A Gartner report said on Thursday that worldwide end-user spending on generative AI (GenAI) models is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2025.
End-user spending on specialised GenAI models, which include domain-specific language models (DSLMs), is estimated to total $1.1 billion this year.
Specialised GenAI models are trained or fine-tuned on industry or business process-specific data.
Gartner predicts that by 2027, more than half of the GenAI models used by enterprises will be domain-specific (that is, specific to an industry or business function), up from 1 per cent in 2024.
“Foundation GenAI models (including LLMs) are trained on vast amounts of data and used for many different tasks. They are the first models supporting GenAI and will continue to represent the largest area of spending by organizations in the coming years,” said Arunasree Cheparthi, Senior Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.
However, organisations are also turning to more domain-specific or vertical GenAI models because they offer improved performance, cost, reliability and relevance in targeted enterprise use cases over foundation models, she mentioned.
An earlier Gartner report had said that global generative AI spending is expected to reach $644 billion in 2025, a surge of 76.4 per cent from 2024. GenAI spending in 2025 will be driven largely by the integration of AI capabilities into hardware, such as servers, smartphones and PCs, with 80 per cent of GenAI spending going towards hardware.
GenAI spending is poised for significant growth across all core markets and submarkets in 2025. GenAI will have a transformative impact across all aspects of IT spending markets, suggesting a future where AI technologies become increasingly integral to business operations and consumer products, the report had mentioned.
Foundational model providers are investing billions annually to enhance GenAI models’ size, performance, and reliability. This paradox will persist through 2025 and 2026.
A Gartner report said on Thursday that worldwide end-user spending on generative AI (GenAI) models is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2025.
End-user spending on specialised GenAI models, which include domain-specific language models (DSLMs), is estimated to total $1.1 billion this year.
Specialised GenAI models are trained or fine-tuned on industry or business process-specific data.
Gartner predicts that by 2027, more than half of the GenAI models used by enterprises will be domain-specific (that is, specific to an industry or business function), up from 1 per cent in 2024.
“Foundation GenAI models (including LLMs) are trained on vast amounts of data and used for many different tasks. They are the first models supporting GenAI and will continue to represent the largest area of spending by organizations in the coming years,” said Arunasree Cheparthi, Senior Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.
However, organisations are also turning to more domain-specific or vertical GenAI models because they offer improved performance, cost, reliability and relevance in targeted enterprise use cases over foundation models, she mentioned.
An earlier Gartner report had said that global generative AI spending is expected to reach $644 billion in 2025, a surge of 76.4 per cent from 2024. GenAI spending in 2025 will be driven largely by the integration of AI capabilities into hardware, such as servers, smartphones and PCs, with 80 per cent of GenAI spending going towards hardware.
GenAI spending is poised for significant growth across all core markets and submarkets in 2025. GenAI will have a transformative impact across all aspects of IT spending markets, suggesting a future where AI technologies become increasingly integral to business operations and consumer products, the report had mentioned.
Foundational model providers are investing billions annually to enhance GenAI models’ size, performance, and reliability. This paradox will persist through 2025 and 2026.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, Egypt, July 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
CAIRO, July 10 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Thursday that China is willing to strengthen Belt and Road cooperation with Egypt in such areas as economy, trade, finance, manufacturing, new energy, science and technology, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
During his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Li also said that China is willing to encourage more capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Egypt.
Li conveyed to Sisi cordial greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that China-Egypt relations have flourished in recent years under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state.
The Chinese side, Li said, is ready to work with Egypt to take the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, and continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests.
China is also willing to join Egypt to continue to enrich the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership, push for more achievements in cooperation in various fields between the two nations, and keep moving forward to the goal of building a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era.
The international landscape is marked by mounting turbulence and escalating disorder, with prolonged and unresolved conflicts particularly afflicting the West Asian and North African regions, Li said.
China stands ready to maintain close communication with Egypt and promote an early ceasefire in Gaza, Li said.
The Chinese side is also ready to join Egypt in alleviating the humanitarian crisis, preventing the spillover and escalation of the conflict, and making unremitting efforts for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue, said the Chinese premier.
He said China is willing to work with Egypt to enhance communication and coordination within multilateral platforms including the United Nations, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and practice true multilateralism.
Li added that China will work with Egypt to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and push for the steady and long-term development of China-Arab and China-Africa cooperation.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, Egypt, July 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Inhis speechfor the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) this past spring, keynote speaker Rodney Butler ’99 (BUS), Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, told an abbreviated version of the Indigenous creation story of Skywoman.
“When the world was covered in water, Skywoman fell from an opening in the Skyworld and landed on the back of a giant turtle. Skywoman enlisted the help of many animals to dive deep to retrieve soil from the depths of the ocean in an effort to create land. Many animals attempted to grab the soil, but it was the unlikely muskrat, who was both humble and courageous, that was able to return the soil and place it on the back of the great turtle. As the mud is placed on the turtle’s back, it grows and expands, eventually forming the continents and life-sustaining world we know today.”
Butler spoke of how the story emphasizes the importance of working together and that we are all better when we work and learn together. There is also great strength in partnering Indigenous knowledge with science to build a sustainable future.
Associate ProfessorBeth Lawrencehas a joint appointment with the Center for Environmental Science and Engineering and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment in CAHNR, and her work adds to the time-honored appreciation of the courageous and humble muskrat. In research published in Freshwater Science, Lawrence and collaborators, including project lead Shane Lishawa and Andrew Monks from Loyola University, and Danielle Fegan and Eric Clark, who are biologists with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, describe how muskrats engineer more biologically diverse marsh ecosystems.
The researchers study cattail-dominated marshes and strategies to create more varied, or heterogeneous, ecosystems using methods like mechanical harvesting or by applying herbicides. While out on field research, Lawrence says they made an intriguing observation.
“We noticed in some years that muskrats were doing naturally what we were doing with our aquatic weed whackers and gas-powered equipment. We thought that maybe we should investigate how muskrats alter cattail and associated species,” says Lawrence.
The project focused on a marsh that connects the St. Mary’s River outlet of Lake Superior to Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In vast marshes like this one, the non-native cattail speciesTyphacan take over and make acres of marshland look similar to cornfields in terms of the lack of diversity, says Lawrence. These kinds of monocultures do not support biologically diverse ecosystems.
“It homogenizes the wetland, and is not an ideal habitat for birds, macro-invertebrates, fish, and native plants, so over the last 15 years we’ve been interested in how we can manage these invaded cattail marshes of the Great Lakes,” Lawrence says.
The researchers have tried a variety of methods to control the cattails, but they are most interested in using mechanical means, rather than chemical control measures.
“Cutting the cattail at different intensities and frequencies can reduce its abundance and promote native diversity and also open up habitat that creates heterogeneity in these monotypes. This promotes species diversity overall, and improves habitat for native fish and bird communities,” says Lawrence.
Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents that naturally harvest cattails by cutting them below the water level. This is important because the stems of the plant act almost like a snorkel to provide oxygen to the roots. Cutting stems below the water essentially drowns the cattail by severing the connection between the oxygen-rich atmosphere and the anoxic sediment common to wetlands. The muskrats use the cattails to build their lodges, and the process creates openings that give other plant species a chance to grow.
“These important aquatic rodents transform habitats in many ways that some communities, like the Native Americans, have appreciated for 1000s of years, and Western science is just now discovering that importance.” (Adobe Stock)
Using drones and aerial photography, the researchers identified several lodges and openings where they sampled the vegetation and water quality parameters. They also harvested cattails via mechanical methods or with herbicides to create muskrat disturbance analogs (MDAs) to simulate the muskrat openings. They compared these data with data collected from adjacent non-muskrat-impacted areas.
“Then we monitored the vegetation and water quality parameters for two growing seasons after that. We found there was greater biodiversity with the muskrat disturbances and the MDA treatments,” says Lawrence.
The muskrats and the MDA methods reduced the presence of the cattails as well as another invasive plant called European frogbit (Hydrocharis), therefore they helped promote more heterogenous communities and the authors note that efforts to increase muskrat populations should be taken as a management strategy in areas where these two invasive plant species dominate.
“Restoring biodiversity is critical to our future. Climate change is happening rapidly, and we’re rolling the dice. Maintaining and protecting a diversity of species is important because we don’t know which species will survive or thrive in different climate scenarios,” says Lawrence. “I think of Aldo Leopold’s quote about how an intelligent tinkerer always keeps all the parts. We want to keep all of the parts of the planet because we don’t know exactly what the future is going to look like.”
Lawrence also has projects focusing on beavers, which are also vital ecosystem engineers. Like muskrats, beavers transform habitats and act as keystone species that play an important role in creating wetland habitats,
“These important aquatic rodents transform habitats in many ways that some communities, like the Native Americans, have appreciated for 1000s of years, and Western science is just now discovering that importance. Beavers are resurging on the landscape after being almost extirpated in New England due to hunting. They were reintroduced after being essentially extinct in Connecticut about 200 years ago and then reintroduced about 100 years ago. Now, their populations are exploding, and they’re transforming our landscape again.”
Lawrence also reflects on the significance of teamwork in this project:
“I think science takes a team. Our relationship with the tribe and across institutions is a big part of the importance of this paper and this project. It was a really satisfying project, both in terms of the relationships that have developed over the years, but also how we’ve gained a lot of insights by studying the system over decades.”
EVANSVILLE, Ind., July 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Americans make their travel plans this summer, First Federal Savings Bank and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) are sharing planning tips for consumers to minimize unwanted surprises during travel to maximize their enjoyment as they venture away from home.
“Planning for the unexpected is the key to lessen the financial impact and increase your peace of mind when traveling domestic or abroad. Important factors are trip delays, lost or damaged merchandise, and last-minute expenses,” said Courtney Schmitt, VP, Marketing Manager at First Federal Savings Bank. “Call on First Federal Savings Bank and our expert staff who can offer support if you encounter an unforeseen expense during your travels.”
ICBA and First Federal Savings Bank urge consumers to consider these 10 tips before departing for their next trip:
Inform your community bank of your travel plans to avoid account holds or transaction rejections when unusual transactions are presented for processing. Set up a travel notice within the My Cards section of our banking app.*
Ensure you have a chip-enabled card or contactless card, particularly if your travel plans take you overseas where chip technology may be a prerequisite for card acceptance.
Carry multiple cards as a backup. Families or couples may get even greater backup coverage if each person takes a different card.
Create transaction alerts for credit and debit cards. If you suspect your information has been compromised, contact your bank and credit card provider immediately. For information about what to do in the event of a lost or stolen card, visit the Visa and Mastercard websites.
Inquire about special card features like travel accident insurance and traveler’s assistance.
Choose an ATM or bank for currency purchases for fewer fees and an exact conversion rate.
Check card readers for signs of tampering. When in doubt, choose another terminal.
Lock away valuables such as passports, backup credit cards, financial information, and cash.
Use social media with care. Posting your pictures or whereabouts during travel could leave you susceptible to home invaders.
Monitor charge activity. Review purchases and ATM withdrawals with your bank and credit card companies when you return home and save your receipts. Be sure to set up alerts within the My Cards section of our banking app* to receive alerts in real time.
*Data rates may apply
About First Federal Savings Bank Member FDIC
First Federal Savings Bank was established on Evansville, Indiana’s Westside in 1904. A community bank offering eight locations in Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Henderson County. First Federal Savings Bank is also proud to offer Home Building Savings Bank locations in Daviess and Pike County.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.
