There were 9.4 million beehives on EU farms in 2023, according to Eurostat, with the number of beehives increasing by 1.3 million (+16%), from 8.1 million in 2020.
The European Commission is carrying out unannounced antitrust inspections in two Member States at the premises of a company active in the chocolate confectionery sector.
The EU exported €366.2 billion worth of medicinal and pharmaceutical products in 2025, importing €145.7 billion, according to Eurostat, resulting in a record trade surplus of €220.5 billion.
EU Council and Parliament negotiators have reached a political agreement on new measures to counter the negative effects of the global steel surplus including lower import quotas and increased custom duties.
As of 10 April, the EU’s new border management system is officially fully operational at all external border crossing points of the EU, except for Cyprus and Ireland.
The EU exported €199.6 billion worth of goods to China in 2025, while it imported €559.4 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of €359.8 billion, according to figures from Eurostat.
Employment in the EU environmental economy increased from 3.6 million full-time equivalents in 2014 to 5.8 million in 2023 (+2.2 million), an average annual growth of 5.5%, according to Eurostat.
