DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 16 April 2025
Commission authorises medicine for treatment of early Alzheimer's disease
The Commission yesterday granted EU authorisation for Leqembi, a medicine to treat mild cognitive impairment in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, under strict conditions. It is the first such medicine to be authorised in the EU.
This medicine is for use in people who have only one or no copy of the ApoE4 gene and who have amyloid beta plaques in the brain.
The authorisation is based on the positive scientific assessment of the European Medicines Agency, which concluded that the benefits of this medicine outweighed the risks, in a particular population of patients with such disease and as long as risk minimisation measures are applied. Therefore, the authorisation decision also sets strict conditions on the use of Leqembi, as well as clear risk mitigation requirements.
(For more information: Eva Hrnčířová – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Anna Gray – Tel.: +32 2 298 08 73)
EU Bolsters Economic Security with New Recommendation on Export Controls
The EU has released a Recommendation to enhance the coordination of national control lists of dual-use items. Developed in close collaboration between the European Commission and the Council, the Recommendation provides a framework that will help Member States to align their national control lists with both EU and multilateral standards.
This Recommendation was one of the main proposals from the Commission's January 2024 White Paper on export controls.
It includes a voluntary coordination mechanism that supports Member States in sharing their draft national control lists with the Commission and peers, facilitating feedback before formal adoption. This improved coordination responds to the rapidly changing global environment, ensuring a more unified approach to export controls across the EU. This initiative contributes to the EU having a cohesive stance on export control issues.
For more information, please see the DG Trade dedicated newsitem..
(For more information: Lea Zuber – Tel.: +32 2 295 62 98; Saul Goulding - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35)
Commission proposes to frontload elements of the Pact on Migration and Asylum as well as a first EU list of safe countries of origin
Today, the Commission is proposing to accelerate the implementation of certain aspects of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, adopted last year and due to enter into application in June 2026. The Commission is proposing to frontload two key elements of the Asylum Procedure Regulation with the aim of supporting Member States to process asylum claims faster and more efficiently for applicants whose claims are likely to be unfounded.
In addition, and to support the same objective, the Commission is proposing to make use of one of the novelties of the Pact and establish an EU list of safe countries of origin, the nationals from which will see their applications processed in an accelerated or border procedure.
Frontloading key elements of the Pact: The Commission proposes to apply two important rules under the Pact already before the Pact enters into force in June next year. This covers:
The Commission is also proposing to establish a first EU list of safe countries of origin. Some Member States already have national lists of safe countries of origin. An EU list will complement these and support a more uniform application of the concept, which allows Member States to process asylum claims of nationals from countries on the list in an accelerated procedure, on the basis that their claims are unlikely to be successful.
The Commission is proposing to establish a first EU list covering Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia.
The Commission is also considering that EU candidate countries, in principle, meet the criteria to be designated as safe countries of origin since as part of their EU membership path, they are working towards reaching the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. A candidate country would be excluded only under certain specific circumstances: indiscriminate violence in conflict situations, sanctions adopted by the Council towards that country, or an EU-wide recognition rate of asylum applicants higher than 20%.
The Commission's proposal draws on an analysis from the EU Agency for Asylum and other sources, including information from Member States, UNHCR and the EEAS.
The EU list of safe countries of origin can be expanded or reviewed over time. Countries can also be suspended or removed from the list, should they no longer fulfil the criteria for being designated as a safe country of origin.
The designation as safe country of origin does not establish a guarantee of safety for all nationals of that country. Member States need to conduct an individual assessment of each asylum application, independently from the fact whether a person comes from a safe country of origin or not.
Next steps
It is now for the European Parliament and the Council to agree on this proposal.
Background
As part of its work to implement the Pact, the Commission has been supporting Member States to identify areas where work can be frontloaded, to accelerate certain aspects of the Pact that will enhance the efficiency of our asylum system.
The assessment of whether a third country is a safe country of origin in accordance with the Asylum Procedure Regulation was based on a series of exchanges with Member States, the EUAA, the European External Action Service, as well as the UNCHR, and other stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations.
