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The EU is releasing €140 million of basic needs and livelihoods assistance to support education, health, agriculture and women's economic empowerment in Afghanistan. The funds will go towards providing livelihood solutions to women, girls and other vulnerable groups, in particular.

In a new scientific report, the European Food Safety Authority has recommended avoiding the permanent use of boxes, cages and crates in commercial breeding establishments. This is to support legislative measures to improve the welfare of cats and dogs kept for sport, hunting and companion purposes.

The EIB and the UN signed an agreement that enables the EIB to finance EU-UN joint initiatives on climate action.

The European Commission today proposed to extend the temporary protection for people fleeing Russia's aggression against Ukraine from 4 March 2024 to 3 March 2025. This will provide certainty and support for more than 4 million persons enjoying protection across the EU.

While inflation has been trending lower, it continues to persist at elevated levels. The ECB's primary aim is to bring it back to the 2% target. To achieve this, the decision was made to increase three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points.

The Council has extended sanctions against those undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity for another six months until March 15, 2024.

The EU activates Civil Protection Mechanism for Libya's flood crisis, with member states providing aid, €500,000 in funding, and a focus on health and water support in response to extensive casualties and infrastructure damage caused by heavy storms and dam collapses in Derna.

Over one in ten workers in the EU is employed in the health and social care sector. EU-OSHA published a Discussion Paper highlighting psychosocial risks and their prevalence. It discusses effective interventions to prevent, reduce and manage psychosocial risks in health and social care workplaces.

The EU economy continues to show strong resilience it has endured in recent years, but it has lost momentum. Economic activity in the EU was very subdued in the first half of 2023. Survey indicators point to slowing economic activity in the summer and months ahead.

The EU is providing over €352 million in funding to 26 sustainable transport infrastructure projects. The investment will result in around 12,000 charging points, 18 hydrogen refuelling stations, and the electrification of ports and airports, including Rotterdam port and 37 Spanish airports.

Today's Flash Eurobarometer reveals strong European backing for measures safeguarding consumers, companies, and promoting energy security and the green transition. It also confirms EU citizens' consensus on boosting clean tech and actions regarding Russia's Ukraine invasion.

The European Commission and the United Kingdom have today reached a political agreement on the UK's participation in Horizon Europe, the EU's research, and innovation programme, and Copernicus, the EU's world-leading Earth observation programme.

Today, the Commission has proposed concrete steps to further digitalise the coordination of social security systems in Europe, in a dedicated Communication. It lays out actions to make access to social security services quicker and simpler across borders by making full use of digital tools.

The return of the wolf to EU regions is increasingly leading to conflicts with local farming and hunting communities. The Commission is launching today a new phase in its work on addressing these challenges and inviting local authorities to submit up-to-date data on wolf population and their impact.

1 September marks the start of the European Heritage Days with tens of thousands of events taking place in 48 countries. Under the theme ‘Living Heritage’, citizens can learn about Europe's rich and diverse culture and promote the protection of our shared heritage for present and future generations.

The European Medicine Agency's human medicines committee has recommended authorising an adapted vaccine targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant. Vaccines are adapted to better match circulating variants and this one will be used for adults and children from 6 months of age.

To tackle the devastating wildfires in Greece, the European Commission has mobilised 11 firefighting planes and 1 helicopter from the rescEU reserve, making this its largest aerial operation to date. Hundreds of firefighters from 7 European countries are also helping fight the blazes.

A new law to ensure that batteries are collected, reused and recycled in Europe has entered into force. The new Batteries Regulation will ensure that, in the future, batteries have a low carbon footprint, and use less harmful substances and less raw materials from non-EU countries.

The Commission has registered a European Citizens’ Initiative aimed at preserving Ukrainian culture and heritage, and supporting the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the EU. If it receives 1 million signatures within one year from at least 7 EU countries, the Commission can take action.