The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of BISA (from Spain) by Repsol (from Spain) and Bunge (from Switzerland). The transaction mainly relates to the processing of oilseeds and the production of biodiesel. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given its […]
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Commission welcomes the new European Media Services Committee
The European Media Services Committee — created by the European Regulation on the Freedom of the Media — is an independent advisory body at Union level composed of representatives of the national media regulators, who will replace and continue the work of the Group of European Regulators for Audiovisual Communication Services. As such, the Committee […]
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EU launches InvestAI initiative to mobilise €200 billion of investment in artificial intelligence
At the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has launched InvestAI, an initiative to mobilise €200 billion for investment in AI, including a new European fund of €20 billion for AI gigafactories. This large AI infrastructure is needed to allow open, collaborative development of the most complex AI […]
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Law enforcement targets online cult communities dedicated to extremely violent child abuse
US Homeland Security Investigations, supported by Europol and the French Police, arrested members of an online community dedicated to grooming, sexual abuse, acts of cruelty, torture and murders. Law enforcement authorities target members of prolific online communities dedicated to the sexual abuse of children and manipulation of vulnerable minors into committing violent crimes. This coercion […]
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4.3 million under temporary protection in December 2024
On 31 December 2024, nearly 4.3 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU. The EU countries hosting the highest number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1 161 450 people; 27.3% of the EU total), Poland (991 630; 23.3%) and […]
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Regions and cities join forces for public procurement revision
The Network of Regional Hubs (RegHub) held an event in Brussels on 7 February to launch the upcoming CoR consultation on the evaluation of the 2014 Public Procurement Directives and to prepare the launch of the next phase of the network. In the morning, the Hubs took part in an interactive session which looked back […]
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Dubravka Šuica, Commissioner for the Mediterranean, in Madrid
On 10 February, Dubravka Šuica , European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, was in Madrid for the first time during this mandate to take part in a series of high-level meetings with Spanish national authorities in order to step up cooperation on key issues for the Mediterranean region. The Commissioner was received in audience by King Felipe […]
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Adding solar energy to the public transport equation
EU-backed researchers explore how to transform public transport depots into renewable energy hubs. A new study carried out by an international research team investigates the technical, economic and environmental implications of changing public transport depots to renewable energy hubs. Supported in part by the EU-funded STORM and NAVIGATE projects, the study provides a model that […]
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Forging a circular path from organic distillery residues to high-value meat alternatives
The EU-funded BionovFOOD project is proposing novel approaches to converting grape marc and other biorefinery by-products into protein-rich ingredients for the creation of new food products. As the world’s population steadily increases, so does the need for new, sustainable food sources. Unfortunately, today’s food production systems are plagued by inefficiencies, resulting in rising by-product loss […]
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