Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, held a leaders’ meeting by video conference with Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, held a leaders’ meeting by video conference […]
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Commission approves contract with Moderna to ensure access to a potential vaccine
The European Commission approved a sixth contract under the EU Vaccines Strategy, this time with the pharmaceutical company Moderna. The contract provides for the initial purchase of 80 million doses on behalf of all EU Member States, plus an option to request up to a further 80 million doses, to be supplied once a vaccine […]
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10 ways to keep online education engaging
The Covid-19 pandemic has turned our everyday life and routines upside down. School closures, remote working, physical distancing amongst many. The closure of education institutions has meant that teachers and trainers have now had to move their classes online. But crossing this line is no easy task. It requires learning new skills and adopting a […]
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EU-China: Council gives final green light to the agreement on geographical indications
The Council adopted a decision on the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and the government of the People’s Republic of China on cooperation on and protection of geographical indications (GIs). A list of 100 European agri-food GIs, such as Queso Manchego, Champagne, Cava, Polska Wódka, Feta, Münchener Bier, Irish whiskey, Porto, Prosciutto […]
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EEA: Improvement in Europe’s air quality over past decade
Better air quality has led to a significant reduction of premature deaths over the past decade in Europe. However, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) latest official data show that almost all Europeans still suffer from air pollution, leading to about 400,000 premature deaths across the continent. 2020 Report The EEA’s ‘Air quality in Europe — […]
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Gender Equality Index 2020: Can we wait 60 more years?
With a score of 67.9 out of 100, the EU is at least 60 years away from reaching complete gender equality, if we continue at the current pace. The latest Gender Equality Index from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) shows that the EU is improving by just half a point each year. Among […]
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New opportunites for joint military capabilities to overcome fragmented European defence landscape
The first ever overview of the European defence landscape, the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) report, identifies significant avenues for European defence cooperation with 55 new opportunities for countries to develop defence capabilities together. It recommends six next generation high impact capabilities as focus areas for joint European development efforts. The review also finds […]
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Migration in the Mediterranean: EU external borders
The number of illegal border crossings at Europe’s external borders fell by 21% in the first 10 months of this year to 87 500*, largely because of a drop in arrivals in Eastern and Western Mediterranean, according to preliminary calculations. In October, the number of illegal border crossings was 19% lower than in the previous […]
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European Semester Autumn Package
The European Commission presented its autumn economic policy package, including the Opinions on euro area Draft Budgetary Plans (DBPs) for 2021 and policy recommendations for the euro area. This is the second step in the 2021 European Semester cycle, which started in September with the publication of the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy (ASGS) with the concept of […]
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