On 13 March, the Council agreed on its position regarding the proposal to simplify certain rules relating to artificial intelligence (AI). The proposal forms part of the so-called‘Omnibus VII’legislative packageunder theEU’ssimplificationagenda. This package includes proposals for two regulations aimed at simplifying the EU’s digital legislative framework and the application of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence. […]
Six EU-funded films have been nominated for 15 Oscars
Six of the films that competed for the golden statuettes at the 98th Academy Awards received support from the EU’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme. Joachim Trier’s ‘Loving Kindness’ is nominated in nine categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, two nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film […]
Creating a powerful European climate resilience network
The P2R project team has selected 62 new regions across Europe to join it in the fight against climate change. Since its launch in 2023, the EU-funded P2R project has been supporting regions and communities across Europe on their journey towards climate resilience. Now, sixty-two of the continent’s most climate-vulnerable regions have been selected to […]
The Commission and EU countries coordinate and assess the situation on the oil and gas markets
Atseparatead hocmeetingsof the Gas Coordination Group and the Oil Coordination Group held yesterday, the Commission and EU countries coordinated and assessed the situation regarding the security of EU gas and oil supplies in view of the ongoing disruptions in the Middle East. During the exchange, EU countries confirmed that they do not see any risk […]
Package holidays: EP approves new rules to protect tourists
Clearer definition of package travel New rules on the use of vouchers Cancellations without cost due to extraordinary circumstances at the destination or place of origin, or if these may significantly affect the trip On Thursday, the plenary session approved a revision of the rules on package holidays to improve protection for tourists following the […]
Commission approves €440 million Spanish state aid scheme to support renewable hydrogen production
The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a Spanish state aid scheme worth €440 million to support the production of renewable hydrogen. This will be done through the European Hydrogen Bank’s ‘auctions as a service’ tool for the auction that closed in February 2026. The scheme will contribute to the objectives of […]
Fisheries and aquaculture: Council agrees its negotiating position on a new framework for statistics
The Council has agreed on a mandate to open negotiations with the European Parliament on a Regulation establishing a new European framework for fisheries and aquaculture statistics. The new framework will modernise the collection and use of statistical data on fisheries and aquaculture across the European Union, thereby enabling the use of reliable and timely […]
Commission decides to refer Spain to the CJEU for failing to transpose EU rules into national law
On 11 March, the European Commission decided to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to transpose two Directives on VAT measures into national law. Council Directive (EU) 2020/285 introduced substantial changes to the VAT rules applicable to small businesses (SMEs). Its aim is to create a modern and […]
The EU must act to close the gender pay and pension gap
Women increasingly surpass men in education, but tend to earn less and be undervalued Women take on a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic and care work The EU must take measures to improve working conditions and pay in female-dominated sectors and ensure childcare services MEPs want an EU action plan to make it easier for […]