The EUAA set out a methodology to support the identification of safe countries of origin, looking at countries of origin from which a significant asylum caseload is brought in the EU. This includes EU candidate countries; countries of origin with an EU-wide recognition rate of 5% or lower that create a significant asylum caseload in the EU; visa-free countries with an EU-wide recognition rate of 5% or lower that create a significant asylum caseload in the EU; and countries that already feature in the existing Member States' lists of safe countries of origin.
For More Information
Proposal for amending Regulation 2024/1348 as regards the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level
Pact on Migration and Asylum – Explanatory MEMO
Quote(s)
Making asylum procedures faster and more efficient is a core objective of the Pact on Migration and Asylum agreed last year. With today's proposal, we want to advance the implementation of key provisions, equipping Member States with additional tools to streamline asylum processing.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
We have a little over a year before the Pact on Migration and Asylum enters into full application but where we can go faster, we should go faster. Many Member States are facing a significant backlog of asylum applications, so anything we can do now to support faster asylum decisions is essential. The Pact provisions on recognition rates and applying the safe country of origin concept can help Member States deal with claims more quickly, whilst always ensuring that every asylum claim still receives an individual assessment and is subject to the scrutiny of national courts.
Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration
Commission welcomes significant step towards Pandemic Agreement
The Commission welcomes the preliminary consensus on the Pandemic Agreement which was reached today, in Geneva, by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, underscoring the continuing strength of international cooperation and solidarity for global heath.
After three years of intensive negotiations the agreement reached marks a significant contribution to strengthening capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response taking a One Health approach. This is a decisive step toward a more equitable and proactive global approach to preventing and managing future pandemics, in full respect of the health policy responsibilities and competences of individual EU Member States.
The EU remains committed to working with all partners and stakeholders with a view to creating stronger, more resilient and more equitable global architecture for future pandemic preparedness and response.
Next step
The Pandemic Agreement is expected to be formally adopted at the 78th World Health Assembly in May.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous suffering for our societies and economies and tested public health systems to the limit. Our collective and global response showed that decisive action, enhanced collaboration and international solidarity are the way forward. Today’s announcement is a major step towards stronger international cooperation. When adopted, this agreement can make a significant contribution to strengthening our capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and developing new medical countermeasures whenever necessary, including through a constructive role of the EU, in full respect of the health policy responsibilities and competences of individual EU Member States.
Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare
Read-out by President von der Leyen following her phone call with Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore
Today, President von der Leyen held a warm phone call with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The President praised the excellent cooperation between the European Union and Singapore. The country, she said, is a like-minded partner for the EU, from its support for Ukraine to our shared efforts on climate security and sustainable development. This partnership is growing, the President highlighted, with the forthcoming signature of the bilateral Digital Trade Agreement.
President von der Leyen reiterated the importance of predictability, transparency, fairness, and openness in the global trading system – the only way the system can function, thrive and benefit all.
In this context, the President discussed the potential for closer cooperation between the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This follows her initial conversation on the topic last week with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand.
President von der Leyen expressed the EU's intention to enhance dialogue and cooperation with Singapore on security and defence. She also encouraged the start of formal talks on Singapore's association with Horizon Europe, the largest Research & Innovation programme in the world.
Commission takes action to simplify the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation
Today, the Commission is providing further simplifications and reducing the administrative burden to facilitate the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). In this context, it has published new guidance documents in view of the Regulation's entry into application at the end of this year for Member States, operators and traders. With these clarifications and simplifications, the Commission is also replying to feedback from its international partners.
With today's simplifications, the Commission is delivering on its commitment to the European Parliament and the Council, while guaranteeing regulatory certainty within the boundaries of the Regulation.
The updated guidance and Frequently Asked Questions will provide companies, EU Member States' authorities and partner countries with additional simplified measures and clarifications on how to demonstrate that their products are deforestation-free. Both documents reflect the input from Member States, partner countries, businesses, and industry. This will also guarantee harmonised implementation of the law across the EU.
The simplifications introduced will be further complemented by a Delegated Act, published also today for public consultation. The Act provides further clarifications and simplification on the scope of EUDR, addressing stakeholders' request for guidance on specific categories of products. This will also avoid unnecessary administrative costs for economic operators and authorities.
