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Portugal is set to receive €21.9 billion in grants and loans from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the EU response to the crisis triggered by the COVID 19 pandemic. This amount corresponds to 2.9 % of the entire RRF, or 10.2 % of Portugal's 2019 gross domestic product (GDP), and includes RRF grants (€15.5 billion), RRF loans (€5.6 billion), REPowerEU grants (€0.7 billion) and Portugal's share (€0.1 billion) from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. This is the result of the latest revision of ...

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has laid bare the challenges facing the EU's defence industry as it tries to meet increased demand and ramp up production in the wake of a fundamentally changed security environment in Europe. The EU's defence industry comprises a number of large multinational companies, mid-caps and a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises. It faces a multitude of challenges, such as decades of under-investment, fragmentation, insufficient critical raw material ...

In response to Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, which started in February 2022, the European Union (EU) and its Member States have provided unprecedented financial, military and humanitarian support to Ukraine. According to European Commission figures, Team Europe, consisting of the EU and its Member States, has made available around €193.5 billion in support to Ukraine. This support encompasses macro-financial assistance, financial support through the Ukraine Facility, humanitarian ...

Minors — under the age of 18 — may migrate in many different ways, through family reunification, moving in the hope of finding a better life, or through forced and traumatic migration caused by conflict, poverty or climate change. Overall, the number of minors in migration has been rising globally since the turn of the century. In 2020, there were an estimated 35.5 million international migrant minors globally, the largest number ever recorded. This is equivalent to around 1 in 66 minors worldwide ...

Towns and cities are home to nearly three quarters of the EU's population. Many EU cities and urban areas are vibrant spaces of economic growth and innovation. However, they also face complex challenges, such as tackling inequalities, addressing housing and demographic issues, building inclusive societies and responding to climate change and environmental degradation. Cities are at the forefront of implementing EU legislation in several policy areas, including cohesion, and have been demanding both ...

The Strategic Compass, adopted by the 27 EU Member States in March 2022 – only weeks after the onset of Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine – emphasised the need for robust partnerships in order for the EU to be able to achieve its objectives in the area of security and defence. Alongside 'acting' (operations), 'securing' (resilience) and 'investing', 'partnering' is one of the four main pillars of the Compass. The document itself outlines specific targets and deadlines ...

This European implementation assessment supports the European Parliament's implementation report on the EU Youth Strategy (EUYS) 2019-2027 prepared by the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). Part I of this study examines recent European Commission developments on the EUYS, Parliament's oversight of the EUYS, and the results of consultations. Part II of the study examines EUYS implementation at the EU level and in six selected Member States, drawing on the most recent ...

In the context of a severe crisis in transatlantic relations linked to United States (US) President Donald Trump's designs on Greenland, the European Council President, António Costa, convened an informal dinner meeting with EU leaders on 22 January 2026. The EU's determined and united response to the US threats contributed to their de-escalation. As the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, put it, the application of four key principles – 'firmness, outreach, preparedness and ...

This briefing examines whether the Commission’s 16 July 2025 MFF package can credibly support social mainstreaming in the EU budget and a results-oriented approach aligned with the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). It benchmarks the proposal against recent BUDG and CONT studies and briefings and flags gaps relevant for parliamentary oversight and legislative scrutiny. It argues that the proposed tracking logic conflates tagged spending and narrow delivery metrics with “results on the ground ...

The circular economy aims to break away from the traditional linear 'take make use dispose' model by keeping resources in circulation for as long as possible. Its goal is twofold: to lower environmental pressures and increase economic resilience by reducing reliance on virgin materials and unstable global supply chains. Against this backdrop, the planned circular economy act (CEA) must address several structural challenges currently at the centre of the EU policy debate.