The European Commission announced last September 30th two major initiatives to advance the Savings and Investments Union and deliver tangible benefits for all EU citizens. The comprehensive package focuses on improving financial literacy for all and at all life stages and introduces a blueprint for Savings and Investment Accounts (SIAs) – a tool aimed at making […]
European Commission announces €545 million package to scale up renewables in Africa
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled last September 27 a €545 million Team Europe package to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition. This announcement, made at the Global Citizen Festival via video message in the context of the United Nations General Assembly, is an important milestone in the ‘Scaling Up Renewables in Africa’ campaign, co-hosted […]
EU backs reinforced Europol role on migrant smuggling and trafficking
The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council to reinforce Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. This regulation was proposed by the Commission in November 2023. The fight against migrant smuggling is a Commission priority, as President von der […]
EU provides additional €50 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Palestine
The European Commission has released an additional €50 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and to address the rising humanitarian needs in the West Bank. This brings total EU emergency humanitarian aid in 2025 to €220 million to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to over €550 million […]
MEPs seek to improve trainees’ working conditions across the EU
To prevent abusive practices against trainees, the Employment Committee wants traineeship contracts with clear provisions on pay, duration and social protection. The Employment and Social Affairs Committee has proposed changes to new EU rules on traineeships, in a report adopted on Tuesday by 42 votes to nine, and with six abstentions. The objective is to […]
Participation – Juvenes Translatores contest
The European Commission is organising an online translation contest to give secondary school students a first-hand experience of what it is like to be a translator. Contest Details: Students must be 17 years old. Students choose their starting and target languages from the EU official languages. Test Date: 27 November 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM CET. […]
Global ocean conservation treaty enters into force
Last September 19 marks a historic milestone for ocean conservation as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement reached 60 ratifications, triggering its entry into force in early 2026. This landmark agreement, the result of over a decade of international collaboration, represents a transformative step toward safeguarding marine ecosystems and addressing the urgent threats posed by climate change, pollution, and biodiversity […]
EU and Indonesia conclude negotiations on free trade agreement
Following the political agreement reached on 13 July by President von der Leyen and President Prabowo Subianto, today the EU and Indonesia finalised negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA). On the EU side, negotiations were led by Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič. Currently in Indonesia, he is marking this […]
Commission consults on revision of farm animal welfare rules
The Commission has launched a public consultation to gather input for the review of EU farm animal welfare legislation. Farmers, citizens, businesses, national and regional authorities, NGOs and other interested parties are encouraged to share their views. The review of this legislation follows on from the mandate letter to Commissioner Várhelyi and takes place in […]