The Commission has today published the first draft of the Code of Practice for general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI). The draft was prepared by independent experts appointed by the AI Office as chairs and vice-chairs of the four working groups of the Code of Practice for General Purpose AI. This first draft is based on contributions […]
Read More
Parliament calls for an EU crackdown on Russia’s ’shadow fleet’
MEPs demand more targeted EU sanctions against Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’, which provides a key financial lifeline for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Russia uses old tankers, often uninsured and with unclear ownership, to export its crude oil and petroleum products abroad, despite EU, G7 and international sanctions. These activities have also raised fears over the […]
Read More
Higher life expectancy at birth for women in all EU regions
In 2022, life expectancy at birth in the EU for women (83.3 years) was 5.4 years higher than for men (77.9 years). This gender gap in favour of women persisted in all of the regions at level 2 of the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS 2) for which data are available. Life expectancy at birth for women peaked in […]
Read More
Parliament pays homage to the victims of the floods in Spain
President Metsola opened the 13-14 November plenary session in Brussels with a minute of silence for the victims of the flood tragedy in Spain. Following the devastating floods that swept through towns in Valencia and other regions in Spain two weeks ago and have taken at least 223 lives, President Metsola led MEPs in a […]
Read More
EU launches roadmap with partners at COP29 to reach the goal of reducing methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030
At COP29 in Baku, the European Commission has launched a new roadmap for a methane reduction partnership to further accelerate the reduction of methane emissions associated with fossil energy production and consumption, in collaboration with partner countries, the International Energy Agency and a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This new roadmap provides a blueprint for […]
Read More
Assistance to member states affected by natural disasters: Council gives go-ahead to proposal
Member states’ representatives in the Special Committee on Agriculture have endorsed providing further assistance to EU countries affected by recent unprecedent natural disasters through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). “The EU is enabling those member states who have unused rural development funds from the previous programming period to swiftly and flexibly react to the devastating effects of […]
Read More
Commission and national authorities call on Apple to stop geo-blocking practices on Apple Media Services
Today, following a coordinated investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission notified Apple of several potentially prohibited geo-blocking practices that the CPC Network has identified on certain Apple Media Services, namely App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books and Podcasts. The network requested Apple […]
Read More
EU assists Spain in channelling aid following floods
Following Spain’s activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism this weekend in response to the devastating floods in the country, France and Portugal immediately mobilised machinery and waste management vehicles to support operations in the affected areas. Other European countries have also offered their assistance and the Commission is in permanent contact with the Spanish […]
Read More
Hearing with Teresa Ribera, nominee for Executive Vice-President of the European Commission
Three parliamentary committees on Tuesday examined Teresa Ribera, nominee for vice-president of the European Commission for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition. The European Commission’s vice-presidential candidate for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, was examined by three parliamentary committees on Tuesday. During her opening speech, Ms Ribera paid tribute to the victims of the […]
Read More