As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.
EVANSVILLE, Ind., July 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Americans make their travel plans this summer, First Federal Savings Bank and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) are sharing planning tips for consumers to minimize unwanted surprises during travel to maximize their enjoyment as they venture away from home.
“Planning for the unexpected is the key to lessen the financial impact and increase your peace of mind when traveling domestic or abroad. Important factors are trip delays, lost or damaged merchandise, and last-minute expenses,” said Courtney Schmitt, VP, Marketing Manager at First Federal Savings Bank. “Call on First Federal Savings Bank and our expert staff who can offer support if you encounter an unforeseen expense during your travels.”
ICBA and First Federal Savings Bank urge consumers to consider these 10 tips before departing for their next trip:
Inform your community bank of your travel plans to avoid account holds or transaction rejections when unusual transactions are presented for processing. Set up a travel notice within the My Cards section of our banking app.*
Ensure you have a chip-enabled card or contactless card, particularly if your travel plans take you overseas where chip technology may be a prerequisite for card acceptance.
Carry multiple cards as a backup. Families or couples may get even greater backup coverage if each person takes a different card.
Create transaction alerts for credit and debit cards. If you suspect your information has been compromised, contact your bank and credit card provider immediately. For information about what to do in the event of a lost or stolen card, visit the Visa and Mastercard websites.
Inquire about special card features like travel accident insurance and traveler’s assistance.
Choose an ATM or bank for currency purchases for fewer fees and an exact conversion rate.
Check card readers for signs of tampering. When in doubt, choose another terminal.
Lock away valuables such as passports, backup credit cards, financial information, and cash.
Use social media with care. Posting your pictures or whereabouts during travel could leave you susceptible to home invaders.
Monitor charge activity. Review purchases and ATM withdrawals with your bank and credit card companies when you return home and save your receipts. Be sure to set up alerts within the My Cards section of our banking app* to receive alerts in real time.
*Data rates may apply
About First Federal Savings Bank Member FDIC
First Federal Savings Bank was established on Evansville, Indiana’s Westside in 1904. A community bank offering eight locations in Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Henderson County. First Federal Savings Bank is also proud to offer Home Building Savings Bank locations in Daviess and Pike County.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.
As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.
UK Export Finance announces backing of major Taiwan offshore wind project
UK Export Finance provides support for British exporters supplying a new multi-million pound renewable energy development.
Greater Changhua 2 is a 632 MW offshore wind farm comprised of both Greater Changhua 2a, which is operational, and Greater Changhua 2b, which is under construction
Export Credit Agency provides guarantee to develop one of Asia’s largest offshore wind sites
Backing of wind farm will unlock opportunities for British exporters, strengthening Britain’s position as a clean energy superpower
UK Export Finance (UKEF) is guaranteeing financing for a major offshore wind farm project in Taiwan, creating export opportunities for British businesses.
In support of the government’s Plan for Change and its mission to kickstart economic growth, UKEF – the UK government’s export credit agency – is providing a €146 million Buyer Credit Guarantee to assist the development of 632MW of renewable energy capacity off coast in the Taiwan Strait.
The deal enables British exporters Cadeler, CRP Subsea, Ordtek, and Cathie to secure contracts to provide specialised services and critical components.
It also supports jobs across the UK’s renewable energy supply chain, reinforcing Britain’s position as a global leader in the low-carbon transition – a key ambition set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy.
Ørsted, the lead sponsor for this project, is a great example of a business transforming from one reliant on fossil fuels to one based on renewable energy.
The new wind farm will result in reductions of carbon emissions estimated at 1,118,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
The project is being financed in collaboration with export credit agencies from Denmark, Norway, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Minister for Exports, Gareth Thomas, said:
This shows how Government is boosting exports in our key growth sectors and supporting jobs across the country as part of our Plan for Change.
This investment will enable British innovation in renewable technology to scale up Taiwan’s clean energy transition and follows our modern Industrial Strategy, which provides up to £13 billion of direct lending for UKEF to help businesses to export.
Trond Westlie, Group CFO of Ørsted, said:
We’ve received very strong support from both international and local banks and export credit agencies for the project financing of Greater Changhua 2. This shows that there is a healthy appetite for premium assets with robust contractual structures, and it’s a clear sign that we’re working diligently to deliver on our divestment and partnerships programme.
Danielle Baron, Global Head of Energy & Real Assets, Credit Agricole CIB, said:
As the ECA Coordinator and Documentation Bank for the multi-billion financing of the Greater Changhua 2 project, Crédit Agricole CIB reaffirms its strong commitment to the renewable energy sector. This landmark transaction highlights our dedication to supporting our clients and partners in delivering society’s clean energy needs. It underscores the strength of our collaboration with UKEF and the other European Export Credit Agencies, whose contribution have been key to the development of the offshore wind sector in the APAC region.
This announcement helps to deliver UKEF’s goal to provide at least £10 billion of financing for sustainable and renewable projects by 2030, enabling the UK to build export opportunities in clean growth sectors while supporting global decarbonisation efforts.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan today concluded his visit to Seoul by touring leading Korean innovation and technology (I&T) enterprise NAVER and Seoul’s Digital Media City.
NAVER engages in diverse fields such as electronic payments, e-commerce, fintech, information technology, cloud services, AI and robotics.
Mr Chan was briefed by the company’s management and research and development (R&D) heads on its development journey, technological innovations, application scenarios and future business directions.
He also had in-depth exchanges with them, and watched a demonstration of NAVER’s AI and robotics applications.
The Financial Secretary noted that Hong Kong is also making great strides in developing its AI sector and is actively enhancing the related infrastructure. Institutions such as the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks and Cyberport are working to build a more vibrant I&T ecosystem.
He highlighted that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong, being an international financial centre, offers a comprehensive range of fundraising options and a robust legal system that safeguards data and intellectual property rights.
Mr Chan welcomed NAVER to collaborate with Hong Kong partners in R&D and business development, and to leverage Hong Kong as a fundraising platform to support its international expansion.
The finance chief also visited Seoul’s Digital Media City where he met the management team to learn more about the project’s development history and future plans, and toured an exhibition showcasing how extended reality technology is being used to support urban development.
A project led by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Digital Media City is home to numerous companies in digital media, film and entertainment, gaming and animation, information technology and more.
In addition, Mr Chan paid a courtesy call on Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Dai Bing, to brief him on Hong Kong’s latest social and economic developments as well as the recent trends in its economic and trade relations with Korea.
They also exchanged views on the global geopolitical and economic landscape, regional trade co-operation and the development of China-Korea relations.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan today concluded his visit to Seoul by touring leading Korean innovation and technology (I&T) enterprise NAVER and Seoul’s Digital Media City.
NAVER engages in diverse fields such as electronic payments, e-commerce, fintech, information technology, cloud services, AI and robotics.
Mr Chan was briefed by the company’s management and research and development (R&D) heads on its development journey, technological innovations, application scenarios and future business directions.
He also had in-depth exchanges with them, and watched a demonstration of NAVER’s AI and robotics applications.
The Financial Secretary noted that Hong Kong is also making great strides in developing its AI sector and is actively enhancing the related infrastructure. Institutions such as the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks and Cyberport are working to build a more vibrant I&T ecosystem.
He highlighted that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong, being an international financial centre, offers a comprehensive range of fundraising options and a robust legal system that safeguards data and intellectual property rights.
Mr Chan welcomed NAVER to collaborate with Hong Kong partners in R&D and business development, and to leverage Hong Kong as a fundraising platform to support its international expansion.
The finance chief also visited Seoul’s Digital Media City where he met the management team to learn more about the project’s development history and future plans, and toured an exhibition showcasing how extended reality technology is being used to support urban development.
A project led by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Digital Media City is home to numerous companies in digital media, film and entertainment, gaming and animation, information technology and more.
In addition, Mr Chan paid a courtesy call on Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Dai Bing, to brief him on Hong Kong’s latest social and economic developments as well as the recent trends in its economic and trade relations with Korea.
They also exchanged views on the global geopolitical and economic landscape, regional trade co-operation and the development of China-Korea relations.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent five-nation official visit .
“Under your able leadership, India is growing fast and getting stronger. Your recent 5-nation official visit is a testimony to India’s rising clout and stature,” said Rajnath Singh in a message addressed to PM Modi on the social media platform X.
Earlier, PM Modi extended greetings to Rajnath Singh on his birthday, while the latter thanked all his party colleagues for their wishes and motivational words.
“Pradhanmantriji, thank you for your good wishes and motivating words,” said the Defence Minister.
In his birthday wishes, PM Modi said, “Best wishes to Union Minister Shri Rajnath Singh Ji on his birthday. He’s distinguished himself for his hardworking nature and wisdom. His efforts to make India self-reliant in defence and strengthen our armed forces are commendable. Praying for his long and healthy life.”
he Prime Minister began his tour with a visit to Ghana on July 2-3- the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the West African nation in over three decades. In Accra, he held bilateral talks with President John Mahama to review the existing partnership and explore new areas of cooperation in economic development, defence, maritime security, energy, and critical minerals. Both leaders agreed to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Partnership. President Mahama also conferred on PM Modi The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the country’s highest civilian award.
On July 3-4, PM Modi travelled to Trinidad and Tobago– the first Prime Ministerial visit since 1999. He met Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and addressed the Parliament. During the visit, India announced that Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards will now be issued to the sixth generation of the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean nation. PM Modi was also honoured with The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
The third leg of the tour took PM Modi to Argentina on July 4-5- the first standalone bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the South American country in nearly six decades. He held discussions with President Javier Milei to strengthen cooperation in defence, agriculture, mining, energy, trade, and investment. Describing the visit as productive, PM Modi said the talks would help deepen India-Argentina ties. He was also presented with the Key to the City of Buenos Aires by the city’s Chief, Jorge Macri.
In the fourth leg of his visit, Prime Minister Modi attended the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6 to 7. He then travelled to Brasília, the capital of Brazil, for a State Visit and held bilateral talks with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two leaders discussed ways to expand the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil in areas such as trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health, and people-to-people exchanges. During the visit, President Lula conferred on Prime Minister Modi Brazil’s highest civilian honour, The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.
In the final leg of his tour on July 9, Prime Minister Modi visited Namibia – marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 27 years. He addressed the Namibian Parliament, where he received a standing ovation from the members. During the visit, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah conferred upon him The Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, Namibia’s highest civilian honour.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent five-nation official visit .
“Under your able leadership, India is growing fast and getting stronger. Your recent 5-nation official visit is a testimony to India’s rising clout and stature,” said Rajnath Singh in a message addressed to PM Modi on the social media platform X.
Earlier, PM Modi extended greetings to Rajnath Singh on his birthday, while the latter thanked all his party colleagues for their wishes and motivational words.
“Pradhanmantriji, thank you for your good wishes and motivating words,” said the Defence Minister.
In his birthday wishes, PM Modi said, “Best wishes to Union Minister Shri Rajnath Singh Ji on his birthday. He’s distinguished himself for his hardworking nature and wisdom. His efforts to make India self-reliant in defence and strengthen our armed forces are commendable. Praying for his long and healthy life.”
he Prime Minister began his tour with a visit to Ghana on July 2-3- the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the West African nation in over three decades. In Accra, he held bilateral talks with President John Mahama to review the existing partnership and explore new areas of cooperation in economic development, defence, maritime security, energy, and critical minerals. Both leaders agreed to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Partnership. President Mahama also conferred on PM Modi The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the country’s highest civilian award.
