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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Enhancing EU resilience: A step forward to identify critical entities for key sectors
The Commission has adopted a list of essential services in the eleven sectors covered by the Critical Entities Resilience Directive (CER), which entered into force on 16 January 2023. Critical entities provide essential services in upholding key societal functions, supporting the economy, ensuring public health and safety, and preserving the environment. Member States will have to identify the […]
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Going on a trip this summer? A refresher on consular protection for EU citizens
Have you planned a well-deserved holiday outside the EU this summer? Here are some of the things you need to know before heading to the airport. If something goes wrong abroad, the EU is here for you If you get into serious difficulties somewhere outside the EU, and your own EU country doesn’t have an embassy […]
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Where does your ice cream come from?
In 2020, the EU produced over 2.9 billion litres of ice cream, representing a 9% decline from the previous year. Over the same period, EU Member States exported 232 million kilograms of ice cream to non-EU countries, worth a total of €752 million. In addition, imports of ice cream from countries outside the EU amounted to 79 […]
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EUvsDisinfo: Russian media deny the Srebrenica genocide to deflect responsibility for Bucha
The Srebrenica Memorial Center published the report “Denial of the Srebrenica genocide in the Russian media”. It shows how prominent Russian mass media outlets, as well as bloggers, commentators, and political figures denied the historical facts about the genocide in Srebrenica to strengthen their denial narratives about Russia’s crimes. The main example analysed by the report is […]
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Wildfires: EU provides crucial assistance to the Mediterranean region
As several countries grapple with rapidly spreading wildfires, the EU steps in to reinforce firefighting efforts and provide much-needed support to the affected communities with over 490 firefighters and 9 firefighting planes deployed to Greece and Tunisia since 18 July. The two Mediterranean countries have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the EU has […]
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Commission acts to accelerate phasing out of animal testing
The Commission is responding to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘Save Cruelty-free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe without Animal Testing’. The response provides a comprehensive overview of the EU’s legislative and policy framework relevant to the use of animals for testing purposes. It also proposes additional actions to further reduce animal testing. The Commission welcomes […]
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