Commissioner Christophe Hansen, Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic and Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi will receive EU agriculture ministers in Brussels tomorrow, 7 January, to discuss the future of farming and food security in Europe and outline the main expectations for EU action in 2026.
The meeting will take stock of the farming and food situation in the European Union, one year after the launch of the Vision for Agriculture and Food. The meeting also provides an opportunity to reflect jointly on the key concerns raised recently by farmers, featuring dialogue on the strong budget framework designed to support CAP goals, highlighting various funding opportunities and synergy potentials for agriculture and rural areas, and discussing taken and possible further actions and measures to increase the competitiveness of European farmers. Additionally, the discussion will include future decisions regarding the EU’s long-term budget and revenue system, ensuring that agriculture remains a prioritised area in EU policy. Ministers will engage in important deliberations, helping to shape the path forward for the European agricultural sector.
The year 2026 brings two new European capitals of culture): Oulu, in Finland, and Trencín, in Slovakia. With support of the European Commission, throughout the year, these two cities will host cultural events, exhibitions, and performances, highlighting the richness of our shared European cultures.
The inauguration of Oulu as European capital of culture will take place on 16-18 January 2026. The city’s cultural programme, themed ‘Cultural Climate Change’, addresses current global challenges including resilience against climate change, and how cultural awareness helps to it. The city has the ambition to encourage its audience to rethink how culture is made, experienced and shared in this area.
Meanwhile, Trencín will host its opening event on 13-15 February 2026. With its programme built around the theme of ‘Awakening Curiosity’, the city aims to inspire bridge-building between people, past and future, and between imagination and reality.
Since 40 years, the European capitals of culture award offers cities a chance to celebrate diversity, engage communities and promote local and regional development.
Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, said: ‘Congratulations to Oulu and Trencín, the 2026 European Capitals of Culture. We all look forward to experiencing their transformation-driven programmes calling for a Cultural Climate Change and appealing to our Curiosity. Both 2026 European Capitals of Culture fully embrace the value of this flagship initiative and its lasting impact on culture, cities and people across Europe enriching cultural life, connecting people through creativity, and inspiring lasting change through the arts and culture.’
The Commission has awarded the two 2026 European capitals of culture the pound 1.5 million Melina Mercouri Prize, funded under Creative Europe Programme, in recognition of the quality of their preparations for the year.
More information on the European capitals of culture is available online.
(For more information: Eva Hrncirova – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Eirini Zarkadoula – Tel.: +32 2 295 70 65)
The European Commission welcomes the OECD’s agreement on a comprehensive package on the co-ordinated operation of global minimum tax rules for digitalised and global economy.
On 5 January, the OECD countries agreed on Pillar Two simplification and Side-by-Side System under the Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) Rules.
This is a welcome step that stabilises the global minimum tax system, simplifies the rules, ensures fairness and keeps businesses competitive. It safeguards the minimum effective taxation of multinational enterprises, and it enhances legal certainty and predictability for European businesses, while reinforcing the stability of the international tax system. The outcome also highlights the value of strong multilateral cooperation and contributes to safeguarding a level playing field in global taxation.
Building on the progress already achieved on Pillar Two in the European Union, the Commission will oversee the effective and consistent implementation of Pillar Two within the EU. In parallel, the Commission will continue its work on further simplifying and streamlining tax rules for companies subject to Pillar Two, with a view to reducing administrative burden while preserving the integrity of the framework.
High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioners Hadja Lahbib and Dubravka Šuica, on behalf of the European Commission, issued the following statement calling on Israel to allow international NGOs to operate and deliver life-saving aid to civilians in need in Palestine:
‘As winter sets in, Palestinians are left exposed to heavy rain and falling temperatures, without safe shelter. Children remain out of schools. Medical facilities are barely functioning, with minimal staff and equipment.
We call on Israel to allow international NGOs to operate and deliver life-saving aid to civilians in need in Palestine.
Without these international NGOs, humanitarian aid cannot be delivered at the scale needed to prevent further loss of life in Gaza.
To deliver aid rapidly, safely and at the scale required, international NGOs must be able to operate in a sustained and predictable way. Without them, life-saving assistance cannot reach people in need.
Humanitarian aid delivery and service provision for civilians depends on access. Under International Humanitarian Law, all parties to a conflict must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of principled humanitarian relief.’
The full statement can be read online.
European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, responsible for Defence and Space, is in Porto and Lisbon on 7 and 8 January for his first official visit to Portugal. The Commissioner will engage in several meetings and visits with leading defence and space Portuguese actors.
Starting in Porto, on 7 January, the Commissioner is meeting Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, to discuss the European Defence Readiness, SAFE implementation, and more support to Ukraine. Commissioner Kubilius will also participate in the Diplomatic Seminar 2026, hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel. The Commissioner will address Portuguese ambassadors on the future of European defence together with Minister Melo and NATO Deputy Secretary-General, Radmila Shekerinska. In the second half of the day, accompanied by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, the Commissioner will visit the Engineering Development Centre, the CEiiA, one of Portugal’s leading research and development investors. The Centre develops innovative products in industries including aeronautics, mobility and space.
The Commissioner will continue in Lisbon on 8 January. He will visit the Portuguese Air Force followed by a hearing with Portugal’s Parliament Committees on European Affairs and on Defence. He will then meet with the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, to discuss space policy, and will hold a roundtable with top defence and space stakeholders.
The final meeting will be the Youth Dialogue with students and young innovators at Lisbon’s Tecnico together with Carlos Moedas, Lisbon’s Mayor and former Commissioner for Research and Innovation, and Manuel Heitor, professor and former Portuguese Space Minister, under the topic ‘Challenges and Opportunities for European space and defence’.
Strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities will be a joint effort, bringing together Member States, national defence strategies and actors across Europe’s aeronautics and defence sectors.
Europe has strong space capacities and a culture of working together as exemplified by Galileo and Copernicus but also projects such as the project ‘Atlantic Constellation’, supported under NextGenerationEU, based on a partnership between Portugal and Spain, aiming for a complete satellite-based value chain for advanced Earth observation capacities in defence and sustainability.