EU leaders, including the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, met with US President, Joe Biden, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in Washington DC. The summit was an opportunity to review […]
The European Council will discuss the current situation in Israel and the region this afternoon
Video conference of the members of the European Council, 17 October 2023 Agenda highlights In light of Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks against Israel and the unfolding tragic scenes in the Gaza Strip resulting from the siege, President Charles Michel has convened an extraordinary European Council meeting, to be held by video conference on Tuesday 17 October […]
EU leaders to discuss long-term priorities on 6 October in Granada
EU leaders will gather in Granada, Spain, to launch discussions on priorities for the years ahead. By taking stock of past work on how to enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy, the discussions will help prepare the EU’s next strategic agenda, a five-year policy plan to equip the EU with general political guidelines and directions. Invitation letter […]
Spain’s co-official languages discussed at the European Council’s annual Rule of Law Dialogue
Main results Catalan, Basque and Galician The Council discussed a request by Spain to include Catalan, Basque and Galician in Regulation No 1/1958, which governs the EU’s language regime. The request was notified to the Council presidency on 17 August 2023, in a letter by Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation. Currently, the […]
EU leaders discuss Ukraine, migration and economy at European Council on June 29-30
EU leaders discussed continued support for Ukraine, notably sustainable military and financial support, and how to boost long-term economic strength and resilience in the EU. They also discussed migration, the EU-China relationship and external relations. The EU leaders were joined by NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, for a working lunch to discuss EU-NATO cooperation and Euro-Atlantic security. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressed […]
Council adopts EU rules on crypto-assets market
The EU brings crypto-assets, crypto-assets issuers and crypto-asset service providers under a regulatory framework. Setting an EU level legal framework for this sector for the first time, the Council adopted a regulation on markets in crypto-assets (MiCA). MiCA will protect investors by increasing transparency and putting in place a comprehensive framework for issuers and service providers including compliance […]
Council and European Parliament agree to protect geographical indications for artisanal and industrial products
The Council and the European Parliament reached today a provisional deal on the regulation for geographical indication protection for craft and industrial products. Once this regulation is finally approved, geographical indications (GIs), which up to now were used mainly for foods and beverages, will be enlarged to industrial products whose qualities are essentially linked to the […]
Agreement between the European Parliament and Council to install more recharging and refuelling stations across Europe
Following the provisional political agreement reached today by the Council and the European Parliament, more alternative fuel refuelling and recharging stations will be installed across Europe in the coming years, enabling the transport sector to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. What is the EU doing to promote the development of renewable energy? The objective of […]
EU renews individual sanctions against Russia
1 473 individuals and 205 entities are subject to an asset freeze and/or a travel ban because their actions have undermined Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. The Council decided to prolong the restrictive measures targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for another six months, until […]