On 24 July, President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, together with High Representative and Vice-President Kaja Kallas, will be in China for the 25th Summit. There, President von der Leyen, together with President Costa, will meet President Xi Jinping and then Premier Li Qiang. As the EU and China […]
Commission welcomes EU mandate to start negotiations with GCC countries
The European Commission and the High Representative welcome the Council’s decision authorising them to enter into negotiations with each of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with the aim of concluding bilateral Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPAs). The aim of the SPAs is […]
Commission approves up to €403 million in State aid for major EU healthcare project
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the second health-related Important Project of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI’) to support innovations in medical devices. This includes the introduction of novel digital and artificial intelligence (‘AI’) features in medical devices. The IPCEI will support collaborative research and innovation, as well as the first industrial […]
Republic of Korea joins Horizon Europe programme
Last July 17, the Republic of Korea has officially become the first Asian country to associate with Horizon Europe, the EU’s multibillion research and innovation programme. Korean researchers and organisations can now participate in several areas of the programme on equal terms with those for EU Member States. They will be able to join and […]
EU adopts 18th package of sanctions against Russia
The European Commission welcomes the Council’s adoption of the 18th Russia sanctions package, aimed at further ramping up pressure on the country and supporting EU’s goal of achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The new measures focus on five building blocks: cutting Russia’s energy revenues, hitting Russia’s banking sector, further weakening its military-industrial […]
Commission registers European Citizens’ Initiative on air passenger rights
Last July 16, the European Commission registered the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘Save your right, save your flight!’. The aim of the initiative is to call for the reversal of changes that undermine passenger’s rights and the preservation of the ‘current compensation eligibility thresholds’ for air passengers. Following a thorough legal analysis, the Commission […]
An ambitious budget for a stronger Europe: 2028-2034
Last July 16, the European Commission presented its proposal for an ambitious and dynamic Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), amounting to almost EUR 2 trillion (or 1.26% of the EU’s gross national income on average between 2028 and 2034). This framework will equip Europe with a long-term investment budget matching its ambitions to be an independent, […]
Internships – Blue Book Traineeships
The European Commission organises twice a year in-service training period lasting five months for university graduates. This does not exclude those who, in the framework of lifelong learning – have recently obtained a university diploma and are at the beginning of a new professional career. The training periods start on 1 March and 1 October […]
Europe performs well in innovation
The EU’s innovation performance has made steady long–term progress, increasing by 12.6 percentage points since 2018. This latest edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) reveals significant shifts in national innovation performance. Thirteen Member States improved their score since last year, with Malta (+7.6 points) and Luxembourg (+5 points) seeing the largest gains. Since 2018, all EU countries have boosted their […]