This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. On 20 December, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd confirmed the completion of negotiations on a broad package of agreements that aim to deepen and expand the EU-Switzerland relationship. The broad […]The Commission and Switzerland complete negotiations to bring the EU-Switzerland bilateral relationship to a new level
December 23, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. On 20 December, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd confirmed the completion of negotiations on a broad package of agreements that aim to deepen and expand the EU-Switzerland relationship. The broad […]Denmark: Hearing-aid development to get a boost from €120 million EIB loan to Demant
December 20, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend €120 million to Danish hearing-aid innovator Demant A/S in support of its investments in research, development and innovation (RDI) for new devices that can improve the quality of life for people suffering from hearing loss. Demant will use the […]EU introduces Flight Emissions Label for more informed and sustainable travelling
December 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission adopted a Regulation putting in place a Flight Emissions Label (FEL), which offers a clear and trustworthy methodology for calculating flight emissions. Airlines operating flights within the EU or departing from the EU will be able to voluntarily join this label […]Member States made significant progress in VAT Compliance in 2022, but continued efforts are still needed
December 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Most EU Member States made significant progress in Value-Added Tax (VAT) collection between 2018 and 2022, according to a new report released by the European Commission today. The annual VAT Gap in the EU Report, which measures the difference between theoretically expected VAT revenues […]€700,000 of EU aid to support 632 dismissed workers in Belgium
December 18, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs approved EU aid for 632 dismissed employees of machinery and paper factories in the Flemish province of Limburg. On Tuesday, Parliament approved Belgium’s request for €704,135 in EU aid through the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF). The aid will support […]Romanian businesses to get extra financing as EIB steps up lending to BRD Sogelease IFN
December 17, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending €70 million to a unit of Romanian bank BRD Groupe Société Générale to increase financing for a range of businesses in the country. The EIB loan to BRD Sogelease IFN SA is meant to benefit Romanian small and medium-sized […]Italy: EIB provides €100 million for Marcegaglia’s decarbonisation and innovation strategy
December 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Today the European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced €100 million in financing for Marcegaglia, the Mantua-based steel group. This operation will support the group’s €170 million investment plan. The operation was finalised this morning at the group’s historic headquarters in Gazoldo degli Ippoliti, as the loan was signed by heads […]UN Special Envoy continues shuttle diplomacy on Syria
December 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Special Envoy for Syria travelled to Jordan on Friday for discussions on the tumultuous events that have seen a new transitional authority take charge in Damascus in recent days, with more high-level meetings planned over the weekend. Geir Pedersen is due to confer with Arab […]Syria: Prioritise search for the missing, justice for victims
December 13, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The international community owes it to the Syrian people “to listen, to act and to work tirelessly” so the crimes of the deposed Assad regime can never happen again, the top UN envoy for the country said on Thursday. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is engaging with […]Prologis secures €225 million EIB loan to accelerate solar and energy projects across Europe
December 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. Prologis, Inc. (NYSE: PLD), the global leader in logistics real estate has secured a €225 million framework loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to advance its plans to produce electricity from low-carbon sources through solar panels on the roofs of its logistic centres, alongside battery […]Austria: EIB supports Zumtobel Group in the development of innovative lighting solutions
December 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a €50 million loan to the Zumtobel Group to boost its research and development of innovative lighting solutions. The funding will support R&D projects in the lighting group’s EU locations that are planned for the next three financial years, with a total budget […]Commission steps up support for Member States to strengthen EU security and counter the weaponisation of migration
December 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission is adopting a Communication to support Member States to counter hybrid threats from the weaponisation of migration by Russia and Belarus and to strengthen security at the EU’s external borders. The serious and persistent nature of the hybrid threats at the […]European Commission to issue €90 billion in long-term EU-Bonds in the first half of 2025
December 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission intends to issue up to €90 billion of EU Bonds in the first half of 2025 (H1), from January to June 2025. The Commission’s funding plan for H1 2025 continues the 2024 issuance programme, during which the EU raised €138 billion in […]Guterres upholds UN commitment to a smooth and inclusive transition in Syria
December 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN is “totally committed” to supporting a smooth transition of power in Syria through an inclusive political process that guarantees full respect of minority rights. Mr. Guterres was speaking on Wednesday to reporters in Pretoria, South Africa, where he met with Government […]Uprooted Syrians mulling return mustn’t be pushed, says UNHCR
December 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Syria’s historic power reset coupled with the highly volatile situation there, has increased basic needs in a country where nearly 17 million people already depended on aid, UN aid teams insisted on Tuesday. For those forced to flee the country’s 13-year war, “they are considering how safe Syria […]Syria crisis: Nothing must stop peaceful transition, says UN Special Envoy
December 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping the Syrian people to create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted. “Syria is […]Birth registration increases, but 150 million children still ‘invisible’
