The European Commission published a new Recommendation on business transfers. Facilitating the transfer of ownership of small and medium enterprises (SME) responds to a pressing demographic challenge: a growing number of small business owners across the EU are approaching retirement without a designated successor. This has the potential to impact millions of companies over the next decade. Where a transfer fails, jobs, know-how and economic value may be lost. Furthermore, in the absence of European buyers, strategic European businesses may increasingly be acquired by foreign competitors and investors.
The Recommendation builds on the 1994 Recommendation on business transfers. While maintaining many of its core principles, the updated Recommendation places greater emphasis on awareness-raising, legal and tax measures, digital matchmaking platforms for buyers and sellers, and coordinated EU-level cooperation to preserve business continuity and jobs within the EU. For example, it encourages Member States to reduce administrative, legal and tax barriers to cross-border business transfers, helping businesses make full use of the opportunities offered by the Single Market. It also recommends developing dedicated financing and training programmes to broaden the pool of potential successors and entrepreneurs, including women and other under-represented groups in entrepreneurship.
This new guidance is already in today’s agenda of the meeting of the SME Envoys Network with EU Member States and SME associations.
(For more information: Siobhan McGarry – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Rya Perincek – Tel.: +32 2 299 49 03)
Commission funds first Regional Cable Hubs and launches pound 40 million call for cable repair capacity
The European Commission will grant pound 5.8 million to establish the first two Regional Cable Hubs, in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is also launching today a pound 40 million call to increase European capacity to repair submarine communication cables. These two actions contribute to the delivery of the EU Action Plan on Cable Security, supporting the security and resilience of Europe’s critical submarine data and energy cables, and enhancing our collective capacity to monitor, detect and respond to threats targeting critical undersea infrastructure.
First Regional Cable Hubs
Receiving pound 2.5 million, a Baltic Sea Regional Hub will reinforce regional surveillance and response mechanisms. The project will strengthen national and cross-border security operations centres, enhance information-sharing platforms, and improve the capacity to detect and prevent threats to critical marine infrastructure in this particularly sensitive area. Finland will coordinate the hub alongside Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Sweden.
In the Mediterranean region, a Hub backed by pound 3.3 million in funding will combine shared procedures and decision-making structures with a federated technological platform, enabling near real-time information exchange, anomaly detection, and coordinated incident response across borders. Italy will coordinate the hub alongside Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
The European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) plays a central role in establishing these hubs across the EU by managing the call for proposals and awarding the grants.
pound 40 million for Mediterranean and Atlantic cable repair
Funded by the Connecting Europe Facility – CEF Digital, the objective of the new pound 40 million call launched today is to ensure a swift and effective response to major submarine cable disruptions in emergency situations. Focused on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and other sea basins, it funds adaptable modules, which will be strategically positioned to serve these sea basins. The modules can be rapidly installed and deployed by existing repair vessels, at the request of the new Regional Surveillance Hubs or other competent authorities.
This follows a first pilot call worth pound 20 million, launched in spring 2026 to finance repair modules in the Baltic Sea.
Next steps
A new call will open in autumn this year to establish regional cable hubs in sea basins not yet covered, or for other Member States to join the two newly established Regional Cable Hubs. The grant is awarded under a call for proposals managed by the ECCC, with funds under the Digital Europe Programme.
Applicants to the CEF Digital call can submit proposals until 8 October 2026 (17:00 CEST).
Background
Following incidents involving undersea cables in the Baltic region, the Commission issued an EU Action Plan on Cable Security in February 2025. With these first Regional Cable Hubs, Europe is strengthening its capacity to build a near real-time situational picture in a sea basin.
Under the current CEF Digital multiannual Work Programme (2024-2027), a total of pound 533 million is allocated to submarine cable projects, with pound 186 million already awarded to 25 projects. From 2021 to 2024, CEF Digital provided pound 420 million to 51 backbone cable connectivity projects.
Quote(s)
With the first regional cable hubs in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean, and funding for cable repair capabilities, Europe is moving to enhanced capabilities. We are strengthening our ability to detect threats, act faster and respond together. This is Europe investing in its own security, resilience and sovereignty. The proposals for the two hubs are ambitious and reflect a clear commitment from the Member States involved to ensure greater cooperation in the face of new security realities.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Commission welcomes political agreement on criminal law rules to fight child sexual abuse
The Commission welcomes today’s political agreement with the European Parliament and Council on the Directive updating the criminal law rules on child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Worrisome trends like the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated abuse material make today’s agreement even more timely.
