To mark the celebrations of the 30 years anniversary of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), local and regional representatives on 20 November reflected on key achievements and debated the strengthening of the assembly’s role in the institutional and political architecture of the EU during the last Plenary Session of the year. Being the voice of […]
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EU continues to be a global leader on sustainable finance
More than three years after the first transaction of our NextGenerationEU (NGEU) Green Bonds, the EU has issued more than €65 billion of NGEU Green Bonds, setting the EU on track to becoming the largest issuer of Green Bonds in the world. In line with the announcement of President von der Leyen in her State of the […]
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2023 among the five worst years for wildfires in Europe, Commission report shows
Last year, Europe, the Middle East and Africa suffered some of the worst wildfires since 2000. According to the Forest Fires 2023 report, published last 19 by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, wildfires affected over 500 000 hectares of natural lands, roughly half the size of the island of Cyprus. In recent years, catastrophic wildfires […]
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European Commission issues €7 billion in its 10th syndicated transaction of 2024
The European Commission raised last november 19 €7 billion of EU Bonds in its 10th syndicated transaction for 2024, €3 billion of which in the form of NextGenerationEU (NGEU) Green Bonds. The dual-tranche transaction concerned a €4 billion tap of the EU Bond maturing on 4 December 2031, and a €3 billion tap of the NextGenerationEU […]
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Products made with forced labour: Council adopts ban
The Council has today adopted a regulation prohibiting products in the Union market that are made using forced labour. The text forbids the placing and making available on the Union market, or the export from the Union market, of any product made using forced labour. This is the last step in the decision-making procedure. Investigating […]
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Nearly €5 billion under Erasmus+ in 2025
In 2025, EU’s Erasmus+ programme will support learning exchanges abroad and cooperation partnerships in education, training, youth and sport with around €5 billion. Representing a 6.5% increase in funding compared to last year, the Commission published the Erasmus+ 2025 call for proposals today. With over 16 million participants since its launch in 1987, Erasmus+ continues to grow […]
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Court of Justice ruling: EU citizens can become members of a political party of which they are not nationals
Citizenship of the Union: denying EU citizens residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals the right to become a member of a political party infringes EU law EU law confers on EU citizens residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals the right to vote and to stand […]
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EU widens restrictive measures in view of Iran support of the Russian war
The Council yesterday decided to widen the scope of the EU framework for restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region. This additional measure is targeted to the use of vessels and ports for the […]
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Cyberspace: Council approves declaration on a common understanding of application of international law to cyberspace
Today, the Council approved a declaration by the EU and its member states on a common understanding of the application of international law to cyberspace. The declaration signals that international law remains fit for purpose in this digital domain and reiterates that states must abide by certain rules and obligations when conducting activities in cyberspace. […]
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