On July 3-4, PM Modi travelled to Trinidad and Tobago– the first Prime Ministerial visit since 1999. He met Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and addressed the Parliament. During the visit, India announced that Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards will now be issued to the sixth generation of the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean nation. PM Modi was also honoured with The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
The third leg of the tour took PM Modi to Argentina on July 4-5- the first standalone bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the South American country in nearly six decades. He held discussions with President Javier Milei to strengthen cooperation in defence, agriculture, mining, energy, trade, and investment. Describing the visit as productive, PM Modi said the talks would help deepen India-Argentina ties. He was also presented with the Key to the City of Buenos Aires by the city’s Chief, Jorge Macri.
In the fourth leg of his visit, Prime Minister Modi attended the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6 to 7. He then travelled to Brasília, the capital of Brazil, for a State Visit and held bilateral talks with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two leaders discussed ways to expand the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil in areas such as trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health, and people-to-people exchanges. During the visit, President Lula conferred on Prime Minister Modi Brazil’s highest civilian honour, The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.
In the final leg of his tour on July 9, Prime Minister Modi visited Namibia – marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 27 years. He addressed the Namibian Parliament, where he received a standing ovation from the members. During the visit, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah conferred upon him The Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, Namibia’s highest civilian honour.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent five-nation official visit .
“Under your able leadership, India is growing fast and getting stronger. Your recent 5-nation official visit is a testimony to India’s rising clout and stature,” said Rajnath Singh in a message addressed to PM Modi on the social media platform X.
Earlier, PM Modi extended greetings to Rajnath Singh on his birthday, while the latter thanked all his party colleagues for their wishes and motivational words.
“Pradhanmantriji, thank you for your good wishes and motivating words,” said the Defence Minister.
In his birthday wishes, PM Modi said, “Best wishes to Union Minister Shri Rajnath Singh Ji on his birthday. He’s distinguished himself for his hardworking nature and wisdom. His efforts to make India self-reliant in defence and strengthen our armed forces are commendable. Praying for his long and healthy life.”
he Prime Minister began his tour with a visit to Ghana on July 2-3- the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the West African nation in over three decades. In Accra, he held bilateral talks with President John Mahama to review the existing partnership and explore new areas of cooperation in economic development, defence, maritime security, energy, and critical minerals. Both leaders agreed to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Partnership. President Mahama also conferred on PM Modi The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the country’s highest civilian award.
On July 3-4, PM Modi travelled to Trinidad and Tobago– the first Prime Ministerial visit since 1999. He met Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and addressed the Parliament. During the visit, India announced that Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards will now be issued to the sixth generation of the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean nation. PM Modi was also honoured with The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
The third leg of the tour took PM Modi to Argentina on July 4-5- the first standalone bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the South American country in nearly six decades. He held discussions with President Javier Milei to strengthen cooperation in defence, agriculture, mining, energy, trade, and investment. Describing the visit as productive, PM Modi said the talks would help deepen India-Argentina ties. He was also presented with the Key to the City of Buenos Aires by the city’s Chief, Jorge Macri.
In the fourth leg of his visit, Prime Minister Modi attended the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6 to 7. He then travelled to Brasília, the capital of Brazil, for a State Visit and held bilateral talks with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two leaders discussed ways to expand the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil in areas such as trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health, and people-to-people exchanges. During the visit, President Lula conferred on Prime Minister Modi Brazil’s highest civilian honour, The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.
In the final leg of his tour on July 9, Prime Minister Modi visited Namibia – marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 27 years. He addressed the Namibian Parliament, where he received a standing ovation from the members. During the visit, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah conferred upon him The Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, Namibia’s highest civilian honour.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday underlined the government’s continued focus on empowering India’s farming community, citing multiple initiatives aimed at ensuring agricultural sustainability, better incomes, and global competitiveness.
Speaking at the 16th Agriculture Leadership Conclave in New Delhi, Goyal said over 25 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers across the country, promoting balanced fertiliser use and improved productivity. The Kisan Credit Card scheme, he added, has enhanced access to institutional credit for millions of farmers.
Reiterating the Centre’s commitment to farmers, the minister said agriculture has remained central to the government’s development agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Direct income support under the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme, he noted, has benefited a large number of rural families.
To strengthen agri-marketing, Goyal said 1,400 mandis have been integrated with the e-NAM platform, offering farmers real-time price information and wider market access.
Goyal also highlighted efforts to keep fertilisers affordable, pointing to the continuation of subsidies and uninterrupted supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lauding farmers for maintaining stable agri-exports despite global headwinds, he said exports from agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries stood at ₹4 lakh crore in 2023–24.
Basmati rice, spices, fresh produce, fisheries, and poultry continued to drive agri-export growth, supported by trade deals with Australia, the UAE, EFTA countries, and the UK, he added.
Looking ahead, Goyal identified key growth areas including seed production, organic farming, and drip irrigation. He said digital technologies like AI, geospatial mapping, and weather forecasting tools are being integrated to modernise agriculture and empower Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
The minister also stressed the need for value addition through food processing, branding, and improved packaging. He said the government is focusing on warehousing and storage infrastructure with dedicated funds for agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry.
“Under the vision of Viksit Bharat, agriculture will remain a core pillar of India’s growth story,” he stressed.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday underlined the government’s continued focus on empowering India’s farming community, citing multiple initiatives aimed at ensuring agricultural sustainability, better incomes, and global competitiveness.
Speaking at the 16th Agriculture Leadership Conclave in New Delhi, Goyal said over 25 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers across the country, promoting balanced fertiliser use and improved productivity. The Kisan Credit Card scheme, he added, has enhanced access to institutional credit for millions of farmers.
Reiterating the Centre’s commitment to farmers, the minister said agriculture has remained central to the government’s development agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Direct income support under the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme, he noted, has benefited a large number of rural families.
To strengthen agri-marketing, Goyal said 1,400 mandis have been integrated with the e-NAM platform, offering farmers real-time price information and wider market access.
Goyal also highlighted efforts to keep fertilisers affordable, pointing to the continuation of subsidies and uninterrupted supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lauding farmers for maintaining stable agri-exports despite global headwinds, he said exports from agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries stood at ₹4 lakh crore in 2023–24.
Basmati rice, spices, fresh produce, fisheries, and poultry continued to drive agri-export growth, supported by trade deals with Australia, the UAE, EFTA countries, and the UK, he added.
Looking ahead, Goyal identified key growth areas including seed production, organic farming, and drip irrigation. He said digital technologies like AI, geospatial mapping, and weather forecasting tools are being integrated to modernise agriculture and empower Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
The minister also stressed the need for value addition through food processing, branding, and improved packaging. He said the government is focusing on warehousing and storage infrastructure with dedicated funds for agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry.
“Under the vision of Viksit Bharat, agriculture will remain a core pillar of India’s growth story,” he stressed.
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) launched the second edition of Foundations and Evolution of Structured Trade Finance, a landmark publication on a specialised field of trade finance shaped by decades of real-world application.
Authored by Professor Benedict O. Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank and a pivotal figure in the development of Structured Trade Finance (STF), the book provides a practical, step-by-step guide to structuring trade finance transactions. It delves into real-world case studies, explores risks and the theoretical foundations of STF, and broadens its scope beyond commodities to address a wide range of trade scenarios.
The updated edition introduces dedicated chapters on reserve-based lending, supply chain finance, and the use of emerging technologies in structured trade finance. These additions make the book particularly relevant in today’s complex and increasingly risk-sensitive global regulatory environment.
Speaking at the book launch and signing event held during the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, Nigeria, Professor Oramah reflected on the significant progress made in trade finance since the early 1990s.
“When I joined Afreximbank in 1994 the world was still grappling with a severe sovereign debt crisis, and structured trade finance was just beginning to emerge as a tool for financing trade in challenging markets.
“As Afreximbank began operations in 1994, we embraced structured trade finance for its ability to mitigate risk. At its core, structured trade finance enables practitioners to be innovative, as its fundamental principle allows for the transfer of risks from parties who are less able to bear them to those who are more capable of absorbing shocks,” said Professor Oramah.
The first edition of the book highlighted trade finance structures that largely supported North-South trade—an approach that contributed to trade diversion, with businesses often favouring extra-African over intra-African trade due to more accessible financing.
Today, global trade dynamics have shifted dramatically. South-South trade now dominates, with Africa’s trade with other developing countries rising from approximately 23% of its total trade in 1995 to an estimated 68% in 2024. Over the same period, Africa’s trade with advanced economies has declined to less than 50%.
Structured Trade Finance has played a transformative role in reversing Africa’s trend of de-industrialisation. By extending beyond commodity-based structures, STF has supported the emergence of African manufacturing hubs, fostered regional and domestic value chains, and enabled the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. Afreximbank continues to build the continent’s economic future on this foundation of innovation and resilience.
The second edition of Foundations and Evolution of Structured Trade Finance is now available via Globe Law and Business (www.GlobeLawAndBusiness.com), Amazon, and major retailers including Blackwell’s, Waterstones, Wildy’s, Baker & Taylor, and Gardners.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.
Media Contact: Vincent Musumba Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations) Email: press@afreximbank.com
About Afreximbank: African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) vide public document ‘High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action’ – 13 June 2025, has called on its members and other jurisdictions to refer to the statement on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran adopted in February 2020 which remains in effect. Further, Myanmar was added to the list of High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action in the October 2022 FATF plenary and FATF has called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risk arising from Myanmar. When applying enhanced due diligence measures, countries have been advised to ensure that flows of funds for humanitarian assistance, legitimate NPO activity and remittances are not disrupted. The status of Myanmar in the list of countries subject to a call for action, remains unchanged.
FATF had earlier identified the following jurisdictions as having strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing and had placed the jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, which had developed action plan with the FATF to deal with them. These jurisdictions were: Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. As per the June 13, 2025 FATF public statement, Bolivia and the Virgin Islands (UK) have been added to the list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring while Croatia, Mali and Tanzania have been removed from this list based on review by the FATF.
FATF plenary releases documents titled “High-Risk jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action” and “Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring” with respect to jurisdictions that have strategic AML/CFT deficiencies as part of the ongoing efforts to identify and work with jurisdictions with strategic Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) deficiencies. This advice does not preclude the regulated entities from legitimate trade and business transactions with these countries and jurisdictions mentioned there.
The detailed information is available in the updated public statements and document released by FATF on June 13, 2025. The statements and document can be accessed at the following URL:
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures, and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. The FATF’s decision making body, the FATF Plenary, meets three times a year and updates these statements, which may be noted.
Ajit Prasad Deputy General Manager (Communications)
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) vide public document ‘High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action’ – 13 June 2025, has called on its members and other jurisdictions to refer to the statement on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran adopted in February 2020 which remains in effect. Further, Myanmar was added to the list of High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action in the October 2022 FATF plenary and FATF has called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risk arising from Myanmar. When applying enhanced due diligence measures, countries have been advised to ensure that flows of funds for humanitarian assistance, legitimate NPO activity and remittances are not disrupted. The status of Myanmar in the list of countries subject to a call for action, remains unchanged.
