The Commission has adopted its proposal for the 2024 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea in response to a scientific assessment that indicates several fisheries are in a dire situation. The Commission proposed the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for three out of the ten stocks managed in the Baltic Sea. The remaining quota proposals will be […]
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Commission authorises adapted COVID-19 vaccine for Member States’ autumn vaccination campaigns
The Commission has authorised the Comirnaty XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine, developed by BioNTech-Pfizer. This vaccine marks another important milestone in the fight against the disease. It is the third adaptation of this vaccine to respond to new COVID-19 variants. The vaccine is authorised for adults, children and infants above 6 months. In line with previous recommendations by EMA […]
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€411m of EU funds for Murcia-Almería high-speed railway
€411 million from the European Regional Development Fund will support the construction of the Nonduermas-Vera and Los Arejos-El Puche sections of Spain’s Murcia-Almería high-speed railway line following approval by the Commission. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “This key transport infrastructure will have a positive impact on the entire region, and beyond. It will […]
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EU and the Philippines to start scoping exercise for a free trade agreement
The EU and the Philippines announced their intention to explore the relaunch of negotiations for an ambitious, modern, and balanced free trade agreement (FTA) – with sustainability at its core. The EU and the Philippines will shortly kick off a bilateral ‘scoping process’ to assess to which extent they share a mutual understanding on the […]
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EU sanctions Russian disinformation campaign
The Council decided to impose restrictive measures against seven Russian individuals and five entities responsible for conducting a digital information manipulation campaign called ‘RRN’ (Recent Reliable News), aimed at distorting information and disseminating propaganda in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This campaign, to which government bodies or bodies affiliated to the Russian State have participated, relies on fake web […]
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Commission steps up protection of children from unsafe toys
The Commission proposed a Toy Safety Regulation revising the current rules to protect children from potential risks in toys. Toys put on the EU market are already among the safest ones in the world. The proposed rules will further improve this protection, in particular from harmful chemicals. They also aim at reducing the high number […]
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Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive practices by Microsoft regarding Teams
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Microsoft may have breached EU competition rules by tying or bundling its communication and collaboration product Teams to its popular suites for businesses Office 365 and Microsoft 365. Microsoft is a global technology company offering productivity and business software, cloud computing and personal computing. Teams is a cloud-based communication and collaboration […]
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ECB raises interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to curb inflation
Inflation continues to decline but is still expected to remain too high for too long. The Governing Council is determined to ensure that inflation returns to its 2% medium-term target in a timely manner. It therefore today decided to raise the three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points. The rate increase today reflects […]
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How to reduce rising sea level risks on European coasts
A new modelling study sheds light on adaptation measures that can protect cities and urban areas along Europe’s coasts. Europe’s coastal areas are highly urbanised and already experiencing the consequences of climate change. Adaptation strategies to protect coastal urban communities from rising sea levels have traditionally taken the form of hard structures such as dikes […]
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