Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
​Hongkong Post announced today (July 15) that, as advised by the postal administration of Slovakia, mail delivery services to areas with postcodes 93003, 93004, 93006, 93007 and 90068, previously impacted by local control measures after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, have returned to normal.
Source: European Parliament
Greece is an active user of Copernicus Emergency Management Services (CEMS)[1], including its on-demand mapping services. For example, in 2024, the Greek national civil protection authority, which is the national CEMS’ focal point, activated the rapid mapping service 14 times.
For the time being, the Commission has not yet received a request from the Greek national civil protection authorities for CEMS risk and recovery services to monitor land deformation or for drawing up evacuation plans for a potential future incident in Santorini.
However, Greece is aware of this option and has used this service in the past to develop, amongst others, evacuation plans, for example for two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation World Heritage sites (Delphi and Ancient Olympia), and to assess their exposure to several hazards, including earthquakes.
Under its Cohesion Policy thematic and regional programmes for the 2021-2027 period, Greece earmarked approximately EUR 130 million for the prevention and management of non-climate-related risks, such as earthquakes.
In accordance with the shared management procedures, the selection of specific projects is a national competence.
Source: European Parliament
Regulation (EU) 609/2013[1] regulates some categories of food that constitute a partial or sole source of nourishment for certain population groups and that are vital for the management of certain conditions and/or are essential to satisfy the nutritional requirements of certain clearly identified vulnerable population groups.
Article 12 of that regulation requires the Commission to analyse in a report, after consulting the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the necessity of special provisions for milk-based drinks and similar products intended for young children (young-child formulae).
The 2016 Report[2] concludes that there is no need for specific rules for these foods as the correct and complete application of existing measures of EU food law seems sufficient to adequately regulate the composition of and the communication on the characteristics of the products.
In particular, the report notes that there is no reported safety issue with regard to young-child formulae and refers to EFSA’s opinion[3] whereby these products have ‘no unique role’ and ‘cannot be considered as a necessity to satisfy the nutritional requirements of young children’ when compared to other foods that may be included in their normal diet.
The Commission is aware of the revised Codex Alimentarius standard[4], which did not change its position on the opportunity to regulate at EU level young-child formulae.
Its Preamble clarifies that ‘The application of the standard should be consistent with national/regional health and nutrition policies and relevant national/regional legislation (…).’
In light of the Better Regulation principles and the rules on the internal market, the Commission does not intend to propose the adoption of specific rules on young-child formulae.
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002826/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mihai Tudose (S&D)
17 % of EU citizens live in overcrowded housing, according to Eurostat data. In Romania, that percentage is 40 %, which is the second highest overcrowding rate in the EU, after Latvia.
At the same time, between 2015 and 2023, housing prices in the EU increased by an average of 48 %, which was also the case in Romania.
I welcome the affordable and sustainable housing plan announced by the Commission, but would also like to know whether it specifically envisages targeted actions in countries with high levels of overcrowding, in order to improve this situation.
Submitted: 10.7.2025
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, began his visit to Hainan Province yesterday (July 14).
Mr Chan first met with the Party Secretary and Chairman of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr Li Rongcan, in Haikou to exchange views on the latest developments in the two places, and discuss promoting and deepening the partnership between Hong Kong and Hainan Province. Mr Chan said that there is a frequent flow of people, logistics and capital between the two places, and with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two governments in March this year, the exchanges between Hong Kong and Hainan Province will be closer in future. Hong Kong will fully leverage its unique advantage of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle, and will work with Hainan Province to achieve results attributable to the two places’ advantages, deepen economic, trade and cultural exchanges, and make greater contributions to the country’s high-quality development and high-level opening up.
Mr Chan then visited the Hainan Chronicles Museum to learn about the patriotic and revolutionary tradition education work there as well as the construction and development progress of the Hainan Special Economic Zone and Hainan as an international tourism island. Mr Chan then departed for Wenchang to meet with the Secretary of the CPC Wenchang Municipal Committee, Mr Wang Peng. Mr Chan introduced the latest situation of Hong Kong, and exchanged views with Mr Wang on further promoting exchanges between the two places and exploring more co-operation and development opportunities.
Mr Chan visited the Wenchang Yaoguang Rocket Viewing Platform early today (July 15) to join a science exploration activity of the Hainan Aerospace Science and Research Study Tour under the Strive and Rise Programme. Mr Chan engaged with the participants and encouraged them to grasp this valuable learning opportunity to learn and understand the country’s robust developments and significant achievements in the field of aerospace. He also encouraged the participants to continue to work hard in the future to cultivate a sense of contributing to the country and serving the society, and become a new generation with a sense of social responsibility and contributions. Mr Chan said he believed that the experience of joining this meaningful aerospace science and research study tour will boost the participants’ sense of patriotism and national pride.
Mr Chan will depart for Heilongjiang Province today.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, began his visit to Hainan Province yesterday (July 14).
