ministers for economy and finance on 6 October 2020, member states’ EU ambassadors formally agreed the Council’s position on the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The facility is the centrepiece of the Next Generation EU recovery instrument designed to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and the challenges posed by […]
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European Commission to issue EU SURE bonds of up to €100 billion as social bonds
the European Commission announces that it will issue its forthcoming EU SURE bonds of up to €100 billion as social bonds. To that end, the Commission has adopted an independently evaluated Social Bond Framework. This Framework is meant to provide investors in these bonds with confidence that the funds mobilised will serve a truly social objective. […]
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