In the margins of the Kiwa Initiative Steering Committee meeting chaired by Canada, the Kiwa Initiative awarded grants to ten local projects in the Pacific Island Countries, as well as launched the third Kiwa regional project implemented by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The IUCN ORO manages local projects for the small to medium-sized grants, specifically […]
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REACT-EU: Additional €274.9 million to boost Spanish regions
Spain receives an additional €274.9 million from the 2022 tranche of REACT-EU. These resources will support the economic recovery of Spanish regions, help workers and jobseekers acquire skills necessary for the digital and green transition, and improve the access to and functioning of social systems. €137 million are added to the Spanish operational programme of the Fund […]
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ECB raises interest rates for first time in eleven years
The ECB Governing Council has raised interest rates for the first time in eleven years, and is likely to raise them again in the coming months. Why have interest rates increased? The ECB is the central bank of the euro and has a mandate to keep prices stable. When prices in our economy are rising […]
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EU adopts new measures against Russia
The EU has agreed to ban imports of Russian-origin gold, including jewellery and to reinforce export controls of dual use goods. New measures, just like earlier sanctions, do not target Russia’s exports of food, grain or fertilisers. In response to Russia’s continuing war of aggression against Ukraine, the Council has adopted new measures intended to […]
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EU solidarity with Slovenia in combating wildfires
20 June, Slovenia requested assistance to tackle unprecedented forest fires in the Karst of Gorica region of the Miren Kostanjevica municipality. Various firefighting assets have been already deployed or are on their way to help the local responders. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is providing Slovenia with 3 firefighting helicopters, (one from Austria, one from […]
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EU and World Vision’s COVID-19 response programme enhance resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable communities in Indonesia
The European Union (EU), World Vision Netherlands and Wahana Visi Indonesia held a closing ceremony of their two-year project “Indonesia COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Responses (I-COPE)”. The project has contributed to limiting the spread of COVID-19 and reducing its impact on vulnerable children and families in Indonesia. The project is implemented in 90 villages in six districts/ […]
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FAST-CARE: Council agrees to provide more aid to Ukrainian refugees and to strengthen support in the aftermath of Russian aggression
The permanent representatives of the 27 EU member states, on 20 July, agreed on the Council’s negotiating mandate for further support to countries and regions hosting displaced persons from Ukraine, as well as for tackling some of the adverse economic effects of Russia’s aggression. The legislative proposal, known as FAST–CARE (Flexible Assistance for Territories), introduces […]
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General product safety regulation: Council adopts its position
Member States agreed on a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a regulation on general product safety (GPSR). An increasing number of consumers buy goods and products online – a trend which was reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. To keep up with challenges linked to this trend, the GPSR proposal modernises the rules […]
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Josep Borrell about the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the law on Foreign Affairs
Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of the signing by President Putin of the law on “foreign agents”, a decade shaped by the Russian authorities’ growing fear of critical voices from within Russian society. This law was the first of several legislative measures, including the law on “undesirable organisations” in 2015 and the 2022 “fake news […]
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