The Council adopted today a decision confirming that the participation of Switzerland in the PESCO project ‘Military Mobility’ meets the general conditions set out in Decision (CFSP) 2020/1639 of November 2020, and will bring substantial added value to the project. Today’s decision authorises the Netherlands as project coordinator to formally invite Switzerland to join this […]
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Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Council extends restrictive measures by one year
The Council decided yesterday to extend by one year, until 20 January 2026, the existing restrictive measures against those who support, facilitate or enable violent actions by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). All individuals and entities previously identified as responsible for participating in the financing of Hamas and PIJ, or enabling their violent actions will […]
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New €148 million EU humanitarian aid package for Ukraine
As Russia’s war of aggression continues to devastate Ukraine, approximately 12.7 million people are in need of urgent assistance. New European Commission funding will be used to provide life-saving support and ensure that essential aid reaches the most vulnerable populations in Ukraine. The €148 million in new funding will continue to support vital humanitarian aid in both Ukraine […]
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Is hyperconnectivity hurting our health?
Switching off from work is becoming more and more difficult in today’s digital workplace. Does your normal workday feel endless? Do emails and texts from clients or colleagues make you anxious long after the day has ended? There’s added pressure to work even during off hours. The borders between work and home are blurring, especially […]
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Commission approves Synopsys’ acquisition of Ansys subject to conditions
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Ansys, Inc. (‘Ansys’) by Synopsys, Inc. (‘Synopsys’). The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by the parties. The Commission’s investigation The Commission investigated the impact of the transaction in the global markets for the supply of: (i) […]
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Commission disburses first €3 billion to Ukraine of its part of the G7 loan
The European Commission has disbursed today the first €3 billion tranche of its exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan for Ukraine, which will be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian State assets in the EU. This loan, amounting up to €18.1 billion, represents the EU’s contribution to the G7-led Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loans initiative, which […]
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Venezuela: Council renews restrictive measures
The Council has decided to prolong the restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela for a further year, until 10 January 2026. Additionally the Council reintroduced the travel restrictions applied to four individuals, which had been temporarily suspended in May 2024 with the objective of promoting the organisation of inclusive, credible and competitive elections […]
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Want to develop better habits? Brain science tells how
It’s New Year’s resolutions time again. That invariably means breaking some bad habits and forming new ones in an effort to improve our physical health and mental well-being. A team of cognitive neuroscientists at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland revealed a new technique to change habits that will lead to lasting outcomes. The findings were […]
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Funding independent healthcare research topics that industry ignores
EU-backed scientists explore why we need to support multinational clinical studies carried out by independent researchers, and how to do it. A new paper published in the journal ‘Trials’ takes a close look at investigator-initiated clinical studies (IICSs), non-commercial studies conducted by independent clinicians and researchers with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare. The result […]
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