FATF had earlier identified the following jurisdictions as having strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing and had placed the jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, which had developed action plan with the FATF to deal with them. These jurisdictions were: Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. As per the June 13, 2025 FATF public statement, Bolivia and the Virgin Islands (UK) have been added to the list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring while Croatia, Mali and Tanzania have been removed from this list based on review by the FATF.
FATF plenary releases documents titled “High-Risk jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action” and “Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring” with respect to jurisdictions that have strategic AML/CFT deficiencies as part of the ongoing efforts to identify and work with jurisdictions with strategic Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) deficiencies. This advice does not preclude the regulated entities from legitimate trade and business transactions with these countries and jurisdictions mentioned there.
The detailed information is available in the updated public statements and document released by FATF on June 13, 2025. The statements and document can be accessed at the following URL:
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures, and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. The FATF’s decision making body, the FATF Plenary, meets three times a year and updates these statements, which may be noted.
Ajit Prasad Deputy General Manager (Communications)
People with disabilities, those living in poverty or who have serious health conditions are being left in a bureaucratic limbo due to digital exclusion caused by the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) unchecked roll-out of technologies, Amnesty International said today in a new report.
The report, “Too Much Technology, Not Enough Empathy” exposes how the DWP’s constant testing, rolling out, and rolling back of costly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for Universal Credit (UC), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and other social security schemes has created an inaccessible social security system for people who are already marginalized and at risk of poverty in the UK.
Many people requiring social security do not have access to digital technologies, internet or internet connected devices. Their affordability coupled with language barriers and long waiting times for telephone services have led to digital exclusion from DWP’s systems.
“The DWP’s mission to reduce ‘costs’ is the beating heart of fascination with, and overreliance on, problematic tech. People are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table due to cuts in social security and yet the DWP is more concerned about experimental technologies to surveil claimants,” said Imogen-Richmond Bishop, Researcher on Technology, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
“The tech-enabled system to claim and manage welfare benefits is resulting in relentless dehumanization and strain for people who are already wrestling to access their basic needs in a broken system.”
The research is an extension of Amnesty International’s 2025 report, “Social Insecurity: The devastating human rights impact of social security system failures in the UK”that details how the UK’s social security system requires a wholesale overhaul to put it back on track to being human rights compliant and ensure a decent standard of living. The struggles in accessing adequate social security payments to prevent poverty are intersectional and complex, with technology forming one component of the broader social support ecosystem.
The tech-enabled system to claim and manage welfare benefits is resulting in relentless dehumanization and strain for people who are already wrestling to access their basic needs in a broken system.
Imogen-Richmond Bishop, Researcher on Technology, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Both investigations draw their findings from questionnaires, focus group interviews with social security recipients and social security advisors, and build on previous work done by civil society. In total, views of 782 people were captured through this process that took place from October 2024 to January 2025.
Perfect storm of pre-existing flaws and new problems
The use of digital technologies combined with further cuts to the UK’s social security system after years of austerity has created a perfect storm, where pre-existing flaws are being exacerbated, and new problems linked to these new technologies are being created.
Automated systems and the use of AI in the assessment and provision of social security can introduce a significant risk of errors in decision making, due to biased or discriminatory algorithms, with serious consequences for claimants.
Digital exclusion can be experienced due to a person’s living conditions, educational attainment, health status, and income levels – complex factors that are not always fully captured by automated social security systems.
For one of the claimants interviewed by Amnesty International, gender, and socio-economic status all represented barriers to her access to services online.
“You know, have some form of compassion, you know, make the forms and things easier. I mean, I’m quite illiterate. I mean, a lot of women, and men of my age, can’t use them […] So they’re stuffed. They send me letters on my phone. I can’t open them. So I ring up. I can’t open it. I haven’t got an iPad. I can’t afford an iPad, you know,” the claimant told Amnesty International.
Human rights implications
The digitized and sweeping data collection has also created an all-seeing social security system that impacts claimants’ rights to privacy, data protection, and human dignity.
Using extensive amounts of data to determine eligibility for state support is not new. However, the scale and the breadth of the data used, and the speed with which it is processed now is new and can bring with it new unintended consequences and human rights risks.
“DWP’s experimentation with tech systems has jeopardised human rights and reduced people in need to data points. The success of a claim can be dependent on whether they neatly fit into a box or meet set criteria rather than their actual eligibility. Technology in this instance has oversimplified people’s complex realities and this demeans people’s needs especially when they are unable to get the support they need from a human case worker,” said Imogen Richmond-Bishop.
Amnesty International wrote to the DWP ahead of the publication of the report and provided a comprehensive summary of the research findings and the methodology. DWP declined to comment on the substance of the report at this time of publication.
The UK authorities must carry out an independent, and impartial review of the social security system as well as the digital systems used by the DWP and scrap any that violate human rights. We need laws to regulate AI to ensure it doesn’t contribute to human rights violations. Digital systems must be transparent, explainable, and never mandatory.
Background:
In May 2025, Amnesty International’s “Social Insecurity” report, exposed how cuts, sanctions and systemic failings of the UK’s social security system are pushing people deeper into poverty.
Amnesty International has also done research on public sector automation and digitalization in Denmark,Netherlands, India, Serbia, and supported work in France and Sweden on the resulting human rights risks and impacts of algorithmic decision-making in these jurisdictions.
Iran’s president said on Thursday the U.N. nuclear watchdog should drop its “double standards” if Tehran is to resume cooperation with it over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, Iranian state media reported.
President Masoud Pezeshkian last week enacted a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the IAEA said it had pulled its last remaining inspectors out of Iran.
Relations between Iran and the IAEA have worsened since the United States and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June, saying they wanted to prevent Tehran developing an atomic weapon. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only and denies seeking atomic weapons.
“The continuation of Iran’s cooperation with the agency (IAEA) depends of the latter correcting its double standards regarding the nuclear file,” state media quoted Pezeshkian as telling European Council President Antonio Costa by phone.
“Any repeated aggression (against Iran) will be met with a more decisive and regrettable response,” he said.
Tehran accuses the IAEA of failing to condemn the attacks by the United States and Israel, and says the nuclear watchdog paved the way for the bombing by issuing a resolution declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
“Failure to observe the principle of impartiality in reporting is one of the examples that casts doubt on the status and credibility of the IAEA,” Pezeshkian said.
The bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities led to a 12-day war, during which Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel.
IAEA inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since the bombing campaign, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said it is his top priority.
ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have cultivated a strong and enduring partnership, founded on mutual trust and a shared commitment to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. This relationship was further elevated with the establishment of the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2024, reaffirming both sides’ resolute commitment to advancing deeper cooperation in addressing regional and global challenges, and to working together toward a smarter, and a more sustainable, resilient, and connected future.
This Plan of Action (POA) builds upon the significant achievements made in the relations between ASEAN and the ROK and the successful implementation of the previous POAs, to advance the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in line with the Joint Statement on the Establishment of the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and other joint statements adopted by the Leaders of ASEAN and the ROK in the past five years.
Download the full Plan of Action here.
The post Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030) appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
2. Negotiations ahead of Parliament’s first reading (Rule 72) (action taken)
The decisions of the JURI, TRAN, BUDG, ECON, REGI and EMPL committees to enter into interinstitutional negotiations had been announced on 7 July 2025 (minutes of 7.7.2025, item 5).
As no request for a vote pursuant to Rule 72(2) had been made, the committees responsible had been able to enter into negotiations upon expiry of the deadline.
3. Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025 (debate)
European Council and Commission statements: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025 (2025/2981(RSP))
The President provided some clarifications on the way in which the debate would be conducted, as a new format was being tested.
António Costa (President of the European Council) and Ursula von der Leyen (President of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Dolors Montserrat, on behalf of the PPE Group, Kathleen Van Brempt, on behalf of the S&D Group, Kinga Gál, on behalf of the PfE Group, Nicolas Bay, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of The Left Group, René Aust, on behalf of the ESN Group, Paulo Cunha, Nicola Zingaretti, Paolo Borchia, Carlo Fidanza, Estrella Galán, Milan Uhrík, Kostas Papadakis, Luděk Niedermayer, Dan Nica, Marieke Ehlers, Reinhold Lopatka and Javier Moreno Sánchez.
IN THE CHAIR: Christel SCHALDEMOSE Vice-President
The following spoke: Anna Bryłka, Gaetano Pedulla’, Seán Kelly, Marta Temido, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, and Csaba Dömötör.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Maria Grapini, João Oliveira, Alexander Jungbluth, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Malika Sorel and Milan Mazurek.
The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič (Member of the Commission) and António Costa.
The debate closed.
4. The EU’s post-2027 long-term budget: Parliament’s expectations ahead of the Commission’s proposal (debate)
Council and Commission statements: The EU’s post-2027 long-term budget: Parliament’s expectations ahead of the Commission’s proposal (2025/2803(RSP))
Marie Bjerre (President-in-Office of the Council) and Piotr Serafin (Member of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Tamás Deutsch, on behalf of the PfE Group, Patryk Jaki, on behalf of the ECR Group, Fabienne Keller, on behalf of the Renew Group, Terry Reintke, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, João Oliveira, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Jungbluth, on behalf of the ESN Group, Karlo Ressler, Carla Tavares, Angéline Furet, Johan Van Overtveldt, Lucia Yar, Rasmus Nordqvist, Younous Omarjee, Milan Mazurek, Thomas Geisel, Herbert Dorfmann, Victor Negrescu, Ruggero Razza, Ľubica Karvašová, Andrey Novakov, Nicola Zingaretti, Jaak Madison, Rasmus Andresen, Christian Ehler, Andreas Schieder, Isabel Benjumea Benjumea, Jean-Marc Germain, Tomasz Buczek, Bogdan Rzońca, Anouk Van Brug, Danuše Nerudová, Sandra Gómez López, Moritz Körner and Janusz Lewandowski.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Georgios Aftias, Thomas Bajada, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Petras Gražulis, Branislav Ondruš, Dariusz Joński, Hélder Sousa Silva and Nina Carberry.
The following spoke: Piotr Serafin and Marie Bjerre.
The debate closed.
(The sitting was suspended at 11:56.)
IN THE CHAIR: Roberta METSOLA President
5. Resumption of the sitting
The sitting resumed at 12:00.
⁂
The following spoke: Terry Reintke.
6. Requests for the waiver of immunity
The competent Austrian authorities had sent the President a request for Harald Vilimsky’s immunity to be waived in connection with legal proceedings in Austria.
Pursuant to Rule 9(1), the request had been referred to the committee responsible, in this case the JURI Committee.
7. Voting time
For detailed results of the votes, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’.
7.1. European Climate Law ***I (vote)
European Climate Law (COM(2025)0524 – C10-0137/2025 – 2025/0524(COD)) – ENVI Committee
REQUESTS FOR AN URGENT DECISION from the Verts/ALE, Renew and S&D groups (Rule 170(5))
Rejected
The following had spoken:
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Lena Schilling and Tiemo Wölken (movers of the requests), and Jeroen Lenaers (against the requests), before the vote.
(‘Results of votes’, item 1)
7.2. Objection pursuant to Rule 114(3): amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 to add certain countries to the list of high-risk third countries, and to remove other countries from that list (vote)
Motions for resolutions B10-0311/2025,B10-0315/2025,B10-0316/2025andB10-0318/2025pursuant to Rule 114(3)(minutes of 9.7.2025, item I)
(Majority of Parliament’s component Members required)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION B10-0311/2025
Rejected
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION B10-0315/2025
Rejected
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION B10-0316/2025
Rejected
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTIONB10-0318/2025
Rejected
The following had spoken:
Maria Luís Albuquerque (Member of the Commission), before the vote, to make a statement.
