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The Commission has proposed rules to make producers responsible for the full lifecycle of textile products and to support the sustainable management of textile waste across the EU. This initiative will accelerate the development of the separate collection, sorting, reuse and recycling of textiles.

The Commission published its fourth annual Rule of Law Report, which looks at the situation in each Member State, as well as the EU as a whole. It notes that around two-thirds of the 2022 recommendations have been, fully or partially, addressed, but systemic concerns remain in some Member States.

The Commission adopted a package of measures for a sustainable use of key natural resources, which will also strengthen resilience of European food systems and farming. It includes a new soil law, a regulation on plants produced by genome techniques, and measures to reduce food and textile waste.

The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine has started its operations in The Hague, hosted by the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust). The Centre will be key to investigate Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The College of Commissioners of the European Commission met in Madrid today to mark the start of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, also held a meeting with the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Eurojust and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court have won the 2023 European Ombudsman Award for Good Administration for helping civil society to document war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Commission and the High Representative adopted a Joint Communication laying out how the EU will address the growing impact of climate change and environmental degradation in the fields of peace, security, and defence.

The European Commission has today put forward two proposals as part of the Single Currency Package. The first ensures that citizens and businesses can continue to use cash across the euro area. The second seeks to establish a framework for a possible new digital form of the euro.

Parliament’s Environment Committee wants to improve air quality in the EU to create a cleaner and healthier environment. Members of the European Parliament voted in favour of setting a stricter 2030 limit for several pollutants to ensure that air quality is not harmful to human health.

Following discussions with the European Commission and national consumer authorities, three major online travel agencies - Edreams ODIGEO, Etraveli Group and Kiwi.com – have committed to refund passengers, if their flight is cancelled, within 14 days.

Environment Committee Members of the European Parliament have adopted their position on protecting groundwater and surface waters from pollution and improving water quality standards. The proposed new law would see the establishment of a watch list of substances of emerging concern.

The Council of the EU is increasing the financial ceiling of the European Peace Facility to ensure the European Peace Facility's long term sustainability, preserve its global geographical scope and the EU's ability to prevent and respond to crises and conflicts.

The EU has confirmed its commitment to strengthen its partnership with Somalia and willingness to deepen strategic cooperation. As the Council approved conclusions on the partnership, it commended the Federal Government of Somalia for its efforts to build peace and stability in the country.

The Commission proposes to mobilise €430 million of additional EU funding, for EU farmers impacted by adverse climatic events, high input costs, and diverse market and trade related issues. Further measures, including higher advance payments of CAP funds are also being proposed.

The EU has adopted an 11th package of economic and individual sanctions to strengthen existing sanctions and crack down on their growing circumvention. This latest package of sanctions will further hinder the Kremlin’s ability to finance and conduct its war of aggression against Ukraine.

Last year, the euro remained the second most important currency globally. According to the ECB, the euro’s share across various indicators of international currency use averaged close to 20% despite the onset of Russia’s war in Ukraine and heightened geopolitical risks.

In the context of increased geopolitical tensions and accelerated technological shifts, the European Commission and the High Representative today published a Joint Communication on a European Economic Security Strategy.

The Commission has proposed to reinforce its long-term budget to help the EU tackle recent unexpected challenges. The budget revision proposes an increase in spending to provide stable financial support to Ukraine, to finance action on migration, and to support investments in strategic industries.

Environment ministers have agreed on a proposal for a nature restoration law. It contains recovery measures that will cover at least 20% of the EU’s land and 20% sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. This now needs to be negotiated with the European Parliament.