EU web links

A collection of links to web sites of the European Union institutions and other European business web sites.

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Corruption — 03 May 2023, 22:23 CET

Corruption, commonly referred to as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, is a multi-sector phenomenon, present both in the public and private sector, and in the political arena. While corruption can take the form of petty crime or complex high-level corruption, it can also hide behind favouritism and nepotism, conflicts of interest and revolving doors – where business meets politics.

State Aid Scoreboard — 24 April 2023, 22:56 CET

Under Article 6 of Commission Regulation (EC) 794/2004, the European Commission must publish, annually, a State aid synopsis ('State aid Scoreboard' or 'Scoreboard') based on the expenditure reports provided by Member States. The Scoreboard is the European Commission’s benchmarking instrument for State aid. It was launched in July 2001 to provide a transparent and publicly accessible source of information on the overall State aid situation in the Member States and on the Commission's State aid control activities.

Public Buyers Community Platform — 24 April 2023, 22:46 CET

The Public Buyers Community Platform forms part of the European Commission’s strategy to improve public procurement in the EU by bringing together public authorities and other stakeholders. Public procurers can find and join a community of practice that best fits their procurement interests and work in close collaboration with their fellow members to pool their resources, tools and expertise, and maximise their purchasing power and impact. The Public Buyers Community Platform is a DG GROW initiative dedicated to facilitating joint action in public purchasing across the EU. It is a space for European public procurers and the European Commission to meet and work together to actively advance public purchasing.

Have your Say Portal — 17 April 2023, 21:40 CET

On this Commission website, European citizens and businesses can share their views on new EU policies and existing laws.

European Regional Competitiveness Index — 28 March 2023, 16:06 CET

Since 2010, the EU Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) has been measuring the major factors of competitiveness for all the NUTS-2 level regions across the European Union. The Index measures, with a rich set of indicators, the ability of a region to offer an attractive environment for firms and residents to live and work.

Consumer scoreboard — 27 March 2023, 18:00 CET

The European Commission is providing new information to assess consumers' needs in the Single Market and their response to multiple crises. The consumer conditions scoreboard aims to monitor the consumer environment across the EU. Its main data source is the Consumer Conditions Survey. Where relevant, data from other sources give contextual information. It is produced every two years.

European Youth Portal - Information and opportunities for young people across Europe — 15 March 2023, 18:58 CET

The European Youth Portal offers European and country level information about opportunities and initiatives that are of interest to young people who are living, learning and working in Europe. The European Youth Portal addresses young people, but also other stakeholders working in the field of youth (youth organisations, youth workers, policy makers, etc.).

DiscoverEU travel pass — 15 March 2023, 18:57 CET

DiscoverEU is an action of the Erasmus+ programme that gives you the opportunity to discover Europe through learning experiences. Travelling predominantly by rail (there are exceptions to allow those living on islands or in remote areas), you will discover Europe's stunning landscapes and its variety of cities and towns. You can apply during the two application rounds which take place each year. Successful applicants are awarded with a travel pass.

Safety Gate: the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products — 13 March 2023, 23:39 CET

The Safety Gate system enables that information on measures taken against non-food dangerous products is circulated quickly among the national authorities responsible for product safety in the Single Market countries.

Unitary patent system — 20 February 2023, 23:53 CET

The European Commission actively promotes the implementation of the European patent with unitary effect (the 'unitary patent') and the establishment of a new patent court. The unitary patent is a legal title that will provide uniform protection across all participating countries on a one-stop-shop basis, providing huge cost advantages and reducing administrative burdens. The Unified Patent Court offers a single, specialised patent jurisdiction.

Discover the Code of Practice on Disinformation — 09 February 2023, 21:41 CET

Find out what online platforms, civil society, fact-checkers, ad tech players, and many others do to combat disinformation and misinformation online. Our mission is to counter the threat of disinformation and misinformation and in response to the European Democracy Action Plan and the European Commission's Guidance, we jointly wrote and signed a new Code of Practice on Disinformation in June 2022. Through this Transparency Centre you can find all information on the Code and each of our actions to implement it.

European Cancer Inequalities Registry — 01 February 2023, 18:31 CET

The European Cancer Inequalities Registry is a flagship initiative of Europe's 'Beating Cancer Plan'. It provides sound and reliable data on cancer prevention and care to identify trends, disparities and inequalities between Member States and regions.

EU Pollinator Information Hive — 24 January 2023, 16:22 CET

Information on the conservation of wild pollinator species in the EU. All around Europe people are making efforts to address the dramatic decline of pollinators. We all need to work together to tackle the challenge effectively. This platform aims to facilitate information sharing - on the problem and what is being done across the EU to solve it - and collaboration between stakeholders. Whether you are a citizen, scientist, civil society activist, farmer, forester, beekeeper, business, or a representative of public authorities, this site will help you to find useful information and contacts.

