The European Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Portugal’s payment request for €1.16 billion, of which €553.44 million of grants and €609 million of loans under the RRF, the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU. On 25 January, Portugal announced reforms in the areas of health, social housing, social services, investment and innovation,…
The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has disbursed €600 million in macro-financial assistance (MFA) to Ukraine. This is the second and final tranche under Ukraine’s current MFA programme following the first €600 million disbursement in December 2020. With this disbursement, the outstanding amount of loans to Ukraine under its multiple MFA programmes reaches…
The European Commission has disbursed €237 million to Latvia in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country’s financial contribution as established in the Council Implementing Decision. The pre-financing payment will help to kick-start the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Latvia’s recovery and resilience plan. The Commission will authorise further disbursements…
The European Commission and euro area Member States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Croatia outlining the practical steps that will allow the country to begin producing euro coins when it receives the go ahead to join the euro area. This represents an important milestone in Croatia’s efforts to join the euro area….
The European Commission has adopted a positive assessment of Czechia’s recovery and resilience plan. This is an important step towards the EU disbursing €7 billion in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This financing will support the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Czechia’s recovery and resilience plan. It…
Global revulsion at the continued persecution of China’s Uyghur minority, a Turkic Muslim people in the NorthWest of the country, is growing amid calls for the situation to be declared a “Genocide”. The Netherlands recently became the first EU member state to pass a resolution to this effect, and Belgium appears to be following the…
The EU and the U.S. have agreed to suspend all retaliatory tariffs on EU and U.S. exports imposed in the Airbus and Boeing disputes for a four-month period. The suspension allows both sides to focus on resolving this long-running dispute. It provides an important boost to EU exporters, since the U.S. had been authorised to…
The coronavirus pandemic represents a very large shock for the global and EU economies, with very severe economic and social consequences. Economic activity in Europe suffered a severe shock in the first half of the year and rebounded strongly in the third quarter as containment measures were gradually lifted. However, the resurgence of the pandemic…
Mr Dombrovskis announced “the launch of a WTO trade and climate initiative, focusing on green goods”, acknowledging that “today, trade is about much more than just trade”. He intends to reshape the EU’s future trade policy to make it more sustainable, including in the Mercosur trade deal where the EU must “find lasting solutions for the Amazon…
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…
