DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 23 December 2025
Competitiveness and solidarity: the guiding priorities for EU Commission in 2025
In 2025, in line with the expectations of the EU's 27 Member States and 450 million citizens, the European Commission placed a particular policy priority on Europe's competitiveness and solidarity.
In particular, the Commission's work focused on helping industries navigate the changing global environment, improving affordability and quality of life for citizens, boosting the clean energy transition and seizing the opportunities of the digital transformation, strengthening international partnerships and upholding democracy and fundamental rights. You can find more details on key milestones and initiatives for 2025 in the dedicated factsheet and webpage.
Delivering on a top priority of the Draghi Report, the Commission made steady progress on its simplification agenda, aiming to make it easier for businesses to operate on a day-to-day basis, while maintaining our overarching social and climate goals. An overview of what has been achieved in 2025 can be found online.
2025 also marked an important year of solidarity, both inside the EU and in the rest of the world: responding to record-breaking wildfires; needs following the floods in Valencia in 2024; crisis measures for farmers; supporting Ukraine; remaining the leading global donor for Palestinians; pushing for the energy transition in Africa. You can find more information in the dedicated factsheet.
Looking ahead, on 1 January 2026, Bulgaria will adopt the euro as its currency, becoming the 21st member of the euro area and marking an important milestone in the history of both the euro and of the EU.
(For more information: Paula Pinho – Tel.: +32 2 292 08 15)
Spain and Portugal celebrate 40 years in the European Union
The 1st of January 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Spain and Portugal joining the European Union.
The two countries have enriched the EU culturally, politically and economically. Their accession provided European citizens with more trade, travel opportunities, reinforced solidarity amongst peoples, and strengthened our Union internationally, boosting our bonds with partner countries in Latin America, Africa and the Mediterranean.
Since 1986, Spain and Portugal saw their real GDP double, with a substantial increase in exports towards the rest of the continent thanks to their integration in the Single Market, and the creation of more than 11 million jobs. 91% of Portuguese and 76% of Spaniards agree that their countries have benefitted from EU membership.
The two countries have also brought many benefits to the EU and other Europeans, from contributions in research and innovation to high-quality agrifood and seafood products. They are at the forefront of civil protection actions and humanitarian aid, strengthening our role as a leading donor. Thanks to them, many young Europeans get the opportunity to travel and study. Spain alone was the top Erasmus+ destination, welcoming almost 680,000 learners and staff between 2021 and 2024.
Spain and Portugal have made a central contribution to the EU's great progress over these past 40 years, ensuring that citizens benefit from more rights, better health and additional freedoms.
More information is available online.
Stronger toy safety rules enter into force
The new Toy Safety Regulation will enter into force on 1 January 2026, following its adoption by the European Parliament and the Council. It strengthens children's protection from harmful chemicals in toys and improves enforcement of EU toy safety rules.
Under the Regulation, substances will be banned from toys as soon as they are identified as hazardous, including chemicals that disrupt hormones, harm the lungs, cause skin allergies, or damage specific organs. The ban also covers per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bisphenols. The new rules also strengthen the existing ban on substances that can cause cancer, genetic damage or harm reproduction (carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substances).
Enforcement will be enhanced through digital tools. All toys placed on the EU market will be required to have a digital product passport containing safety and compliance information, accessible to consumers online via a QR code or other data carrier. For toys sold online and imported into the EU, customs authorities will be able to check the product passport.
The new rules will apply from 1 August 2030.
(For more information: Siobhan McGarry - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98)
New rules to streamline EU chemical assessments to enter into force
On 1 January 2026, the ‘one substance, one assessment' (OSOA) package will enter into force. This is a key deliverable of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. It will make chemical assessments more consistent, transparent and efficient across EU legislation, covering products such as toys, food, pesticides and biocides. This new framework will also help identify risks earlier and allow faster action when needed. This is a significant step towards better and faster protection of people's health and the environment.
The ‘one substance, one assessment' package is composed of three legislative proposals: a regulation establishing a common data platform on chemicals; a regulation re-attributing technical tasks and improving cooperation among EU agencies; and a directive on the re-attribution of technical tasks to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
At its core is a new common data platform on chemicals, due to be operational within the next three years. Accessible to everyone, this platform will act as a central hub, bringing together chemical data gathered under different EU laws. It will enable public authorities to re-use information on chemicals more easily, supporting better decision-making.
The new measures will bring stronger cooperation between EU chemicals agencies by clarifying the division of tasks, reducing duplication of work, and consolidating scientific and technical tasks. The OSOA package also introduces a monitoring and outlook framework to detect emerging chemical risks earlier. By systematically gathering data and using indicators and early-warning tools, the EU will be better equipped to identify new concerns and act swiftly when necessary.
Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, said: “By streamlining the way chemicals are assessed, we can act earlier and more decisively to protect people's health and the environment. This new framework will make it easier to access reliable data, strengthen our scientific cooperation, and improve the EU's ability to anticipate and manage chemical risks.”
(For more information: Maciej Berestecki – Tel.: +32 2 296 64 83; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 2 295 46 73)
Commission extends nitrates derogation for Ireland
Today, the Commission extended Ireland's derogation under the Nitrates Directive for a further three years, starting 1 January 2026. This decision follows the approval of the Commission's proposal by Member States on 9 December. It is subject to additional conditions, including the evaluation of environmental impacts.
The new derogation maintains the conditions of the current derogation and adds additional ones reflecting the measures of the Irish Nitrates Action Programme as well as additional measures in areas with significant challenges in terms of nitrate pollution. It also takes account of Ireland's commitment to carry out required environmental assessments as well as the farming industry's need for certainty and predictability.
You can find more information in our press release.
Commission amends ETS State aid Guidelines to tackle carbon leakage for more energy-intensive industries
The European Commission has today adopted an amendment to the Guidelines on certain State aid measures in the context of the system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading post-2021 (‘ETS State aid Guidelines').
The sustained rise in emission costs since the adoption of the ETS State aid Guidelines in 2020 has significantly increased the risk of carbon leakage for sectors that are exposed to international competition, but were not considered at genuine risk at that time. In this context, it is important to ensure that the ETS indirect compensation mechanism remains equitable and efficient, by maintaining an effective protection for certain sectors against carbon leakage while preserving their incentives to invest in decarbonisation.
To ensure a level playing field the ETS State aid Guidelines set out the conditions under which aid under these Guidelines can be cumulated with aid provided through other measures.
The Commission has adopted the following amendments to the current ETS State aid Guidelines: (i) the extension of the list of industrial sectors eligible for compensation, (ii) an increase in the aid intensity from 75% to 80% for sectors that were already eligible before the amendment to cater for their increased risk of carbon leakage, (iii) the option for Member States to notify sectors or subsectors that are not included in the amended list of eligible sectors, and (iv) the requirement for large beneficiaries to contribute to the green transition by, among others, investing a share of the aid in projects that contribute to reducing the costs of the electricity system.
A press release is available online.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier - Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774)