DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 23 July 2026
Commission fines Google €890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act
Today, the European Commission took two decisions finding non-compliance by Google with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search, and for putting in place restrictions on businesses to direct consumers to alternative, often cheaper, purchase channels on Google Play (steering). In this regard, the Commission issued Google a fine of € 460 million and a fine of €430 million respectively.
Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, said: “Google has fallen short of effective compliance with the Digital Markets Act, and today we have taken decisive yet balanced enforcement action sanctioning these breaches. The best products should succeed because they're better, not because they're owned by the company running the search engine. And European consumers have a right to be told by app developers where to sign up to the best offers, even when the app store owner does not get a cut. This is the promise of the DMA, protecting fairness, choice and innovation in digital markets for the benefit of all European citizens.”
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said: “The two decisions we adopted today confirm our determination to apply the Digital Markets Act to safeguard business and innovation. We found that Google harms businesses offering similar services, such as shopping or sports, by not granting them the same level of prominence on Google Search. We also found that Google has restricted app developers from offering cheaper offers to customers in the Google Play app store. Google must now bring the non-compliance to an end and to refrain from continuing it in the future. Today’s decisions send a clear message; we will not hesitate to use our tools to safeguard business and innovation opportunities opened up by the DMA.”
More information is available in the press release.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier - Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99; Patricia Poropat — Tel. + 32 2 299 27 17)
Commission greenlights Sweden's payment request for €1.47 billion under NextGenerationEU
Today, the European Commission positively assessed Sweden's second payment request for €1.47 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.
This is an important step in the delivery of the reforms and investments included in this payment request, which aim to support the green transition, a better functioning of the labour and housing markets, as well as to address demographic challenges.
The Commission found that Sweden has satisfactorily completed the 8 milestones and 8 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision.
Today's payment request would bring the funds paid out to Sweden under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to €3.11 billion. This amount corresponds to 90.34% of all funds included in the Swedish recovery and resilience plan, with 87.76 % of all milestones and targets in the plan now fulfilled.
With a view to the closure of the Facility at the end of 2026, Member States must implement all outstanding milestones and targets by 31 August 2026 and submit their last payment requests by the end of September 2026.
You can find more information online in our press release.
(For further information: Maciej Berestecki – Tel.: +32 2 296 64 83; Anna Wartberger – Tel.: +32 2 298 20 54)
Greece receives first €118.2 million payment under SAFE defence instrument
Today, Greece received its first payment of €118.2 million under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence instrument, representing 15% of its total allocation of €787.7 million.
SAFE is a €150 billion financial instrument providing loans to Member States. It primarily funds joint procurement of ammunition, missiles, air defence, and ground combat systems produced within the EU. It is part of the European Commission's ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to unlock over €800 billion in defence investment across the European Union.
The pre-financing will allow Greece to fast-track priority defence investments, enhance its resilience, and modernise its military capabilities in support of common European objectives. SAFE is intended to facilitate fast, co-ordinated action, strengthen the interoperability of European armed forces, and reinforce Europe’s defence industrial base through joint procurement and deeper cross-border co-operation.
Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space said: “Today’s first payment to Greece under SAFE is a clear sign that Europe delivers where it matters most: strengthening our common security and supporting our defence industrial base. By helping Greece move forward with key investments, SAFE reinforces not only national preparedness, but also our shared European resilience and strategic responsibility.”
This payment follows the completion of all required procedural steps and reflects the EU's commitment to providing timely, practical support through SAFE. Further payments will follow, as agreed milestones and implementation are met.
The SAFE instrument is financed by EU borrowing on the financial markets. This enables competitively priced and attractively structured long-duration loans to requesting Member States. The terms of the SAFE loans benefit from the EU's strong credit rating. All SAFE loans will be repaid by the beneficiary Member States.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Marine Strauss – Tel: +32 2 298 91 03)
Commission approves more than €103 million support from the EU Solidarity Fund to help Malta, Portugal, and Spain recover from storms
The European Commission has approved advance payments totaling €103.6 million to Malta, Portugal, and Spain under the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), to ease the financial burden of reconstruction efforts after the damage caused by the devastating storms that took place in these countries in January and February 2026.
The advance payments follow the applications for EUSF support submitted by Malta, Portugal, and Spain and the positive technical assessment by the Commission confirming that the criteria for access to the Fund have been met.
Malta was struck between 19 and 21 January 2026 by Storm Harry. The storm caused widespread flooding, coastal damage and transport disruption, with significant impacts on public infrastructure, harbours, fisheries, aquaculture, agricultural assets and local communities. Malta will receive an advance payment of €931 014.
Portugal was affected between 22 January and 15 February 2026 by a sequence of exceptionally intense storms. The storms brought strong winds, coastal turmoil and intense rainfall which led to floods and landslides and resulted in 18 fatalities, significant material damage and interruptions in the supply of essential services. Portugal will receive an advance payment of €65.37 million.
