April 7, 2020 The Council today adopted new rules which will make it easier for freight transport companies to provide information to authorities in digital form. Increased digitalisation of freight transport and logistics will bring significant cost savings for businesses, and make the transport sector more efficient and sustainable. A provisional agreement was reached between the presidency and the European Parliament on 26 November 2019. The agreed text was endorsed by member states’ ambassadors meeting in the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) on...

April 6, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world into a recession. For 2020 it will be worse than the global financial crisis. The economic damage is mounting across all countries, tracking the sharp rise in new infections and containment measures put in place by governments. China was the first country to experience the full force of the disease, with confirmed active cases at over 60,000 by mid-February. European countries such as Italy, Spain, and France are now in acute...

March 27, 2020 The EU and 15 other members of the WTO today decided on an arrangement that will allow them to bring appeals and solve trade disputes among them despite the current paralysis of the WTO Appellate Body. Given its strong and unwavering support for a rules-based trading system, the EU has been a leading force in the process to establish this contingency measure in the WTO. Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan said: “Today's agreement delivers on the political commitment taken at...

April 3, 2020 The Commission has today decided to approve requests from Member States and the UK to temporarily waive customs duties and VAT on the import of medical devices, and protective equipment, from third countries in order to help in the fight against coronavirus. This will make it easier financially to get the medical equipment that doctors, nurses and patients desperately need. The Commission has swiftly approved requests received from all Member States. This measure includes masks and protective equipment, as...

April 6, 2020 The European Commission has unlocked €1 billion from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) that will serve as a guarantee to the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank Group. This will allow the EIF to issue special guarantees to incentivise banks and other lenders to provide liquidity to at least 100,000 European SMEs and small mid-cap companies hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, for an estimated available financing of...

April 2, 2020 Highlights • Financing is guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and will help make the sector more resilient in light of Covid-19 • New financing targets investments by private cooperatives and companies in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector • The EIB programme loan will amount to €700 million and is expected to back close to €1.6 billion of investment across Europe The European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU bank, announced the launch of a new financing initiative that aims...

Saving lives and supporting livelihoods in these times of acute crisis is paramount. The Commission is further increasing its response by proposing to set up a €100 billion solidarity instrument to help workers keep their incomes and help businesses stay afloat, called SURE. It is also proposing to redirect all available structural funds to the response to the coronavirus. Farmers and fishermen will also receive support, as will the most deprived. All of these measures are based on the current...

April 2, 2020 Find out what the European Institutions are doing to mitigate the impact of the Covid19 outbreak, protect people and the economy and promote solidarity. 1. Slowing the spread of the virus To help limit the transmission of the virus in Europe and beyond, the EU has closed its external borders to non-essential travel, while ensuring essential goods keep moving across the EU through the introduction of green lanes. Additional resources are foreseen for the European Centre for Disease Prevention...