Worldwide nearly 75 million children have limited or no access to school because of conflicts or natural disasters. Education is a fundamental human right. In humanitarian crises, it means safety and protection. It gives children the necessary skills to build a more prosperous future for themselves and their countries. The European Commission has announced today […]
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Ebola: EU provides further €5 million in humanitarian aid in Democratic Republic of Congo
The EU is stepping up humanitarian support with an additional €5 million as the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to experience its biggest Ebola outbreak to date. The confirmed death toll of the epidemic now stands at over 1,000 people. With today’s announcement, total EU funding to tackle the disease in the country amounts to €17 million […]
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EU reports on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2018
Trade, economic and cultural relations between the European Union and Hong Kong remained strong during the period covered by this annual report. The European Union remained Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner after mainland China, while Hong Kong was a major partner for the European Union as regards trade in goods and services and foreign investment […]
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European Defence Union: new guidance to help Member States run joint defence procurements
The European Commission has published guidance on cooperative defence procurement to help Member States apply the Defence Procurement Directive (Directive 2009/81/EC) consistently and make use of all the cooperation possibilities it offers. This will facilitate Member States’ participation in collaborative defence projects under the future European Defence Fund and its current precursor programmes. Commissioner Elżbieta […]
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Commission presents results of initiative supporting regions in industrial transition
The Commission has presented the first results of an initiative launched a year ago to support 10 EU regions and two Member States in industrial transition. They applied to receive Commission support and expertise in achieving industrial transition and designing development strategies based on their areas of competitive strength – their so-called ‘smart specialisation’ assets. […]
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EIB and Banca March provide €340m to finance Spanish SMEs and mid-caps
The EIB has provided Banca March with a €70m Investment Plan for Europe guarantee to support mid-caps and €100m in financing for SMEs. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Banca March are joining forces to provide financing on favourable terms for Spanish SMEs and mid-caps. EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro and Banca March CEO José Luis […]
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10 years of the Eastern Partnership: celebrations take place in Brussels
Today Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 May, to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Eastern Partnership (#EaP10), the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, are hosting a series of high-level […]
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State aid: Commission approves new commitments package for National Bank of Greece
The European Commission has concluded that Greek support, approved by the Commission in 2014 and 2015, for National Bank of Greece (NBG) remains compatible with EU State aid rules based on a new commitments package submitted by the Greek authorities. Background Since 2015, NBG has successfully executed a significant rationalisation of its operations and sold a substantial part […]
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Behind the scenes of Russia’s foreign policy-making
There is much we don’t know about how foreign policy is being shaped in Russia. Is Vladimir Putin as almighty as some believe him to be? Do international relations academics have an influence on government decisions? The RuKNOW project tried to find out. Relations between the EU and Russia are at one of their lowest […]
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