The Interoperable Europe Act, which enters into force today, will facilitate cross-border data exchange and accelerate the digital transformation of the public sector. The Act is essential to reaching the objectives of the EU’s Digital Decade, such as having 100% of key public services available online by 2030. Interoperability is a core feature of a […]
Monetary policy decisions: ECB keeps interest rates unchanged at 4.5%.
The Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided to keep the three key ECB interest rates unchanged. The incoming information has broadly confirmed the Governing Council’s previous assessment of the medium-term inflation outlook. Inflation has continued to fall, led by lower food and goods price inflation. Most measures of underlying inflation are easing, wage […]
The Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste receives the European Heritage Label
The Commission has awarded the European Heritage Label 2023 to seven sites across the continent, recognising their key role in Europe’s history and culture. They are: “Cisterscapes – Cistercian Landscapes Connecting Europe” (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Slovenia); the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste (Spain); “Our Lord in the Attic” Museum (The Netherlands); […]
European Parliament extends exemption to EU privacy rules that makes it easier to detect child sexual abuse content on the internet until 2026
On Wednesday Parliament backed prolonging an exemption to EU privacy rules facilitating the detection of child sexual abuse material online until 3 April 2026. With 469 in favour, 112 against and 37 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a temporary extension of the current e-Privacy derogation that allows the voluntary detection, by internet platforms, of […]
New rules on labelling of honey, juice, jam and marmalade adopted
The revision of the “breakfast directives” aims to help consumers make informed and healthier decisions on products such as honey, fruit juice, jam and marmalades. Parliament on Wednesday approved the provisional political agreement with Council on updated rules on the composition, name, labelling and presentation of certain ‘breakfast’ foodstuffs, the so-called “breakfast directives”, with 603 […]
EU agri-food trade achieved a record surplus in 2023
EU agri-food trade balance reached its record level in 2023, according to the latest report published by the European Commission. After a good performance of the EU agri-food trade in 2022, the most recent report released by the European Commission indicates that the EU agri-food trade balance reached its record level in 2023. EU exports reached […]
NextGenerationEU recovery plan – to be paid back by the next generation?
In 2021, the EU set up the NextGenerationEU (NGEU) fund – worth around €800 billion – to prop up the economies of its member states during and following the COVID–19 pandemic. While the money has been flowing to member states, the flow is slow and set to end in 2026. There is also a catch – it is […]
Meet the winners of the European Union Prize for Literature 2024
The jury of the European Union Prize of Literature has announced the laureates of the 2024 edition of the prize at the Brussels Book Fair. For the 2024 edition, emerging authors from 13 countries had been nominated by their country. An international jury composed of seven literary personalities have announced the winner of the Grand Prix and […]
European Commission launches call for proposals for EU Agri-Food Chain Observatory
The European Commission has launched a call for applications to set up the EU Agri-Food Chain Observatory (“AFCO”). The creation of this Observatory, which will examine production costs, margins and commercial practices, was announced in mid-March as one of the measures to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain and to reinforce […]