Last month, the Spanish National Police (Policia Nacional), together with the Dutch Police (Politie) and the Belgian Federal Police (Federale Politie, Police Fédérale) and Europol seized more than 34 000 plants of marijuana and arrested 17 individuals in a series of coordinated raids across the three countries. It is estimated the stolen electricity used to power the […]
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Affordable, accessible and safe medicines for all: the Commission presents a Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe
The Commission has adopted a Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe to ensure patients have access to innovative and affordable medicines and to support the competitiveness, innovative capacity and sustainability of the EU’s pharmaceutical industry. Europe’s Pharmaceutical Strategy has four main objectives: Ensuring access to affordable medicines for patients, and addressing unmet medical needs (e.g. in the […]
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EU-Australia leaders’ meeting via video conference, 26 November 2020
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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