Under the European Merger Regulation, the European Commission has authorized the acquisition of joint control of Bluevia Fibra S.L. (“Bluevia”) by Telefónica S.A., both based in Spain, Prévoyance Dialogue du Crédit Agricole S.A. (“Predica”) and Vauban Infrastructure Partners S.C.A. (“Vauban”), both based in France. Bluevia will operate and operate a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in rural […]
Intellectual property: Industrial design
The Commission is presenting revised rules that will make it cheaper, quicker and more predictable to protect industrial designs across the EU. An industrial design constitutes the outer appearance of a product characterised by its lines, contours or shape. The proposals for a revised Regulation and Directive on industrial designs modernise the existing Community design […]
European Solidarity Corps: over €142 million to give a helping hand to those most in need
Today, the Commission launched the call for proposals under the European Solidarity Corps for 2023. The European Solidarity Corps is an EU programme for young people who wish to engage in solidarity activities in various areas ranging from helping disadvantaged people to contributing to health and environmental action, across the EU and beyond. Building on the European Year […]
Erasmus+ 2023 call launched: €4.2 billion
The Commission launched the call for proposals for 2023 under the Erasmus+ programme. With an annual budget of €4.2 billion, Erasmus+ is increasing its support for inclusion, active citizenship and democratic participation, and green and digital transformations in the EU and internationally. Erasmus+ flagship feature being mobility, next year, the programme will continue to […]
EU Cohesion Policy: €37.3 billion to Spain
In 2021-2027, Spain will benefit from €37.3 billion in Cohesion Policy funding to accelerate the country’s green transition, finance innovation and digitisation, increase the employment rate and improve local social services. The strategy and details for these investments are set out in the Partnership Agreement between Spain and the Commission. The strategy will mainly focus […]
European Commission adopts its Report on progress towards the European Education Area
The Commission has approved its Report on progress towards the achievement of the European Education Area. The report takes stock of the ongoing EU initiatives and trends on progress to attain EU-level targets in education and training, as well as sets out the tasks ahead of the 2025 milestone. The 40 ongoing EU-level initiatives comprise […]
HERA secures up to 2 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine
The Commission’s Health Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), has signed a Joint Procurement Framework contract with the company Bavarian Nordic, for the supply of up to 2 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine in the course of 2023 and 2024. This offers 14 participating countries the possibility to purchase doses to address their medium- and […]
EU’s landmark rules for online platforms enter into force
Yesterday, the Digital Services Act (DSA), a new set of EU rules for a safer and more responsible online environment, came into force. The DSA applies to all digital services that connect consumers to goods, services, or content. It creates comprehensive new obligations for online platforms to reduce harms and counter risks online, introduces strong […]
EU budget for 2023: Council and Parliament reach agreement
The Council and the European Parliament have this week reached an agreement on the EU budget for 2023 that places particular emphasis on the EU’s main strategic priorities. Total commitments are set at €186.6 billion. This is an increase of 1.1% compared to the 2022 budget as amended. €0.4 billion have been kept available under […]