Founding Father of the EU Dies at 98

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash Glowing tributes have been paid to Jacques Delors after it was announced he had died at the age of 98 at his Paris home. The Frenchman was seen by most as a key architect of the modern EU. He served as president of the European commission and also served…

Economy Loses Momentum

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Photo by K8 on Unsplash The EU says that the European economy has lost momentum this year against the background of a “high cost of living, weak external demand and monetary tightening.” On Wednesday, the commission said that while economic activity is expected to gradually recover going forward, its “Autumn Forecast” revises EU GDP growth down compared to…

EU Enlargement for Ukraine and Moldova

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Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash MEPs say “it is with great satisfaction” that the European Commission has recommended to start EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. This comes after the European Commission adopted the 2023 Enlargement Package. It provides a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,…

Winter Aid for Armenia

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Photo by Adéla Kelblová on Unsplash The European Commission is increasing its humanitarian funding in Armenia with almost €1.7 million in response to the mass influx of people from Nagorno Karabakh. The new funding will aim to further strengthen the existing EU humanitarian response to the displaced people by providing cash assistance, shelter, food security and livelihoods assistance,…

EU Humanitarian Aid to Middle East

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Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash The EU said it welcomes the evacuation of a number of EU citizens and other foreign nationals, as well as injured persons via the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The EU has tripled its humanitarian assistance to Gaza to €78 million, aiming to enable our partners to continue their invaluable humanitarian work….

Hiroshima AI Process

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Photo by Maximalfocus on Unsplash The EU Commission said it welcomes Monday’s agreement by G7 leaders on International Guiding Principles on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a voluntary Code of Conduct for AI developers under the “Hiroshima AI process.” President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was among those who subscribed to the G7 leaders’ statement issued by the 2023 Japan G7 presidency….

Delivering Cleaner Cars and Trucks in the EU

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Photo by Bro Takes Photos on Unsplash MEPs have adopted radical proposals to lower pollutant emissions and set battery durability requirements for passenger cars, vans, buses and trucks. The new rules have been passed by the EU parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Members adopted the so called “Euro 7” proposals with 52 votes…

Renewed Momentum for Balkan Enlargement

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Photo by Despina Galani on Unsplash The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has just held the 9th edition of the Western Balkans Civil Society Forum on (19-20 October). It comes  a few weeks ahead of the European Commission’s Enlargement Package and the New Growth Plan.  The Forum signalled a renewed momentum for the region to join the…

Commission Approves Pfizer Takeover of Seagen

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Photo by pina messina on Unsplash The European Commission has unconditionally approved the proposed acquisition of Seagen by Pfizer, under the EU Merger Regulation.  The Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). Seagen and Pfizer are pharmaceutical companies.  In the EEA, the companies’ marketed and pipeline products overlap in the treatment of several…