On 9 July, the EU and South Africa held their first intergovernmental dialogue at senior official level to take forward the implementation of their Clean Trade and Investment Partnership. Collaboration between the two regions will strengthen clean and resilient supply chains, support local strategic industries and accelerate investment in green hydrogen and critical raw materials. […]
The Commission and the International Labour Organisation set out a renewed strategic agenda for social justice, quality jobs and a people-centred future of work
The European Commission and the ILO share a commitment to building a fair future for work. Both institutions confirmed their joint support for: multilateral cooperation and international labour standards decent work, quality jobs and robust labour market institutions inclusive labour markets and greater social cohesion They emphasised that social justice and fundamental rights in the […]
Europe’s performance in the field of innovation is becoming more firmly established against a backdrop of global competition
Europe’s innovation performance continues to improve, with the EU’s overall score having risen by 11.6 percentage points since 2019, according to the 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard, recently published by the European Commission. This result reflects almost a decade of steady growth and highlights the resilience of Europe’s innovation ecosystem in an increasingly competitive global environment. […]
The Commission and the High Representative are proposing a new sanctions regime to combat the smuggling of migrants, human trafficking and other forms of violence
The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have today proposed a new EU sanctions regime to combat the smuggling of migrants, human trafficking and other serious forms of organised crime, including trafficking in firearms and illicit drugs, as well as money laundering. The President of the […]
The Commission is taking Ireland, Spain, France and the Netherlands to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to transpose the cybersecurity rules
The European Commission has decided to refer Ireland, Spain, France and the Netherlands to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to notify the measures transposing the SRI 2 Directive on the security of network and information systems into national law [Directive (EU) 2022/2555]. The Directive strengthens the EU’s cybersecurity by setting […]
Serbia and enlargement: MEPs expect a genuine commitment to EU values
The Serbian government continues to assert that EU accession is its strategic objective, but MEPs warn that this is often not reflected in its actions. Progress towards EU accession involves not only adopting reforms, but also their thorough and comprehensive implementation, MEPs warn in a report on Serbia adopted on Wednesday with 468 votes in […]
Enlargement: Parliament commends Ukraine’s progress despite the war
On 8 July, MEPs called for a constructive debate on how to take Ukraine’s European integration forward, taking into account the European Union’s strategic interests. In its annual assessment of Ukraine’s progress on reforms related to the EU accession process, the European Parliament welcomed the opening, in June 2026, of the first chapter in the […]
The European Parliament backs the modernisation of the agreement with Mexico and the promotion of trade
On Wednesday, Parliament gave the green light to two agreements that pave the way for strengthening political relations and expanding trade between the European Union and Mexico. The Modernised Comprehensive Agreement between the EU and Mexico will replace the current framework, which has been in force since 2000, with the aim of promoting new business […]
The Commission has registered the European Citizens’ Initiative calling for an unconditional basic income
On 7 July, the European Commission registered a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘Introduction of an unconditional basic income (UBI) across the EU’. The organisers of the initiative believe that,“with rapid advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, there is an urgent need to decouple our livelihoods from our ability to sell our labour, as we […]