After a historic agreement was reached on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, work has started to translate the large and complex set of legislative acts into an operational reality over the next two years. This will be a common endeavour, with the Commission supporting Member States every step of the way. The Common Implementation Plan […]
European Commission approves preliminary assessment of Spain’s fourth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism
The Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of 60 out of the 61 milestones and targets linked to Spain’s fourth payment request for €10 billion (net of pre-financing) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Positive preliminary assessment of all but one target The payment request covers important steps in the delivery of 34 reforms and 26 […]
EU Justice Scoreboard 2024 shows that perception of judicial independence has improved
The European Commission has published the twelfth edition of the EU Justice Scoreboard, an annual overview providing comparative data on the efficiency, quality, and independence of justice systems among the EU Member States. Compared to last year, the public’s perception of judicial independence has improved, also in countries that had experienced systemic challenges. This year’s […]
Europe’s air quality keeps improving but pollution levels are still unsafe in many areas
Air quality has improved considerably in Europe over the past decades, but polluted air is still the biggest environmental health hazard in Europe and globally. According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) analysis on air quality data for 2022 and 2023, published today, Europe’s air quality continues improving but, in many areas, especially in cities, […]
Increase in tourist overnight stays in the European Union in 2024
In the first quarter of 2024, there were 452.6 million overnight stays in tourist accommodations across the EU, marking a 7% increase compared with the same quarter of 2023. January recorded 133.9 million nights (+3% compared with January 2023), February 149.2 million (+6%) and March 169.5 million (+9%). This information comes from monthly data on tourist accommodation up to […]
European Union signs aviation agreement with the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
The European Union and Bangladesh have signed a Horizontal Aviation Agreement . This agreement will allow any EU airline to operate flights between Bangladesh and any of the seven EU Member States whose bilateral air services agreements with Bangladesh does not already allow this. Previously, these bilateral air services agreements only permitted airlines owned and controlled […]
Spain: EIB and Banco Sabadell sign guarantee agreement to facilitate up to €400 million in new financing for SMEs and mid-caps
The signed agreement worth up to €200 million is the first tranche of an EIB-approved operation of up to €300 million in total — under which Banco Sabadell will finance projects over the next two years. The operation will promote private sector investment and support the financing needs of a key segment of the Spanish economy […]
CJEU Judgment: the Court upholds the Commission’s decision authorising the solvency support fund for strategic Spanish undertakings
Ryanair had challenged that decision, relating to an aid scheme amounting to €10 billion. In July 2020, Spain notified the European Commission of an aid scheme to set up a solvency support fund. The beneficiaries were (non-financial) strategic Spanish undertakings experiencing temporary difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. That aid scheme provided for […]
EU fully supports Biden’s three-phase Gaza plan
The European Union gives its full support to the comprehensive roadmap presented by President Biden, that would lead to an enduring ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and a surge of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The EU appreciates the determined efforts by the US, Egypt and Qatar in facilitating negotiations to bring an […]