Today, the Council adopted the regulation on preventing the loss of plastic pellets into the environment, following a provisional agreement with the European Parliament. The new regulation aims to reduce microplastic pollution by strengthening controls and management of plastic pellets, a key industrial raw material, throughout the supply chain. Main elements of the regulation The new rules focus on […]
EU and OEACP reaffirm commitment to global sustainable development
The EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OASECP) have issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the 4th UN Conference on Financing for Development. In a declaration adopted last July 1 by the Council of the EU, the […]
EU adopts plan to improve cybersecurity crisis management
Telecoms ministers adopted on 6 June the EU Master Plan for Cybersecurity Crisis Management, which provides guidance for the EU’s response to large-scale cybersecurity incidents or cybersecurity crises. The EU Cybersecurity Master Plan is an important guidance resource through which Member States can improve their preparedness for cybersecurity incidents, as well as their detection and […]
Council adopts regulation on financial benchmarks to ease burden on SMEs
The Council adopted on 24 March a regulation on financial benchmarks, which aims to cut red tape for EU companies, in particular for SMEs. Benchmarks are generally used by companies and investors in the EU as a reference in their financial instruments or contracts. This Regulation amends a 2016 Regulation as regards the scope of […]
The Council adds one entity to its autonomous list of sanctions associated with ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida.
On 17 March the Council decided to add Al Azaim Media Foundation to the EU autonomous list of persons, groups, undertakings and entities associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida and therefore subject to EU restrictive measures. Al Azaim Media Foundation is the media arm of the Islamic State-Khorasan. With the 17 March decision, the autonomous […]
Third payment of close €3.5 billion to Ukraine has been approved by the Council
Ukraine will soon receive approximately €3.5 billion after the Council approved a third payment of non-repayable grants and loans to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility. The main objective of the Facility is to support Ukraine’s macro-financial stability and recovery, reconstruction and modernisation. With this third disbursement, Ukraine will have received close to €20 billion under the Ukraine Facility since its entry into force […]
Sanctions on 2,400 Russian individuals and entities extended for another six months el día 14 de marzo
The Council decided on 14 March 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 15 September 2025. The existing restrictive measures provide for travel restrictions for natural persons, the freezing of assets, and a ban on making funds or other […]
Council extends economic restrictive measures against Russia for another six months
The Council today extended EU restrictive measures for a further six months, until 31 July 2025, in the light of continued actions by the Russian Federation destabilising the situation in Ukraine. These economic measures, which were first adopted in 2014, have been significantly extended since February 2022 in response to Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and […]
Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU – some facts about the country.
On 1 January 2025, Poland took over the presidency of the Council of the EU. The presidency rotates among EU countries every 6 months. During this 6-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the consistency of the EU’s work. On this occasion, Eurostat publishes some information and statistics […]