The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the latest escalation by Russia of its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine. In spite of numerous calls by the international community on Russia to immediately stop its military aggression against Ukraine, the Russian leadership has regrettably decided otherwise. On 21 September, Russia chose a […]
Pro-Kremlin Propaganda running out of Gas
This week, the Kremlin finally showed its cards when spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admitted the obvious. Namely, that Russia’s gas supplies to the EU have been and will stay on hold not because of supposed maintenance of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, but because gas is a tool of political blackmail in the Kremlin’s toolbox of […]
Celebrating 35 years of the Erasmus programme
To mark the 35th anniversary of the emblematic Erasmus+ programme, Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will meet 35 current and former Erasmus+ participants as well as representatives of the founding team of the programme, on Tuesday, 20 September 2022. The event will honour the achievements of the programme, that has involved 13 million […]
Creative Europe: Support to Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors
Objective Culture is one of the building blocks of any nation. Cultural expression and access to culture are indispensable elements to live and help us deal with traumatic events, build individual and collective resilience and a perspective for a post-war future. The war in Ukraine has devastating effects on the Ukrainian cultural heritage and on […]
EU ministers agree statement in support of additional €5 billion assistance for Ukraine
EU finance ministers and Central Bank governors met with representatives of the European Commission and the ECB at the informal Ecofin Council meeting in Prague today. The finance ministers discussed the impact of the Russian aggression in Ukraine on the European economies and supported the swift adoption of additional financial assistance to Ukraine amounting to […]
EU foreign ministers agree to suspend visa facilitation agreement
On 30 and 31 August 2022, Prague hosted an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers known as a Gymnich. The ministers primarily discussed two topics, namely the EU’s relations with Africa and the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The main outcome of the meeting was agreement among the Member States to suspend the visa facilitation agreement. […]
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine: the EU targets additional 54 individuals and 10 entities
The Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 54 individuals and 10 entities in response to the ongoing unjustified and unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine. This decision comes in addition to the “maintenance and alignment” package of sanctions adopted by the Council on 21 July 2022. The listed individuals include senior members of the […]
EU support to Ukraine increased to €2.5 billion
The Council has adopted two assistance measures under the European Peace Facility (EPF) aimed to step up the EU’s support for the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, and protect the civilian population against the ongoing Russian military aggression. Thanks to the 5th […]
FAST-CARE: Council agrees to provide more aid to Ukrainian refugees and to strengthen support in the aftermath of Russian aggression
The permanent representatives of the 27 EU member states, on 20 July, agreed on the Council’s negotiating mandate for further support to countries and regions hosting displaced persons from Ukraine, as well as for tackling some of the adverse economic effects of Russia’s aggression. The legislative proposal, known as FAST–CARE (Flexible Assistance for Territories), introduces […]