The Parties discussed recent developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and expressed their grave concern over the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza and the large number of civilian casualties in recent airstrikes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said it was encouraging to see the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) being considered in ongoing ceasefire conversations on the military conflict in Ukraine. He stressed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was ready to provide its technical support for those efforts.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) today agreed a series of measures to further boost investment in security and defence and critical raw materials. The EIB’s Board of Directors also approved a total of €8.9 billion of new financing for port and rail projects, education, energy and grid upgrades, water and business investment.
On Friday, European Council President António Costa, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas had a video conference with the Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir, the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
EU Commissioner Kubilius said the EU is opening new defence investment channels, with €600 billion in national spending still unregulated. EU loans will support procurement from European companies, including subsidiaries of third-country firms. For the first time, countries like the UK and Canada could also benefit if they sign defence partnerships with the EU.
EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, is travelling to Budapest, Hungary next week, where he will meet with representatives of the government, the judiciary and with civil society and media stakeholders.
European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reflect on the outcomes of this week’s European Council meeting. Discover the key takeaways from their statements and the complete conclusions of the meeting.
This new funding builds on more than €100 million the European Union has already invested in independent media since 2017. It highlights the EU’s long-term commitment to Ukrainian media, ensuring their continued ability to operate independently, produce high-quality journalism, and fight disinformation.
An international law enforcement operation coordinated by Europol has dismantled a criminal network behind a large-scale healthcare subsidy fraud in France and the laundering of its illicit proceeds in Germany.
An operation involving authorities from Belgium and Germany, coordinated by Europol, targeted a migrant smuggling network active across the English Channel. The operation was also supported by Italy and Eurojust. The investigation targeted a criminal network based in Germany and involved in criminal activities facilitating the smuggling of Middle Eastern and East African migrants across the English Channel with low-quality inflatable boats.
The EU Parliament’s International Trade Committee approved two proposals on Thursday to offer Jordan and Egypt loans worth €500 million and €4 billion respectively.
On 20 March, the European Council adopted conclusions on the Middle East, oceans and multilateralism. Delve into the details.
On 20 March, the European Council adopted conclusions on competitiveness, European defence and security and migration.
European Council President Costa said that the world is facing global challenges, including peace, climate change, and inequality. He stressed the importance of supporting peace efforts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and combating inequalities, advancing the Pact for the Future and the reform of the global financial system, as well as continuing efforts to address climate change, oceans, and biodiversity.
The European Council welcomes the joint statement by Ukraine and the United States following their meeting in Saudi Arabia on 11 March 2025, including the proposals for a ceasefire agreement, humanitarian efforts, and the resumption of US intelligence sharing and security assistance. The European Council calls on Russia to show real political will to end the war. Explore more details.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that while Europe has many competitive, world-leading defence companies and innovative SMEs, the industrial base still faces structural weaknesses. She noted that it cannot yet produce defence systems and equipment at the scale and speed required by Member States and remains too fragmented, with national players mainly serving domestic markets. And she stressed the need to reverse this trend.
MEPs have greenlit the appointment of five candidates for the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) Executive Board. Based in Frankfurt, is tasked with coordinating the actions of national financial intelligence units and directly overseeing selected risky financial entities present in multiple member states. AMLA is scheduled to start its operations in the summer of 2025.
The EU Commission has disbursed an additional €1 billion tranche of its exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan to Ukraine, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian State assets in the EU. This step reinforces the EU’s role as the largest donor since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said she proposed an initiative focused on providing Ukraine with the support President Zelenskyy had specifically requested — ammunition worth 5 billion euros. She stressed the need for concrete action, not just words, to help Ukraine immediately, arguing that “the stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger its position will be at the negotiating table”.
Speaking to leaders, EU Parliament President Metsola reiterated that in a world of rising single powers, Europe must step up its political ambition: on defence and competitiveness.
As European leaders prepare for their upcoming European Council meeting, diplomatic efforts surged on multiple fronts, underscoring the geopolitical stakes and coordinated positioning among allies, in Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and the G7.
We and use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website. We may store and/or access information on a device and process personal data, such as your IP address and browsing data, for personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development. Additionally, we may utilize precise geolocation data and identification through device scanning.
Please note that your consent will be valid across all our subdomains. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “Consent Preferences” button at the bottom of your screen. We respect your choices and are committed to providing you with a transparent and secure browsing experience.
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| __stripe_mid | This cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server. | |
| __stripe_sid | This cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server. | |
| _abck | This cookie is used to detect and defend when a client attempt to replay a cookie.This cookie manages the interaction with online bots and takes the appropriate actions. | |
| _wpfuuid | This cookie is used by the WPForms WordPress plugin. The cookie is used to allows the paid version of the plugin to connect entries by the same user and is used for some additional features like the Form Abandonment addon. | |
| ASP.NET_SessionId | Issued by Microsoft's ASP.NET Application, this cookie stores session data during a user's website visit. | |
| AWSALBCORS | This cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing. | |
| bm_sz | This cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions | |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". | |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-functional | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". | |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-others | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. | |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". | |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". | |
| elementor | This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time. | |
| JSESSIONID | Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests. | |
| viewed_cookie_policy | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. | |
| _ga_4L7PKQPHHV | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. | |
| _ga_T50H0MNN9J | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. | |
| _gat_gtag_UA_12289088_5 | Set by Google to distinguish users. | |
| _gcl_au | Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. | |
| _gid | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| test_cookie | The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| _mcid | No description available. | |
| _swa_u | This cookie is set by the provider Sitewit.com. This cookie is used for statistical report and analysis. | |
| ak_bmsc | No description available. | |
| AWSALB | AWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB. | |
| ec_store_chameleon_font | No description available. | |
| FCCDCF | No description available. | |
| issuem_lp | No description available. | |
| lp_us_his | No description | |
| m | No description available. |