(‘Results of votes’, item 2)
7.3. Objection pursuant to Rule 115(2) and (3): Deforestation Regulation – list of countries presenting a low or high risk (vote)
Motion for a resolution tabled by the ENVI Committee pursuant to Rule 115(2) and (3), on the draft Commission regulation on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 of 22 May 2025 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a list of countries that present a low or high risk of producing relevant commodities for which the relevant products do not comply with Article 3, point (a) (2025/2739(RPS)) (B10-0321/2025)–Member responsible:Alexander Bernhuber
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0149)
(‘Results of votes’, item 3)
7.4. Amending Regulation (EU) No 1026/2012 on certain measures for the purpose of the conservation of fish stocks in relation to countries allowing non-sustainable fishing ***I (vote)
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1026/2012 on certain measures for the purpose of the conservation of fish stocks in relation to countries allowing non-sustainable fishing [COM(2024)0407 – C10-0098/2024 – 2024/0224(COD)] – Committee on Fisheries. Rapporteur: Thomas Bajada (A10-0070/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
PROVISIONAL AGREEMENT
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0150)
Parliament’s first reading thus closed.
The following had spoken:
Thomas Bajada, before the vote, to make a statement on the basis of Rule 165(4).
(‘Results of votes’, item 4)
7.5. Draft amending budget No 1/2025: entering the surplus of the financial year 2024 (vote)
Report on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 1/2025 of the European Union for the financial year 2025 entering the surplus of the financial year 2024 [09619/2025 – C10-0125/2025 – 2025/0091(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Victor Negrescu (A10-0116/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0151)
The following had spoken:
Victor Negrescu, before the vote, to make a statement on the basis of Rule 165(4).
(‘Results of votes’, item 5)
7.6. Mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund: assistance to Austria, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Moldova relating to floods that occurred in September 2024 and Bosnia and Herzegovina relating to floods that occurred in October 2024 (vote)
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Austria, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Moldova relating to floods occurred in September 2024 and Bosnia and Herzegovina relating to floods occurred in October 2024 [COM(2025)0250 – C10-0102/2025 – 2025/0138(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Andrzej Halicki (A10-0114/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0152)
(‘Results of votes’, item 6)
7.7. Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: Application EGF/2025/000 TA 2025 – Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission (vote)
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers – EGF/2025/000 TA 2025 – Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission [COM(2025)0680 – C10-0103/2025 – 2025/0135(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Jean-Marc Germain (A10-0115/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0153)
The following had spoken:
Jean-Marc Germain, before the vote, to make a statement on the basis of Rule 165(4).
(‘Results of votes’, item 7)
7.8. Product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports (vote)
Report on product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports [2025/2037(INI)] – Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. Rapporteur: Salvatore De Meo (A10-0133/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0154)
(‘Results of votes’, item 8)
7.9. 2023 and 2024 reports on Albania (vote)
Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Albania [2025/2017(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Andreas Schieder (A10-0106/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0155)
(‘Results of votes’, item 9)
7.10. 2023 and 2024 reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina (vote)
Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina [2025/2018(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Ondřej Kolář (A10-0108/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0156)
(‘Results of votes’, item 10)
7.11. 2023 and 2024 reports on North Macedonia (vote)
Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on North Macedonia [2025/2021(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Thomas Waitz (A10-0118/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0157)
(‘Results of votes’, item 11)
7.12. 2023 and 2024 reports on Georgia (vote)
Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Georgia [2025/2024(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Rasa Juknevičienė (A10-0110/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0158)
The following had spoken:
– Rasa Juknevičienė, to move an oral amendment to Amendment 9. Parliament had agreed to put the oral amendment to the vote.
– Urmas Paet, to move an oral amendment to paragraph 16. Parliament had agreed to put the oral amendment to the vote.
(‘Results of votes’, item 12)
7.13. Implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (vote)
Report on implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in view of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum [2025/2014(INI)] – Committee on Development – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteurs: Robert Biedroń and Nikolas Farantouris (A10-0125/2025)
(Majority of the votes cast)
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0159)
The following had spoken:
Robert Biedroń and Nikolas Farantouris, before the vote, to make a statement on the basis of Rule 165(4).
(‘Results of votes’, item 13)
7.14. The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (vote)
Motions for resolutions RC-B10-0304/2025, B10-0303/2025, B10-0304/2025, B10-0305/2025, B10-0306/2025, B10-0307/2025 and B10-0308/2025 (2025/2710(RSP))
The debate had taken place on 16 June 2025 (minutes of 16.6.2025, item 21).
(Majority of the votes cast)
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION RC-B10-0304/2025
Adopted (P10_TA(2025)0160)
(Motion for a resolution B10-0303/2025 fell.)
(‘Results of votes’, item 14)
(The sitting was suspended at 13:01.)
IN THE CHAIR: Sabine VERHEYEN Vice-President
8. Resumption of the sitting
The sitting resumed at 13:05.
9. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting
The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.
10. Lessons from Budapest Pride: the urgent need for an EU wide anti-discrimination law and defending fundamental rights against right-wing attacks (topical debate)
The following spoke: Ana Catarina Mendes to open the debate proposed by the S&D Group.
The following spoke: Marie Bjerre (President-in-Office of the Council) and Michael McGrath (Member of the Commission).
The following spoke: Sven Simon, on behalf of the PPE Group, Klára Dobrev, on behalf of the S&D Group, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, on behalf of the PfE Group, Alessandro Ciriani, on behalf of the ECR Group, Fabienne Keller, on behalf of the Renew Group, Alice Kuhnke, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of The Left Group (the President reminded the speaker of the rules on conduct), Zsuzsanna Borvendég, on behalf of the ESN Group, Maria Walsh, Marc Angel, Tom Vandendriessche, Paolo Inselvini, Sophie Wilmès, Tineke Strik, Irene Montero, Irmhild Boßdorf (the President reminded the House of the rules on conduct), Michał Wawrykiewicz, Raphaël Glucksmann, András László, Georgiana Teodorescu, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Nicolae Ștefănuță, Özlem Demirel, Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Evin Incir, Petra Steger, Maciej Wąsik, Moritz Körner, Kim Van Sparrentak, Carolina Morace, Markus Buchheit, Adrián Vázquez Lázara, Birgit Sippel, Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová, Marlena Maląg, Hilde Vautmans (the President reminded the speaker of the rules on conduct), Daniel Freund, Li Andersson, Milan Uhrík, Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Krzysztof Śmiszek, Julien Sanchez, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Mélissa Camara, Mary Khan, Alessandro Zan, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Cristian Terheş, Lukas Sieper on the previous speaker’s remarks (the President took note of this and again reminded the House of the rules on conduct), and Juan Fernando López Aguilar.
The following spoke: Michael McGrath.
IN THE CHAIR: Younous OMARJEE Vice-President
The following spoke: Marie Bjerre.
The debate closed.
11. EU-US trade negotiations (debate)
Council and Commission statements: EU-US trade negotiations (2025/2804(RSP))
Marie Bjerre (President-in-Office of the Council) and Maroš Šefčovič (Member of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Jörgen Warborn, on behalf of the PPE Group, Kathleen Van Brempt, on behalf of the S&D Group, Enikő Győri, on behalf of the PfE Group, Rihards Kols, on behalf of the ECR Group, Karin Karlsbro, on behalf of the Renew Group, Anna Cavazzini, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Martin Schirdewan, on behalf of The Left Group, Michał Szczerba, Bernd Lange, Séverine Werbrouck, Svenja Hahn, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Lynn Boylan, Luis-Vicențiu Lazarus, Željana Zovko, Brando Benifei, Jorge Martín Frías, Dick Erixon, Dan Barna, Sergey Lagodinsky, Marina Mesure, Kateřina Konečná, Daniel Caspary, who also answered a blue-card question from Lukas Sieper, Alex Agius Saliba, Gilles Pennelle, Adrian-George Axinia, João Cotrim De Figueiredo, who also answered a blue-card question from Bruno Gonçalves, Catarina Vieira, Pasquale Tridico, Branislav Ondruš, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Silvia Sardone, Jacek Ozdoba, Sophie Wilmès, Lukas Sieper, Céline Imart, Evin Incir, Pierre Pimpie, Anna Zalewska, Massimiliano Salini, Jean-Marc Germain, Francisco José Millán Mon, Cristina Maestre, Miriam Lexmann, Mika Aaltola, Jessika Van Leeuwen, Nina Carberry, Luděk Niedermayer, Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral, Wouter Beke, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Maria Walsh and Michalis Hadjipantela.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Regina Doherty, Maria Grapini, Sebastian Tynkkynen and Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez.
The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič and Marie Bjerre.
The debate closed.
12. EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season (debate)
Council and Commission statements: EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season (2025/2771(RSP))
Marie Bjerre (President-in-Office of the Council) made the statement.
IN THE CHAIR: Antonella SBERNA Vice-President
Hadja Lahbib (Member of the Commission) made the statement.
The following spoke: Lena Düpont, on behalf of the PPE Group, Antonio Decaro, on behalf of the S&D Group, Sergio Berlato, on behalf of the ECR Group, Grégory Allione, on behalf of the Renew Group, Benedetta Scuderi, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Valentina Palmisano, on behalf of The Left Group, Raúl de la Hoz Quintano, Marta Temido, Csaba Dömötör, who also answered a blue-card question from Stine Bosse, Diego Solier, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Vicent Marzà Ibáñez, Elena Kountoura, Nikolaos Anadiotis, Matej Tonin, Leire Pajín, Julien Leonardelli, who also answered blue-card questions from Grégory Allione and Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Ruggero Razza, who also answered a blue-card question from Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Mārtiņš Staķis, Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos, Ana Miguel Pedro, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Ana Miranda Paz, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Ana Vasconcelos, Ana Miranda Paz, Péter Magyar, Victor Negrescu, Marjan Šarec, Dimitris Tsiodras, Sofie Eriksson, Giusi Princi, Sakis Arnaoutoglou, Daniel Buda, Hannes Heide, Sunčana Glavak, Rosa Serrano Sierra, Sérgio Humberto and Michalis Hadjipantela.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Francisco José Millán Mon, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Viktória Ferenc, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Ciaran Mullooly, Diana Riba i Giner, Maria Zacharia and Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă.
The following spoke: Hadja Lahbib and Marie Bjerre.
IN THE CHAIR: Martin HOJSÍK Vice-President
The debate closed.
13. Composition of committees and delegations
The ECR Group had notified the President of the following decision changing the composition of the committees and delegations:
– Delegation to the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly: Galato Alexandraki was no longer a member
The decision took effect as of that day.
14. Presentation of stockpiling strategies – strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape (debate)
Commission statement: Presentation of stockpiling strategies – strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape (2025/2790(RSP))
Hadja Lahbib (Member of the Commission) made the statement.