This Directive addresses new challenges, improves investigation and prosecution, strengthens prevention and assistance to victims and promotes better coordination in the fight against child sexual abuse. The key points of the new common rules are:
Updated definitions: This includes the first EU-wide definition of non-consensual sexual acts, also extending protection to children who remain silent. There is also a clear exemption from criminalisation for hotlines where victims call for help.
New offences reflecting modern realities: The new rules criminalise the use of technology to generate child sexual abuse images and videos, deepfakes and other material, the livestreaming of child sexual abuse, sexual extortion, and AI systems to produce child sexual abuse material. Protection from grooming is extended to children who have reached the age of sexual consent, in certain situations such as when they are threatened or coerced.
Reinforced rules on prevention: With mandatory criminal records checks for professional and organised voluntary activities requiring direct and regular contact with children, and a reporting obligation for such professionals, when the child is in serious and imminent danger.
Stronger support for victims: To ensure they receive the necessary targeted and age-appropriate support for child victims (healthcare, helplines, referral centres), and right to claim full compensation. The statute of limitations is also extended, allowing victims the time needed to seek justice.
The digital threat of child sexual abuse has evolved significantly over the past years. The current EU rules in this area were agreed in 2011, and had to be adapted to address the revolution in the digital world that took place since. Reports of child sexual abuse online increased from one million in 2010 to more than 23 million in 2025. These reports contained 61.8 million files, including 29.4 million images and 26.3 million videos. Data also show an exponential increase of online solicitation of children (grooming), with the number of reports increasing by more than 30 times in the last 5 years.
This Directive represents a significant achievement. However, it will only be effective if we are able to identify offenders. Today, up to 80% of criminal investigations into child sexual abuse are launched because of reports of images and videos of such abuse from online service providers. It is therefore essential that the co-legislators urgently reach an agreement on rules for such reports that effectively prevent and combat child sexual abuse online.
Next steps
This new Directive must be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. Once adopted, it will amend the existing legislation (Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA) and enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Background
The Commission put forward a proposal to update the criminal law rules on child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation in 2024. These revised rules now expand the definitions of offences and introduce higher penalties and more specific requirements for prevention and assistance to victims. They are complementary to the proposal for a Regulation that the Commission put forward in 2022 – which sets out obligations for internet companies to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material on their services.
While the Directive reinforces legal certainty through aligned criminal frameworks, the Regulation establishes operational obligations for platforms, creating a dual-layered system to close protection gaps. Even with the new criminal rules agreed, since the Interim Regulation allowing the detection of child sexual abuse online expired on 3 April and there is no long-term framework agreed yet, children are still less protected against sexual abuse. A new legal framework for the identification of child sexual abuse online is urgently needed to fight child sexual abuse.
For more information
Child sexual abuse
Quote(s)
Protecting children from this severe crime of sexual abuse is a core EU objective. This agreement strengthens our commitment to support victims and strengthen prevention of child sexual abuse.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Children deserve protection that keeps pace with the world they live in. This Directive delivers exactly that – modernised rules that confront AI-generated abuse material, deepfakes, and sexual extortion head-on, while ensuring victims receive the support and time they need to seek justice. But defining the crime alone is not enough – we also need enforcement. Up to 80% of investigations into child sexual abuse rely on reports from online service providers – without a robust long-term regulation requiring such reporting, we risk leaving victims in the shadows. We call on co-legislators to act.
Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration
EU launches Connectivity Agenda Platform to strengthen links between Europe and Central Asia through the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus
Today, the European Commission launched the Connectivity Agenda Platform and concluded agreements with international financial institutions expected to mobilise up to pound 2 billion for strategic connectivity investments in the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus.
The Platform was unveiled at a high-level ministerial meeting hosted by Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, and Commissioner for Sustainable Transport Apostolos Tzitzikostas. The meeting brought together ministers of transport and senior representatives from EU Member States, Armenia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Trkiye, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, alongside representatives of the G7 and international financial institutions, to advance the Cross-regional Connectivity Agenda under the Global Gateway strategy.
The Connectivity Agenda Platform will provide a framework for participating countries, international financial institutions and other stakeholders to coordinate investments and policy action across transport, energy, digital connectivity and trade sectors. To further strengthen the cooperation with the region, the participants also agreed to strengthen the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor’s operational performance. They invited the Commission to assess the corridor’s functioning and propose priority actions to improve its competitiveness.
To support the implementation of the Connectivity Agenda, the Commission has concluded statements of intent with international financial institutions expected to mobilise up to pound 2 billion for investments in transport infrastructure, border crossing points and trade facilitation across the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus. These investments will help improve cross-border connections and facilitate trade along the corridor.
