5.12.2019 – Seventy-five promising start-ups and SMEs have been selected in the largest funding round so far under the pilot phase of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. As a major novelty, 39 of these companies are set to receive both a grant and a direct equity investment. Among the companies selected is Hiberband, who [...]
4.12.2019 – Today, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency’s reinforced mandate enters into force, giving it the operational capacity and powers needed to effectively support the 115,000 Member States’ officers on the ground. Starting from January 2021, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be equipped with its own standing corps of border [...]
3.12.2019 – The 100 000th question was asked by Ms Isabel Zunino from Barcelona, who is visiting the Europe Direct Contact Centre today and meeting the Commission’s Director-General for Communication, Ms Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen. Ms. Zunino works for a food delivery company and was interested in knowing more about the EU rules on single-use plastics. The [...]
2.12.2019 – Both the victims killed in a terror attack near London Bridge were University of Cambridge graduates, London’s Metropolitan Police said Sunday. Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, were both involved with Learning Together, a network of academics and criminal justice organizations, which was hosting an event at Fishmonger’s Hall where the attack [...]
27.11.2019 – Today MEPs at a plenary session in Strasbourg confirmed the mandate of the new European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen, who represented the College of Commissioners, thus became the first female President of the European Commission. Among the main challenges mentioned by von der Leyen are the promotion of European values, climate change, [...]
22.11.2019 – 25 November is dedicated against the violence against women and girls. Violence is still regrettably under-reported: only about a third of women who are physically or sexually abused by their partners contact the authorities. In addition, complaints are not systematically recorded, and the data is not easily comparable between EU countries. Accurate data [...]
21.11.2019 – With the entry into force of the agreement, Singapore will now: 1. remove all remaining tariffs on EU products;2. provide new opportunities for EU services’ providers, among others in sectors such as telecommunications, environmental services, engineering, computing and maritime transport. It will also make the business environment more predictable; 3.provide legal protection for [...]
20.11.2019 – The European Commission has today presented its Opinions on euro area Member States’ 2020 Draft Budgetary Plans, taken steps under the Stability and Growth Pact and adopted the fourth Enhanced Surveillance Report for Greece.Since July this year and for the first time since 2002, no euro area Member State is under the Excessive [...]
19.11.2019 – Today, the three EU institutions agreed on the EU’s budget for 2020. This will allow the EU to focus its resources on the priorities that matter to citizens: climate change, jobs, young people, security and solidarity in the EU. Next year’s budget will also prepare the transition to the next budgetary cycle as [...]
18.11.2019 – Today, the Council adopted the Directive on cross-border conversions, mergers and divisions that provides clear harmonised procedures for companies to merge, divide or move within the Single Market. The Directive includes strong safeguards to protect employees’ rights, especially to be informed, consulted and to participate in the boards of companies, as well as [...]
14.11.2019 – The Commission presents the first results of an initiative launched a year ago to support 10 EU regions and two Member States in industrial transition.They applied to receive Commission support and expertise in achieving industrial transition and designing development strategies based on their areas of competitive strength – their so-called ‘smart specialisation‘ assets.Over [...]
11.11.2019 – The three films are the finalists for this year’s LUX, Spanish, Danish and Nothern Macedonia are the finalists of 2019 competition. The films selected for the LUX FILM PRIZE competition raise awareness about some of today’s main social and political issues and, as a result, help to build a stronger European identity. By [...]
8.11.2019 – The European Commission has published the 2019 edition of the report “Labour Market and Wage Developments in Europe” confirming that the European labour market has so far proven to be resilient to the weakening of the economy.Standing at 241 million, the number of people employed in the EU is at its highest level [...]
6.11.2019- Today, the EU and China concluded the negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI in the EU against imitations and usurpation. This landmark agreement is expected to result in reciprocal trade benefits and demand for high-quality products on both sides. Delivering on the [...]
4.11.2019 -Today, at the initiative of the European Commission, the Wine Observatory started operating. The new platform will provide analysis and greater transparency of prices, production and trade for this important sector of European agriculture. The European Union is the world’s largest wine producer, accounting for 65% of world production. It exports to the world [...]