The following spoke: Tomislav Sokol, on behalf of the PPE Group, Christophe Clergeau, on behalf of the S&D Group, Valérie Deloge, on behalf of the PfE Group, Kosma Złotowski, on behalf of the ECR Group, Grégory Allione, on behalf of the Renew Group, Pär Holmgren, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Catarina Martins, on behalf of The Left Group, Christine Anderson, on behalf of the ESN Group, Mirosława Nykiel, Nicolás González Casares, Stine Bosse, Ruth Firmenich, Paulius Saudargas, Marta Temido, Liesbet Sommen and Michalis Hadjipantela.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis and Sebastian Tynkkynen.
The following spoke: Hadja Lahbib.
The debate closed.
15. Alleged misuse of EU funds by Members of the far-right and measures to ensure institutional integrity (debate)
Statements by Parliament: Alleged misuse of EU funds by Members of the far-right and measures to ensure institutional integrity (2025/2808(RSP))
The following spoke: Niclas Herbst, on behalf of the PPE Group, Chloé Ridel, on behalf of the S&D Group, Moritz Körner, on behalf of the Renew Group, Mélissa Camara, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of The Left Group, Arno Bausemer, on behalf of the ESN Group, Tomáš Zdechovský, who also answered a blue-card question from Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, Giuseppe Lupo, Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, who also answered blue-card questions from Tomáš Zdechovský and Sebastian Tynkkynen, Daniel Freund, who also answered blue-card questions from Arno Bausemer and Moritz Körner (the President reminded the speaker to keep to the subject of the debate), Jonas Sjöstedt, Reinhold Lopatka, Andreas Schieder and Helmut Brandstätter.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar.
The debate closed.
16. Democratic Republic of the Congo-Rwanda peace deal agreement (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Democratic Republic of the Congo-Rwanda peace deal agreement (2025/2792(RSP))
Jozef Síkela (Member of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Commission.
The following spoke: Ingeborg Ter Laak, on behalf of the PPE Group, Marit Maij, on behalf of the S&D Group, Philippe Olivier, on behalf of the PfE Group, Nicolas Bay, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Mounir Satouri, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Marc Botenga, on behalf of The Left Group, Wouter Beke and Francisco Assis.
IN THE CHAIR: Victor NEGRESCU Vice-President
The following spoke: France Jamet, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Pernando Barrena Arza, Jan Farský and Hannes Heide.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar.
The following spoke: Jozef Síkela.
The debate closed.
17. Outcome of the Conference on the Financing for Development in Seville (debate)
Council and Commission statements: Outcome of the Conference on the Financing for Development in Seville (2025/2793(RSP))
Marie Bjerre (President-in-Office of the Council) and Jozef Síkela (Member of the Commission) made the statements.
The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Marit Maij, on behalf of the S&D Group, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, on behalf of the PfE Group, Mario Mantovani, on behalf of the ECR Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Isabella Lövin, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Marc Jongen, on behalf of the ESN Group, Udo Bullmann, Tiago Moreira de Sá, Beatrice Timgren, Charles Goerens, Leire Pajín, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Robert Biedroń, Murielle Laurent, Francisco Assis and Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus.
The following spoke: Jozef Síkela and Marie Bjerre.
The debate closed.
18. 51 years after the Turkish invasion of the Republic of Cyprus: condemning the continued Turkish occupation and supporting the resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive solution in line with international law, the UNSC resolutions, EU principles and acquis (debate)
Commission statement: 51 years after the Turkish invasion of the Republic of Cyprus: condemning the continued Turkish occupation and supporting the resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive solution in line with international law, the UNSC resolutions, EU principles and acquis (2025/2794(RSP))
Jozef Síkela (Member of the Commission) made the statement.
The following spoke: Loucas Fourlas, on behalf of the PPE Group, Costas Mavrides, on behalf of the S&D Group, Afroditi Latinopoulou, on behalf of the PfE Group, Geadis Geadi, on behalf of the ECR Group, Kai Tegethoff, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, and Marc Jongen, on behalf of the ESN Group.
The following spoke: Jozef Síkela.
The debate closed.
19. Debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (debate)
(For the titles and authors of the motions for resolutions, see minutes of 9.7.2025, item I.)
19.1. Case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai
Motions for resolutions B10-0328/2025, B10-0333/2025, B10-0336/2025, B10-0340/2025 and B10-0341/2025 (2025/2796(RSP))
Seán Kelly and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin introduced their groups’ motions for resolutions.
IN THE CHAIR: Javi LÓPEZ Vice-President
Petras Auštrevičius and Catarina Vieira introduced their groups’ motions for resolutions.
The following spoke: Reinhold Lopatka, on behalf of the PPE Group, and Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group.
The following spoke: Jozef Síkela (Member of the Commission).
The debate closed.
Vote: 10 July 2025.
19.2. Arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic
Motions for resolutions B10-0323/2025, B10-0327/2025, B10-0334/2025, B10-0339/2025 and B10-0342/2025 (2025/2797(RSP))
Wouter Beke, Francisco Assis, Hilde Vautmans, Saskia Bricmont and Catarina Martins introduced their groups’ motions for resolutions.
The following spoke: Kathleen Van Brempt, on behalf of the S&D Group, and João Cotrim De Figueiredo, on behalf of the Renew Group.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Seán Kelly.
The following spoke: Jozef Síkela (Member of the Commission).
The debate closed.
Vote: 10 July 2025.
19.3. Urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus
Motions for resolutions B10-0325/2025, B10-0335/2025, B10-0338/2025, B10-0343/2025, B10-0344/2025, B10-0345/2025, B10-0346/2025 and B10-0347/2025 (2025/2798(RSP))
Ingeborg Ter Laak, Marco Tarquinio, Nathalie Loiseau, Hannah Neumann, Nikolas Farantouris, Silvia Sardone, Bert-Jan Ruissen and Tomasz Froelich introduced their groups’ motions for resolutions.
The following spoke: Sander Smit, on behalf of the PPE Group, Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Matthieu Valet, on behalf of the PfE Group, Małgorzata Gosiewska, on behalf of the ECR Group, Michalis Hadjipantela, Evin Incir, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Laurence Trochu, Christophe Gomart, Paolo Inselvini, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński and Geadis Geadi.
The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Fredis Beleris and Costas Mavrides.
The following spoke: Jozef Síkela (Member of the Commission).
The debate closed.
Vote: 10 July 2025.
20. Explanations of votes in writing (Rule 201)
Explanations of votes given in writing would appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website.
21. Agenda of the next sitting
The next sitting would be held the following day, 10 July 2025, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website.
22. Approval of the minutes of the sitting
In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting.
23. Closure of the sitting
The sitting closed at 22:02.
LIST OF DOCUMENTS SERVING AS A BASIS FOR THE DEBATES AND DECISIONS OF PARLIAMENT
I. Motions for resolutions tabled
Case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai
The following Members or political groups had requested that a debate be held, in accordance with Rule 150, on the following motions for resolutions:
on the case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai (2025/2796(RSP)) (B10-0328/2025) Rasmus Andresen, Villy Søvndal, Maria Ohisalo, Nicolae Ștefănuță, Mélissa Camara, Mounir Satouri, Catarina Vieira, Ville Niinistö on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai (2025/2796(RSP)) (B10-0333/2025) Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Benoit Cassart, Olivier Chastel, Engin Eroglu, Karin Karlsbro, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar on behalf of the Renew Group
on the case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai (2025/2796(RSP)) (B10-0336/2025) Yannis Maniatis, Francisco Assis, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin on behalf of The Left Group
on the case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai (2025/2796(RSP)) (B10-0340/2025) Sebastião Bugalho, Seán Kelly, Tomáš Zdechovský, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Tomas Tobé, Wouter Beke, Davor Ivo Stier, Łukasz Kohut, Mirosława Nykiel, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Inese Vaidere on behalf of the PPE Group
on the case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai (2025/2796(RSP)) (B10-0341/2025) Adam Bielan, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Marlena Maląg, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Bogdan Rzońca, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Ivaylo Valchev, Anna Zalewska, Waldemar Tomaszewski, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová on behalf of the ECR Group
Arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic
The following Members or political groups had requested that a debate be held, in accordance with Rule 150, on the following motions for resolutions:
on the arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic (2025/2797(RSP)) (B10-0323/2025) Catarina Martins on behalf of The Left Group
on the arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic (2025/2797(RSP)) (B10-0327/2025) Yannis Maniatis, Kathleen Van Brempt, Francisco Assis on behalf of the S&D Group Saskia Bricmont, Mélissa Camara, Catarina Vieira, Maria Ohisalo, Mounir Satouri, Nicolae Ștefănuță, Ville Niinistö on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic (2025/2797(RSP)) (B10-0334/2025) Hilde Vautmans, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Benoit Cassart, Olivier Chastel, Engin Eroglu, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Lucia Yar on behalf of the Renew Group
on the arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic (2025/2797(RSP)) (B10-0339/2025) Sebastião Bugalho, Wouter Beke, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Željana Zovko, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrey Kovatchev, Tomas Tobé, Tomáš Zdechovský, Davor Ivo Stier, Łukasz Kohut, Liudas Mažylis, Vangelis Meimarakis, Loránt Vincze, Seán Kelly, Mirosława Nykiel, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Inese Vaidere on behalf of the PPE Group
on the arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in the Central African Republic (2025/2797(RSP)) (B10-0342/2025) Adam Bielan, Aurelijus Veryga, Carlo Fidanza, Marlena Maląg, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Alexandr Vondra, Bogdan Rzońca, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Ivaylo Valchev, Alberico Gambino, Anna Zalewska, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Assita Kanko, Michał Dworczyk, Waldemar Tomaszewski on behalf of the ECR Group
Urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus
The following Members or political groups had requested that a debate be held, in accordance with Rule 150, on the following motions for resolutions:
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0325/2025) Nikolas Farantouris, Özlem Demirel on behalf of The Left Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0335/2025) Hannah Neumann, Maria Ohisalo, Katrin Langensiepen, Nicolae Ștefănuță, Mounir Satouri, Catarina Vieira on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0338/2025) Tomasz Froelich, Petr Bystron, Alexander Sell, Marc Jongen on behalf of the ESN Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0343/2025) Silvia Sardone, Susanna Ceccardi, Roberto Vannacci, Matthieu Valet, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, António Tânger Corrêa, Afroditi Latinopoulou, Hermann Tertsch on behalf of the PfE Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0344/2025) Nathalie Loiseau, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Engin Eroglu, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Urmas Paet, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar on behalf of the Renew Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0345/2025) Adam Bielan, Bert-Jan Ruissen, Aurelijus Veryga, Carlo Fidanza, Marlena Maląg, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Bogdan Rzońca, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Alexandr Vondra, Reinis Pozņaks, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Emmanouil Fragkos, Ivaylo Valchev, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Guillaume Peltier, Alberico Gambino, Marion Maréchal, Nicolas Bay, Laurence Trochu, Anna Zalewska, Assita Kanko, Waldemar Tomaszewski on behalf of the ECR Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0346/2025) Sebastião Bugalho, Ingeborg Ter Laak, David McAllister, François-Xavier Bellamy, Andrzej Halicki, Wouter Beke, Željana Zovko, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Andrey Kovatchev, Tomas Tobé, Tomáš Zdechovský, Davor Ivo Stier, Sander Smit, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Eleonora Meleti, Vangelis Meimarakis, Georgios Aftias, Dimitris Tsiodras, Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Matej Tonin, Massimiliano Salini, Łukasz Kohut, Loránt Vincze, Seán Kelly, Mirosława Nykiel, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Inese Vaidere, Michalis Hadjipantela, Miriam Lexmann on behalf of the PPE Group
on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus (2025/2798(RSP)) (B10-0347/2025) Yannis Maniatis, Francisco Assis, Marco Tarquinio, Hana Jalloul Muro, Evin Incir, Nikos Papandreou on behalf of the S&D Group
Objection pursuant to Rule 114(3): amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 to add certain countries to the list of high-risk third countries, and to remove other countries from that list
Motion for a resolution tabled under Rule 114(3) by Jorge Buxadé Villalba, on behalf of the PfE Group, on the Commission delegated regulation of 10 June 2025 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 to add Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela to the list of high-risk third countries which have provided a written high-level political commitment to address the identified deficiencies and have developed an action plan with the FATF, and to remove Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates from that list (C(2025)3815) – 2025/2740(DEA)) (B10-0311/2025)
