This week, the Department of Commerce hosted a series of speakers and meetings as part of the first day of the Defense Industrial Base Conference to convene more than 300 U.S. and Ukrainian industry and government representatives to explore opportunities for co-production and other industrial cooperation with Ukraine.
The Council decided to add two individuals to the EU terrorist list. This decision comes as part of European Union’s response to the threat posed by Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023. These sanctions are effective as of today.
EU-funded humanitarian assistance is provided in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. It is delivered through the UN humanitarian agencies, non-governmental organisations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as many local aid organisations partnering with them.
The “Cyber Solidarity Act” adopted on Thursday aims to build a more resilient, collective EU response against cybercrime. This legislative proposal seeks to bolster the European Union’s ability to detect, prepare for, and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents.
U.S. President Biden is providing this supplemental consolidated report, prepared by my Administration and consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148), as part of his efforts to keep the Congress informed about deployments of United States Armed Forces equipped for combat.
The European Union (EU) and China held their 24th Summit in Beijing on 7 December 2023. President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met with China’s President, Xi Jinping, followed by an exchange with China’s Premier, Li Qiang. Read how both sides perveived the meeting.
“Hong Kong, China, has stated that these political developments do not undermine the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, which is one of the fundamental tenets of Hong Kong, China’s open trade policy. Yet, our business community is concerned about the changes to Hong Kong, China’s otherwise very open business climate. Freedom of information and an independent judiciary are important benchmarks for EU businesses” – EU Statement at the World
On Thursday 7 December 2023, the leaders of the EU and China will hold a summit in Beijing, China.. The summit will cover the following topics: EU-China relations, including economic and trade +++ China’s position concerning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine +++ The situation in the Middle East +++ Climate change +++ Global health and pandemic preparedness
France reiterates its support for the Lebanese army, which upholds the country’s unity and stability. It reiterates its commitment to Lebanese sovereignty and to the full implementation of UN Security Resolution 1701 by all concerned parties. All parties must show the utmost restraint in order to prevent a regional conflagration from which Lebanon would not recover. These clashes affect the security of UNIFIL, whose ability to take action and ensure
This Partnership brings together the Government of Ukraine, bilateral donors, key international organisations and financial institutions and voices representing the private sector. Following the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, we are proud to welcome the following new partners to the Clean Energy Partnership: the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, whose $2 billion Economic Resilience Action platform is already investing in Ukraine’s green, resilient reconstruction; the UN Global Compact’s Ukraine
With today’s Communication, the Commission and the High Representative are stepping up their efforts to fight hatred in all its forms, by reinforcing action across a variety of policies, including security, digital, education, culture and sport. This includes additional funding to protect places of worship and will be backed up by the designation of Envoys with an explicit mandate to maximise the potential of EU policies to combat hatred.
The telecommunications ministers of Finland, Estonia and Sweden stress that the resilience of critical underwater infrastructure is now more important than ever. The ministers underlined the importance of resilient infrastructure at the Telecommunications Council in Brussels 5 December 2023.
Today, Jan Vyčítal was appointed as Head of Mission of the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya. He will succeed Natalina Cea as of 1 January 2024, and his mandate will run until 30 June 2025. Jan Vyčítal is a Czech civil servant and diplomat, who has worked at senior level for more than 20 years, and currently serves as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Tunisia, with accreditation for Libya. He previously served as
The conclusions highlight that the remembrance of the victims of terrorism is critical for their recovery process, to foster social cohesion and for the defence of democratic values. They also point to the fact that victims must have a central role in remembrance policies because their testimonies are a powerful tool to raise awareness of the human consequences of terrorism and to prevent radicalisation.
On 5 December, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell, met in Brussels with Mousa Al-Koni, Vice President of the Presidential Council of Libya. The discussion focused on how to enhance the ongoing cooperation between the European Union and Libya on key areas, including improving migration governance and management, as well as regional cooperation between Libya and the Sahel.
Europol supported an EU-wide investigation, led by the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil), into the illegal manufacturing of firearms. The operational activities, initiated in Spain, involved law enforcement authorities from Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The Council addressed a number of files which all share the objective of tightening judicial cooperation between EU countries. EU Ministers also exchanged views on the functioning of the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO). The justice ministers also approved a Council position and findings on the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This Council position will feed into a Commission report, planned in 2024, on the evaluation of
Austria and the United States expressed unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, discussed the situation in the Middle East, and reaffirmed their joint commitment to and solidarity with Israel in light of the Hamas terror attacks on October 7. They reiterated their concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need for unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians.
In the framework of Operation OPSON, Europol’s coordinated effort to combat food fraud and counterfeiting, Europol has supported a spin-off investigation into counterfeit olive oil. This EMPACT-funded operation was initiated by the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil), who joined forces with the Italian Carabinieri. It led to 11 arrests and the seizure of over 260 000 litres of olive oil unfit for consumption.
Law enforcement agencies from 26 countries, in collaboration with Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and several private industry partners, have once again joined forces to combat a key facilitator of money laundering: money mules and their recruiters. In June, October and November 2023, several operational phases identified 10 759 money mules and 474 recruiters, leading to the arrest of 1 013 individuals worldwide.
Debates around defence are indeed as old as the European project itself. The Coal and Steel community at the very start of the European integration process had itself a strong defence industry component. In 1950, just months after the Schuman Plan, our predecessors had also the project to build a European Defence Community. A history, in which defence cooperation could have been the sibling of market integration, would have been