December 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A new report from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals significant progress in ending the problem of the “invisible” millions of babies each year who go unregistered. Nearly eight in 10 children under five were successfully registered at birth in the last five years. However, the report, […]Seven consortia selected to establish AI factories which will boost AI innovation in the EU
December 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) has selected seven proposals to establish and operate the first AI Factories across Europe. This is a major milestone for Europe in building a thriving ecosystem to train advanced AI models and develop AI solutions. The […]AIF 2024: EIB strengthens support for Africa with record investment and strategic partnerships
December 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced significant new commitments to drive sustainable development and economic inclusion across Africa at the 2024 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) held in Rabat, Morocco from 4 to 6 December. With €21 billion invested over the past five years, including €8.9 billion in private sector […]EU proposal to adapt protection status of the wolf adopted by Bern Convention, paving the way to more flexibility in managing wolf populations
December 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention voted in favour of the EU proposal to adapt the protection status of the wolf from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’. The change will enter into force on 7 March 2025. After this date, the EU will […]The Long Road: HIV/AIDS Treatment Disparities Across The Decades
December 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. KAmira Serine Matmatte, a 22 year old Algerian medical student at the University of Constantine III Salah Boubnider. 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 […]European Parliament spotlights disability rights
December 3, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Taking place from 2-6 December, Disability Rights Week will advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, and for their voices to be heard. Coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, Disability Rights Week will include Parliament committees across […]World AIDS Day: UN urges leaders to ‘take the rights path to end AIDS’ by 2030
December 2, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is within reach, but only if global leaders commit to dismantling barriers to healthcare and upholding human rights, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on World AIDS Day. Observed annually on 1 December, the World AIDS Day serves as a reminder […]Lebanon: Final repatriation flight brings Brazilians home amid ceasefire
December 2, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The final repatriation flight for Brazilians escaping the conflict in Lebanon touched down at São Paulo’s Guarulhos Air Base early Wednesday, as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold. The 13th and possibly last mission under Brazil’s Operation Cedar Roots carried 150 passengers, including elderly persons and children, […]Guterres: Lebanon ceasefire deal ‘first ray of hope for peace’
November 28, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon represents “the first ray of hope for peace” in the regional war “amidst the darkness of the last few months”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday in Lisbon. “It is a moment of great importance, especially for the civilians who were […]Türkiye launches industrial decarbonisation investment platform
November 26, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. Türkiye has launched the Türkiye Industrial Decarbonisation Investment Platform (TIDIP) in Ankara today in a significant step towards achieving the country’s net-zero ambitions. The initiative is spearheaded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The TIDIP aims to deploy $5 billion in investments by […]Gaza update: Fleeing families just have ‘the clothes on their back’
November 25, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Families fleeing from besieged areas of northern Gaza are leaving homes and shelters with just the shirts on their backs, Louise Wateridge, Senior Emergency Coordinator for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told UN News on Saturday. Speaking from an UNRWA school in Gaza City, which […]Most violent year in Syria since 2020, senior UN official tells Security Council
November 22, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. This year of conflict in Syria is “on track to be the most violent since 2020”, with the potential for even greater devastation looming on the horizon, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council on Thursday. “Many millions of Syrians are still outside their […]New Open Finance Guidelines Aim to Spur Financial Inclusion
November 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Washington, DC – November 20, 2024: A coalition of international organizations today launched high-level guidelines for public authorities seeking to harness open finance to accelerate digital financial services and innovation and increase usage of a broader range of financial products. Alongside investment in digital public infrastructure, and ongoing […]Austria: EIB supports PÜSPÖK with €80 million for agrivoltaics
November 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing €80 million to the PÜSPÖK Group to build six agrivoltaic farms in Burgenland, Austria. This innovative project is being financed together with Erste Bank of the Austrian group of savings banks (Sparkassen). Erste Bank is providing a loan of €43 million, of which €28 million […]COP29: Circular economy investments deliver social, economic and environmental benefits
November 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) presented their first joint report on the circular economy: “The circular economy in motion”. The report presents 20 detailed case studies from around the world and a variety of areas ranging […]South Sudan: Postponing long-awaited elections ‘a regrettable development’
November 8, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The decision to extend the transition period in South Sudan once again and postpone long-awaited elections cannot be “business as usual”, the UN Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Thursday. Nicholas Haysom updated ambassadors on developments in the world’s youngest country, which was […]EBRD and Quds Bank support small Palestinian businesses
November 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting Palestinian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by providing a US$ 8 million loan to Quds Bank, one of the largest local banks in the West Bank and Gaza and an EBRD partner since 2019. The […]
