EIB Group approves €6 billion in financing for clean energy, resilient agriculture and business competitiveness

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The Boards of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group approved €6 billion in new financing to promote clean energy, climate-resilient agriculture and European competitiveness. The EIB Board backed renewable energy in Austria, electricity grid upgrades in Germany, energy efficiency improvements for buildings in Slovakia […]

The EIF commits €200 million to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to scale European biogas production

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Dansk version här The European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the EIB Group, has committed €200 million to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ (CIP) Advanced Bioenergy Fund II (ABF II), focused on scaling biomethane and advanced bioenergy production across Europe to help advance the energy transition as well […]

Victims of crime: improved legal protection and support systems 

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The European parliament approved new EU rules to reinforce support and protection measures for the victims of crime, as well as their rights in criminal proceedings. On Thursday, with 440 in favour, 49 against and 84 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a modernisation of the legal […]

Romanian social enterprises to get financing boost as EIF teams up with domestic lender AFIN IFN

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Versiunea în limba română aici Romanian lender AFIN IFN SA will strengthen its capacity to finance social enterprises, cooperatives and non-governmental organisations across the country with European Investment Fund (EIF) backing of 2.5 million Romanian lei (about €480,000). The EIF support takes the form of a […]

DRC Ebola outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine

WHO Africa Health workers wearing protective clothing to prevent transmission.This article is published in association with United Nations. A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.  WHO’s representative in DRC, Dr Anne Ancia, told […]

The Role of Medical Students in Supporting Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Malak Osama Yagoub is a medical student at Al-Batnah University, Sudan, and a member of MedSIN SudanThis article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Malak Osama Yagoub, a medical student at Al-Batnah University, Sudan, and a member of MedSIN Sudan. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not […]

Commission greenlights Lithuania’s sixth payment request for €178 million under NextGenerationEU

European Commission issues €11 billion in its 2nd syndicated transaction of 2026This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission published its fifth State of the Schengen report, reviewing developments in the Schengen area over the past year and setting priorities for the year ahead. The Schengen area continues to demonstrate resilience, underpinned by collective efforts at both EU and national level. […]

Scientists race to understand the health risks of microplastics

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Ms. Maryam Latif with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Pakistan. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue.This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. Visitors to Utrecht’s Wilhelmina Park in the summer of 2023 may have come across an unusual sight: volunteers on stationary exercise bikes, cycling for science. The bikes were set up in different parts of the park – in its centre, […]

From Bali to Brussels: remote work is reshaping Europe’s regions

This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine.This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. Mandy Fransz was working a nine‑to‑five office job in Dublin for a big American tech firm when she made a life‑changing switch. In 2018, the Dutch tech worker quit her office job to try remote work in search of a […]

Are parents sharing too much online? The hidden risks for children

This article was originally published in Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazineThis article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine. The internet is now woven into everyday family life, shaping how children learn, play and connect with others from an early age. But alongside these opportunities, new risks are emerging, sometimes from an unexpected source: parents themselves. Every day, parents […]

HIV prevention and treatment services faltering, warns UNAIDS

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Decades of gains in the fight against AIDS are under growing threat as donor funding declines and community-based health services collapse in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, the head of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS warned on Thursday. The sudden funding decline is hitting […]

Blackouts and shortages disrupt healthcare across Cuba

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Hospitals across Cuba are suspending surgeries, struggling to keep lifesaving equipment running and facing severe medicine shortages as blackouts and fuel shortages push the country’s healthcare system deeper into crisis, senior UN officials warned on Friday. Shortages of electricity, fuel, medicine and medical supplies are severely disrupting […]

Lebanon: UN peacekeeping force warns drone incidents near its positions are putting personnel at risk

© UNIFIL/Kandice Ardiel A peacekeeper monitors the Green Hill area in Naqoura, Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Wednesday that escalating drone activity and nearby explosions involving suspected Hezbollah drones and Israeli forces are endangering its personnel and threatening already fragile stability in southern Lebanon. The warning came amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, […]

EIB and BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions unlock €200 million to accelerate sustainable agriculture across Europe

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €200 million financing agreement with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-cap companies operating in the agriculture and bioeconomy sectors across Europe. The financing is part of the EIB’s broader €3 billion […]

World News in Brief: Conflict drives hunger in DR Congo, mass corporal punishment in Afghanistan, Earth’s sand is running out

© WFP/Benjamin Anguandia The UN is providing lifesaving assistance to crisis-affected communities across DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 26.5 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are facing acute hunger, according to a new analysis from UN-backed food security experts published Tuesday. Ongoing conflict in the country’s east is driving mass displacement and pushing millions into crisis or emergency levels of […]

EESC: The EU bioeconomy requires robust safeguards and clear direction

European Commission issues €11 billion in its 2nd syndicated transaction of 2026This article is brought to you in association with the European Economic and Social Committee. The EU needs a strong and coherent bioeconomy strategy grounded in strict sustainability safeguards, circular design, and reduced resource use, ensuring competitiveness and climate goals remain within planetary boundaries. It must also clearly define the societal value of the bioeconomy. In […]