Mr Chan first met with the Party Secretary and Chairman of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr Li Rongcan, in Haikou to exchange views on the latest developments in the two places, and discuss promoting and deepening the partnership between Hong Kong and Hainan Province. Mr Chan said that there is a frequent flow of people, logistics and capital between the two places, and with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two governments in March this year, the exchanges between Hong Kong and Hainan Province will be closer in future. Hong Kong will fully leverage its unique advantage of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world under the “one country, two systems” principle, and will work with Hainan Province to achieve results attributable to the two places’ advantages, deepen economic, trade and cultural exchanges, and make greater contributions to the country’s high-quality development and high-level opening up.
Mr Chan then visited the Hainan Chronicles Museum to learn about the patriotic and revolutionary tradition education work there as well as the construction and development progress of the Hainan Special Economic Zone and Hainan as an international tourism island. Mr Chan then departed for Wenchang to meet with the Secretary of the CPC Wenchang Municipal Committee, Mr Wang Peng. Mr Chan introduced the latest situation of Hong Kong, and exchanged views with Mr Wang on further promoting exchanges between the two places and exploring more co-operation and development opportunities.
Mr Chan visited the Wenchang Yaoguang Rocket Viewing Platform early today (July 15) to join a science exploration activity of the Hainan Aerospace Science and Research Study Tour under the Strive and Rise Programme. Mr Chan engaged with the participants and encouraged them to grasp this valuable learning opportunity to learn and understand the country’s robust developments and significant achievements in the field of aerospace. He also encouraged the participants to continue to work hard in the future to cultivate a sense of contributing to the country and serving the society, and become a new generation with a sense of social responsibility and contributions. Mr Chan said he believed that the experience of joining this meaningful aerospace science and research study tour will boost the participants’ sense of patriotism and national pride.
Mr Chan will depart for Heilongjiang Province today.
Source: APO
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has published the findings of an internal review into the brutal killing of three of our staff members — María Hernández Matas, Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, and Yohannes Halefom Reda — in central Tigray, Ethiopia, on 24 June 2021.
The review confirmed that the attack was an intentional and targeted killing of three clearly identified aid workers. It also established that a convoy of Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) was present at the time of the incident, on the same road where the MSF personnel were killed.
María, Tedros, and Yohannes were working with MSF to provide medical care in the conflict-affected region of Tigray. On 24 June 2021, they were travelling in a clearly marked MSF vehicle to a village near Abi Adi town in central Tigray to refer patients who had been wounded in recent fighting. During their journey, their vehicle was intercepted, and they were killed.
Four years on, MSF still does not have credible answers about what happened to our colleagues, despite tireless attempts to engage with both the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) — both of whose forces were present in the wider conflict zone.
“Despite repeated assurances from the Ethiopian authorities that an investigation was underway, four years on, neither MSF nor the victims’ families have received any credible answers,” says Paula Gil, President of MSF Spain. “We can only assume that there is insufficient political will to share the findings of a completed investigation.”
“In the absence of any official account, we have a moral obligation towards our staff and the families of our late colleagues to make our own findings public – a necessary step to shed light on a brutal killing that must not be ignored or buried,” says Gil.
Immediately after the incident, MSF launched an internal review – our standard practice following a critical security incident. The evidence confirmed that the attack on the MSF team was intentional and targeted. The victims — all wearing white vests clearly marked with the MSF logo and traveling in a vehicle visibly displaying the MSF logo and flag — were shot multiple times at close range, while facing their attacker. Their bodies were found up to 400 metres from their vehicle, which was burned and riddled with bullets.
“This was not the result of crossfire, nor was it a tragic mistake. Our colleagues were killed in what can only be described as a deliberate attack,” adds Gil.
MSF’s internal review also clearly established that a large retreating convoy of the ENDF was moving south on the same stretch of road where MSF’s staff members were killed on the day of the attack. This was corroborated by multiple sources available in the public domain, including media reports and open-source satellite imagery, as well as several civilian witnesses.
Beyond the confirmed presence of the ENDF in the area, what remains to be clarified is the extent and nature of their involvement in the attack. MSF received concerning witness accounts — including from civilians travelling with the ENDF convoy in various capacities — that directly implicated ENDF soldiers in the attack. One witness reported overhearing a radio exchange where an ENDF commander gave orders to “shoot” at an approaching white car and “remove them”.
Since 2021, MSF has held over 20 high-level meetings with officials in the Ethiopian government and submitted numerous formal requests for a credible, transparent investigation to be carried out, and for findings to be shared.
“Over the past four years, we have done everything in our power to engage constructively with the Ethiopian authorities, including sharing the findings of our internal review on several occasions between November 2021 and October 2023, along with supporting materials, with the Ministry of Justice,” says Gil.
“MSF’s review clearly demonstrates that it was — and remains — feasible to establish the facts about the incident,” says Gil. “Given this, and the substantiated information confirming ENDF presence at the time of the attack, it is both unconscionable and unacceptable that the Ethiopian authorities have consistently failed to conclude a credible investigation and share its findings.”
