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The Commission has launched the European Solar Academy, the first in a series of EU academies to be set up under the Net-Zero Industry Act. The Solar Academy will train 100,000 workers in the solar photovoltaic value chain over the next 3 years to address the labour and skills gap in the sector.

The European Investment Bank has approved €12.8 billion of new financing to upgrade sustainable transport, increase renewable energy use, build new student housing, improve earthquake and flood protection, and help business to expand in Europe.

The Commission has proposed an annual EU budget of almost €200 billion for 2025, reinforced by €72 billion raised under the post-COVID recovery plan, NextGenerationEU. It is meant to finance EU priorities and help tackle current and future challenges.

The EU has approved a law on nature restoration that will help put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The new law will reduce the impact of climate change and the effects of natural disasters.

A new EU law will help build a reliable, seamless, and high-quality transport network in Europe. Improvements will be made gradually until 2050. For example, Porto and Vigo will get a new high-speed connection, while the travel time by train between Copenhagen and Hamburg will be cut by almost half.

Out of 288 applications, three citizen science initiatives won for their achievements in: agricultural biodiversity and seed preservation; the use of digital technologies to develop personalised approaches for mental health problems; and for transformative knowledge that addresses marine pollution.

The Commission has presented a plan and is now leading the work to implement the rules agreed in the Pact on Migration and Asylum. EU countries will have to design national implementation plans and ensure the new rules will be put into practice by June 2026.

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, the EU signed agreements worth €1.4 billion with partner banks to attract investments in Ukraine from the private sector. It also agreed to further support measures for Ukraine to ensure the country can defend itself against Russia.

EU citizens cast their vote in the European elections on 6-9 June 2024. The European Parliament has published a projection for the composition of the new Parliament, based on final and provisional results in 26 countries and pre-electoral data for one.

Even though the EU has among the highest standards of food safety in the world, there is still much work to be done. The importance of ensuring that food stays safe at every stage of the food chain cannot be understated. That is why every year we commemorate World Food Safety Day on this day.

On 5 June, we celebrate World Environment Day. The EU has placed the environment at the forefront of its agenda with EU policies designed to protect the environment and biodiversity, safeguard human health, and promote the transition to a circular economy. Find out more.

The public opinion polling service for the EU, Eurobarometer, is celebrating its 50th birthday. Set up in 1974 by the European Commission, Eurobarometer has been polling Europeans on EU matters as well as attitudes on political and social issues for 50 years.

Apply by June 30 for the 2024 Lorenzo Natali Prize, the EU’s flagship journalism award. Submit your story on any of the following: climate, environment and energy, digital, gender equality, human development, migration, peace and governance, sustainable growth and jobs, and youth.

EU countries have today adopted the right-to-repair directive which promotes the repair of broken or defective goods. The new law will make it easier for consumers to seek repair instead of replacement and repair services will become more accessible, transparent and attractive.

The winners of the 2024 European Heritage Awards have been announced: some 26 heritage achievements from 18 countries, from Ireland to Croatia, were awarded Europe’s top honour in the field. The Public Choice Award winner will be announced at the awards ceremony in October in Bucharest.

To the delight of bathers around Europe, a new report rates the quality of 85.4% of bathing water sites in the EU as ‘excellent’, with only 1.5% rated as ‘poor’. The highest share of excellent bathing waters is found in Greece, Croatia, Cyprus and Austria.

The Council of the EU has approved a raft of new measures to strengthen Europe's net-zero technology manufacturing industry. This is the last step in the decision-making process on the so-called 'net-zero industry act', which will boost the industrial use of green technologies in the EU.

The EU has set up a new sanctions’ regime against those responsible for serious human rights violations and repression of democratic opposition in Russia. One entity and 19 persons are subject to an asset freeze under the new regime, which was prompted by the death of Alexei Navalny in February.

The EU has given the green light to use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s self-defence and reconstruction. The profits will be used both to provide further military support to Ukraine and support the country’s reconstruction needs with EU programmes.