The European Commission has today designated, for the first time, six gatekeepers – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft – under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In total, 22 core platform services provided by gatekeepers have been designated. The six gatekeepers will now have six months to ensure full compliance with the DMA obligations for each of their designated core platform […]
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What is the European Union doing to reduce air pollution?
Poor air quality can cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. But its devastating effects also extend to biodiversity, as it poisons crops and forests, causing significant economic losses. As part of the zero pollution ambition set out in the EU’s European Green Deal, the European Parliament has proposed setting stricter air quality standards […]
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EU foreign ministers discuss Ukraine and the Coup d’état in Niger
During the informal ministerial meeting in Toledo, EU foreign ministers supported the search for a just peace in Ukraine and the plans drawn up by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore democracy in Niger. The meeting, which took place in the Old Arms Factory in Toledo under the Spanish presidency of […]
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Spanish film ’20 000 especies de abejas’ nominated for the European Parliament’s LUX Prize
20 000 species of bees (Spain), Fallen Leaves (Finland), In the Adamant (France-Japan), Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Estonia-France-Iceland) and Teachers’ Lounge (Germany) will compete for the LUX European Film Public Prize, organised by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy. The five shortlisted films were announced in Venice by five MEPs: Laurence Farreng (Renew, France), […]
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Eurostat: When do young Europeans leave their parental home?
In 2022, young people across the EU left their parental home on average at the age of 26.4 years. However, this average varied among EU countries. The highest average ages, at 30 years or above, were recorded in Croatia (33.4 years), Slovakia (30.8), Greece (30.7), Bulgaria and Spain (both 30.3), Malta (30.1) and Italy (30.0). In contrast, the lowest […]
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Commission wants to address challenges related to wolf returns
The return of the wolf to EU regions where it has been absent for a long time is increasingly leading to conflicts with local farming and hunting communities, especially where measures to prevent attacks on livestock are not widely implemented. President von der Leyen said: “The concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has […]
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Informal ministerial meeting on agriculture 3 – 5 September 2023
The informal EU agriculture ministerial meeting takes place at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones of Córdoba from 3 to 5 September. Ministers debate the role of new technologies as a tool for making agriculture more resilient to climate change, including the latest gene editing techniques. The working sessions discuss how to address the growing […]
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Fishing opportunities for 2024 in the Baltic Sea
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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