MSF is making this internal review public not only out of moral obligation, but also to demand that governments protect humanitarian workers and medical facilities and that those responsible for attacks on humanitarians and medical staff are held accountable. Attacks on humanitarian personnel are rising globally, while states increasingly neglect their duty to investigate and prosecute violations of international humanitarian law, and the international community continues to look away.
The brutal killing of María, Tedros, and Yohannes is an emblematic case of the dangers faced by humanitarian workers. If there is no investigation of such an egregious attack, it sets a dangerous precedent in Ethiopia and reinforces an alarming pattern of impunity for attacks on healthcare globally.
“María, Tedros, and Yohannes lost their lives while helping people in crisis,” says Gil. “They are in our thoughts every day. Their murder must not be forgotten or met with silence. MSF hopes that by pursuing the truth of what happened to them, we can contribute to building a safer environment for humanitarians — not only in Ethiopia, but in conflict zones around the world.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).
Source: European Parliament
The Commission is concerned about ensuring children are protected online and is, as part of this, working on a common EU approach to age verification.
To this end, a robust EU-harmonised age verification app that is privacy-preserving and easy to use is being developed in cooperation with the Member States via the European Board for Digital Services[1].
This work is part of a set of measures for the protection of minors, including the Digital Services Act art. 28 guidelines and enforcement actions, the action plan against Cyberbullying, and the inquiry on the impact of social media on mental health.
The app will initially allow users to prove that they are over 18 years when accessing online content restricted to adults (e.g. pornography, gambling, online alcohol purchase). It is technically possible and envisaged to extend the app to other age limits.
Mid-July 2025, a white-label app will be made available to Member States, who may then customise and adapt it to their national contexts (e.g. compatibility with national digital infrastructures and legal frameworks, branding and translation) and decide to publish it in the app stores.
This release launches a pilot phase during which the white-label app will be tested and further customised in collaboration with Member States, online platforms and end-users.
5 frontrunner Member States — Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain — will be the first to take up the technical solution in view of publishing a customised national app on the app stores. The Commission prepares to scale the app to Member States with national implementation strategies.
The European Parliament is kept informed on this and broader actions in this policy area through presentations at the appropriate Committees meetings and structured dialogues.
Source: European Parliament
The Commission is concerned about ensuring children are protected online and is, as part of this, working on a common EU approach to age verification.
To this end, a robust EU-harmonised age verification app that is privacy-preserving and easy to use is being developed in cooperation with the Member States via the European Board for Digital Services[1].
This work is part of a set of measures for the protection of minors, including the Digital Services Act art. 28 guidelines and enforcement actions, the action plan against Cyberbullying, and the inquiry on the impact of social media on mental health.
The app will initially allow users to prove that they are over 18 years when accessing online content restricted to adults (e.g. pornography, gambling, online alcohol purchase). It is technically possible and envisaged to extend the app to other age limits.
Mid-July 2025, a white-label app will be made available to Member States, who may then customise and adapt it to their national contexts (e.g. compatibility with national digital infrastructures and legal frameworks, branding and translation) and decide to publish it in the app stores.
This release launches a pilot phase during which the white-label app will be tested and further customised in collaboration with Member States, online platforms and end-users.
5 frontrunner Member States — Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain — will be the first to take up the technical solution in view of publishing a customised national app on the app stores. The Commission prepares to scale the app to Member States with national implementation strategies.
The European Parliament is kept informed on this and broader actions in this policy area through presentations at the appropriate Committees meetings and structured dialogues.
Source: European Parliament
Directive (EU) 2024/1500 on standards for equality bodies does not apply yet. It is being transposed by EU Member States which have to bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the directive by 19 June 2026.
The Commission is supporting Member States in this process through an expert group composed of representatives of Member States in which the European Network of equality bodies (Equinet), the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Institute for Gender Equality participate as observers. The expert group had its first meeting right after the adoption of the directive. A total of five meetings have taken place so far.
Once the transposition date of 19 June 2026 is reached, the Commission will verify the compliance of the transposition measures notified by the Member States with the directive.
It will take swift action in the absence of compliant transposition, including, where relevant, by starting infringement procedures in accordance with Article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat today (July 15) released the latest issue of the Policy Pulse on “Strategies and edges of Hong Kong in hydrogen development”. This issue provides a brief overview of hydrogen energy development strategies in Hong Kong, the edges of promoting the hydrogen energy industry, the latest progress of improving relevant legislation by the Government, as well as relevant discussions of LegCo along with suggestions by Members.
LegCo will resume the Second Reading debate on the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2025 tomorrow (July 16). The Bill seeks to regulate the use of hydrogen as fuel to ensure the safe application of hydrogen fuel. It also empowers the Government to introduce new subsidiary legislation to ensure the flexibility of updating the regulatory requirements. The Government intends to introduce subsidiary legislation in 2026 to cover the entire supply chain of hydrogen as fuel.
The Policy Pulse highlights that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government actively promotes the development of hydrogen energy, and promulgated the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong last year. Setting out four major strategies of improving legislation, establishing standards, aligning with the market and advancing with prudence, the Strategy aims to create an environment conducive to the development of hydrogen energy in Hong Kong in an orderly manner, so as to make preparations for the wider application of hydrogen energy in the future.
