Council negotiators and the European Parliament have provisionally agreed on rules to digitalise the visa procedure. The regulation introduces the possibility to apply for a visa online and replaces the current visa sticker with a digital visa. The goal of the proposal is twofold: to make the visa application procedure more efficient and to improve […]
EU-US Critical Minerals Agreement
The European Commission has adopted its negotiating directives for a Critical Minerals Agreement (CMA) with the United States. The objective is to foster EU-US supply chains in critical raw materials needed in the production of electric vehicle batteries. In 2022 alone, the EU exported €8.3 billion worth of critical raw materials relevant to this industry. […]
MEPs call for new rules to avoid the exploitation of trainees across the EU
Parliament urges the Commission to propose legislation to ensure the quality of traineeships across the EU. On Wednesday, plenary adopted with 404 votes in favour, 78 against and 130 abstentions a report calling on the Commission to propose a directive on Quality Traineeships and to update the existing Quality Framework for Traineeships. According to MEPs, […]
Horizon Europe: Industrial manufacturing for lower-cost solar thermal components and systems
Expected Outcome:Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Reduced consumption of materials. Reduced environmental footprint of the European solar thermal manufacturing industry. Increased competitiveness of the European solar thermal manufacturing industry. ScopeSupport will be given to innovative solutions to manufacture components and/or sub-systems and/or systems […]
MEPs want more ambitious EU support for outermost regions
With 589 votes against 22 and 16 abstentions, MEPs adopted their position on Commission´s strategy for outermost regions. Individual action plans and resources Parliamentarians want EU policy to focus more on competitiveness and provide for a tailor-made approach reflecting the needs of each outermost region as current policies do not consider their specificities sufficiently. They […]
EU and Argentina step up cooperation on raw materials
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a partnership between the EU and Argentina on sustainable raw materials value chains. In line with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, the agreement aims to ensure the development of a secure and sustainable supply of raw […]
The European Union and Tunisia agreed to work together on a comprehensive partnership package
Building on our shared history, geographic proximity, and strong relationship, we have agreed to work together on a comprehensive partnership package, strengthening the ties that bind us in a mutually beneficial manner. We believe there is enormous potential to generate tangible benefits for the EU and Tunisia. The comprehensive partnership would cover the following areas: […]
EU responses to climate change
Fighting climate change is a priority for the European Parliament. Below you will find details of the solutions the EU and the Parliament are working on: Mitigating global warming: a matter of 2°C increase Average global temperatures have risen significantly since the industrial revolution and the last decade (2011–2020) was the warmest decade on record. Of […]
Commission proposes the creation of common ethics standards for all EU institutions
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for the creation of an interinstitutional Ethics Body, covering members of EU institutions, as announced at the beginning of the mandate by President von der Leyen, and following informal consultations with the other institutions. With the establishment of the Ethics Body there will, for the first time, be common […]