Cuardaigh

France's national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) is a subpart of 'France Relance', a larger recovery strategy France adopted in 2020, worth €100 billion in total (4.1 % of France's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019). The NRRP had an initial value of €40.9 billion (total costs), while the plan as amended in 2023 is worth €41.9 billion. Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), at the core of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument, France's RRF grant allocation decreased from €39.4 ...

Media literacy – the skills, knowledge and understanding that allow people to use media effectively and safely – is crucial for citizens to navigate the modern news environment and take informed decisions. Better media literacy is likely to increase the public's resilience to mis- and disinformation. The EU considers media literacy to be important for active involvement in today's information society. It has launched several initiatives to raise awareness among the Member States of the importance ...

Military drones have become a defining feature of modern warfare, as seen in Ukraine where they have caused more casualties than any other weapon. Their widespread use spans reconnaissance, strikes, logistics and naval operations, with both state and non-state players increasingly relying on unmanned systems. The European Union (EU) has prioritised drone development and countermeasures, funding and coordinating research and capability development through the European Defence Fund and Permanent Structured ...

The development of the Schengen area is one of the major achievements of European integration. The removal of checks on persons at the Schengen states' internal borders greatly facilitates the exercise of the EU freedoms of movement, which brings significant social and economic benefits. The Schengen area has come under increased stress in the past decade, owing to multiple challenges relating to increased migration into the EU, threats to internal security and the COVID 19 pandemic. In response ...

The second May plenary session in 2025 opened with Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia, addressing Parliament in a formal sitting. Following her call for European solidarity, Members then debated the EU's response to the Israeli government's plan to seize the Gaza Strip, the urgent need for humanitarian support and for all hostages to be freed. Members also debated the Hungarian government's drift to Russia-style repression, including threats to freedom of expression and democratic ...

Following a request from the European Council in June 2024, the European Commission and the High Representative are due to adopt a joint communication on the EU strategic approach to the Black Sea region on 28 May 2025. This new initiative aims to: • offer a political vision regarding the Black Sea, based on an overview of the challenging security situation in the region following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine; • re-confirm the EU's strategic interest in the Black Sea as well as its ...

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is at the core of Next Generation EU (NGEU), the EU's recovery instrument. NGEU was created to help its Member States address the socioeconomic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and tackle key EU challenges, including the green and digital transitions. RRF implementation has been ongoing since 2021, and just over a year is left until the deadline to meet its objectives in August 2026. EU Member States have so far received, on average, 47.8 % of the ...

Since April 2025, the United States (US) and Iran have been engaging in talks over a new nuclear deal. The current multilateral agreement limiting Iran's nuclear programme is considered defunct by most analysts, after the US withdrew in 2018 and Iran started breaching its provisions as of 2019.

This briefing examines the European Commission's plans to finance and implement greater defence expenditure in Europe. In particular, it analyses the SAFE mechanism, National Escape Clause implementation across Member States, fiscal implications assessed by the ECB, and proposals to repurpose cohesion funds for defence objectives. This is an update of a previous version.

The EU aims to become the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050. Since the announcement of the European Green Deal and following the adoption of the European Climate Law in 2021, the EU's climate agenda has been built even more around the principle of carbon pricing. The EU emissions trading system (ETS) is, today, the cornerstone of the EU's strategy to achieve this vision, complemented by a mix of industrial, energy and climate policies. Currently, the EU ETS covers stationary (power ...