19.10.2020 – European Commission published its latest assessment of the state of nature in the European Union. It provides a comprehensive overview of the situation of Europe’s most vulnerable species and habitats protected under EU nature laws. Decline of protected habitats and species still continues, caused mostly by intensive agriculture, urbanisation, unsustainable forestry activities and [...]
14.10.2020 – The European Commission has today adopted a series of energy policy proposals and reports, which are fundamental to the implementation of the European Green Deal, and to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and our ambitious emission reduction targets for 2030. Today, the College of Commissioners adopted at its weekly meeting a Communication on [...]
12.10.2020 – The European Commission has approved a Danish scheme to support companies that are subject to an operation ban implemented to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The scheme will be open to companies in all sectors, except financial institutions. The public support will [...]
8.10.2020 -Today, the European Commission approved a third contract with a pharmaceutical company, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Once the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19, the contract allows Member States to purchase vaccines for 200 million people. They will also have the [...]
6.10.2020 – The Commission adopted its Communication on EU enlargement policy and the 2020 Enlargement Package: The annual reports, assessing the implementation of fundamental reforms in the Western Balkans and Turkey, are presented together with clearer and more precise recommendations and guidance on the next steps for those partners, in line with the enhanced enlargement [...]
2.10.2020 – EU Member States agreed on a Commission proposal to invest €998 million in key European energy infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Financial aid will be provided for works and studies on ten projects, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal; 84% of the funding goes to electricity or [...]
1.10.2020 – The European Commission has today sent the United Kingdom a letter of formal notice for breaching its obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement. This marks the beginning of a formal infringement process against the United Kingdom. It has one month to reply to today’s letter. Article 5 of the Withdrawal Agreement states that the [...]
30.9.2020 -The European Commission has today published the first EU-wide report on the rule of law. Today’s report includes input from every Member State and covers both positive and negative developments across the EU. It shows that many Member States have high rule of law standards, but important challenges to the rule of law exist [...]
29.9.2020 - The Slovenian Film Festival (FSF) is a review of a new audiovisual production, which culminates with the awarding of prizes for the most prominent achievements and creators. The festival is the successor of the Week of Domestic Film in Celje, founded in the 1970s, which was renamed the Slovenian Film Marathon after independence [...]
29.9.2020 - Today, Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and Commissioner Thierry Breton launched the European Raw Materials Alliance with the aim of connecting industrial actors, Member States and civil society in order to strengthen the resilience and strategic autonomy of rare earths and magnets value chains in Europe. The Alliance aims to identify obstacles, opportunities and investment possibilities [...]
21.9.2020 – In line with the European Green Deal and the EU’s objective to become the first climate neutral economy by 2050, the Commission adopted today revised EU Emission Trading System State aid Guidelines in the context of the system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading post-2021 (the “ETS Guidelines”). They will enter into force [...]
18.9.2020 – Today, a second contract with a pharmaceutical company entered into force following the contract’s formal signature between Sanofi-GSK and the Commission. The contract will allow all EU Member States to purchase up to 300 million doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine. Moreover, Member States may donate reserved doses to lower- and middle-income countries. Sanofi [...]
17.9.2020 – The EPP Group supports the use of €12 billion to help Europe’s cultural and creative sectors recover from the COVID-19 crisis. This money should be taken from the EU’s planned Recovery and Resilience Facility. “We call for clearly dedicated money to secure the jobs of almost 8 million artists and workers of the [...]
14.9.2020 – Today, the EU and China signed a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GIs) in China and 100 Chinese GIs in the European Union against usurpation and imitation. This agreement, first concluded in November 2019, should bring reciprocal trade benefits as well as introducing consumers to guaranteed, quality products on both [...]
11.9.2020 – The Commission announced today that it will support with €4 million a new research project, SUPPORT-E, that will coordinate efforts to determine if COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion – using plasma from patients who recovered from the disease – is an effective and safe treatment. The funding is part of the Commission’s €1 billion [...]