To prepare for the risk of forest fires during the upcoming summer, the EU is further reinforcing its European fleet of firefighting aircraft under the rescEU system. The EU is financing purchases by the Swedish government of 2 new firefighting airplanes to add to the reserve. This adds up to a total of 13 airplanes […]
Read MoreReturning to free movement across borders is of utmost importance
A swift return to a fully functional Schengen area is needed to safeguard freedom of movement and ensure the EU’s economic recovery, says the Civil Liberties Committee. Civil Liberties Committee MEPs express their concern about the current situation of internal border controls in the Schengen area and their impact on people and businesses, in a resolution adopted on Thursday […]
Read MoreEU greenhouse gas emissions kept decreasing in 2018, largest reductions in energy sector
The European Union (EU) cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 23.2 % from 1990 to 2018, according to latest official data, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Over the period, the EU’s contribution to global emissions is estimated to have decreased from 15 % to 8 %. In 2018, the EU’s emissions decreased […]
Read MoreCovid-19: EU recovery plan should prioritise climate investment
The proposed EU recovery package to tackle the profound economic recession caused by Covid-19 aims to create a sustainable future. The Covid-19 health crisis and its economic consequences are priorities for the EU and the recovery package proposed by the European Commission aims to relaunch economies, based on a greener, social and digital approach for […]
Read MoreEuro area unemployment at 7.3%
In April 2020, the second month after COVID-19 containment measures were implemented by most Member States, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.3%, up from 7.1% in March 2020. The EU unemployment rate was 6.6% in April 2020, up from 6.4% in March 2020. Eurostat estimates that 14.079 million men and women in the […]
Read MoreHow to develop sustainable and cost-efficient air mobility
Partners of an EU-funded initiative say they have laid the groundwork methodology and tools for the design of a near-zero-emission aircraft concept meant for smaller airports. The EU-funded, UNIFIER19, project offers commuters a radically new mobility solution that will be “as simple to use as a bus,” according to a statement. Project coordinator Pipistrel Vertical […]
Read MoreFair minimum wages: second-stage consultation of social partners
The Commission launches the second-stage consultation of European trade unions and employers’ organisations on how to ensure fair minimum wages for all workers in the European Union. This follows the first-stage consultation which was open from 14 January to 25 February 2020, to which the Commission received replies from 23 EU-wide social partners.Based on the […]
Read MoreEU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19
EMCDDA and Europol analyse impact of pandemic on EU drug markets. New report provides window onto EU drug market changes during COVID-19 What effect is COVID-19 having on the largest criminal market in the EU? This question is explored in EU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19, a new report out today from the European Monitoring […]
Read More26 coordinated arrests in Belgium and France of suspects of a migrant smuggling criminal group
The action is the result of a cross-border investigation supported by Eurojust and Europol which looks at the criminal activity of people smuggling across the continent, and was prompted by the discovery of 39 deceased Vietnamese nationals inside a refrigerated trailer in Essex in the United Kingdom in October 2019. In Belgium, 16 house searches […]
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