European Union

The money was reportedly paid to the NGOs in 2023, one year after contracts between the Commission and the NGOs were signed.

The leaders will debate Arctic security during the visit together with the premier of the semi-autonomous Danish territory, Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Written by Ivana Katsarova.

World Health Organization data reveal that unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. In the EU, national authorities are responsible for conducting official controls along the agri-food chain, while the European Commission oversees the implementation and enforcement of EU legislation on food and feed safety.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘World Food Safety Day: Prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Banning children from social media is a simplistic and ineffective approach to tackle the increasing harms they face online. Instead, governments should hold the companies that create these platforms accountable.

Scandals are piling up for Sánchez, but the opposition is split: the Popular Party calls for protests while Vox pushes a likely doomed no-confidence vote.

Austria's 'road to serfdom' should should serve as a warning to the rest of the continent.

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 8-17 June 2025

The press briefing ahead of the Justice and Home Affairs Council will take place on Tuesday, 10 June 2025 at 09.00

Brussels started the week smarting after the Polish presidential elections. On Tuesday Geert Wilders torpedoed the Dutch government. Meanwhile France is doing battle with Big Porn. Here are highlights from a lively week.

The case dates back to 2021, when funding for a regional university was awarded by a member of its own board of trustees. 

Use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) exploded after Pornhub and two other major porn platforms blocked French users but the law is the law, says Clara Chappaz.

"The current EU regulation is not enough", acknowledged the Danish minister.

Her response comes after a request from the Parliament’s anti-corruption group, urging the Commission to fast-track the EU's transparency register review.

Written by Maria Niestadt.

The EU launched digital partnerships with several Asian countries and Canada in 2022 and 2023, to promote human-centric, responsible, sustainable and inclusive technology governance. These partnerships help the EU to address vulnerabilities like foreign technology dependence and cybersecurity threats, aligning with its Indo-Pacific cooperation strategy. The EU and the partner countries usually meet once a year at ministerial level to discuss topics of mutual interest.

Context

The EU’s digital partnerships with like-minded countries across the globe establish a comprehensive framework for bilateral cooperation on digital issues. They are one of the responses to the EU’s dependence on foreign technologies, and growing tensions with certain countries. By collaborating with technologically advanced countries, the EU can reduce its dependence on any single country for critical technologies. The partnerships enable the EU to promote a vision of digital transformation that protects fundamental rights like privacy, accountability, transparency and inclusivity. They also support progress in areas such as AI and quantum technologies, enhancing both sides’ competitive position. Besides Asian countries and Canada, the EU has collaborated with other countries, some of them not necessarily like-minded. These other forms of cooperation differ in name, scope and structure from digital partnerships. For example, with the United States and India, the EU has cooperated through the Trade and Technology Council, a broader and more prominent form of cooperation. The cooperation with China has been more ad hoc, through a ‘digital dialogue’, with signed action plans on areas like online product safety.

Digital partnership with Japan

The EU signed its first digital partnership with Japan in May 2022. Annual meetings at the Digital Partnership Council track progress and set further cooperation goals. In July 2023, the parties signed a memorandum of cooperation on submarine cables. The latter seeks, for example, to develop submarine cable connectivity via the Arctic. The EU also signed with Japan – a leading semiconductor manufacturing country – a memorandum of cooperation on semiconductors, fostering skills development and supply chain resilience. The EU and Japan collaborate on AI, HPC, quantum computing, cybersecurity and 5G, with reciprocal access to supercomputers. As mentioned during the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) meeting on 8 April 2025, the EU and Japan are negotiating an association agreement to associate Japan to Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation funding programme. In April 2024, the EU and Japan signed a memorandum of cooperation on digital identities and trust services, aiming to pave the way for mutual recognition. During the latest Digital Partnership Council meeting in May 2025, the EU and Japan announced the ‘6G MIRAI-HARMONY’ joint research project, which uses advanced machine intelligence to enhance the network components that manage how devices connect to mobile internet services. The parties also recalled that, in July 2024, the EU-Japan agreement on data flows entered into force.

Digital partnership with the Republic of Korea

In November 2022, shortly after the EU signed its digital partnership with Japan, the EU launched the digital partnership with the Republic of Korea, another major semiconductor manufacturing country. The first Digital Partnership Council with Korea took place in June 2023, with the parties agreeing to cooperate in areas such as semiconductors, HPC, quantum technology, 5G and beyond, the platform economy, AI and cybersecurity. During the second Digital Partnership Council in March 2024, they added new areas of cooperation such as network connectivity, and concluded negotiations on associating Korea to Horizon Europe. The parties agreed to collaborate on research and innovation in the field of semiconductors and quantum technologies and, in July 2024, announced their joint support for four research projects in semiconductors. Each year, the EU and Korea organise a South-Korea-EU Semiconductor Researchers Forum; they have also decided to facilitate researchers’ access to each other’s HPC infrastructure.

