In 2024, 19.5 million children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This figure represented 24.2% of children under the age of 18, down by 0.6 percentage points (pp) from 2023 (24.8%). At the country level, in 2024, the highest values were reported in Bulgaria (35.1%), Spain (34.6%) and Romania (33.8%). In contrast, Slovenia (11.8%), Cyprus (14.8%) […]
EU road fatalities to fall by 3% by 2024, yet progress remains slow
On March 18th, the European Commission published preliminary figures on road fatalities for 2024. Around 19,800 people were killed in road crashes in the EU last year, a slight 3% drop compared to 2023. It is the equivalent to 600 fewer lives lost. Even if road fatalities decreased more significantly in 2024 than they did in 2023, the […]
The 2025 SME Fund is now operational
The Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office have launched the SME Fund 2025 to provide financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a grant scheme designed to help SMEs to better manage and protect their intangible assets. The SME Fund helps SMEs protect their intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, industrial designs […]
Mediterranean cities and regions emphasise need for dialogue and cooperation on water and energy
Local and regional leaders from Mediterranean cities convened in Amman on 4-5 November for the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), where they underscored their commitment to cooperation and dialogue on critical regional challenges including cultural dialogue, water scarcity and the energy transition. ARLEM’s plenary session in Amman, capital of Jordan, was co-chaired by the […]
Commission adopts 2024 Enlargement Package
The European Commission adopted its annual Enlargement Package, providing a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Türkiye, on their respective paths towards EU accession. The assessments are accompanied by recommendations and guidance on […]
María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia awarded 2024 Sakharov Prize
The leader of Venezuela’s democratic forces and the opposition candidate in the July presidential elections will receive the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. © Miguel Gutierrez / EFE Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola announced the winners of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in the chamber on Thursday, following the meeting of the Conference […]
Investigation into missing unaccompanied child migrants wins the 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism
Lost in Europe on Wednesday won the 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism for its investigation into the disappearance of over 50 000 unaccompanied child migrants. The investigation, run by media from Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and the UK revealed that at least 51 433 unaccompanied child migrants disappeared after arriving in […]
A day to raise awareness about human trafficking in the EU
Trafficking in human beings is a violation of fundamental rights and a serious form of organised crime. On 18 October, EU Anti-Trafficking Day, we raise awareness about this terrible reality which affects around 7 000 victims each year in the EU, 15% of whom are children. In the spirit of raising awareness, let us take […]
EU-backed scientist David Baker, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024
It is Nobel Prize time again, and an EU-funded researcher has once more made the cut. Laureate David Baker has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on new protein development. American biochemist and computational biologist David Baker was awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for his pioneering work in […]