The European Commission has published its Renovation Wave Strategy to improve the energy performance of buildings. The Commission aims to at least double renovation rates in the next ten years and make sure renovations lead to higher energy and resource efficiency. This will enhance the quality of life for people living in and using the buildings, reduce […]
Read MoreCommission lists key steps for effective vaccination strategies and vaccines deployment
As Europe learns to live with the pandemic, the development and swift global deployment of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 remains an essential element in the eventual solution to the public health crisis. In this context, the Commission is working to ensure that there will be access to safe vaccines across Europe, and encourages […]
Read MoreMeet the 2020 Nobel Prize Laureates
Meet the 2021 Nobel Prize Laureates We look back at the Nobel Prize winners in 2020. In this 2020 edition, we have four Europeans among the laureates: the British Roger Penrose and the German Reinhard Genzel in Physics; the French Emmanuelle Charpentier in Chemistry; and the British Michael Houghton in Medicine. The European presence among the […]
Read MoreStatistics: ICT usage in Europe in 2020
Last June the Commission published the results of the 2020 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which monitors Europe’s overall digital performance and tracks the progress of EU countries with regard to their digital competitiveness. This year’s DESI report shows that there is progress in all Member States and in all key areas measured […]
Read MoreMinimum income protection during COVID-19
The Council adopted conclusions on strengthening minimum income protection in the EU with the aim to combat poverty and social exclusion during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council recognises that minimum income schemes contribute to the social protection of the most disadvantaged groups in society, including people hardest-hit by the COVID-19 crisis. They also […]
Read MoreCouncil agrees its position on the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Following the political agreement reached by the ministers for economy and finance on 6 October 2020, member states’ EU ambassadors formally agreed the Council’s position on the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The facility is the centrepiece of the Next Generation EU recovery instrument designed to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and the challenges posed by […]
Read MoreCJEU refuses to apply interim measures for Junqueras to sit in EP
The appeal against the order of the Vice-President of the General Court dismissing Mr Junqueras i Vies’s application for interim measures is also dismissed By this order, the Vice-President of the Court of Justice dismisses Mr Junqueras i Vies’s appeal. The Vice-President confirms that, when a seat is vacant because the mandate of a Member […]
Read MoreMEPs want to increase emissions reduction target to 60%
All member states must become climate neutral by 2050, says Parliament in a vote on the EU climate law, calling for ambitious 2030 and 2040 emissions reduction targets. The new law aims to transform political promises that the EU will become climate neutral by 2050 into a binding obligation and to give European citizens and […]
Read MoreEuropean Commission to issue EU SURE bonds of up to €100 billion as social bonds
the European Commission announces that it will issue its forthcoming EU SURE bonds of up to €100 billion as social bonds. To that end, the Commission has adopted an independently evaluated Social Bond Framework. This Framework is meant to provide investors in these bonds with confidence that the funds mobilised will serve a truly social objective. […]
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