The European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco have reached an agreement to extend preferential tariff treatment to the territory of Western Sahara. The agreement applies provisionally from 3 October 2025, ensuring continuity and security for traders. The agreement provides that proofs of origin and labelling of products will indicate the region of production (Dakhla […]
COP30: MEPs want EU climate policy to maintain a high degree of ambition
Last Monday 6th of October, the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety adopted its policy demands for the UN Climate Change Conference COP30. The resolution, adopted with 57 votes in favour, 23 against and four abstentions, states that the EU should remain a leader in international climate negotiations and calls on all countries […]
New AI model predicts our health years ahead of time
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising medicine by helping doctors diagnose patients with increasing accuracy. Our medical history provides valuable information about potential health problems. But what if artificial intelligence could reliably predict our next diagnosis, a complication or even the time of death? A team of researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the […]
Commission restricts use of chemicals “forever” in fire fighting foams
The Commission adopted on 3 October new measures restricting the use of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in fire fighting foams under the REACH Regulation, the EU’s chemicals legislation. This is an important measure that protects people and the environment from the risks posed by PFASs. The restriction marks an important step towards the Commission’s […]
Commission consults on revised state aid rules to improve access to affordable housing
The European Commission has today opened a public consultation on the review of state aid rules to assist Member States in the field of affordable housing. This review of the rules on services of general economic interest (SGEI) will address challenges related to housing affordability beyond social housing. The aim is to enable EU countries […]
Close to €1.6 billion of EU funds will help Spain recover from Valencia’s devastating floods
The European Commission has proposed to the European Parliament and the Council an aid of €945 million from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to Spain to support the recovery from the destructive ‘DANA floods’ of October 2024 in Valencia. In addition, the Commission has approved the reallocation of €645 million from Spain’s cohesion policy funds via […]
Commission approves new geographical indications for Italy and Spain
The European Commission has approved the inclusion of ‘Olive taggiasche liguri’ and ‘Carne Salada del Trentino’ from Italy in the Register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and ‘Tharsys’ from Spain as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The Protected Geographical Indication ‘Olive taggiasche liguri’ refers to table olives and olive paste or pâté made from […]
Israel/Palestine: statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on Gaza
The EU welcomes President Trump’s commitment to ending the war in Gaza, which offers a way out of this devastating conflict, ensuring an immediate ceasefire and release of all remaining hostages, and guaranteeing the provision of full humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, with a central role for the UN and its agencies – all […]
EU tourism nights up by 2.3% in first half of 2025
In the first half of 2025, there were 1 279 million overnight stays in tourist accommodations across the EU, a 2.3% increase compared with the first 6 months of 2024 (1 249 million). At country level, Malta (12.7%), Latvia (8.6%) and Poland (8.5%) had the highest increases in the share of overnight stays in tourism accommodation in the […]