In March 2025, the EU and the Republic of Korea concluded negotiations on a digital trade agreement. The agreement coordinates their approaches to privacy, data flows and digital trade; it still needs to be signed to enter into force. The sides committed not to adopt or maintain measures that prohibit or restrict cross-border transfer of data. An example of such a measure could be a requirement to store or process data within its borders or making cross-border transfer of data contingent upon using the country’s own computer systems or networks. The EU and Korea also encourage the use of electronic documents and signatures, recognising their legal effect and validity. Consumers will benefit from the requirement to limit unsolicited commercial electronic messages.

Digital partnership with Singapore

In February 2023, the EU signed the digital partnership and non-binding digital trade principles with Singapore. The parties agreed to cooperate in areas such as AI, 5G and beyond, digital connectivity, semiconductors, trusted data flows, cybersecurity, online platforms, digital identity, digital trade, and digital skills. They committed to provide online safety for consumers and ensure that they would not receive commercial electronic messages without the ability to consent to such messaging. They also committed to paperless trading and allowing electronic signatures and authentication documentation to have equivalent legal force to paper-based documents. Similarly to other digital partnerships, the EU and Singapore meet annually in a Digital Partnership Council.

In July 2024, the EU and Singapore concluded negotiations on a digital trade agreement, the first EU agreement of its kind, complementing the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement of 2019 and digital trade principles of 2023. The EU and Singapore signed the agreement in May 2025, but it still needs to be ratified by both parties. The digital trade agreement facilitates cross-border data flows by prohibiting unjustified data localisation requirements, similar to the digital trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. The agreement also permanently bans customs duties on electronic transmissions between the parties and protects consumers against unfair marketing practices and direct marketing communications (spam).

Digital partnership with Canada

The EU’s digital partnership with Canada was launched in November 2023 and focuses on areas such as AI, connectivity, digital identity, semiconductors, online platforms, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and digital skills. Both sides share an inclusive, human-centric vision of the digital economy and society, that respects democratic values and fundamental rights, and face similar challenges such as a digital skills gap. The EU and Canada meet annually at ministerial level in the Digital Partnership Council. The parties have collaborated to harmonise their regulatory approaches to AI and Canada participated in the development of the EU’s AI code of practice. They have also both signed the Council of Europe’s framework convention on AI and human rights, democracy and the rule of law. More recently, the EU and Canada have cooperated to secure undersea cables, by endorsing, in September 2024, the New York joint statement on the security and resilience of undersea cables in a globally digitalised world. On 25 February 2025, the EU and Canada held a joint workshop on digital credentials, identity and trust services. The parties explored their systems’ interoperability, with Canada creating platforms for single sign-on to government services, and the EU using eIDAS for secure digital identification and authentication across Member States. 

Stakeholders’ views

In general, EU business organisations have welcomed digital partnerships, in particular digital trade agreements. For example, the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea welcomed the conclusion of EU-Korea digital trade agreement negotiations. The chamber of commerce appreciates that the agreement provides legal certainty for businesses, and helps to increase consumer trust. Digital and consumer rights organisations, such as BEUC and EDRi, are concerned at how digital trade agreements impact the privacy and rights of workers and consumers. The European Data Protection Supervisor has suggested amending the digital trade agreement with Singapore to clarify that each party can adopt and uphold the safeguards it considers necessary to protect personal data and privacy.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘The EU’s digital partnerships‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

On 13 and 14 June in Strasbourg, around 8,500 16 to 30-year-olds from all over the world will take part in a series of activities centred on the future of Europe.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On 13 and 14 June in Strasbourg, around 8,500 16 to 30-year-olds from all over the world will take part in a series of activities centred on the future of Europe.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Committee and political group meetings

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Schoof will continue to lead a caretaker government until a new coalition is formed following the October vote.

Ireland's government and pharmaceutical sector have broadly welcomed the European Council's 'pharma package' agreement, but opposition remains in Dublin over potential delays to affordable drugs.

The Nato defence ministers agreed on new capability targets on Thursday. While the details remain confidential, it's clear that there will be a significant rearmament effort. After the meeting US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said that a deal in which Nato members spend the five percent of GDP on defence that Washington has demanded instead of just two percent was within reach.