EU Stands With Ukraine

Stand With Ukraine

President von der Leyen has issued the following statement on EU financial support for Ukraine “Last Friday, I spoke with President Zelensky to assess the situation in Ukraine created by Russia’s aggressive actions. We discussed how the EU could continue to support Ukraine both in the immediate and medium term. As ever, the EU stands…

Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

NextGenerationEU

The European Commission has disbursed €271 million to Finland in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country’s financial allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The pre-financing payment will help kick-start the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Finland’s recovery and resilience plan. The Commission will authorise further disbursements based…

EU Authorises New Vaccine Nuvaxovid

Stella Kyriakides

The European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID‑19 vaccine Nuvaxovid, developed by Novavax, the fifth COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU. This authorisation follows a positive scientific recommendation based on a thorough assessment of the safety, effectiveness and quality of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is…

International Treaty Needed to Prevent Pandemics

von der leyen

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed this morning the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), which gathers between 29 November and 1 December for its second-ever special session. The President welcomed the Assembly’s decision to start negotiations towards an international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.  Following the emergence of the Omicron…

EU-US Deal on Global Steel and Aluminium

Steel Trade

European Commission President von der Leyen and United States President Biden have agreed to start discussions on a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium. This marks a new milestone in the transatlantic relationship, and in EU-US efforts to achieve the decarbonisation of the global steel and aluminium industries in the fight against climate change….

EU Calls for Radical Change at COP26

Climate change

Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen have addressed the UN climate summit in Glasgow and called for ‘radical change’. Both the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, spoke on behalf of the European Union on the second day of the COP26 talks. Ursula von der Leyen said countries…

EU Priority to Protect Rights of Citizens of Poland

von der lLeyen and Poland

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has expressed “concern” at the latest situation in Poland. On Friday, she issued a statement which read, “I am deeply concerned by yesterday’s ruling of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. I have instructed the Commission’s services to analyse it thoroughly and swiftly. On this basis, we will decide on next steps. …

New EU Strategy to Combat Anti-Semitism

Campaign against anti-Semitism

The European Commission has presented the first-ever strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. With antisemitism worryingly on the rise, in Europe and beyond, the Strategy sets out a series of measures articulated around three pillars: to prevent all forms of antisemitism; to protect and foster Jewish life; and to promote research, education and…

Colombia and EU open new chapter to strengthen bilateral relations

EU Colombia

The EU and Colombia have agreed on a “Memorandum of Understanding on an Agenda of enhanced political and sectoral dialogue and cooperation for the next decade”. It was signed on Wednesday by High Representative Josep Borrell and the Vice-President and Foreign Minister of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez in New York, in the presence of the…