Finally, the Commission is currently finalising the country benchmarking system through an Implementing Act. It will be adopted no later than 30 June 2025 following discussions with Member States.
Together, all these measures will lead to a currently estimated 30% reduction of administrative costs and burden for companies. This will ensure a simple, fair and cost-efficient implementation of this key piece of legislation. The EUDR has already led to positive developments and action on the ground to fight deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss.
Key simplification measures
With today's new guidance documents, the Commission has introduced a number of simplification measures, for example:
All the updated measures are expected to significantly reduce the number of due diligence statements that companies need to file, replying to key industry demands. The goal of these simplifications for due diligence statements is to ensure easy and efficient data entry for all users.
The Commission has strengthened dialogue with third countries, businesses, civil society and global partners to facilitate implementation and support preparation through dedicated meetings and online trainings since 2024 in line with our Strategic Framework for Cooperation and Engagement.
The Commission will continue responding to feedback from stakeholders, EU Member States and partner countries to assist traders and operators with implementation on the ground and provide further guidance, as necessary.
In 2024, the Commission already held over 300 dedicated meetings on the EUDR with stakeholders, including global partners, to facilitate implementation. To support preparation, the Commission has already offered over 50 webinars with 15,500 places for online trainings on the use of the Information System open to all interested stakeholders, supported by online videos in multiple languages and a training system for familiarisation.
The Commission also scaled up support to global partners under its Team Europe Initiative on Deforestation-free Value chains (EUR 86 million) to support partner countries transitioning to sustainable, deforestation-free, and legal value chains.
The EU Deforestation Regulation aims to ensure that key goods in the EU market do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation both in the EU and globally. Deforestation and forest degradation are significant drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss. Even before it enters into application, the Regulation has brought more transparency in supply chains, prompted positive changes in both the public and private sectors and opened new market opportunities for deforestation-free products in the EU.
Last year's versions of the FAQ and guidance already incorporated industry feedback, introducing solutions that effectively reduced bureaucracy for companies while maintaining the Regulation's goals. Today's updates further simplify the application of the rules for businesses.
The EUDR Information System opened on 4 December 2024 and is available in all EU languages. Operators can already submit and manage their Due Diligence Statements. In addition, submission and management of due diligence statements are facilitated by the Application Programming Interface (API) introduced in the Information System.
The EU is increasing its support for producer countries, including through a dedicated Team Europe Initiative focused on deforestation-free supply chains and specific programmes. It is also collaborating with major consumer countries to promote a global shift towards sustainable agricultural supply chains.
EUDR policy page
We are committed to implementing EU rules on deforestation in a spirit of close partnership, transparency, and open dialogue. Our aim is to reduce administrative burden for companies while preserving the goals of the regulation. We will continue to work very closely with all stakeholders, to ensure that our rules deliver on reducing global deforestation and forest degradation in the least burdensome way for companies.
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
List of dangerous products notified in Commission's Safety Gate 2024 sets the path for increased consumer protection
Today, the European Commission has unveiled its annual report on Safety Gate, the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products. The report presents an overview of dangerous products notified in the Safety Gate in 2024. 4,137 alerts were notified last year - the highest ever recorded amount of alerts since the launch of the system in 2003. This increase in alerts demonstrates the growing effectiveness and trust in the Safety Gate system, as authorities are using the platform more often to report and address potential threats to consumer safety. The report also outlines the follow-up actions taken by national authorities of the EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein to prevent harm to consumers and stop the sale of hazardous products.
Main findings
Last year, cosmetics (36%) remained the most frequently reported products posing health risks, followed by toys (15%), electrical appliances (10%), motor vehicles (9%) and chemical products (6%).
Chemical ingredients were the main cause of risk in almost half of the alerts. Dangerous chemicals detected included cadmium, nickel and lead in jewellery, as well as allergenic fragrances in body oils, and synthetic chemicals used to soften the plastic, for example in some clothing. 97% of the cosmetics notified were reported to contain BMHCA, a banned synthetic fragrance, which can harm the reproductive system and cause skin irritation.
Alerts registered in the Safety Gate system triggered a robust response from market surveillance authorities with over 4,200 follow-up actions taken to stop the sale of these products or even take them off the market.
