The Commission is presenting an EU Action Plan on the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic migration routes. In her letter to the European Council of 20 March 2023, President von der Leyen reiterated the Commission’s ongoing work with the Member States most concerned on the Action plans for the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic too. This Action Plan is also […]
The European Commission will support Member States putting people and their mental health first
The Commission adds a pillar to the European Health Union: a new comprehensive approach to mental health. This approach is a first and important step to put mental health on par with physical health and to ensure a new, cross sectoral approach to mental health issues. With 20 flagship initiatives and €1.23 billion in EU funding from different financial instruments, […]
New European Commission report analyzes links between demographics and climate change
The Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) has today published a new report entitled “Demography and Climate Change – The EU in the Global Context”. The report shows that population growth remains one of the main drivers of emissions. But there is a wide divergence in the relationship between population growth rates and greenhouse gas emission […]
European Commission and WHO launch landmark digital health initiative to strengthen global health security
The European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) have announced the launch of a landmark digital health partnership. In June 2023, WHO will take up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help facilitate global mobility and protect citizens across the world from on-going and […]
New unitary patent system launched to make it easier for companies to protect their innovations in Europe
The Commission welcomes the launch of the Unitary Patent system today, which will make it simpler and easier for companies to protect their innovations in Europe and capitalise on their intellectual property. The Unitary Patent system will strengthen the EU’s innovation and competitiveness and complete the Single Market for patents. It will initially cover 17 […]
The European Commission has presented 5 legislative proposals to support clean and modern shipping
The Commission has presented five legislative proposals to modernise EU rules on maritime safety and prevent water pollution from ships. With 75% of the EU’s external trade being seaborne, maritime transport is not only the artery of a globalised economy, but also a lifeline for the EU’s islands, peripheral and remote maritime regions. Although maritime […]
European Commission launches consultation process to improve EU visa suspension mechanism
The Commission adopted a Communication on the monitoring of the EU’s visa-free travel regimes setting out a consultation process. The Communication looks at the functioning of the EU’s visa-free regimes and identifies the main challenges in the areas of irregular migration and security. The Visa Suspension Mechanism is set out in Article 8 of the […]
EU doubles rescEU firefighting fleet for summer 2023
Following up on President von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech in September last year, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič announced today the doubling of the rescEU aerial firefighting fleet for this year’s wildfire season while speaking at the 10th anniversary of the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre. rescEU firefighting fleet for 2023 […]
Commission secures agreement with BioNTech-Pfizer on the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines
The European Commission, acting with and on behalf of EU Member States through the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and vaccine developers BioNTech-Pfizer, have reached an agreement to better address Member States’ assessment of evolving needs for COVID-19 vaccines. The amendment to the existing vaccines supply contract takes into account the improved epidemiological […]