The European Commission has unveiled the European Technology Sovereignty Package, a set of measures designed to strengthen Europe’s capabilities in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and open source. The Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, stated:“We cannot afford to rely on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, ensure the stability of […]
The Spring 2026 European Semester package sets out a roadmap for promoting economic resilience and social cohesion across the EU
The Commission has adopted the 2026 Spring Package of the European Semester. Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, the package sets out policy guidelines for Member States, with a particular focus on strengthening competitiveness, strategic autonomy, economic and social resilience and EU cohesion, whilst maintaining fiscal sustainability. The 2026 cycle of the European Semester provides […]
EU Green Week 2026: Investing in nature to strengthen Europe’s economy and resilience
How can Europe remain competitive, resilient and secure in an increasingly unstable world? According to the central messageoftheEU Green Week 2026,the answer starts with nature. The EU’s most important annual conference on the environment begins today (3 June) in Brussels, bringing together policymakers, business leaders, environmentalists, investors, scientists, farmers, innovators and civil society to explore […]
EU deploys largest ever wildfire response for 2026 summer
With wildfire risks rising across Europe, the European Commission is helping finance and coordinate the deployment of a record number of firefighters, aircraft and emergency experts under the Civil Protection Mechanism 777 firefighters from 14 European countries will be strategically pre-positioned in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. This is the highest level […]
The Commission issues opinions on temporary internal border controls within the Schengen area
The Commission has issued opinions on the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls by Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, SloveniaandSweden. Whilst EU law allows for the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls under certain conditions, it also requires the Commission to issue an opinion where such controls last for more than 12 […]
Stricter anti-corruption rules come into force
On 31 May, more harmonised anti-corruption rules came into force across the EU under the new Anti-Corruption Directive. The Directive introduces modern rules to better prevent, detect and punish corruption throughout the EU, thereby helping to safeguard democratic institutions, the rule of law and public trust, whilst promoting competitiveness across the European Union. The new […]
The Commission is accelerating the transition away from the use of animals in chemical safety assessments
The European Commission has presented a roadmap for the phasing out of animal testing in chemical safety assessments, setting out clear and concrete steps to ensure the transition to innovative, non-animal approaches. This roadmap will also safeguard the integrity of safety assessments, which ensure a high level of protection for human and animal health, as […]
Commission welcomes political agreement on the Return Regulation
The Commission welcomes last June 1st’s political agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on the Regulation establishing a new Common European System for Returns. Proposed by the Commission in March 2025, the new rules on returns are a key deliverable under this Commission’s political guidelines and the European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy. It is a core […]
The Eurobarometer highlights the perceived obstacles and opportunities for European small and medium-sized enterprises when it comes to recruiting skilled workers from outside the EU
A new Eurobarometer survey shows that almost half of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (46%) are struggling to find workers with the right skills. According to the survey, the recruitment of third-country nationals remains limited. One in seven small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has attempted to recruit workers from outside the EU in the […]