The Commission is working closely with national market surveillance authorities to prepare the first ever product safety sweep. A ‘sweep' is a set of checks carried out on websites simultaneously to identify breaches of EU consumer law in a particular sector. The aim of the product safety sweep will be to check the products sold on online marketplaces on their compliance with the new General Product Safety Regulation to ultimately enhance the safety of products offered for sale online.
The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System enables national market surveillance authorities from the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) to report and take action against dangerous non-food products, warning other authorities to take swift action. Safety Gate alerts cover risks to human health and safety, such as choking, strangulation and damage to hearing or sight, as well as risks to the environment, energy resources and property.
Following the entry into application of the General Product Safety Regulation in December 2024, a modernised future-proof framework is now in place to ensure the safety of products on the EU market. The Regulation clarifies that all products sold in the EU online or offline, must be safe, regardless of their origin. It guarantees a better enforcement of the rules, improves the effectiveness of recalls of dangerous products and provides for the obligation by businesses to offer consumers remedies when recalling unsafe products and a new tool for consumers to report safety issues, such as the Consumer Safety Gateway.
With the e-Commerce Communication, presented in February 2025, the Commission proposed new joint actions to address concerns arising from the surge of unsafe or illicit products entering the Single Market from third countries. The e-Commerce Communication foresees targeted measures, among others, in the areas of customs and trade, such as launching customs controls, consumer protection and the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts.
On 10 April 2025 the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on the new toy safety rules. The new Regulation proposed by the Commission will ban the use of harmful chemicals, such as PFAS, endocrine disruptors and bisphenols, in toys. All toys will have a Digital Product Passport to prevent unsafe toys sold online and offline from entering the EU. The Regulation sets stricter rules on online sales and gives inspectors greater powers to remove dangerous toys from the market. This will ensure that imported toys are as safe for consumers as toys manufactured in the EU.
Since 2022, the eSurveillance ‘webcrawler' application has supported national market surveillance enforcement authorities by detecting online offers of dangerous products signalled in Safety Gate. Each day, the application scans the internet in all official EU/EEA languages to identify reported dangerous products offered for sale to European consumers. The detected offers are automatically shared with the Member Sates' enforcement authorities, enabling them to quickly trace the sellers and order the effective withdrawal of these listings. This contributes to harmonised enforcement actions and addresses the challenges of monitoring the online sale of dangerous products. In the past year, the eSurveillance webcrawler has processed nearly 4000 Safety Gate alerts, analysed almost 1.6 million websites, and identified about 5300 web shops potentially offering reported products.
2024 Annual Safety Gate Report and factsheet
EU product safety legislation
Businesses obligations concerning product safety
General Product Safety Regulation
Consumer Safety Gateway and Safety Business Gateway
Mandatory online marketplace registration
Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products (CASP)
Year after year, the Commission has strengthened and modernised its tools to ensure that the products entering our homes are safe. At the heart of this effort is the Safety Gate Rapid Alert system, which enables us to swiftly address the risks posed by dangerous goods across the EU. The results speak for themselves, and I look forward to continuing this work to ensure we leave no blind spots in our oversight.
Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection
Commissioners Dombrovskis, Síkela and Albuquerque attend the 2025 Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
From Monday to Saturday, Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, in charge of Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, Commissioner Jozef Síkela, in charge of International Partnerships, and Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, in charge of Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, are attending the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C.
Commissioner Dombrovskis will represent the European Commission at the sessions of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and at the G7 and G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings, where discussions will focus, amongst others, on support to Ukraine and on the impact of tariffs on the global economy. The Commissioner will hold several bilateral meetings on the margins of the Spring Meetings with his counterparts from the US, Ukraine, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. On Wednesday 23 April, Commissioner Dombrovskis will deliver a keynote speech at the Atlantic Council focusing on Europe's competitiveness in the context of increasing geopolitical and trade tensions. Following the Spring meetings, Commissioner Dombrovskis will be in New York on 28 and 29 April, where he will engage in a series of high-level meetings with top officials from major financial institutions and global companies and visit the New York Stock Exchange, where he will meet with its President, Lynn Martin.
