On 31 August, the office of EURAXESS, the European initiative that promotes scientific cooperation between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, was officially launched in Colombia. The event took place at the Club Médico in the city of Bogotá and was attended by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Arturo Luna, the Ambassador […]
Spain and its Digital Economy and Society Index 2022
The European Commission published the results of the 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which tracks the progress made in EU Member States in digital. During the Covid pandemic, Member States have been advancing in their digitalisation efforts but still struggle to close the gaps in digital skills, the digital transformation of SMEs, and the roll-out of […]
EU adopts new measures against Russia
The EU has agreed to ban imports of Russian-origin gold, including jewellery and to reinforce export controls of dual use goods. New measures, just like earlier sanctions, do not target Russia’s exports of food, grain or fertilisers. In response to Russia’s continuing war of aggression against Ukraine, the Council has adopted new measures intended to […]
FAST-CARE: Council agrees to provide more aid to Ukrainian refugees and to strengthen support in the aftermath of Russian aggression
The permanent representatives of the 27 EU member states, on 20 July, agreed on the Council’s negotiating mandate for further support to countries and regions hosting displaced persons from Ukraine, as well as for tackling some of the adverse economic effects of Russia’s aggression. The legislative proposal, known as FAST–CARE (Flexible Assistance for Territories), introduces […]
Defence Industry: EU takes steps to invest almost €1.2 bn
The Commission announced plans to grant a total EU funding of almost €1.2 billion supporting 61 collaborative defence research and development projects selected following the first ever calls for proposals under the European Defence Fund (EDF). With the proposals selected for funding, the EDF will support high-end defence capability projects such as the next generation of fighter aircrafts, tanks […]
EUAM Iraq: New head of mission appointed
The Council today appointed Anders Wiberg as new head of mission for the European Union Advisory Mission in Iraq (EUAM Iraq). He will take up his duties on 16 August 2022 until 30 April 2024. Anders Wiberg is a Chief Superintendent of the Swedish National Police, a service he joined in 1991. He has also served in different international […]
Commission proposes gas demand reduction plan to prepare EU for supply cuts
The European Union faces the risk of further gas supply cuts from Russia, due to the Kremlin’s weaponisation of gas exports, with almost half of our Member States already affected by reduced deliveries. Taking action now can reduce both the risk and the costs for Europe in case of further or full disruption, strengthening European […]
EU-China: A stable global economy is a shared responsibility
Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Vice-Premier Liu He chaired today the 9th EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED). Commissioner Mairead McGuinness also participated in the exchanges, in particular on financial services. The HED focused on global economic challenges, disruptions of supply chains caused by COVID-19 and the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including on food, energy and […]
Droughts in Europe in July 2022: almost half of the EU +UK territory at risk
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has published the “Drought in Europe – July 2022” report, an assessment of Europe’s drought situation based on the European Drought Observatory. The analysis of the evolution and impact of the prolonged drought in the EU shows that a staggering portion of Europe is currently exposed to warning (44% of […]