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A new strategy to combat trafficking in human beings will focus on 6 priorities: better use of technology to detect trafficking, working more closely with businesses, stepping up action against organised crime, addressing migration risks, improving crisis preparedness, and supporting people at risk.

If you’re committed to informing and inspiring climate action in your community, now is your chance to become a European Climate Pact Ambassador. All you need to demonstrate is that you’re ready to motivate others to take climate action and be a changemaker. Apply by 31 October 2026.

The European Commission has awarded the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026 to 13 laureates from several EU countries, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Japan and Brazil. NEB prizes reward outstanding projects, concepts and ideas that combine sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics.

Pink October is breast cancer awareness month. This year we had a chat with the Executive Director of the largest European breast cancer patient advocacy organisation. Find out what she said and learn more about what the EU is doing to support breast cancer prevention and care.

Yoana Kaloyanova (Bulgaria), Žan Tone Urbanija (Slovenia), and Marie Hartmann (Germany) have won the 2026 Megalizzi–Niedzielski prize for aspiring journalists. The prize honours the legacy of Antonio Megalizzi and Bartek Orent-Niedzielski, both killed in the 2018 terror attacks in Strasbourg.

Six outstanding EU-funded projects, and the people behind them, have won prizes at the EU’s 2026 REGIOSTARS Awards. The awards recognise excellence in projects investing in regions, cities and communities. Winners included a battery recycling project in Germany and an AI holopresence in Slovakia.

According to a new EU analysis, the share of firms using AI in the EU’s 10 strategic sectors grew from 7% in 2021 to 18% in 2025. Media, energy and electronic sectors lead in AI adoption, while mobility, tourism and agri-food lag behind. This uneven growth is driven mainly by general-purpose AI.

This week will see nearly 11.000 events take place across Europe and countries associated to the EU’s Erasmus+ programme during the 10th edition of the annual Erasmus Days. The 2026 theme ‘Learning and growing: skills for tomorrow' highlights the important role of Erasmus+ in skills development.

The new €115 million AGILE programme will provide rapid, agile and targeted financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises – including start-ups and scale-ups – to develop emerging and disruptive defence products. It complements the EU's existing toolbox of defence industrial instruments.

World Mental Health Day on October 10 serves as a reminder that good mental health is important and how we can prioritise it in our lives. At EU level, mental health is already a health priority. Find out more about what the EU is doing to ensure your mental wellbeing.

Some 46 new strategic projects across the EU are set to bolster the EU’s supply of critical raw materials. They will help ensure that by 2030 EU capacity meets at least 10% of the EU’s annual consumption for extraction; 40% for processing and 25% for recycling of critical raw materials.

New rules will protect workers from exposure to harmful chemicals by setting new limit values for chemicals used in the battery, steel, chemical and textile industries. They also make clearer provisions for personal protective equipment. The measures should prevent around 1,700 lung cancer cases.

The Commission has adopted new measures on pre-enlargement policy reviews. The measures aim to ensure that the EU's governance, policies, and budget are ready for enlargement, while strengthening the protection of EU values and the rule of law.

Provide your feedback by 26 November on the European Commission’s proposed EU Kids Act that aims to enhance the online safety of children across the EU. The Commission is seeking input from children, parents, guardians, teachers and educators, and online platforms covered by the proposal.

New rules aim to make returns more effective for people with no right to stay in the EU, introducing a European return order and opening the possibility of return hubs outside the EU. They complement the EU’s existing pact on migration and asylum and will aid its implementation.

More than 700 additional researchers will be able to build their careers in Europe thanks to a boost of over €210 million to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – one of Europe's flagship programmes for research careers. The 2026 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships received a record 21,627 applications.

The EU is offering DiscoverEU travel passes to 18-year-olds to explore Europe by train. Applications are open until 15 October 2026 at midday Brussels time. You can travel anytime between 1 March 2027 and 31 May 2028 for up to 7 days within a one-month period.

The Commission is gathering feedback on challenges and options for potential future measures to support the effective copyright protection amid market and technology developments. Among other issues, the targeted consultation focuses on the use of copyright-protected content in AI.

The Commission has proposed a 5-point plan to prevent, anticipate and respond to sudden, mass illegal arrivals. Despite a resilient framework in place to manage migration, recent events have put the EU’s borders to the test. The plan will further strengthen the security of EU external borders.

New rules will increase patients’ access to medicine and make the EU’s pharmaceutical sector fairer and more competitive. The reform will allow fair access to affordable medicines and cut regulatory burdens on the pharmaceutical industry and strengthen security of supply to prevent shortages.