The European Commission has proposed mobilising €2 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to support 507 workers made redundant following the bankruptcy of Liberty Steel Belgium. Liberty Steel’s production lines in Belgium were shut down in December 2021 due to a shortage of raw materials. Despite efforts to restructure the entity, production never […]
Von der Leyen promotes OceanEye and calls for an international alliance to strengthen ocean observation and protection
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for the creation of an international alliance to strengthen and expand ocean monitoring and observation. This alliance will support OceanEye, the European ocean observation initiative, to consolidate efforts and collaboration in ocean observation on a global scale. President von der Leyen also announced an […]
Commission response to the European citizens’ initiative on reducing unsafe abortion in the EU
The European Commission adopted a Communication in response to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion”. This is the twelfth initiative to receive a formal response from the Commission since European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECIs) were launched in 2012. According to the World Health Organisation, around 483,000 unsafe abortions […]
The Commission awards the European Heritage Label to La Nau cultural centre
The European Commission has announced the thirteen new sites selected for the European Heritage Label 2026, including one new Spanish site. The European Heritage Label, a flagship initiative of the Creative Europe programme, recognises places that have profoundly marked the history, culture and development of the European Union. This year, the number of sites awarded […]
Council gives green light to signing of package of agreements with Switzerland
On 24 February, the Council gave the green light to the signing of a comprehensive package of agreements between the EU and Switzerland aimed at deepening and broadening their bilateral relationship. This comprehensive package of bilateral agreements with Switzerland includes a wide variety of elements: the updating of four agreements that already give Switzerland access […]
The new European Centre for Democratic Resilience begins its work
At the meeting of the General Affairs Council on February 24, the Commission and the Council Presidency invited EU ministers to celebrate the launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. The aim of the Centre, a flagship initiative of the European Democracy Shield, is to facilitate a consolidated approach involving the whole of society […]
The EU and Nigeria open negotiations on a bilateral agreement on cooperation in science and technology
The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria have started negotiations for a bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement. The aim is to boost cooperation in research and innovation, in line with the conclusions of the 2023 EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue and the 2024 EU-Nigeria Summit. A bilateral agreement on […]
Council gives final green light to measures to improve the efficiency and robustness of the EU asylum system
The Council formally adopted the first EU-wide list of safe countries of origin, as well as a revision of the concept of safe third country. These two legislative acts aim to better harmonise the EU’s migration and asylum framework and increase its efficiency. The EU-wide list of safe countries of origin will help Member States […]
Europol support for Ukraine and entries in the Schengen Information System
Europol is committed to ensuring the accuracy of information about our mission and activities. As an EU public agency, we operate within a clearly defined framework and are subject to strict oversight. We are committed to maintaining transparency, allowing scrutiny of our work and being accountable. We therefore consider it our duty to support the […]