Motion for a resolution tabled under Rule 114(3) by Rasmus Andresen, Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Murielle Laurent, Brando Benifei, Kathleen Van Brempt, Francisco Assis, Raphaël Glucksmann, Aurore Lalucq, Cecilia Strada, Christophe Clergeau, Eric Sargiacomo, Nora Mebarek, Chloé Ridel, Claire Fita, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Birgit Sippel, Gabriele Bischoff, Lucia Annunziata, Sandro Ruotolo, Emma Rafowicz, Pina Picierno, Alessandra Moretti, Pierre Jouvet, Annalisa Corrado, Evelyn Regner, Jean-Marc Germain, Marco Tarquinio, Udo Bullmann, Alessandro Zan, on the Commission delegated regulation of 10 June 2025 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 to add Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela to the list of high-risk third countries which have provided a written high-level political commitment to address the identified deficiencies and have developed an action plan with the FATF, and to remove Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates from that list (C(2025)3815) – 2025/2740(DEA)) (B10-0315/2025)
Motion for a resolution tabled under Rule 114(3) by Damien Carême, Jussi Saramo, on behalf of The Left Group, on the Commission delegated regulation of 10 June 2025 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 to add Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela to the list of high-risk third countries which have provided a written high-level political commitment to address the identified deficiencies and have developed an action plan with the FATF, and to remove Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates from that list (C(2025)03815 – 2025/2740(DEA)) (B10-0316/2025)
Motion for a resolution tabled under Rule 114(3) by Luděk Niedermayer, Javier Zarzalejos, Fernando Navarrete Rojas, Isabel Benjumea Benjumea, Maravillas Abadía Jover, Carmen Crespo Díaz, Francisco José Millán Mon, Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Gabriel Mato, Pilar del Castillo Vera, Esther Herranz García, Borja Giménez Larraz, Raúl de la Hoz Quintano, Susana Solís Pérez, Alma Ezcurra Almansa, Dolors Montserrat, Elena Nevado del Campo, Adrián Vázquez Lázara, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Marco Falcone, Esteban González Pons, Pablo Arias Echeverría, Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Danuše Nerudová, David Casa, Tomáš Zdechovský, Kinga Kollár, Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Herbert Dorfmann, Christophe Gomart, Ondřej Kolář, Jan Farský, Michalis Hadjipantela, Siegfried Mureşan, Dan-Ştefan Motreanu, Virgil-Daniel Popescu, Iuliu Winkler, Gheorghe Falcă, Mircea-Gheorghe Hava, Daniel Buda, Paulius Saudargas, Maria Walsh, Loucas Fourlas, Verena Mertens, François-Xavier Bellamy, Karlo Ressler, Laurent Castillo, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Andrzej Halicki, on the Commission delegated regulation of 10 June 2025 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 to add Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela to the list of high-risk third countries which have provided a written high-level political commitment to address the identified deficiencies and have developed an action plan with the FATF, and to remove Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates from that list (C(2025)03815 – 2025/2740(DEA)) (B10-0318/2025)
The human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians
Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate:
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (B10-0303/2025) Özlem Demirel, Danilo Della Valle on behalf of The Left Group
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (B10-0304/2025) Sergey Lagodinsky, Markéta Gregorová, Ville Niinistö, Jutta Paulus, Mārtiņš Staķis on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (B10-0305/2025) Yannis Maniatis, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Thijs Reuten on behalf of the S&D Group
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (B10-0306/2025) Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, Sebastião Bugalho, David McAllister, Siegfried Mureşan, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Mika Aaltola, Wouter Beke, Krzysztof Brejza, Lena Düpont, Jan Farský, Mircea-Gheorghe Hava, Rasa Juknevičienė, Ewa Kopacz, Andrey Kovatchev, Reinhold Lopatka, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Danuše Nerudová, Mirosława Nykiel, Liudas Mažylis, Ana Miguel Pedro, Paulius Saudargas, Oliver Schenk, Michał Szczerba, Davor Ivo Stier, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Riho Terras, Pekka Toveri, Inese Vaidere on behalf of the PPE Group
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (B10-0307/2025) Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Anna-Maja Henriksson, Ľubica Karvašová, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Urmas Paet, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Eugen Tomac, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas on behalf of the Renew Group
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (B10-0308/2025) Michał Dworczyk, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Anna Zalewska, Reinis Pozņaks, Roberts Zīle, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Bogdan Rzońca, Rihards Kols, Alexandr Vondra, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Aurelijus Veryga, Charlie Weimers, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Assita Kanko, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Adam Bielan, Mariusz Kamiński on behalf of the ECR Group
Joint motion for a resolution tabled under Rule 136(2) and (4):
on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the urgent need to end Russian aggression: the situation of illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and the continued bombing of civilians (2025/2710(RSP)) (RC-B10-0304/2025) (replacing motions for resolutionsB10-0304/2025, B10-0305/2025, B10-0306/2025, B10-0307/2025 and B10-0308/2025) Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, Sebastião Bugalho, David McAllister, Siegfried Mureşan, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Mika Aaltola, Wouter Beke, Krzysztof Brejza, Lena Düpont, Jan Farský, Mircea-Gheorghe Hava, Rasa Juknevičienė, Sandra Kalniete, Ewa Kopacz, Andrey Kovatchev, Reinhold Lopatka, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Liudas Mažylis, Danuše Nerudová, Mirosława Nykiel, Ana Miguel Pedro, Paulius Saudargas, Oliver Schenk, Michał Szczerba, Davor Ivo Stier, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Riho Terras, Matej Tonin, Pekka Toveri, Inese Vaidere on behalf of the PPE Group Yannis Maniatis, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Thijs Reuten on behalf of the S&D Group Adam Bielan, Michał Dworczyk, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Roberts Zīle, Reinis Pozņaks, Ivaylo Valchev, Aurelijus Veryga, Mariusz Kamiński, Charlie Weimers, Alexandr Vondra, Assita Kanko, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński on behalf of the ECR Group Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Anna-Maja Henriksson, Ľubica Karvašová, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Urmas Paet, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Eugen Tomac, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas on behalf of the Renew Group Sergey Lagodinsky on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
II. Documents received
The following documents had been received from other institutions:
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations INF 6/2025 – Section VI – Economic and Social Committee (N10-0026/2025 – C10-0131/2025 – 2025/2123(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations V/INF-01/C/25 – Section V – Court of Auditors (N10-0027/2025 – C10-0132/2025 – 2025/2124(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations V/INF-02/C/25 – Section V – Court of Auditors (N10-0028/2025 – C10-0133/2025 – 2025/2125(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations V/INF-03/T/25 – Section V – Court of Auditors (N10-0029/2025 – C10-0134/2025 – 2025/2126(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations V/INF-04/A/25 – Section V – Court of Auditors (N10-0030/2025 – C10-0135/2025 – 2025/2127(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations V/INF-05/C/25 – Section V – Court of Auditors (N10-0031/2025 – C10-0136/2025 – 2025/2128(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
– Proposal for transfer of appropriations 1/2025 – Section VIII – European Ombudsman (N10-0032/2025 – C10-0138/2025 – 2025/2129(GBD)) referred to committee responsible: BUDG
III. Delegated acts (Rule 114(2))
Draft delegated acts forwarded to Parliament
– Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards specifying the minimum contents of the liquidity management policy and procedures for certain issuers of asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens (C(2025)00602 – 2025/2777(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 3 months from the date of receipt of 27 June 2025
referred to committee responsible: ECON
– Commission Delegated Regulation amending the regulatory technical standards laid down in Delegated Regulations (EU) 2017/583 and (EU) 2017/587 as regards transparency requirements for trading venues and investment firms in respect of bonds, structured finance products, emission allowances and equity instruments (C(2025)03104 – 2025/2773(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 3 months from the date of receipt of 18 June 2025
referred to committee responsible: ECON
– Commission Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards an increase of the minimum mesh size when fishing for squid in the North Sea and North Western Waters (C(2025)03720 – 2025/2769(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 16 June 2025
Extension of the deadline for raising objections: 2 months at the European Parliament’s request
referred to committee responsible: PECH
– Commission Delegated Regulation correcting certain language versions of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1366 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a network code on sector-specific rules for cybersecurity aspects of cross-border electricity flows (C(2025)03833 – 2025/2774(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 19 June 2025
referred to committee responsible: ITRE
– Commission Delegated Directive adapting to scientific and technical progress Annexes I and II to Directive (EU) 2022/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council on uniform procedures for checks on the transport of dangerous goods by road (C(2025)03886 – 2025/2775(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 23 June 2025
referred to committee responsible: TRAN
– Commission Delegated Regulation amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2534 on household tumble dryers regarding information on repairability and clarifying some aspects of the measurements and calculation methods, the product information sheet, the technical documentation and the verification procedure (C(2025)03986 – 2025/2782(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 1 July 2025
referred to committee responsible: ITRE
– Commission Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 as regards the correction of the territorial scope of provisions concerning short-necked clam and red seabream (C(2025)04074 – 2025/2778(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 27 June 2025
referred to committee responsible: PECH
– Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards specifying the method for identifying the main risk driver of a position and for determining whether a transaction represents a long or a short position as referred to in Articles 94(3), 273a(3) and 325a(2) (C(2025)04105 – 2025/2781(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 3 months from the date of receipt of 1 July 2025
referred to committee responsible: ECON
– Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Directive (EU) 2024/1275 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the establishment of a comparative methodology framework for calculating cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for buildings and building elements (C(2025)04133 – 2025/2779(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 30 June 2025
referred to committee responsible: ITRE opinion: TRAN
– Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards specifying the conditions for assessing the materiality of extensions of, and changes to, the use of alternative internal models, and changes to the subset of the modellable risk factors (C(2025)04338 – 2025/2805(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 3 months from the date of receipt of 3 July 2025
referred to committee responsible: ECON
– Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council by laying down the technical conditions and procedures under which providers of very large online platforms and of very large online search engines are to share data with vetted researchers (C(2025)04340 – 2025/2799(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 3 months from the date of receipt of 2 July 2025
referred to committee responsible: IMCO opinion: ITRE, JURI, LIBE
– Commission Delegated Regulation amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178 as regards the simplification of the content and presentation of information to be disclosed concerning environmentally sustainable activities and Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2021/2139 and (EU) 2023/2486 as regards simplification of certain technical screening criteria for determining whether economic activities cause no significant harm to environmental objectives (C(2025)04568 – 2025/2806(DEA))
Deadline for raising objections: 4 months from the date of receipt of 4 July 2025
referred to committee responsible: ECON, ENVI
Draft delegated act for which the period for raising objections had been extended
– Commission Delegated Regulation on the implementation of the Union’s international obligations, as referred to in Article 15(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, as regards picked dogfish C(2025)03715 – 2025/2768(DEA)
Deadline for raising objections: 2 months from the date of receipt of 13 June 2025
Extension of the deadline for raising objections: 2 months at the request of the European Parliament
referred to committee responsible: PECH
IV. Transfers of appropriations and budgetary decisions
In accordance with Article 31(1) of the Financial Regulation, the Committee on Budgets had decided to approve the European Commission’s transfers of appropriations DEC 08/2025, DEC 09/2025 and DEC 10/2025 – Section III – Commission.
