The EU is urged to avoid another crisis in the wake of the pandemic Markus Ferber MEP said, “We have to be very careful that the current frenzy of Corona spending does not lead us directly into the next debt crisis.” “Therefore, the European Commission urgently needs to establish when and under what conditions the application…
Commissioner Didier Reynders was, on Friday, meeting the 11 online platforms participating in the dialogue on tackling online consumer scams related to the coronavirus pandemic, together with consumer protection authorities. The purpose is to encourage platform operators to reinforce their preparedness to address new scams that could appear during the second wave of the pandemic and to prevent…
Following the selection announcement in August, the Commission has now signed grant agreements, under Horizon 2020, with 23 new research projects that will receive a total of €128 million to address the continuing coronavirus pandemic and its effects. The funding will enable additional research to strengthen and adapt industrial capacity to manufacture and deploy medical equipment.This…
Both Mairead McGuinness and Valdis Dombrovskis undergo hearings at the European Parliament today concerning their nomination to Commissioner positions. The appointments are pursuant to the resignation of Phil Hogan following his error in failing to respect national rules in Ireland on social distancing imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. President von der Leyen…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today mapped out in her first annual State of the Union Address to the European Parliament a path for the European Union to overcome the fragility laid bare by the coronavirus crisis and build a union of vitality. The President stressed that with NextGenerationEU, Europe has a once in a…
The European Commission granted €211.7 million from the EU solidarity fund to Italy following the extreme weather damages in late October and November 2019. This EU assistance will contribute to alleviate the extraordinary financial burden of the severe damages caused by floods and landslides, including the flooding in Venice. It will finance retroactively the restoration of…
The pandemic caused by the coronavirus crisis has forced countries to join forces to overcome the consequences. This is especially true for countries with small budgets which have already had financial problems. The EU has joined forces and extended a helping hand to non-member countries, including Ukraine. Financial assistance, though, is not only intended to…
The European Commission has launched an EU wide open public consultation on the new European consumer policy for the next period, the so-called ‘the New Consumer Agenda’. The public consultation will provide valuable insight for the setting up the New Consumer Agenda that the European Commission intends to adopt by the end of 2020. Didier Reynders,…
The European Commission has presented a proposal to the council for a decision to grant €5.9 billion in financial support to Portugal under the SURE instrument. This follows Monday’s proposals to the Council for decisions to grant financial support of €81.4 billion to 15 Member States under the SURE instrument. Including Portugal, the Commission is now proposing…
An innovative campaign that aims to highlight the work being done at the Belgian coast to promote sustainability and the local restaurant trade is about to be relaunched. Called “Sea of Flavours”, the initiative involves a group of restaurateurs, all based at the coast, who want to do their bit to ensure that fishing stocks…
