In 2023, the EU exported 8.5 million tonnes of recyclable products (paper, plastic and glass) to extra-EU countries, a 34% increase from 2022 (6.4 million tonnes), while imports dropped by 19% to 3.2 million tonnes, down from 4.0 million tonnes in 2022.
Europe now faces a clear choice. A choice to either face up to the uncertain world around us alone. Or to unite our societies and unite around our values. A choice to be dependent, to let the divisions weaken us. Or to be bold in our ambition and sovereign in our action, working with our partners around the world. A choice to ignore new realities or the speed of change. Or to be clear-eyed about the world and threats around us as they really are. A choice to let the extremists and appeasers prevail. Or to ensure our democratic forces stay strong.
The EU Parliament condemns Russia’s barbaric missile attack on the Okhmadyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, and the recent visit of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to the Russian Federation, which does not represent the EU and is a blatant violation of the EU’s treaties and common foreign policy.
The European Union and the Republic of Korea announce support for four jointly funded projects in semiconductors as a deliverable of the EU-Republic of Korea Digital Partnership.
At the EU Justice Council meeting in Luxembourg, justice ministers addressed the fight against impunity in the context of Russia’s war of aggression and the implementation of the EU anti-racism action plan.
Higher Education Ministry representatives from 47 member countries of the European Higher Education Area and the EU Commission reaffirmed their commitment to supporting student and staff mobility. In the Tirana Communiqué, they take stock of higher education cooperation and set the direction for 2025-27.
The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) aims to support the development and manufacturing of critical technologies relevant to the EU green and digital transitions, as well as the EU’s strategic sovereignty.
ESMA sets out draft Regulatory Technical Standards on certain requirements rrelated to conflicts of interest for crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), with a view to clarifying elements in relation to vertical integration of CASPs and to further align with the draft European Banking Authority (EBA) rules applicable to issuers of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs).
The 60 new COST Actions cover topics as wide and varied as managing Artificial Intelligence in archaeology to advancing understand of vascular liver disease, promoting indoor air cleaning, encouraging non-chemical weed management in medicinal plants, and building a peace research community in Europe.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor, today issued a Statement providing initial guidance to firms using Artificial Intelligence technologies (AI) when they provide investment services to retail clients.
The Foreign Affairs Council, in its Trade configuration, held a policy debate on “Trade and competitiveness – the future of EU trade policy”.
The agreement will strengthen our cooperation with Kenya, the economic hub of East Africa. Workers, businesses and traders on both sides will benefit from this shared commitment to sustainable development, including labour rights, the environment and climate action.
The EU Council adopted new rules aimed at making banks operating in the EU more resilient to possible economic shocks. The changes aim to increase the resilience of banks, strengthen their supervision and reinforce risk management.
The Commission investigated the impact of the transaction on the market for wholesale broadband access services in Italy and concluded that it would not significantly reduce the level of competition.
Macao SAR’s economy rebounded strongly after the relaxation of COVID-19 containment measures in Mainland China. Real GDP increased by 80.5 percent in 2023, recovering much of the decline during the pandemic. A surge in services exports was the main driver, while private consumption and public investments also grew strongly.
By clarifying the legal interpretation of this concept, the Commission aims to provide certainty for affected farmers regarding their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, while also ensuring a uniform application across the Union by national administrations.
“The world economy will see another downturn—that much is certain. Today, I will describe how the widespread use of AI could turn an ordinary downturn into a deep and prolonged economic crisis by causing large-scale disruptions in labor markets, in financial markets, and in supply chains. I will also discuss what policy actions—taken now—can help mitigate some of these downside risks” – Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Today, the EU Commission has sent a request for information (RFI) to Temu requesting the platform to provide detailed information and internal documents on the mitigation measures taken against the presence and reappearance of traders selling illegal products on its online marketplace.
ISSUE 1/2023 Road safety in the EU: fatalities below pre-pandemic levels but progress remains too
Author/Editor: Jorge A Chan-Lau ; Ruofei Hu ; Maksym Ivanyna ; Ritong Qu ; Cheng Zhong Publication Date: February 24, 2023 Summary: Machine
Brussels, 24 February 2023 Today, the Commission is hosting a European citizens’ panel in Brussels allowing citizens
February 23, 2023 Washington, DC: On February 8, 2023 the Executive Board of the International Monetary
FEBRUARY 23, 2023 This paper aims to address questions by Fund members on how to
DESIGN THINKING Design Thinking for Collaboration: A COOs’ Guide to Cross-Functional Teams Innovation – DataDrivenInvestor – Medium SUSTAINABILITY
Brussels, 16 February 2023 Today is the deadline set in the Digital Services Act (DSA)
Brussels, 17 February 2023 The European Commission launches a call for expression of interest for
Strasbourg, 16 February 2023 From 20 to 21 February, MEPs will visit the Hungarian capital
JRC S3 PLATFORM Partnerships for Regional innovation as a bridge between smart specialisation and other
At the EU Justice Council meeting in Luxembourg, justice ministers addressed the fight against impunity in the context of Russia’s war of aggression and the implementation of the EU anti-racism action plan.
The Cooperation Frameworks will be implemented with the necessary support by the Commission and the relevant EU Agencies. In particular, today the Commission is launching a new funding specific action of 85 million EUR under the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) 2021 – 2027 to enhance national capabilities at the EU external borders. Bulgaria and Romania can now apply for additional funding to extend or upgrade the existing border surveillance systems; purchase of means of transport including with thermo-vision capabilities; purchase of operating equipment such as movement detection cameras and thermo-vision cameras and the development or upgrades of systems.