Pollinator Park — 24 January 2023, 16:20 CET

EU award-winning virtual reality tool Pollinator Park shows what our world would like if we lost insect pollinators. Pollinator Park is an entertaining and educational VR-experience intended to raise awareness about the alarming decline of pollinators and mobilise global action to address it.

Croatia and the euro — 16 January 2023, 23:35 CET

Croatia joined the European Union in 2013 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2023.

SURE - the European instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency — 14 December 2022, 23:46 CET

The temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) is available for EU Member States that need to mobilise significant financial means to fight the negative economic and social consequences of the coronavirus outbreak on their territory. It can provide financial assistance up to €100 billion in the form of loans from the EU to affected Member States to address sudden increases in public expenditure for the preservation of employment. SURE is a crucial element of the EU's comprehensive strategy to protect citizens and mitigate the severely negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Equality bodies - Bodies for the promotion of equal treatment and non-discrimination — 07 December 2022, 23:08 CET

Equality bodies promote equal treatment by providing independent assistance to victims of discrimination, conducting independent surveys, publishing independent reports and making recommendations on matters relating to discrimination.

5G in the EU — 24 November 2022, 23:42 CET

5G is the critical new generation network technology that will enable innovation and support the EU's digital transformation. 5G provides virtually universal, ultra-high bandwidth, and low latency 'connectivity' not only to individual users but also to connected objects. It is expected to serve a wide range of applications and sectors including professional uses. For example, connected automated mobility, eHealth, energy management, possibly safety applications, and more. 5G will also be a key enabler of artificial intelligence systems, as it will provide real-time data collection and analysis. At the same time, it will bring the cloud to a new dimension by enabling the distribution of computing and storage, such as edge cloud, and mobile edge computing, throughout the infrastructure.

Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) - Deepen defence cooperation between EU Member States — 15 November 2022, 22:36 CET

The establishment of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) by the Council in December 2017 has raised cooperation on defence among the participating EU Member States to a new level. The European External Action Service (EEAS), including the EU Military Staff (EUMS), and the European Defence Agency (EDA) jointly act as the PESCO Secretariat, providing a single point of contact within the Union’s framework for all PESCO matters.

Pact for Skills — 10 November 2022, 18:08 CET

The Pact for Skills is one of the flagship actions of the European Skills Agenda. The Pact aims to support public and private organisations with upskilling and reskilling, so they can thrive through the green and digital transitions. Members of the Pact have access to knowledge on upskilling and reskilling needs, advice on relevant funding instruments to boost the skills of adults in their regions and countries, and partnership opportunities within our growing community.

Funding & tender opportunities — 03 November 2022, 22:15 CET

This portal is the European Commission's entry gate for grant funding and procurement. You can: Find calls for proposals or tenders in your area of interest - How to participate in a call for proposals or tenders - Select the programme - Participant register - Partner search - Find information on funded projects and their results - Indicate your interest as an expert in supporting the Commission in evaluating proposals and monitoring projects - Find help and guidance

Trafficking in firearms — 27 October 2022, 18:33 CET

Firearms are the lifeblood of organised crime in Europe, as elsewhere in the world. They facilitate the trade in illegal drugs and trafficking in human beings. The supply of stolen, smuggled and converted replica guns fuels urban gang conflict. Firearms are typically used by all organised crime groups to intimidate and coerce their victims. The life cycle of a weapon begins with its manufacture. It is then traded and used, most of the time responsibly and for legitimate purposes such as hunting and sports shooting. At the end of its life it may be deactivated or completely destroyed. Criminals acquire firearms by exploiting vulnerabilities in this life cycle. They forge documents to enable false transactions, or they convert deactivated or gas and alarm weapons into operational. The EU is uniquely placed to help disrupt criminal markets through its laws enabling common EU standards, through funding streams, through police and customs cooperation and engagement with third countries and international organisations.

Connecting Europe Facility - CEF Digital — 12 October 2022, 23:29 CET

The digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital) will support and catalyse both public and private investments in digital connectivity infrastructures between 2021 and 2027.

Digital services package — 15 September 2022, 22:20 CET

The digital services package is the EU response to the need to regulate the digital space. It defines measures to protect online users while supporting innovation.

The European Newsroom of press agencies — 07 September 2022, 22:36 CET

18 news agencies are joining forces and collaborating in a common 'European Newsroom', a space for correspondents to work and train together in Brussels with a view to producing and disseminating news on EU affairs. Next to their regular reporting, agencies' correspondents jointly produce news digests twice a week, feeding one another's news wires and dissemination channels, and therefore offering a pan-European perspective on EU affairs to audiences across the continent. They have set up a physical news production hub in Brussels from which they also provide training to participating agencies (on cybersecurity, fact-checking and multimedia), as well as additional side services (agenda of events, common space for joint interviews, accreditation service, etc.).