Spain was hit between 22 January and 14 February 2026 by the same storms as Portugal. The result was prolonged electricity, water and telecommunications cut off affecting thousands of inhabitants. People also suffered significant material losses and many homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable. Spain will receive an advance payment of €37.26 million.
The Commission will make a proposal to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU for the three applications. If approved, the final payments will follow later and depend on budgetary availabilities.
Since its establishment in 2002, the EU Solidarity Fund has provided over €11 billion in assistance for 148 disaster events, including 128 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies, across 25 Member States and six accession countries.
More information is available online.
Commission adopts assessment report on readmission cooperation
Today, the European Commission adopted its seventh assessment report to the Council on third countries' level of readmission cooperation under Article 25a of the Visa Code. The report assesses the cooperation of 28 visa-required countries in 2025. Based on the annual assessment, the Commission can propose restrictive visa measures for third countries where cooperation is considered insufficient.
This year, the Commission is not proposing new restrictive visa measures.
The Commission previously proposed visa measures in relation to Bangladesh, Iraq, The Gambia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Somalia and Guinea. The report restates the relevance of the proposal for Senegal (from 2022). The proposal remains with the Council, with the objective of improving readmission cooperation. In view of substantial and sustained improvements in readmission cooperation, the Commission withdrew its proposals for Iraq and Bangladesh in November 2025 and visa measures for Ethiopia were repealed in May 2026. Due to insufficient cooperation, the Council adopted restrictive visa measures for Somalia in June 2026 and Guinea in July 2026. For The Gambia, first stage measures remain in place, after the increased visa fee was revoked in April 2024.
The Commission annually assesses readmission cooperation of visa-required third countries, reports to the Council and actively engages in dialogue to improve readmission cooperation with partners.
The report is not a public document. It will be sent to the Council and discussed with Member States. Commission proposals to the Council on visa measures take into account the Union’s overall relations with the countries concerned. The Commission will continue its active engagement with third countries to improve cooperation on readmission.
(For more information: Guillaume Mercier– Tel.: +32 2 298 05 64; Fiorella Boigner - Tel.: +32 2 299 37 34)
EU releases an additional €10 million in humanitarian aid for the Cuban population
As the humanitarian conditions in Cuba continue to deteriorate, the European Commission has released an additional €10 million in humanitarian aid to support the country’s most vulnerable populations. These include elderly people, children, pregnant and lactating women, and communities in remote areas suffering the most from fuel shortage and the energy crisis.
The aid will prioritise healthcare, including procuring medicines and supporting primary and maternal healthcare facilities; emergency food assistance and nutrition treatment for children and mothers; rehabilitation of water systems and supplies to treat water; and logistics support to hard-to-reach areas and renewable energy solutions.
Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said: “For communities in Cuba, daily life has become increasingly difficult, with energy shortages making it difficult to get basic supplies and access healthcare and other essential services. Once again, the EU is showing solidarity with the Cuban people, with additional funding that will allow our partners to provide food, healthcare, clean water and other necessities”.
This additional funding comes on top of the €4 million already approved at the start of this year as a regional allocation for the Caribbean, which has been dedicated mainly to addressing needs in Cuba, and the €2 million reinforcement approved in April. It also follows the assistance provided last year after hurricane Melissa caused extensive damage in the island. In 2025, a total of nearly €6 million was mobilised for disaster preparedness and emergency response in Cuba. EU humanitarian aid is solely channelled through humanitarian partners working on the ground.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Quentin Cortès – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35)
Commission finds that Republic of Korea continues to provide an adequate level of protection of personal data
The Commission concluded today its first review of the 2021 adequacy decision for the Republic of Korea, which allows the free flow of personal data from the EU to this country. The review confirms that the Republic of Korea continues to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data transferred from the EU. The EU and Korean data protection frameworks have converged further, notably following amendments to South Korean law that strengthened the rights of data subject. The report also lays out recommendations to further reinforce some of the safeguards provided by the South Korean framework, in particular with respect to data transfers to third countries and enforcement.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “Korea is an important and trusted digital partner for the EU. Today’s report is one of the many testaments to that. I am pleased to see that our respective data protection frameworks are closer than ever. The mutual adequacy decision brings benefits both for businesses and citizens in Europe and the Republic of Korea”.
Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection, said: “Trusted data flows are the lifeblood of the digital economy. Strong data protection and open international trade are not competing objectives - they reinforce one another. When people and businesses can trust that their data is protected, economies can connect, innovate and grow. The EU and Korea have built a strong foundation for this cooperation, and together we are well placed to help shape the global standards that will underpin the digital economy of tomorrow.”
Mutual data flows between the EU and Korea benefit more than 500 million people. They also enhance the benefits of a trade relationship worth more than €150 billion per year. The mutual data arrangement complements and enhances the benefits of the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and of the Digital Trade Agreement.