V. Action taken on Parliament’s positions and resolutions
The Commission communication on the action taken on the resolutions adopted by Parliament during the March 2025 part-session (third part) was available on Parliament’s website.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the two-day Vice-Chancellors’ Conference of Central Universities at Kevadia, Gujarat, on Thursday. The event brought together over 50 Vice Chancellors of leading central universities to review and strategize the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and to align their institutions with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Pradhan highlighted the sweeping changes India’s higher education system has undergone in the past decade, calling it a fundamental transformation marked by flexibility, interdisciplinarity, inclusivity, and innovation. He noted that total student enrolment has increased to 4.46 crore—up 30% since 2014–15—with female enrolment growing by 38%. For the first time, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) for females now exceeds that of males. Ph.D. enrolment has almost doubled, and female Ph.D. scholars have increased by 136%. GER has also improved significantly among Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, reflecting the government’s commitment to inclusive education and social equity.
The Minister introduced the “Panch Sankalpa” (five resolutions) of NEP 2020—Next-Gen Emerging Education, Multidisciplinary Education, Innovative Education, Holistic Education, and Bharatiya Education—as the guiding principles for transforming higher education institutions into future-ready, value-based learning centres. He urged Vice Chancellors to adopt a “Students-First” approach and ensure that institutions become engines of empowerment, skilling, and nation-building.
Shri Pradhan stressed the importance of raising the GER in higher education to 50% by 2035. He said this goal would require urgent action in redesigning curricula, strengthening digital infrastructure, promoting faculty development, and encouraging multidisciplinary and multilingual approaches.
Calling for full implementation of NEP 2020, the Minister urged each university to prepare a comprehensive strategy paper. This should include integration of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), adoption of technology-driven education, skilling initiatives, and the organisation of conferences like the VC Conference at the university level.
The Minister also underlined the importance of the “Academic Triveni Sangamam”—celebrating India’s cultural past, recalibrating the present narrative, and shaping the future global role of Indian higher education.
In his address, Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat, emphasized the relevance of the six principles of Karmayoga and the foundational value of Indian Knowledge Systems in shaping both individual character and national progress.
Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Vineet Joshi, reflecting on the five-year journey of NEP 2020, described the conference as an opportunity to assess achievements and refine future strategies. He reiterated that NEP 2020 reimagines higher education institutions not merely as degree-granting bodies but as ecosystems fostering innovation, critical thinking, and holistic development.
Additional Secretary Dr. Sunil Barnwal underscored the five foundational pillars of NEP—Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability—emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts among all stakeholders to achieve the policy’s goals.
In his concluding remarks, Prof. Rama Shanker Dubey, Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat, assured that central universities would take proactive steps to align their strategies with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Over the course of two days, the conference will feature ten thematic sessions focused on key dimensions of higher education reform, including curriculum redesign under NHEQF/NCrF, future job readiness, digital platforms like SWAYAM and AAPAR, university governance through the SAMARTH system, equitable access in higher education, promotion of education in Indian languages, innovation, internationalisation, faculty development through the Malaviya Mission, and integration of traditional knowledge systems.
Participating institutions include the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Central University of Rajasthan, Central University of Kashmir, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Tripura University, Sikkim University, National Sanskrit University, and many others.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over northwest India for the next 2 to 3 days and over central India for the next 4 to 5 days.
According to the latest IMD update, regions likely to witness very heavy rainfall today include Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.
Uttarakhand is expected to receive heavy showers on July 13, while western Rajasthan may see intense rainfall on July 14.
East Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh are expected to be impacted between July 11 and 14, and eastern Madhya Pradesh from July 10 to 12.
Weather forecast for Delhi-NCR (July 10-13)
In the Delhi-NCR region, the IMD has issued a detailed weather forecast.
Today, the city is likely to experience a generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rainfall across most areas and heavy rainfall at isolated locations, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. The maximum temperature is expected to remain between 28°C and 30°C—significantly below normal by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius.
On July 11, Delhi will see very light to light rain with thunderstorms and lightning, while maximum temperatures will rise slightly to 33–35°C and minimum temperatures will hover around 23–25°C. Both maximum and minimum temperatures will stay below seasonal averages.
July 12 and 13 are expected to bring partly cloudy skies and light rainfall, along with occasional thunderstorms. Daytime temperatures will range between 34°C and 36°C, while nighttime temperatures will stay near or slightly below normal.
Surface winds in the region will vary in direction and speed, with light to moderate breezes expected throughout the forecast period.
In the mist-laden hills of Himachal Pradesh, where breathtaking landscapes have turned into scenes of devastation, the Indian Army has emerged as a vital support system for flood-affected villages grappling with nature’s fury.
Relentless rain and floods have battered Mandi district, severely impacting remote villages such as Thunag, Degi, Rushad and Chapad. With roads blocked, communication lines disrupted and entire communities cut off, the Army’s relief columns have become a lifeline for hundreds of stranded families.
Since July 6, Indian Army personnel have been working round the clock alongside the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local authorities. Despite patchy mobile coverage in the hilly terrain, the soldiers have maintained close coordination with the civil administration to deliver urgent assistance where it is needed most.
Army medics have set up makeshift camps near damaged homes, providing essential medical care and distributing ration kits to affected families. Relief material has already reached isolated villages, with aid supplies delivered to Degi on July 7, Rushad on July 8 and Chapad on July 9.
To ensure continuous operational connectivity in areas where mobile signals are weak or unavailable, satellite communications through ISAT phones and other advanced systems have been deployed.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is expected to visit Thunag soon to review the ongoing relief work, while the Brigade Commander is in Mandi to oversee operations and coordinate further support. A meeting with the Chief Minister and Deputy Commissioner of Mandi is also planned to streamline response efforts.
Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Corporate Affairs, Harsh Malhotra, on Thursday inaugurated a session on India’s Roadmap for Vehicle Electrification at India Energy Storage Week 2025, held at Yashobhoomi, Delhi.
In his address, the Minister reiterated Modi Government’s strong commitment to green mobility and the development of a robust electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing ecosystem. He cited the PM E-Drive and FAME-II schemes as crucial initiatives driving this transition.
Malhotra emphasized that India’s journey towards clean mobility is not just a technological shift but a national imperative to meet climate targets, boost economic resilience, and ensure energy security. He noted that as the fastest-growing major economy, India is well on track with its sustainable mobility goals.
Highlighting supportive policies like EV retrofitting regulations and toll tax exemptions, he said these measures aim to make electric transportation more accessible and affordable.
The Minister also spoke about the Multi-Modal Logistics Parks being developed by the Ministry, which now include green energy infrastructure and EV-friendly facilities, contributing to reduced logistics costs, lower emissions, and positioning India as a clean and connected transport hub.
He reaffirmed the government’s target to generate 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, calling on stakeholders to help build a future that is electric, inclusive, safe, and environmentally responsible.
Stressing the importance of battery technologies suited to India’s unique climate and transport needs, Malhotra urged the industry to invest in R&D, promote local manufacturing, and adopt circular solutions such as battery recycling and reuse.
Concluding his remarks, the Minister said that the industrial and business growth witnessed in the past 11 years is now being directed towards achieving India’s Net Zero target by 2070, which remains a pivotal focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit to Seoul, today (July 10). He visited NAVER, a leading Korean innovation and technology (I&T) enterprise engaged in diverse fields such as electronic payments, e-commerce, fintech, information technology, cloud services, AI and robotics. Mr Chan was briefed by the company’s management and research and development (R&D) heads on its development journey, technological innovations, application scenarios and future business directions. He also had in-depth exchanges with them, and watched a demonstration of NAVER’s AI and robotics applications.
Mr Chan noted that Hong Kong is also making great strides in developing its AI sector and is actively enhancing the related infrastructure. Institutions such as the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks and Cyberport are working to build a more vibrant I&T ecosystem. Under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong, being an international financial centre, offers a comprehensive range of fundraising options and a robust legal system that safeguards data and intellectual property rights. He welcomed NAVER to collaborate with Hong Kong partners of relevant fields in R&D and business development, and to leverage Hong Kong as a fundraising platform to support its international expansion.
Mr Chan also visited Seoul’s Digital Media City today. The Digital Media City is home to numerous companies in areas such as digital media, film and entertainment, gaming and animation, and information technology. It is a project led by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Mr Chan met with the management team to learn more about the project’s development history and future plans, and visited an exhibition showcasing how extended reality technology is being used to support urban development.
In addition, Mr Chan paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Mr Dai Bing. He briefed the Ambassador on the latest social and economic developments in Hong Kong, as well as recent trends in Hong Kong-Korea economic and trade relations. The two also exchanged views on the global geopolitical and economic landscape, regional trade co-operation and the development of China-Korea relations.
Mr Chan completed his visit to Seoul today and will depart for Hong Kong in the evening.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Due to inclement weather, classes of all PM schools are suspended this afternoon (July 10). AM and whole-day schools which are in session should continue until the end of school hours. They should ensure that conditions are safe before allowing students to return home.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
To actively support Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises to generate benefits in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and global markets through effective protection and use of intellectual property (IP) rights, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office organised a seminar on Creating Business Value through Intellectual Property in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou today (July 10). The seminar was attended by over 250 business representatives from Hong Kong and a number of Mainland cities.
In her opening remarks, the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan, said that the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area states that to fully leverage the advantages of Hong Kong in IP protection and related professional services, and support the development of Hong Kong as a regional IP trading centre, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has rolled out a series of policies, including the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme, to promote the transformation and commercialisation of research and development outcomes, the introduction of the “patent box” tax incentive to alleviate the tax burden on enterprises and the expansion of the original grant patent system to cover frontier fields such as AI. The HKSAR Government also promotes the creation and trading of creative IP through the CreateSmart Initiative, as well as capitalising on Hong Kong’s unique advantage of being connected to the Mainland and the world to establish Asia’s first cross-border IP licensing platform, the Asia IP Exchange portal, which facilitates efficient trading of cultural and creative IP in the international markets.
Today’s seminar featured keynote speeches by three distinguished experts, who introduced the IP systems in Hong Kong and the Mainland from a practical perspective, as well as the support provided by the IP professional services sector in Hong Kong to enterprises exploring global markets. The seminar also arranged two roundtable discussions with six corporate IP executives who shared their strategies and successful experiences in transforming various forms of IP into commercial value.
After the seminar, Ms Chan remarked that today’s event attracted a large number of participants and fostered lively discussions, fully reflecting the industry’s strong enthusiasm for the effective use of IP rights to generate economic benefits and foster the development of the national and international dual circulation economy. Hong Kong will continue to strengthen its function as a regional IP trading centre and contribute to the high-quality development of the GBA.