The Council today approved conclusions on foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its war propaganda have underlined the urgency of tackling foreign information manipulation and interference targeting not only Russian, but global audiences. The conclusions underline how foreign information manipulation and interference is often used as part of broader hybrid campaigns and […]
Foreign Affairs Council, 18 July 2022
Russian aggression against Ukraine The Foreign Affairs Council exchanged views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine. At the beginning of the meeting the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, briefly addressed EU ministers via video conference, and briefed them about the latest developments on the ground and the dramatic effects of the Russian aggression on the civilian population in […]
Commission adopts proposal for “maintenance and alignment” package
The European Commission has adopted a joint (High Representative-Commission) proposal for a new package of measures to maintain and strengthen the effectiveness of the EU’s six wide-ranging and unprecedented packages of sanctions against Russia. This “maintenance and alignment” package clarifies a number of provisions to strengthen legal certainty for operators and enforcement by Member States. […]
Ukraine: EU grants access to funding under the EU4Health
As part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to provide support in the area of health, Commissioner Kyriakides visited Ukraine to meet Minister of Health Viktor Liashko and pay a visit to a medical centre for children as well as a patient rehabilitation centre. At this occasion, the Commission and the Ukrainian Government have signed an agreement […]
Commission approves aid to Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The European Commission has approved a €5 billion German scheme to support energy and trade intensive companies across industrial sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022, based on Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the […]
Joint statement on supporting Ukraine in its proceeding at the International Court of Justice
Statement on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States and […]
Commission proposes more flexible exceptions regime and targeted relief to airlines
The Commission adopted a proposal to allow the airline slot regime to respond more flexibly to unexpected developments in the near future. While the current rapid ascent in demand, as well as projections for future demand, point to an ongoing recovery of air traffic, recent experience has shown that the current slot rules are not sufficiently […]
Council adopts additional €1 billion assistance to Ukraine
The Council today decided to provide € 1 billion of additional macro-financial assistance (MFA) to Ukraine, as a matter of urgency. Together with the emergency MFA of € 1.2 billion disbursed earlier this year, the total macro-financial support from the EU to Ukraine since the start of the war now reaches € 2.2 billion and it is […]
Defence and security of the European Union
In today’s world, security issues require ever-increasing attention. The Czech Presidency is fully aware of this and intends to take decisive steps to improve the resilience of the European Union in the areas of conventional capabilities and new domains. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the importance of building the resilience and defence capabilities […]