More information on adequacy decisions is available online.
(For more information: Guillaume Mercier – Tel.: +32 2 298 05 64; Antoine Lomba – Tel.: +32 2 299 32 33)
Commission launches two initiatives to strengthen financial literacy in the EU
Today, the European Commission is taking another step to improve financial literacy across the EU by launching two initiatives under the Financial Literacy Strategy for the EU. Together, they promote the uptake of successful practices and improve the quality of financial literacy activities in the EU.
First, the Commission is launching a call for submissions of successful financial literacy initiatives to identify and collect best practices across the EU. Individuals and organisations can submit information on existing projects in the areas of investing, saving, and financial risk literacy by 30 October 2026. The Commission will analyse the submissions against three criteria set out in the template to identify common themes and key factors that contributed to the success of the initiatives. The findings will be presented in a synthesis report for Member States to select the best practices that will be discussed at the end of 2026 at a meeting of the GEGRFS (Government Expert Group on Retail Financial services) subgroup on financial literacy.
Secondly, the Commission is looking for stakeholders willing to participate in a roundtable that will provide input to a voluntary European Code of Conduct for private and not-for-profit organisations promoting financial literacy. The Code will help ensure that initiatives have transparent objectives, offer accurate and unbiased content, and include safeguards to mitigate conflicts of interest. The call will remain open until 16 September. Selected stakeholders will be invited to participate in a series of meetings to support the development of the Code, which is expected to be adopted in the first quarter of 2027.
(For more information: Siobhan McGarry - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Marta Perez-Cejuela Romero - Tel.: +32 2 296 37 70)
Commission approves €715 million Dutch State aid to permanently reduce ammonia emissions affecting Natura 2000 areas
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €715 million Dutch scheme to permanently reduce ammonia emissions from livestock farming sites to contribute to nature restoration.
These emissions result in nitrogen deposition on overburdened Natura 2000 areas in the Netherlands. This scheme facilitates the voluntary definitive and irrevocable closure of livestock farming sites that cause these emissions. The scheme’s system and principles follow to a large extent previous Dutch closure schemes (LBV, LBV-plus and LBV smaller sectors) approved by the Commission in May 2023 and August 2024.
The scheme will be open to micro, small and medium-sized livestock farmers of dairy cattle, turkeys, chickens and pigs, as well as veal calves, dairy goats, rabbits, meat ducks and other cattle. The scheme prioritises livestock farming sites located partially or entirely within an overburdened Natura 2000 area or within a 1,000-metre range of such an area. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants in the range of 100 - 110% of the eligible costs. The scheme will run for five years.
The Commission assessed the scheme under EU State aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions, and the 2022 Guidelines for State aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas. The Commission found that the scheme is necessary and appropriate to improve the environment and nature quality, in particular the conservation status of Natura 2000 areas, while also supporting the objectives of the Biodiversity Strategy. Furthermore, the Commission found that the scheme is proportionate, as it is limited to the minimum necessary and will have a limited impact on competition and trade between Member States. On this basis, the Commission approved the Dutch scheme under EU State aid rules.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the number SA.122041 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
(For more information: Siobhan McGarry - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 2 299 47 74)
Commission clears acquisition of Eni Plenitude by Eni and Ares
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Eni Plenitude S.p.A. Società Benefit (‘Eni Plenitude’) by Eni S.p.A, both of Italy, and Ares Management Corporation (‘Ares’) of the US.
The transaction relates primarily to the energy sector.
The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given that the new jointly-controlling shareholder is not active in the same or vertically related markets as the joint venture. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.12461.
(For more information: Siobhan McGarry– Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschütz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)
Commission clears acquisition of HUMAIN by Saudi Aramco and PIF
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Al-Mustaqbal Lil-Thaka Al-Istinai Company (‘HUMAIN’) by Saudi Aramco Development Company (‘Saudi Aramco’) and Public Investment Fund (‘PIF’), all of Saudi Arabia.
The transaction relates primarily to the market for the development and management of AI technologies and infrastructure.
The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the limited impact on the European Economic Area and the companies' limited combined market position resulting from the proposed transaction. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.12417.
Commission clears acquisition of Electronic Arts by PIF
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Electronic Arts Inc. of the US by the Public Investment Fund (‘PIF’) of Saudi Arabia.
The transaction relates primarily to the production and distribution of video games for mobile devices, PCs and consoles, as well as the organisation and commercialisation of video game competitions, commonly referred to as electronic sports events.
The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given its limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active. The notified transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure.
More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.12213.
Dr. Kezban AKANSOY
Press Officer / Political Reporter
European Commission
Representation in Cyprus
EU House, 30 Byron Avenue, 1096 Nicosia
Tel: +357 22817770 or 22817837 (direct)
Mobile: +90 533 8672030 or +357 99689521
kezban.akansoy@ec.europa.eu
https://cyprus.representation.ec.europa.eu