Sweden and France have for long cooperated closely against organised crime. In addition to joint operations within Europol and Interpol, bilateral cooperation between Sweden and France is strong. An example of this is the information the Swedish Police Authority received from the French Police on Encrochat communications. This helped strengthen efforts to combat gang criminality. The special cooperation agreement which has now been concluded by the two countries further enhances and intensifies these efforts.
“We request an impartial international investigation on this tragic event allowing for a clear picture of the events and responsibilities. In any case, it is Israel’s responsibility to comply with the rules of international law and to protect the distribution of humanitarian aid to civilian populations” – EU HR Borrell.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) highlighted the potential risks to the international financial system, including growing financial connectivity of Russia with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran, and risks of proliferation financing, malicious cyber activities, and ransomware attacks.
The European Commission was instrumental in brokering important outcomes at the 13th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (MC13) that ended Friday in Abu Dhabi. After a week of intense engagement, EU negotiators secured important agreements on e-commerce, new rules to improve global services trade, environmental cooperation, and strengthening the position of developing countries in the global trading system.
France expresses its very deep shock over the reports of a very significant number of Palestinian civilian deaths as humanitarian aid was being distributed in Gaza. The shots by Israeli soldiers against civilians trying to gain access to food supplies are unjustifiable. We expect full light to be shed on the actions mentioned, which are extremely serious. In any event, it is Israel’s responsibility to abide by the rules of international law and protect the distribution of humanitarian aid to civilians.
On February 29, France and 44 other Participating States belonging to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) invoked the Moscow Mechanism for the purpose of investigating allegations of serious human rights violations by OSCE Participating States. An independent mission of experts will be tasked with establishing the facts with regard to Russia’s arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilians. The report’s conclusions will contribute to ongoing investigations, with the aim of formally determining legal and political responsibility for abuses committed on Ukrainian soil.
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), which is responsible for sanctions, decided on 29 February to impose further sanctions against Russia. Switzerland is thus joining the 13th sanctions package of the European Union (EU), adopted in response to Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine over the past two years. The measures will enter into force at 6pm on 1 March.
Czechia has requested assistance in preparing for wildfires through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Finland responds to the request by sending a risk management expert to join the EU’s international team in the country. Czechia aims to enhance preparedness for and prevention of forest fires. The country has requested assistance for preparedness work through the EU Civil protection Mechanism. The serious forest fires in 2022 alerted the country to the need for enhancing preparedness.
We strongly condemn the recent ban by the Sudanese de facto authorities on the delivery of cross-border humanitarian assistance from Chad to Sudan to the civilians suffering at the hands of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This is a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In the context of widespread hostilities, cross-border assistance is the lifeline to the people of Darfur. Denying access to vital aid for people in need, especially in conflict-affected regions, is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in what is now the largest displacement and protection crisis globally. We remind all parties to the conflict that the denial of humanitarian assistance can amount to a war crime under international law.
The new rules will improve the handling of advance passenger information (API) data to perform checks on passengers prior to their arrival at the EU’s external borders but also for intra-EU flights in the fight against terrorism and serious crime. They will enhance the fight against serious crime and terrorism within the EU, supplementing the processing of passenger name record (PNR) data. Advance passenger information (API) contains identification details from the travel document and basic flight information and will be transmitted before and after take-off to authorities at the place of arrival.
To respond to life-threatening outbreaks of infectious diseases in Yemen and the subsequent health emergency among the affected population, the EU has organised 13 Humanitarian Air Bridge flights to deliver vital assistance to civilians this month.
These flights have enabled humanitarian partners to cover the immediate needs of the population and support Yemen’s preparedness for potential future outbreaks of infectious diseases such as cholera.
The EU Commission has approved the acquisition of joint control of NTS Middle East of the United Arab Emirates by ADNOC Drilling Company, Alpha Dhabi Holding, both of the United Arab Emirates, and Tubacex of Spain. The transaction relates primarily to the provision of specialised machining services to the oil and gas sector.
Brussels and Beijing have agreed on a joint roadmap for greater collaboration on the vital issue.
Electricity and gas bills decreased in the second half of 2023, after the increase which started before the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and skyrocketed through 2022.
Brussels, 25 April 2024 Today, Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Mehmet
In the face of increasingly fierce international competition, the act is intended to support key industries in Europe for the purposes of strengthening their competitiveness and mitigating unilateral reliance on imports, thereby reducing the risk of unstable supply chains and achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal.
The “Net-Zero industry Act”, already informally agreed upon with the Council, sets a target for Europe to produce 40% of its annual deployment needs in net-zero technologies by 2030, based on National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and to capture 15% of the global market value for these technologies.
The strongest drivers included power and natural gas trading, as well as the Group’s North American commodity markets. In particular, the rising number of trading participants active on the EEX Group markets contributed to the positive development, with over 80 trading participants joining the EEX markets last year.
The key decisions taken by the Commission are presented below and grouped by policy area. The Commission is also closing 76 cases in which the issues with the Member States concerned have been solved without the Commission needing to pursue the procedure further.
The EU Parliament approved with 374 votes against 235 and 19 abstentions a new “due diligence” directive. The law requires firms and their upstream and downstream partners, including supply, production and distribution, to prevent slavery, child labour, labour exploitation, biodiversity loss, pollution, or destruction of natural heritage.
According to the updated law, a Union Plant Health Emergency Team will assist Member States, or third countries bordering the EU, with measures preventing outbreaks of quarantine pests.
The regulation, adopted with 461 votes in favour, 56 against and 66 abstentions, updates EU measures governing the use of so-called substances of human origin, such as blood and its components, tissues and cells – used for transfusions, therapies, transplantations, or medically assisted reproduction.
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