With a “zero carbon emissions” feature, hydrogen is a new energy with significant decarbonisation potential. Our country is the largest hydrogen producer in the world, and strives to achieve the “dual carbon” goals of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. The SAR Government also targets to cut carbon emissions by half from the 2005 level before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. The Policy Pulse points out that, with its unique advantage of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, as well as the strengths in scientific research, robust legislation and energy infrastructure, Hong Kong has very great potential to become a demonstration base for the development of hydrogen energy in the country, and facilitate the development of the hydrogen energy industry in the Belt and Road region and other overseas places. In addition, as an international financial centre, Hong Kong can help enterprises with their green transformation by providing green financing and professional services.
The Policy Pulse also introduces a number of measures by the SAR Government to support research and innovation in the hydrogen energy technology. These include setting up the Inter-departmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel to co-ordinate the efforts in promoting the local use of hydrogen energy and initiate relevant trial projects. Meanwhile, the Government has launched several funding schemes that cover the research and development of hydrogen energy technology, and actively promotes talent training, technological exchange and application in relevant scientific and technological fields, so as to cultivate professionals with the specialised knowledge and skills to ensure the safe application of hydrogen energy technology.
LegCo Members have long attached great importance to the development of hydrogen energy in Hong Kong. In March 2023, LegCo passed a motion advocating the SAR Government to comprehensively promote the development of hydrogen energy industry in Hong Kong. The LegCo Panel on Environmental Affairs also visited hydrogen projects during its duty visit to Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the Greater Bay Area) in August of the same year, and has been following up on issues related to hydrogen energy. The Policy Pulse summarises various recommendations made by Members on hydrogen energy development. These include capitalising on the strengths of Hong Kong’s financial services industry to attract capital investment in the city’s hydrogen energy industry and reserve land for development. Furthermore, the Government should take the lead in developing green industries and make use of new development areas as a springboard to bring in quality hydrogen energy industries; formulate relevant policies on hydrogen energy pricing to stimulate demand for hydrogen energy; promote carbon index certification to include hydrogen energy into Hong Kong’s carbon emissions trading market; and actively research and develop local hydrogen production technology, among others.
The Policy Pulse points out that hydrogen energy is an integral component of the country’s future energy system. Members urge the Government to collaborate with other cities in the Greater Bay Area on the joint research, development and promotion of hydrogen energy development projects to facilitate exchanges and co-operation between the two places across the hydrogen energy industrial chain, with a view to promoting the alignment of the safety monitoring and quality testing standards between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Members also advise the Government to speed up the development of a set of internationally recognised hydrogen energy certification standards, so as to assist the Greater Bay Area and even the entire hydrogen industry in the country to enter the international market.
The detailed content of “Strategies and edges of Hong Kong in hydrogen development” is available on the LegCo Website. The Policy Pulse, published by the Council Business Divisions of the LegCo Secretariat, covers specific topics and offers a comprehensive overview of related policy developments and summarised discussions in LegCo.
Source: European Parliament
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) invests to strengthen the competitive position of and create jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), irrespective of whether those investments are geared towards innovation, digitalisation or the green transition.
Micro-enterprises are included in the definition of SMEs. In the case of funds under shared management like the ERDF, it is up to the national and regional managing authorities to launch calls and select projects.
They can decide to launch calls specifically focusing on micro enterprises. As for monitoring and analysis, the Commission monitors support for SMEs under cohesion policy.
In the period 2021-2027, more than EUR 23 billion of EU support under the ERDF has been planned to go to strengthening of SME’s growth and competitiveness.
Simplification is a key priority for this Commission. Under cohesion policy, the Commission promotes the use of tools like Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) and Financing Not Linked to Costs (FNLC). SCOs are an innovative way of reimbursing grants under cohesion policy: instead of reimbursing ‘real costs’, SCOs allow the reimbursement of expenditure according to pre-defined methods based on process, outputs or results.
Thus, when SCOs are used, it is not necessary to trace every euro of co-financed expenditure to individual supporting documents. Almost EUR 110 billion of the cohesion policy budget, i.e. 21% of the total, is expected to be reimbursed in 2021-2027 through SCOs and FNLC by the end of the programming period.
Under InvestEU, the Commission is deploying together with the European Investment Fund the competitiveness guarantee product which is facilitating general access to finance for SMEs and micro-enterprises in particular.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
A spokesman for Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) said today (July 15) that to support Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub, HKTE had organised three online and offline career fairs during the past three weeks to proactively attract global I&T talent to pursue development in Hong Kong, with a view to contributing to building Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent.
HKTE held a online career fair last Thursday and Friday (July 10 and 11), featuring 47 renowned enterprises and organisations, to offer nearly 2 000 quality job vacancies across sectors such as data centre operations, cyber security and business analysis.
