The Commission welcomes the agreement reached last Thursdaybetween the European Parliament and the Council, which marks ahistoricreformofthe EU Customs Union. Thisreform, the most ambitious overhaul of EU customs rules since 1968, introduces new measures for e-commerce and establishes a modern, data-driven customs architecture that simplifies procedures and improves efficiency.Withthese fundamental improvements,Europeancustomswill beready toadapttothechanginglandscapeof international trade. […]
The Commission approves a Spanish state aid scheme to support the decarbonisation of heat used in industrial processes
The European Commission has approved, in accordance with EU state aid rules, a €50 million Spanish scheme to promote the decarbonisation of heat in industrial processes. This will be done through the ‘Auctions as a Service (AAAS)’ tool of the 2025 heat auction under the Innovation Fund. The Spanish scheme will support projects that decarbonise […]
The Commission and EU countries coordinate and assess the situation on the oil and gas markets
Atseparatead hocmeetingsof the Gas Coordination Group and the Oil Coordination Group held yesterday, the Commission and EU countries coordinated and assessed the situation regarding the security of EU gas and oil supplies in view of the ongoing disruptions in the Middle East. During the exchange, EU countries confirmed that they do not see any risk […]
The Commission presents a new AI tool to combat agri-food alerts and food fraud
The European Commission has unveiled TraceMap, a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform tospeed up the detection of food fraud, contaminated food and outbreaks of foodborne illnessesacross the EU. In line with the EU’s high safety standards for food and imported products, this new tool will strengthenconsumer safety and help national authorities work more effectively, innovating […]
The EU steps up its civil protection efforts and brings home 356 citizens amid events in the Middle East
Two repatriation flights chartered directly by the European Commission have landed safely in Romania. Both flights brought back to Romania 356 European citizens who were stranded in the Middle East, from Oman. For the first time, the Commission mobilised its own transport and logistics capabilitiesfrom rescEUat the request of the Romanian authorities. This operation marks […]
The Commission has presented a new Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 for a more equal, cohesive and prosperous Europe.
The European Commission presented its new Gender Equality Strategy for the period 2026-2030. The Strategy integrates gender equality into all aspects of life, both online and offline, from education and health to work and public life, and addresses modern threats such as cyber violence and risks related to artificial intelligence, which particularly affect women. Although […]
EC proposes €2 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to support workers laid off from Liberty Steel in Belgium
The European Commission has proposed mobilising €2 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to support 507 workers made redundant following the bankruptcy of Liberty Steel Belgium. Liberty Steel’s production lines in Belgium were shut down in December 2021 due to a shortage of raw materials. Despite efforts to restructure the entity, production never […]
Von der Leyen promotes OceanEye and calls for an international alliance to strengthen ocean observation and protection
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for the creation of an international alliance to strengthen and expand ocean monitoring and observation. This alliance will support OceanEye, the European ocean observation initiative, to consolidate efforts and collaboration in ocean observation on a global scale. President von der Leyen also announced an […]
Commission response to the European citizens’ initiative on reducing unsafe abortion in the EU
The European Commission adopted a Communication in response to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion”. This is the twelfth initiative to receive a formal response from the Commission since European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECIs) were launched in 2012. According to the World Health Organisation, around 483,000 unsafe abortions […]