The Council decided to prolong by six months, until 31 January 2023, the restrictive measures targeting specific sectors of the economy of the Russian Federation. These sanctions, first introduced in 2014 in response to Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, were significantly expanded since February 2022, in light of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military […]
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Europe signs multimillion-dollar contract with Spanish industry to heat ITER plasma
Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU organisation responsible for the European contribution to ITER, the international fusion experiment, has announced the signing of a major contract with IDOM and Alsymex. The consortium of the two companies has been commissioned to design and produce very powerful heating systems that will help raise the temperature of the […]
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Extraordinary Energy Council: EU countries agree to reduce gas demand by 15%
At an extraordinary meeting of the Energy Council, EU ministers committed to reducing gas demand by 15% this winter, as a demonstration of solidarity. This reduction is voluntary but could become mandatory if a security of supply alert is triggered. EU energy ministers reached a political agreement on a voluntary reduction of natural gas demand […]
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8th Environment Action Programme: Green Deal
Yesterday, the Commission presented a list of headline indicators for monitoring progress towards the EU’s environment and climate goals to 2030, as well as the 2050 long-term vision to ‘live well, within planetary boundaries’. Resulting from intense consultations with stakeholders and Member States, the new Monitoring Framework under the 8th Environment Action Programme aims to foster […]
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Production of fake pesticides on the rise in the EU
Operation Silver Axe VII, coordinated by Europol, took place between 25 January and 25 April 2022 and involved law enforcement authorities from 31 countries (25 EU Member States and six third party countries). The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Commission’s DG SANTE, CropLife Europe and CropLife International […]
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A step towards an emissions-free transport system
An EU-funded project is helping modern cities achieve one of their dreams through sustainable electric vehicle charging solutions. Imagine a city with no traffic jams or parking problems; a city where both cars and mopeds are fuelled by green electricity, and people share pools of personal vehicles without concerns about vehicle availability or charging opportunities. […]
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Council endorsement of the regulation to reduce gas demand: Statement by the President Ursula von der Leyen
Today, the EU has taken a decisive step to face down the threat of a full gas disruption by Putin. I strongly welcome the endorsement by Council of the Council Regulation on coordinated demand reduction measures for gas. The political agreement reached by Council in record time, based on the Commission’s proposal “Save gas for […]
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Travelling with pets: rules to keep in mind
Your pet can join you when you go on holiday to another EU country, but there are certain rules to bear in mind. Read on to find out more. Thanks to EU rules on travelling with pets (dogs, cats or ferrets), people are free to move with their furry friend within the EU. Make sure […]
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EU wins WTO case against Turkey’s discriminatory practices on pharmaceuticals
The EU welcomes today’s appeal arbitration award by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the case the EU brought against Turkey on pharmaceutical products. The appeal award confirms the Panel’s ruling and finds that the localisation measure discriminates against foreign pharmaceutical products, as it is not a form of government procurement of pharmaceutical products, and […]
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