The online career fair recorded nearly 33 000 visits, featuring job-seeking talent mainly from 14 countries or regions, including the Mainland, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, Germany, France and Switzerland, with over 3 000 curricula vitae received. To facilitate connections between job-seeking talent and employers, a one-to-one online meeting session was set up specifically at the career fair, resulting in nearly 5 000 direct dialogues.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, one of the participating organisations, commented that the career fair facilitated effective interactions between global professionals in artificial intelligence, fintech and smart city technologies as well as digital innovation with Hong Kong employers. Nearly 90 per cent of participating enterprises and organisations expressed satisfaction with the event arrangements and indicated interest in joining future recruitment events organised by HKTE.
In addition, HKTE co-organised physical job fairs with working partners two weeks ago, including the second edition of the Hong Kong International Talents Career Expo 2025 and the NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival 2025, to connect I&T talent and entrepreneurs with employers and investors, facilitating the settlement of talent in Hong Kong.
The spokesman for HKTE added that talent is critical to the promotion of I&T development. HKTE will continue organising diverse activities to assist Hong Kong in attracting international I&T talent, including an online career fair targeting European and American markets in the second half of the year, thereby providing solid talent support for the development of the “eight centres” strategic positioning.
Source: European Parliament
The Authority for European Political Parties and Foundations is the independent body responsible for monitoring the compliance of European Political Parties and Foundations with Regulation No 1141/2014. Not national parties.
The Commission is aware of media reports concerning the allegations referred to in this question. However, under the EU Treaties, the Commission has no general powers to examine how individual cases are investigated by the authorities of a Member State, as specific cases fall under the responsibility of the competent authorities of each Member State.
The Commission monitors significant developments concerning the rule of law in Member States, including the anti-corruption framework, in the context of the annual Rule of Law Report.
In December 2023, the Commission published a recommendation on inclusive and resilient elections[1] addressed to Member States, political parties, political foundations and campaign organisations.
That Recommendation promotes high democratic standards for elections in the EU, including measures regarding funding of political parties and encouraging election integrity and fair campaigning.
The Commission is preparing the European Democracy Shield, which will provide a strategic approach to safeguard and strengthen democracy in the EU.
In this context, the Commission will also continue to support Member States to strengthen the fairness and integrity of electoral processes, including through the European Cooperation Network on Elections.
Source: European Parliament
The EU is concerned about the draft law in the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) which could impose a tax up to 80% on donations from foreign entities to non-governmental organisations and prevent organisations primarily funded by foreign entities from accessing petition courts. In March 2025, the EU conducted an official demarche on the bill led by the EU Delegation with 15 Member States.
The EU continues to share its concerns with the Israel authorities on the proposed bill. If passed, the bill will have deep repercussions on EU support to civil society in Israel, in particular on EU-funded projects promoting peace, human rights, environmental policies, gender equality, and social inclusion of marginalised groups.
As with all its partner countries, the EU will continue to promote a safe and conducive environment for civil society organisations to operate and to safeguard shared values of democracy, freedom of expression and association.
Due to the untenable situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, the High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) launched a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement[1].
The review, presented at the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 June 2025, concluded that there are indications that Israel would be in breach of Article 2.
The HR/VP will communicate the result of the review to Israel and discuss options to improve the humanitarian situation. Foreign Ministers will revert to the issue in July 2025, as necessary.
Source: European Parliament
The EU is concerned about the reports on the drone attack on the ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists heading for Gaza. Humanitarian aid is needed in Gaza to help people in desperate need. The EU has consistently called on the Israeli government to lift the blockade on Gaza to allow humanitarian aid at scale into and throughout the strip[1][2][3].
The EU discourages flotillas as a means for aid delivery. They risk the safety of their participants and carry the potential for escalation. However, nothing justifies attacking participants of flotillas with drones.
The EU has consistently reiterated that in exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and to ensure the protection of all civilians, including humanitarian workers and their facilities, at all times . Any investigation into the attack must happen in an impartial and fully transparent manner.
Source: APO
The results of the 2025 National School Leaving Examination were announced on 13 July.
Dr. Bisirat Gebru, Director of Standards and Evaluation at the National Higher Education and Research Institute, indicated that out of the 24,092 students, including 50% female students, who took the examination, 12.2% achieved scores qualifying them for degree programs, and 7.59% for diploma programs.
Noting that the performance gap between male and female students has been improving over time, Dr. Bisirat encouraged those who passed and qualified for college education to work hard to achieve their goals and to strictly adhere to college regulations.
Dr. Bisirat also advised students who did not achieve passing marks not to lose hope, and urged them to remain engaged in education, study diligently, and prepare for the next national examination.
It is to be recalled that the National School Leaving Examination was conducted from 17 to 23 March across the country, including at the international schools of Eritrean communities in Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Bisirat further noted that 84.1% of the examinees were regular students from Sawa Warsai-Yikealo Secondary School and technical schools, and that 3,861 students were retaking the exam.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
A spokesman for Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) said today (July 15) that to support Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub, HKTE had organised three online and offline career fairs during the past three weeks to proactively attract global I&T talent to pursue development in Hong Kong, with a view to contributing to building Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent.
