Today, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparceny, Věra Jourová signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and human rights, democracy and the rule of law on behalf of the European Union. This was done during the informal conference of Ministers of Justice of members states of the Council of Europe in Vilnius, Lithuania. This Convention […]
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European Research Council awards grants to 36 young Spanish scientists for cutting-edge projects
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of 494 grants to early-stage scientists and academics across Europe, of which 36 are Spanish. This funding, totalling almost €780 million, supports cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life and physical sciences to social and human sciences. It will help young researchers to […]
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Putting culture at the heart of European cities
Europe’s identity is defined by its rich and diverse cultural heritage. Nowhere is this more evident than in the many different towns and cities dotted across our continent. This is something to be celebrated. That is why, every year, the EU rewards and recognises two or three cities as a European Capital of Culture, in […]
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Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture delivers its final report to President von der Leyen
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen received today the final report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, handed over by the group’s chair, Professor Peter Strohschneider. Entitled “A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe”, the report presents an assessment of challenges and opportunities, followed by a set of recommendations. These suggestions […]
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Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza
The EU urges immediate humanitarian pauses to enable the vaccination of all children in Gaza against the poliovirus. The Gaza Strip has been polio-free for the last 25 years. It is alarming that poliovirus was detected and that the first case was confirmed there again in July affecting children. An epidemic among a population already […]
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New EU rules to encourage the repair of defective products
A new EU directive to promote the repair of goods entered into force yesterday. The new rules promote more sustainable consumption by making it easier to repair faulty products and encouraging consumers to repair defective products instead of replacing them. The Directive will benefit consumers by avoiding the costs of buying new products and reducing […]
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Smart farming applications for more sustainable and efficient agriculture
The EU-funded SQAT project is developing a mapping service to tackle soil quality and sustainability issues in the agricultural industry. There has been a large uptake of precision agriculture applications in the past two decades. However, the way most farmers collect information about their soils remains mostly the same. Better data on soil properties would […]
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The EU most popular region for short-term rental accommodation booked via online platforms was Andalucía
During the first quarter of 2024, guests spent 123.7 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the EU, booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or TripAdvisor. This corresponds to an increase of 28.3% compared with the same period in 2023. Platform tourism continued to set new monthly record values: in January 2024, 33.3 million nights […]
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Commission disburses fourth payment of EUR 9.9 billion to Spain under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism
The Commission last week disbursed the fourth payment of EUR 9.9 billion (net of pre-financing) in grants to Spain under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM). As with the other Member States, payments made to Spain under the RRM are performance-based and depend on Spain’s implementation of the investments and reforms outlined in its recovery […]
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