The Commission proposes to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation – the largest reform in over 20 years – to make it more agile, flexible, and adapted to the needs of citizens and businesses across the EU. The revision will make medicines more available, accessible and affordable. It will support innovation and boost the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU pharmaceutical […]
The European Commission extends the Spanish and Portuguese measure to reduce electricity prices until the end of the year
The European Commission has approved, under State aid rules, the prolongation and amendments of a Spanish and Portuguese measure aimed at reducing the wholesale electricity prices in the Iberian market (‘MIBEL’) by lowering the input costs of fossil fuel-fired power stations. The amended measure, which will be in place until 31 December 2023, was approved […]
European Commission designates first 19 digital platforms that will have to comply with the Digital Services Act
The Commission adopted the first designation decisions under the Digital Services Act (DSA), designating 17 Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and 2 Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) that reach at least 45 million monthly active users. These are: Very Large Online Platforms: Alibaba AliExpress Amazon Store Apple AppStore Booking.com Facebook Google Play Google Maps […]
European Commission launches AggregateEU mechanism for joint gas purchases by European companies
The Commission launched an innovative process for European companies to register their gas procurement needs through the AggregateEU mechanism, in preparation for aggregated gas procurement at EU level. This is an important milestone for the EU, allowing it to prepare for the coming winter by coordinating a timely replenishment of gas stocks and using its […]
Josep Borrell arrives in Colombia to strengthen relations with Latin America and the Caribbean
As part of the EU’s priority to strengthen relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, and ahead of the EU-CELAC Summit to be held in Brussels in July this year, EU High Representative and European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell will visit Colombia from April 25-30. On April 25, HRVP Borrell will represent the European […]
EU and Norway sign Green Alliance to strengthen joint climate action
The European Union and Norway have established the Green Alliance to strengthen joint efforts on climate action, environmental protection and cooperation in the transition to clean energy and industry. The agreement was signed in Brussels by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. President von der Leyen said: “Norway is […]
The European Commission proposes the revision of the current marketing standards applicable to several agri-food products
The Commission proposed to revise the existing marketing standards applicable to a number of agri-food products, such as fruit and vegetables, fruit juices and jams, honey, poultry or eggs. The proposed revisions should help consumers make more informed choices for a healthier diet and contribute to prevent food waste. The Commission put forward the following […]
European Commission takes steps to cut red tape in merger cases
The European Commission has adopted a number of measures to further simplify its merger review procedures under the EU Merger Regulation. The package of measures includes: (i) a revised version of the Merger Implementing Regulation (“Implementing Regulation”), (ii) a Notice on simplified procedure (“Procedural Notice”), and (iii) a Notice on the transmission of documents (“Notice […]
A new method to help policymakers defend democracy against hybrid threats
Hybrid threats pose a specific danger to the EU and other democracies, because they target core democratic processes and weaken citizens’ trust in their institutions and governments. In recent years, authoritarian regimes and non-state actors use hybrid threats to achieve their hostile, strategic objectives. By combining different types of tools and organised actions, such as […]