HKTE held a online career fair last Thursday and Friday (July 10 and 11), featuring 47 renowned enterprises and organisations, to offer nearly 2 000 quality job vacancies across sectors such as data centre operations, cyber security and business analysis.
The online career fair recorded nearly 33 000 visits, featuring job-seeking talent mainly from 14 countries or regions, including the Mainland, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, Germany, France and Switzerland, with over 3 000 curricula vitae received. To facilitate connections between job-seeking talent and employers, a one-to-one online meeting session was set up specifically at the career fair, resulting in nearly 5 000 direct dialogues.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, one of the participating organisations, commented that the career fair facilitated effective interactions between global professionals in artificial intelligence, fintech and smart city technologies as well as digital innovation with Hong Kong employers. Nearly 90 per cent of participating enterprises and organisations expressed satisfaction with the event arrangements and indicated interest in joining future recruitment events organised by HKTE.
In addition, HKTE co-organised physical job fairs with working partners two weeks ago, including the second edition of the Hong Kong International Talents Career Expo 2025 and the NovaX Global Investmatch Carnival 2025, to connect I&T talent and entrepreneurs with employers and investors, facilitating the settlement of talent in Hong Kong.
The spokesman for HKTE added that talent is critical to the promotion of I&T development. HKTE will continue organising diverse activities to assist Hong Kong in attracting international I&T talent, including an online career fair targeting European and American markets in the second half of the year, thereby providing solid talent support for the development of the “eight centres” strategic positioning.
Source: European Parliament
Portugal is set to receive €22.2 billion in grants and loans from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the EU response to the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This amount corresponds to 3.1 % of the entire RRF, or 10.7 % of Portugal’s 2019 gross domestic product (GDP), and includes REPowerEU grants (€0.7 billion) and Portugal’s share (€81.4 million) from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. The Council approved the latest revision of Portugal’s national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) in May 2025. The plan has a strong focus on the country’s social, economic and environmental resilience, with measures targeting culture, housing, health, broad social responses, and forest and water management. Measures relating to climate transition, including those on industry decarbonisation and energy efficiency of buildings, account for 39.1 % of the allocation. The contribution to digital objectives represents 21.7 % of the allocation, with measures and reforms aimed at public administration and finances, education and businesses. Portugal has so far received €11.4 billion of RRF resources (51.3 % of the plan), which the Commission disbursed in the form of pre-financing and five grant and loan instalments. Portugal’s sixth and seventh payment requests are being assessed. In the context of the 2025 European Semester, the Council has recommended that Portugal accelerate implementation of its plan. The European Parliament has been a major supporter of creating a common EU recovery instrument, and takes part in interinstitutional settings to cooperate, discuss and scrutinise implementation of the Commission’s work. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States. Third edition. The previous editions were written by Henrique Morgado Simões. The ‘NGEU delivery’ briefings are updated at key stages throughout the lifecycle of the plans. The author would like to thank Amalia Fumagalli and Ana Luisa Melo Almeida, trainees in the Directorate Members’ Research Service, for their research assistance.
Source: European Parliament
Having children is a matter of individual choice. The Commission supports Member States in creating favourable social and economic conditions for all Europeans to create a family.
Indeed, as outlined, for example, in the Demography Toolbox[1], demographic challenges can be addressed through a wide range of adaptation measures, including addressing gaps in labour markets, reforming pension and health systems, promoting the transition to a longevity society, and addressing territorial imbalances through Cohesion policy.
The Commission is currently analysing the fertility gap, i.e. the difference between desired and actual children per woman, to explore how its determinants can be addressed, where this falls into the Commission competences.
The Commission has conducted several studies on the impact of migration on population dynamics, labour markets, fiscal systems, and integration in cities.[2]
There are no studies ongoing nor planned for the near future, that specifically look at the sociocultural impacts linked to migration from culturally diverse areas.
The action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-2027[3] lays down the measures to be adopted by the Commission and Member States to support the integration of migrants.
The action plan emphasises the importance of creating cohesive communities and considers the respect of the common European values an essential part of living and participating in European society.
In that regard, the action plan promotes the development of civic orientation courses to help migrants gain an understanding of the laws, culture and values of the receiving society as early as possible, and places a specific emphasis on addressing vulnerabilities faced by migrant women.
Source: European Parliament
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and a cherished value. There is, however, a line drawn by fundamental rights law: it must not be exploited to incite hatred and violence.
Hate speech represents a systemic risk for democracy and fundamental rights, and a threat to the common values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy and equality enshrined in the Treaty on European Union[1].
Freedom of expression is protected by Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU[2] (‘the Charter’) and the Commission is committed to ensuring its respect within the remit of its competences. According to its Article 51(1), the Charter applies to Member States when they are implementing EU law.
The Commission firmly believes that the protection of children and the safeguarding of the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people are not mutually exclusive.
The Commission remains fully committed to addressing inequality and discrimination, as outlined in our LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025[3].
As announced in the Commission President’s Political Guidelines[4] and in the 2025 Commission Work Programme[5], the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy will be renewed beyond 2025.
