The Commission presented the mid-term evaluation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the EU’s recovery instrument at the heart of the €800 billion NextGenerationEU (NGEU) plan. Unprecedented in its scale and ambition, the RRF was established in February 2021 and has the two-fold objective of helping Member States to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well […]
Spain, InvestEU: EIF and ICF join forces to mobilise €64 million to support social enterprises and cultural and creative businesses in Catalonia
With the support of the InvestEU programme, the European Investment Fund (EIF) will provide the Catalan Finance Institute (ICF) with a capped portfolio guarantee that will leverage €64 million in support of social enterprises and entities within the cultural and creative sector in Catalonia. This transaction is the first guarantee agreement between the two institutions […]
30th edition of the Salvador de Madariaga Journalism Award
The Representation of the European Commission in Spain and the Association of European Journalists, with the support of the European Parliament’s Information Office in Spain, announce the 30th edition of the “Salvador de Madariaga” European Journalism Prize. Journalists’ associations, media, journalism faculties and centres and professionals in the humanities can submit candidates for each […]
The Commission decides to refer SPAIN to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to complete the revision of its hydrological plans.
The European Commission decided to refer Bulgaria , Ireland , Spain , Malta , Portugal and Slovakia to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to finalise the revision of their river basin management plans, as required under the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) and/or of their flood risk management plans as required under the Floods Directive (Directive 2007/60/EC). The Water Framework Directive […]
Fight against child sexual abuse gets new impetus thanks to updated criminal law rules
The Commission is adopting a proposal to update the criminal law rules on child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime which has evolved significantly over the past years. These revised rules expand the definitions of offences and introduce higher penalties and more specific requirements for prevention and assistance to […]
Easier access to EU funding for rural areas thanks to EU Rural Toolkit
The Commission launched a new interactive guide mapping all funding opportunities available at EU level for rural areas. EU funds and programmes that can foster sustainable growth and well-being in rural areas abound. However, identifying the most appropriate option is not always straightforward for potential beneficiaries. The Rural toolkit gathers funding opportunities from 26 different […]
European Commission disburses €1.4 billion in pre-financing to Spain for implementation of its REPowerEU plan
Last Thursday, the Commission disbursed €1.4 billion to Spain in pre-financing grants related to the REPowerEU funds under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM). This second and final REPowerEU pre-financing tranche complements the €340 million of loans previously disbursed to Spain on 25 January 2024. This pre-financing will help accelerate the implementation of the key […]
27 January: Holocaust Remembrance Day: “Hitler did not win!”
27 January marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. On Thursday, Irene Shashar, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto, addressed MEPs in a plenary session in Brussels to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “We pay tribute today to the victims of the Holocaust […]
Commission launches AI innovation package to support Artificial Intelligence startups and SMEs
The Commission has launched a package of measures to support European startups and SMEs in the development of trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) that respects EU values and rules. This follows the political agreement reached in December 2023 on the EU AI Act – the world’s first comprehensive law on Artificial Intelligence – which will support the […]