Cities need real support to deliver Europe’s ambitions

EU must respond decisively to any form of coercion against EU member states This article is brought to you in association with the European Economic and Social Committee. The European Economic and Social Committee says Europe’s cities are central to economic growth, social cohesion and the green and digital transitions. In its response to the European Commission’s proposed EU Agenda for Cities, the EESC welcomes the overall vision but […]

Commission coordinates European response to Hantavirus outbreak

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission is taking action to coordinate and support national authorities’ responses to the Hantavirus outbreak. At present, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control assesses the risk to the general population in Europe as very low, given that appropriate infection prevention […]

Lebanon war leaves families foraging for food despite ceasefire

© UNICEF/Fouad Choufany Children play in the courtyard between tents at a community shelter in Beirut, Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. The fragile ceasefire in Lebanon hasn’t prevented “ongoing killing and displacement”, with villages in the south of the country rendered completely unrecognizable after Israeli strikes, aid teams reported on Friday. According to the Lebanese authorities, more than 2,700 people have been killed since 2 March amid clashes […]

As housing insecurity grows, global leaders push for action

ILO/Marcel Crozet A homeless woman sits by a railway track in Potosí, Bolivia.This article is published in association with United Nations. “Housing is the gateway to all other rights” said actor and humanitarian Richard Gere, who has joined UN efforts to combat homelessness.  With nearly three billion people lacking access to adequate housing worldwide, the global housing crisis has become one of the most urgent human rights challenges, […]

Three dead in suspected hantavirus infection outbreak on cruise ship: WHO

WHO/P. Virot The flag of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) flies at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.This article is published in association with United Nations. Three people have died and three others are ill following suspected cases of hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday. WHO is supporting the response, noting that one case of the rodent-borne disease has been confirmed so […]

Attacks on media workers must end, UN urges

UNAMA/Fardin Waezi A mural commemorating journalists killed in Afghanistan has been painted on a blast wall in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan (file).This article is published in association with United Nations. War in the Middle East has made Lebanon the deadliest country for media workers so far this year, but practically no country offers a safe environment in which to be a journalist, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Volker Türk highlighted growing threats to the […]

The Child We Almost Missed: Autism, Dignity, and the Future of Inclusive Healthcare

Second meeting of Special Panel to advise President von der Leyen on child online safetyThis article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Ugwu Emmanuel Jideofor, a 5th-year medical student at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University College of Medicine, Nigeria. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not […]

Renewables rising, Part 1: How four countries are reshaping energy security

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe The Hellisheidi geothermal power plant in southwestern Iceland.This article is published in association with United Nations. The ongoing insecurity in the Middle East, where a large proportion of the world’s oil and gas is extracted, is forcing many countries to focus on how they can ensure access to cheap and reliable energy supplies primarily through the use of renewable power sources. Why it […]

As Gaza misery continues, shortages in Iran begin to bite

© UNDP PAPP A UN Development Programme worker surveys damage at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.This article is published in association with United Nations. Desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hamper recovery efforts for the wartorn enclave’s people, the UN health agency said on Friday, while demining experts warned that they’ve “barely scratched the surface” in assessing the level of contamination of unexploded ordnance. In Iran, meanwhile, concerns are […]

EU to strengthen regional dimension of research and innovation

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions signed a new Joint Action Plan to enhance the role of cities and regions in research and innovation (R&I). Under the Joint Action Plan, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions will collaborate […]

Global Health Priorities for the Year Ahead: Insights from the Next Generation

Essono Uriel is a 5th year medical student from CameroonThis article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Essono Uriel, a 5th year medical student from Cameroon. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, […]

Commission partially greenlights Malta’s fourth payment request for €51,5 million under NextGenerationEU

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission partially greenlighted Malta’s fourth payment request for €51,5 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. This is an important step in the delivery of reforms and investments tied to this payment request, in the areas […]

Amid deepening crisis in Palestine, girls face rising risks and a mounting mental health emergency

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour A girl looks over the destruction of Gaza City.This article is published in association with United Nations. More than two years of unrelenting violence, displacement and loss have pushed children and young people in Palestine into what one UN official describes as a “profound mental health emergency”, with girls facing heightened risks, including a resurgence in child marriage. Sima Alami, adolescent and youth programme […]

Cyprus Presidency debriefs European Parliament committees on priorities 

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Ministers held a series of meetings in parliamentary committees to present the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council. Cyprus holds the presidency of the Council until the end of June 2026. Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee On 26 January, Minister of […]

Croatia gets €536 million in EIB Group financing in 2025 with focus on small businesses, venture capital and cities

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s new financing in Croatia totalled €536 million last year on the back of support for technological advances by a range of Croation businesses. More than half of the 2025 amount was for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Mid-Caps and public entities […]

International Women’s Day: call to act against cyberbullying 

Jackie Fox addressing the European Parliament about the fight against cyberbullying © European Union, 2026 - EPThis article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Tuesday, MEPs heard Jackie Fox’s testimony about the cyberbullying her daughter suffered and her subsequent work to protect children and adults against such harm. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “The courage of women who refuse to stay silent continues to shape our […]

EIB and WTO sign first agreement to strengthen cooperation on global trade and investment

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat have taken an unprecedented step to support sustainable global commerce and economic development. The EIB Group’s arm for international partnerships and development finance, EIB Global, and the WTO Secretariat today signed a Memorandum of Understanding […]
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