Where EU law does not apply, Member States remain bound to respect fundamental rights under their national legislation and international human rights obligations, and where applicable, to investigate and prosecute instances of hate speech. The Commission does not comment on ongoing investigations at national level.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (July 15) that it registered 11 lease modifications and three land exchanges in the Land Registry during the quarter ending June 2025, of which five were modifications of a technical nature involving nil premium.
Among these 14 land transactions, two are located on Hong Kong Island, eight are in Kowloon and four are in the New Territories. The transactions exclude Small House cases.
There were no private treaty grants and lot extensions registered during the quarter.
The above land transactions realised a total land premium of about $102.652 million.
Transaction records of the lease modifications, land exchanges, private treaty grants and lot extensions, including those registered recently, are uploaded to the LandsD website (www.landsd.gov.hk/en/land-disposal-transaction/land-transaction.html) on a monthly basis. Details of the transactions may be obtained by searching the registered documents in the Land Registry.
Source: European Parliament
1.
In accordance with shared management, the conditions for granting the EU support under cohesion policy are defined:
— At the EU level, principally in the Common Provisions Regulation[1] (CPR) and the Fund-specific regulations.
— In the Partnership Agreement and the relevant programmes, as well as,
— In the national rules, pursuant to Article 63(1) CPR.
The Partnership Agreement and every Polish programme contain a passage: ‘Where the beneficiary is a local authority (or an entity controlled or dependent on it) that has taken any discriminatory action contrary to the principles referred to in Article 9(3) of Regulation 2021/1060, cohesion policy support cannot be granted’.
2. Regional authorities, fulfilling the role of Managing Authorities, are responsible for ensuring the compliance with the above-mentioned rules also at local level and making sure that there is a widespread understanding on the conditions to receive EU funding.
3. It is the responsibility of Managing Authority and the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Development, to ensure compliance with all rules and procedures to receive EU funding in all the territory of Poland. It is the role of the Commission to monitor the management and control systems established in Member States.
Source: APO
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), in partnership with the International Labour Organization, has launched a transformative system to mainstream youth employment, skills development, and entrepreneurship across its investments.
The approach, called the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System, is aligned with the Bank’s latest Ten-Year Strategy, which places Africa’s young people at the center of development efforts to maximize the impact of every dollar invested, turning demographics into a dividend. The Marker System ensures that Bank projects spanning diverse sectors, such as agriculture, transport, energy, water, and education, systematically incorporate components that enhance youth employability, foster entrepreneurship, and build market-relevant skills.
“The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is about ensuring Africa’s young people have a real say and active role in building sustainable economies and creating jobs – not as passive recipients of youth programs,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “This transformation of Bank practices and systems is a step toward making sure our investments have a positive impact on Africa’s young women and men.”
The integrated system has three focus areas:
Each year, around 10 to 12 million young Africans enter the labor market, which offers only three million formal jobs annually. The Bank will prioritize youth entrepreneurship and mobilize private sector partnerships to strengthen industry-oriented skills training as well as job creation over the coming decade.
“[This initiative] is very important because it allows us to significantly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #8 that includes decent work for all,” said Peter van Rooij, Director of Multilateral Partnerships and Development Cooperation at the International Labour Organization. “It also allows the International Labour Organization to influence the Bank’s work, to support their lending that is more geared toward more job creation and better jobs in a sustainable way.”
The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is modeled on the success of the Bank’s Gender Marker System and its online dashboard, which categorize Bank projects based on their contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Similarly, the new system will feature an online platform enabling Bank staff and consultants to access real-time data for preparing country strategy papers, mid-term reviews, annual reports, project supervision, and reporting on youth-related skills, businesses and jobs outcomes.
The Bank has just launched a pilot version of the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System in readiness for the full implementation in 2026. This system will enhance data tracking, improve estimates of youth skills attainment and employment, strengthen labor market information systems, and support policymakers in making evidence-based decisions that drive meaningful change.
The International Labour Organization provided technical support for the system’s development with financial support from the Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is the first deliberate action of its kind developed by a development finance institution worldwide.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
To learn more about the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System, watch this video: https://apo-opa.co/3Gs3JEZ
Media Contact:
Alphonso Van Marsh
Chief Digital Content and Events Officer
media@afdb.org
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002825/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mihai Tudose (S&D)
The latest Eurobarometer survey shows that EU citizens have a positive view of the impact of EU regional policy. The survey also highlights the areas that EU citizens consider to be priorities: they would predominantly like to see improved health and education infrastructure, job creation, greater energy efficiency and access to housing, and enhanced transport infrastructure and defence capabilities.
Half of the citizens canvassed call for EU cohesion policy to focus specifically on areas with high unemployment (63 %), disadvantaged urban areas (51 %) and remote rural or mountainous regions (50 %).
How does the Commission plan to reflect the views of EU citizens in its action in the field of regional cohesion?
Submitted: 10.7.2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002825/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mihai Tudose (S&D)
The latest Eurobarometer survey shows that EU citizens have a positive view of the impact of EU regional policy. The survey also highlights the areas that EU citizens consider to be priorities: they would predominantly like to see improved health and education infrastructure, job creation, greater energy efficiency and access to housing, and enhanced transport infrastructure and defence capabilities.
