Following the strong earthquake that hit north-eastern Afghanistan, the EU has approved €1 million in humanitarian emergency funding to address the most urgent needs of the affected population. This money will go to humanitarian partners that are already carrying out relief operations on the ground. In addition, the EU will donate around 130 tonnes of […]
Spain dismantles criminal network smuggling migrants from Algeria to the EU
The Spanish Guardia Civil, supported by Europol, dismantled a criminal network smuggling migrants by boats from Algeria to Spain and onwards to other EU countries. The network, led by a Moroccan national, was comprised of both Algerian and Moroccan suspects based in Spain. Their operations relied on significant financial and logistical resources, misusing legitimate businesses […]
The LOCAL-HEAT project promotes solar technology
The EU-funded LOCAL-HEAT project is developing next-generation perovskite materials to make clean energy more accessible and affordable worldwide. One of the main challenges facing photovoltaic energy is how to build high-performance photovoltaic cells that are cost-effective, reliable and sustainable. Perovskites, a unique class of semiconductor materials, offer great potential for addressing this challenge and could […]
Stronger customs controls and cooperation on product compliance
A European Commission report about customs controls on product compliance at the EU’s external borders recognises the efforts of customs authorities while highlighting the need for improved customs controls and cooperation, in particular to deal with the rapid growth of e-commerce. Imported products, including those purchased online, unfortunately do not always comply with EU rules regarding safety, […]
Spain receives €23.1 billion under NextGenerationEU
The European Commission has disbursed a total of €42.8 billion to five Member States (Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta and Spain) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. The disbursements are part of the Commission’s efforts to support economic growth and resilience in EU Member States, and are based on successful steps […]
EU delivers over €4 billion to Ukraine ahead of its Independence Day
Ahead of Ukraine’s 34th anniversary of independence on 24 August, the EU delivers another strong signal of unwavering support by disbursing €4.05 billion to the country. This includes €3.05 billion via the Ukraine Facility and €1 billion through the European Commission’s exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA). Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission said: “As Ukraine celebrates its 34th […]
EU proposes tariff reductions to implement EU-US deal
Last August 28, the European Commission is putting forward two proposals paving the way for the implementation of the EU-US Joint Statement of 21 August 2025. These proposals are the first steps in said implementation and ensure tariff relief by the US for the vital EU automotive sector starting retroactively from 1st of August. These steps […]
Voluntary sustainability reporting standard to ease burden on SMEs
The Commission has adopted last July 30 a recommendation on voluntary sustainability reporting for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). The recommendation presents a voluntary standard that will make it easier for SMEs that are not covered by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to respond to specific requests for sustainability information from large financial institutions and companies. The […]
Commission sets the launch date for the Entry/Exit System to 12 October 2025
The Commission has set 12 October 2025 as the launch date for the progressive start of operations of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). The EES is an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling to 29 European countries, including Schengen Associated ones, for short stays. It will capture biometric data, such […]