One hundred high school students from four Andalusian schools discover first-hand the mobility and training opportunities that the EU offers them. On March 5, 2025, the courtyard outside the Palacio de los Niños de Don Gome, in the town of Andújar, became a hotbed of Europeanism as it hosted the 19th stop of the rural […]
First round of Youth Policy Dialogues has been completed
The first round of Youth Policy Dialogues has been completed. Youth Policy Dialogues allow young people to engage directly with European Commissioners and share their views on EU policy initiatives. President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called on the Commissioners to hold these dialogues within the first 100 days of the new mandate. From Dublin to Warsaw, the Youth Policy […]
What steps is the EU taking on gender equality?
Returning home after sunset, a woman removes her headphones, lowers her hood, and keeps an eye on each man she passes. She cannot stop thinking about the man who followed her home and attacked her. She is 1 in 3 women to have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in the past 12 months and to […]
Steel and Metals Action Plan, new strategic dialogue
As announced by President von der Leyen on 7 February, the European Commission will set up a Strategic Dialogue on Steel aimed at charting a decisive course for the future of the European steel industry. The initiative underscores the Commission’s firm commitment to this strategic sector, recognizing its central role in innovation, growth, employment, and the EU’s broader […]
Commission proposes to reduce EU securities settlement cycle from two days to one
The Commission has proposed reducing the settlement period for EU transactions involving tradable securities from two days to one day. The proposed legislative amendment would reduce the settlement cycle for certain securities – such as shares or bonds executed on EU trading venues – from two business days (the so-called “T+2”) to one business day […]
Commission authorizes the acquisition of BISA by Repsol and Bunge
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of BISA (from Spain) by Repsol (from Spain) and Bunge (from Switzerland). The transaction mainly relates to the processing of oilseeds and the production of biodiesel. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given its […]
Alternative fuels: €422 million of EU funding to boost zero-emission mobility
The EU is allocating nearly €422 million to 39 projects that will deploy alternative fuels supply infrastructure along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), contributing to decarbonisation. These projects have been selected under the first cut-off deadline of the 2024-2025 Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU funding programme supporting […]
Von der Leyen’s remarks to EU ambassadors
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered yesterday a speech at the annual EU Ambassadors Conference. The speech was the occasion for the President to thank the EU diplomatic corps for their work and exchange with them on the European Union’s priorities in foreign policy and diplomacy. President von der Leyen highlighted the interconnected nature of the world: […]
The 2025 SME Fund is now operational
The Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office have launched the SME Fund 2025 to provide financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a grant scheme designed to help SMEs to better manage and protect their intangible assets. The SME Fund helps SMEs protect their intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, industrial designs […]