The President of the European Council, António Costa, is in Barcelona (Spain) on 5-6 May 2025 to meet with regional leaders and visit key industrial and research infrastructures in the fields of the automotive sector, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation. The visit highlights the important role of European regions such as Catalonia in further advancing […]
Eurogroup President Donohoe has attended IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings
President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, has been in Washington this week to attend the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group. As President of the Eurogroup, Minister Donohoe participated in the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting as well as in a range of IMF meetings. […]
How is the EU acting on climate change?
Today, 22 April, is International Mother Earth Day. We would therefore like to recall the work the European Union is doing to combat climate change and the commitment the Member States have agreed on for 2050. EU countries have made a legal commitment to combat climate change by moving to a climate-neutral economy with zero […]
Brussels IX Conference on “Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition”
The Brussels IX Conference on “Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition”, hosted and chaired by the European Union (EU) on 17 March 2025, gathered key regional and international partners together with the Syrian Arab Republic. Building on the ministerial meetings in Aqaba (14 December 2024), Riyadh (12 January 2025) and […]
António Costa “There will be no credible and successful negotiations no lasting peace without Ukraine and without the European Union”
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference 2025, European Council President António Costa highlighted that the EU will continue to support Ukraine as an integral part of its project for peace. “On 24 February 2022, the European Union changed. On the very first day of the war in Ukraine, at 7 pm, European leaders gathered for […]
“We must be better, stronger and faster”: European leaders’ defence conclusions
On 3 February a meeting took place at the Egmont Palace (Brussels, Belgium) between António Costa (President of the European Council), Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Mark Rutte (NATO Secretary General) and Keir Starmer (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom). At the event, several relevant aspects of current political affairs were […]
Council reaches agreement on VAT package for the digital age
The Council reached agreement today on new measures to make EU VAT rules compatible with the digital age. This legislative package, with new rules on e-invoices and real-time data reporting and on business activities carried out through digital platforms, will combat tax fraud, support businesses and promote digitisation. Mihály Varga, Hungarian Minister of Finance, said: […]
8 ways life in the EU is becoming greener
Shifting to a greener way of life is crucial to address the climate emergency and reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, especially those from Russia. The EU and its 27 countries have adopted new common rules with the so-called ‘Fit for 55 package’ to reduce the EU’s carbon footprint. The objective is to cut net greenhouse gas […]
Council agrees negotiating mandate for a regulation on facilitating cross-border solutions
Member states’ EU ambassadors today reached agreement on the Council’s negotiating mandate for a new regulation on facilitating cross-border solutions. The proposed regulation aims to facilitate cross-border interactions and promote the development of cross-border regions by making it easier to tackle cross-border challenges, such as the development of infrastructure and the operation of cross-border public services. […]