Half of the citizens canvassed call for EU cohesion policy to focus specifically on areas with high unemployment (63 %), disadvantaged urban areas (51 %) and remote rural or mountainous regions (50 %).
How does the Commission plan to reflect the views of EU citizens in its action in the field of regional cohesion?
Submitted: 10.7.2025
Source: European Parliament
At EU level, asbestos is recognised as a hazardous carcinogen. The Commission is promoting the protection of people and the environment by adopting and enforcing EU legislation related to asbestos management and control.
In its communication on working towards an asbestos-free future[1], the Commission called upon all EU institutions, Member States, social partners and other stakeholders to accelerate action to achieve an asbestos-free EU for current and future generations.
As regards the complete removal of asbestos from public buildings, considering that the magnitude of the asbestos presence, as well as screening, registration and removal strategies, differs considerably among Member States, the Commission is examining different possibilities to create a common EU framework to support Member States in monitoring and registering the presence of asbestos in buildings.
Currently no obligation has been established at EU level in this regard and Member States, including Greece, are free to implement any action needed to completely remove asbestos from public buildings.
The EU provides significant funding through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which can be used to support national measures for the removal of asbestos in the context of renovations.
In addition, Cohesion policy supports measures related to renovations and the modernisation of public infrastructure, including educational buildings.
If asbestos is present in buildings undergoing energy renovation works financed by EU funds[2], its removal could be undertaken as part of the renovation.
As Cohesion policy Funds are implemented under shared management between the Commission and Member States, and the latter are responsible for the selection of projects.
Source: European Parliament
In the past decade, continuous migration and asylum pressure on European Union Member States has made the external dimension of the EU’s approach to migration management all the more important. The need to address challenges relating to external border management has reoriented EU migration policy towards extended and stricter border controls, combined with the externalisation of migration management through cooperation with third countries. Thus, the external processing of asylum claims has also been put forward as a possibility. Overall, asylum is governed by international, EU and national laws. Both EU and national asylum legislation must be aligned with the international legal framework. Although EU law does not provide for the processing of asylum applications outside the EU, the idea of ‘transit’ or ‘processing’ centres in third countries has been recurrent over the years. Examples of externalisation procedures can be found around the world. Some non-EU countries, such as Australia and the United States, have practical experience of the extra-territorial processing of asylum claims. Within Europe, back in 1986 Denmark tabled a draft resolution in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to create UN centres where asylum claims could be processed, in order to coordinate the resettlement of refugees among all states. Later, in 2001 and 2002, when the EU experienced the first peak of migrant arrivals in the EU, this was followed by a series of proposals involving the external processing of asylum requests. Extraterritorial processing was first put forward by the United Kingdom in 2003, while Germany proposed the establishment of asylum centres in North Africa in 2005. The series of proposals made over the years with a view to externalising migration policies have raised concerns, not least in relation to the human rights implications, asylum procedures and EU and international law. This briefing updates an earlier edition, of January 2024, by the present authors along with Anita Orav.
Source: APO
The 2025 Eritrean Community Festival in the United Kingdom was colorfully conducted on 12 and 13 July in London under the theme “Our Cohesion – Our Armour.”
The festival, in which about 2,000 nationals from various cities in Britain took part, was officially opened by Mr. Saleh Abdella, Chargé d’Affaires at the Eritrean Embassy in the UK and Northern Ireland.
Mr. Mulubrhan Berhe, Chairman of the Holidays Coordinating Committee, and Mr. Ahmed Mahmud, Chairman of the National Committee, commended all those who contributed to the successful implementation of the program and thanked the participants.
Mr. Saleh Abdella stated that this year’s festival was particularly significant as it was held at a time when the Eritrean people are focused on national development programs while confronting and foiling external conspiracies and hostilities. He also called on nationals to strengthen unity, foster deeper connections with their homeland, and enhance participation in national affairs.
Mr. Tewolde Yohannes, Head of Public and Community Affairs, also conducted a seminar for participants focusing on the objective situation in the homeland and the region. Mr. Tewolde stated that Eritrea, firmly standing by its national principles, continues to make earnest contributions to regional peace and stability.
The festival featured cultural and artistic performances, sports competitions, and children’s programs.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002817/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Beatrice Timgren (ECR)
Despite emerging technologies, batteries for phones sold in Europe seem to have a maximum capacity of around 5 000 mAh. Meanwhile, it is not uncommon to see identical handsets in other regions, such as Asia, with battery capacities exceeding 6 000 mAh.
Smartphone manufacturer OnePlus points to European laws and regulations regarding the transportation of single-cell batteries as the cause of this disparity[1]. The manufacturer explains that European laws affect the maximum size of a single battery cell. Manufacturers therefore either have to sell smartphones with smaller battery capacities or opt to manufacture smartphones that use dual-cell batteries.
In the light of the above:
Submitted: 10.7.2025