The EU Council of Foreign Ministers met on 24 January 2022 in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Foreign ministers discussed current events and exchanged views on the latest developments and the rapidly evolving external relations. Some of the main outcomes of the meeting […]
EU supports Afghan people with €268.3 million
In the major humanitarian crisis Afghanistan is facing, the EU has launched projects worth €268.3 million, stepping up vital support to the Afghan population. The EU support focusses on maintaining education, sustaining livelihoods, and protecting public health, including for refugees, migrants and internally displaced people. It is channelled through United Nations agencies working in Afghanistan […]
Women’s employment must increase at least three times faster than men’s to meet EU targets
Women’s employment will have to increase at a rate at least three times faster than that of men until the end of the decade in order to meet EU targets of an overall 78% employment rate and a halving of the gender employment gap. This is a significant challenge, considering the gender employment gap has […]
Commission proposes to end the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes within the EU
The European Commission has presented a key initiative to fight against the misuse of shell entities for improper tax purposes. This proposal should ensure that entities in the European Union that have no or minimal economic activity are unable to benefit from any tax advantages and do not place any financial burden on taxpayers. This […]
CJEU keeps Hamas on the European list of terrorist organizations
The General Court should not have cancelled Hamas’ listing on the ground that the Council had failed to authenticate by means of a signature the statements of individual reasons for those acts By a judgment of 4 September 2019, Hamas v Council, the General Court annulled, in an action for annulment under Article 263 TFEU, […]
The EU wins against the US on Spanish black olives
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel report ruled that US countervailing duties applied on imports of ripe olives from Spain, put in place during the previous administration in 2018, are illegal under WTO rules. The EU now expects that the US will take steps to bring itself in compliance with the panel’s recommendations. Executive Vice-President […]
Agreement on EU Annual Budget 2022
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, on a proposal from the European Commission, have reached an informal political agreement on the EU budget for 2022, the second under the 2021-2027 EU multiannual financial framework. The agreement is for commitments of €169.5 billion, and payments of €170.6 billion. Once adopted, the budget […]
REACT-EU: Commission approves a further EUR 923 million for Spain’s recovery
The Commission has granted €923 million for Spain’s digital and green recovery and transition under REACT-EU, to be implemented through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) operational programs. Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, said: “Cohesion policy has been at the forefront of the fight against the economic, social […]
The cybersecurity threat landscape
The cybersecurity threat landscape has grown in terms of sophistication of attacks, complexity and impact. Such a trend is spurred by an ever-growing online presence, the transitioning of traditional infrastructures to online solutions, advanced interconnectivity and the exploitation of new features of emerging technologies. Without surprise, supply-chains attacks rank highly among prime threats because of the significant […]