Background
The Cross-regional Connectivity Agenda, presented at the Cross-regional Security and Connectivity Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg in October 2025, is part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. It aims to strengthen transport, energy and digital links between the European Union and Central Asia through the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region by coordinating strategic investments and regulatory cooperation.
At the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC) and Connectivity Investors Forum in Tashkent in November 2025, participants highlighted the corridor’s growing strategic importance as a resilient and efficient route between Europe and Central Asia.
For more information
Cross-Regional Security and Connectivity ministerial meeting – October 2025
Global Gateway – European Commission
Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and Connectivity Investors Forum
Meta Study – Advancing a Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda
Quote(s)
At a time of growing conflict, it is great to see so many countries come together around a shared project. We need reliable trade routes, and the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor has emerged as exactly that. Trade along the route could increase fivefold over the next 15 years. To make this happen, we need to bring our efforts together. Many projects and initiatives are already under way. The Platform will connect them, fill the remaining infrastructure gaps and link the route from end to end.
Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement
The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor is becoming a vital bridge between Europe and Asia. With these new investment agreements, we are upgrading infrastructure, improving border crossings and helping create a route that is quicker, more reliable and better connected. This is not only about transport. It is about competitiveness, energy security and giving citizens and companies the confidence that trade and mobility can continue even in times of geopolitical pressure.
Jozef Síkela, Commissioner for International Partnerships
Competitive economies depend on strong transport networks and connectivity. By mobilising up to pound 2 billion in strategic investments, we are modernising transport infrastructure, strengthening border crossings and facilitating trade. This will unlock economic opportunities for Europe and its partners in Central Asia, the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region, boost resilience and deliver tangible benefits for businesses and citizens alike.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism
European Research Council awards pound 838 million to 319 top scientists to deliver groundbreaking discoveries
The European Research Council (ERC) has unveiled the winners of its 2025 Advanced Grants, awarding pound 838 million to 319 leading researchers across Europe. These prestigious grants empower senior scientists to pursue high-risk, high-reward research with the potential to deliver groundbreaking discoveries.
Funded under the EU’s multi-billion research programme Horizon Europe, the grants support ambitious and curiosity-driven projects spanning diverse fields, from medicine and neuroscience to mathematics and quantum physics.
The new grantees’ work will cover a wide range of subjects, such as vulnerability to drug addiction, women’s fertility and health, and stuttering. Other fields of research include the development of new mathematical and algorithmic tools to tackle the growing complexity of large-scale networks, from transport systems to the internet, as well as magnets and quantum materials.
The grantees will conduct their research at universities and research centres in 24 EU Member States and associated countries. The winners represent 30+ nationalities, including 52 Germans, 45 Britons, and 29 Italians.
This year’s competition saw a 31% surge in applications, with 3,329 proposals submitted, with 9.6% selected for funding. The projects are expected to create over 3,000 new jobs within the grantees’ research teams.
‘Choose Europe’ initiative attracting global talent
As part of the ‘Choose Europe for Science’ initiative-designed to attract and retain top researchers in Europe-the ERC now offers relocating scientists up to pound 2 million extra to establish new labs or research teams in Europe.
This year, 13 researchers based outside Europe (4% of winners) secured funding – nine from the United States, two from Australia and two from Canada – up from four (1.4% of successful applicants) last year. Seven of these scientists took advantage of the additional relocation funding.
Applications from researchers based outside of Europe also tripled, rising from 44 in 2024 to 164 in 2025, demonstrating growing global interest in Europe as a hub for cutting-edge research.
Next steps
The newly selected grantees will now begin their five-year research projects.
The next Advanced Grants 2026 scheme is open with the deadline for applications set for 27 August 2026.
Background
The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council. Its pound 16 billion budget is part of the Horizon Europe programme.
For more information
List of winners
Quote(s)
My congratulations to all the 319 new ERC Advanced Grant winners and a warm welcome to the researchers from Australia, Canada and the United States who have chosen Europe to carry out their research. These projects embody the spirit of scientific exploration that drives progress. The increase in applications from researchers based outside Europe shows that initiatives such as ‘Choose Europe’, aimed at attracting and keeping talent, are helping to reinforce Europe’s appeal to top scientific talent worldwide.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation
Commissioner Micallef launches 2026 #BeActive campaign and hosts an Implementation Dialogue on the European Week of Sport
Today, as the international Olympic Day is being celebrated, the European Commission launches its 2026 #BeActive campaign. The aim is to motivate people of all ages and backgrounds to pursue a more active lifestyle, underlining the physical, mental and social value of sport and physical activity. Under the theme ‘#BeActive your way’, this year’s campaign stresses that every movement matters for health.