The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against the United Kingdom for not complying with significant parts of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland. Despite repeated calls on the UK government to implement the Protocol, it has failed to do so. This is a clear breach of international law. The aim of these infringement […]
Defence and energy autonomy seen as key to 2022
A Eurobarometer shows that European citizens support massively a common security and defence policy and expect the EU to phase out its dependency on Russian sources of energy. The survey also confirms the large support for the EU’s response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The EU’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – In line with […]
Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the water infrastructure sector over alleged bid-rigging
The European Commission is conducting unannounced inspections in a Member State at the premises of companies active in the construction of networks and treatment plants for drinking water and wastewater. The Commission has concerns that certain companies may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty on […]
Taxonomy: MEPs object to Commission’s plan to include gas and nuclear activities
MEPs in the two responsible committees objected on Tuesday to the inclusion of nuclear and gas in the list of environmentally sustainable economic activities. In a joint meeting of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee on Tuesday 14 June, MEPs adopted an objection to the Commission’s proposal to […]
HERA secures monkeypox vaccines for EU Member states
On 14th June, HERA, the European Commission’s Health Preparedness and Response Authority, concluded a contract with the company Bavarian Nordic to purchase 109 090 doses of their 3rd generation vaccines in response to the current monkeypox outbreaks. As the number of cases continues to grow, this agreement will make vaccines rapidly available to all EU Member […]
Commission clears creation of joint venture by Repsol and Telefónica
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a joint venture by Repsol Customer Centric, S.L. (‘Repsol’) and Telefónica de España, S.A.U., (‘Telefónica’), both of Spain. The joint venture will be active in the implementation of photovoltaic projects in Spain, mainly consisting in the acquisition, installation and maintenance of ground-level […]
Statement by President von der Leyen with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on the occasion of her visit to Kyiv
Thank you very much Mr President, dear Volodymyr, Thank you for your words and thank you for welcoming me for the second time now here in Kyiv. I am deeply touched and humbled by the strength and the resilience of the Ukrainian people. Two months after my first visit, we see that the brutal fighting continues in the east and in the south. But I […]
European Commission and United States sign health agreement
Following the statement by President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden marking the second Global COVID-19 Summit, the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have signed an arrangement to strengthen cooperation on preparedness and response to public health threats. This will enable the Commission and the U.S. to work […]
EU-US strengthen coordination on export controls on Russia
The European Commission and the US Commerce Department have agreed to strengthen coordination on the enforcement of export controls on Russia, building on the excellent cooperation under the US-EU Trade and Technology Council. In a meeting in Brussels, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, US Ambassador to the European Union Mark Gitenstein and Assistant Secretary […]