Commissioner Síkela will present and promote the EU's Global Gateway Strategy as a strategic, mutually beneficial approach to development - focused on partner-driven priorities, combining investment into infrastructure with human development investments like education, training, healthcare - and helping create a conducive investment climate for private-sector engagement. He will represent the EU at the Plenary Session of the World Bank Development Committee and hold high-level bilaterals with government representatives, UN leaders, the IMF, and global investors, along with public appearances and private investor outreach to strengthen international cooperation in sustainable development under the EU's leadership.
Commissioner Albuquerque will hold high-level meetings with government representatives, major institutional investors, nonprofit organisations and trade associations. On Wednesday, she will meet with the Governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), Pan Gongsheng, and will participate at the Hudson Institute - Central & Eastern European Strategy Summit and in the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Global Outlook Forum. On Thursday, Commissioner Albuquerque will meet with India's Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, and join a discussion on "The Future of Finance: Making Finance Work for the Economy" at Johns Hopkins University SAIS. On Friday, she will meet separately with US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, to discuss financial regulatory matters, and with the Federal Reserve Chair, Jay Powell. Additionally, the Commissioner will participate in the US Treasury Regulatory Roundtable, which will address ongoing work on financial regulatory policies and explore the changing boundaries between bank and non-bank financial intermediaries.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Guillaume Mercier – Tel.: +32 229 80564; Lea Zuber – Tél.: +32 2 295 62 98)
Commissioner Hansen visits Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to meet agricultural stakeholders
This week, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, will be on a four-day visit to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to consult and exchange views with the respective authorities of these Member States, farmers, and representatives of agricultural organisations. The visits are part of a tour across the EU that serves to highlight the importance of agricultural activity and production, and rural vitality in the EU's external border regions.
His visit starts in Lithuania, where he will meet Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania. In Vilnius Commissioner Hansen will also meet Ignas Hofmanas, Minister for Agriculture of Lithuania, and present the Vision for Agriculture and Food at the Seimas (the Lithuanian Parliament). He will then meet farmers associations and organisations and visit the Kinderio limuzinai organic cattle farm.
In Latvia, Commissioner Hansen will meet with Armands Krauze, Minister of Agriculture of Latvia and representatives of the agricultural sector, and visit the Pumpuri vegetable farm, located in the border zone between Latvia and Russia.
In Estonia, Commissioner Hansen will tour the Luhamaa border crossing at the Estonia-Russia border alongside Hendrik Johannes Terras, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of Estonia. The visit will conclude with on the ground visits to fruit, vegetable and crop farms.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Thérèse Lerebours - Tel.: +32 2 296 33 03)
APPOINTMENTS
The European Commission appoints a new Director for the European Personnel Selection Office
The European Commission has decided today to appoint Olivier Salles as Director for the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). This interinstitutional office is responsible of meeting the EU institutions' recruitment needs by selecting talented candidates through generalist and specialist competitions. The date of effect will be determined at a later stage.
With over 30 years of service at the European Commission, Mr Salles brings a unique combination of strategic vision, human resource management, and institutional expertise. He has a proven track record in setting up complex EU bodies from the ground up—such as the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), and the Single Resolution Board (SRB)—demonstrating exceptional project management, coordination, and negotiation skills. He possesses further valuable experience in leading large jury panels and managing the full selection processes, highlighting his strong expertise in EU recruitment procedures and talent evaluation. His deep knowledge of EU budgetary processes and legislative coordination is matched by his ability to navigate politically sensitive environments and build consensus across institutions. A collaborative leader known for his analytical precision and steady leadership under pressure, Mr Salles is exceptionally well-equipped to take on his new role.
Mr Salles, a French national, is currently Head of the AMLA Task Force at the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA). Prior to that, he was Adviser at the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), where he chaired major selection competitions, gaining first-hand experience in talent selection and assessment procedures. Earlier, he held several management positions, including Head of Unit for Policy Coordination and Communication at OLAF, Interim Administrative Director of the EPPO, and Head of Unit for ‘Expenditures - internal policies and Agencies´ at the Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG). Mr Salles joined the European Commission in 1993.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Isabel Otero Barderas - Tel.: +32 2 296 69 25)
CALENDAR
Calendrier du lundi 14 avril 2025 au dimanche 20 avril 2025