The EU sends planes and firefighters as wildfires ravage France and Spain
The EU has deployed assistance to both France and Spain under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as ongoing wildfires have triggered one of the biggest evacuation operations in Europe, displacing more than 300,000 people in France and Spain.
In France, the EU has deployed seven planes and four helicopters from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Trkiye. Most of these aircraft are part of the rescEU firefighting fleet. In Spain, the EU has mobilised six planes from Greece, Italy and Trkiye, and deployed134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal.
The EU’s Copernicus satellite service is also providing rapid emergency maps to support the response on the ground. The EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre remains in close contact with both the French and Spanish authorities, to assess what further support can be potentially mobilised, and a liaison officer from the European Commission is in Bordeaux to help national authorities coordinate EU assistance.
As part of the EU’s preparedness measures ahead of this year’s wildfire season, firefighting teams from other European countries had already been pre-positioned in France and Spain before the fires began, allowing them to reinforce national responders immediately.
‘Right now, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, while firefighters battle walls of flame in dramatic conditions to save lives and communities. No country should ever have to face a disaster of this scale alone. That is exactly why Europe built a common response capacity: aircraft in the sky, firefighters on the ground, and more support standing ready the moment it is needed. To the people of France and Spain: Europe will stand with you until the fires are out.’ said Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib.
When a country asks for help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the request is shared with all 37 participating countries. Each can offer the aircraft, helicopters, firefighting teams, equipment or experts it is able to make available, and the Commission coordinates and cofinances their deployment. If those national offers are not enough, the EU can draw on rescEU, its own strategic reserve, which includes a fleet of 22 planes and five helicopters.
Commission greenlights Belgium’s fifth payment request for pound 225 million under NextGenerationEU
Today, the European Commission positively assessed Belgium’s fifth payment request for pound 225 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.
This is an important step in the delivery of the reforms and investments tied to this payment request, in the areas of clean and digital transitions, mobility, education and training, labour market policy and biotechnology.
The Commission found that Belgium has satisfactorily completed 7 milestones and 12 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision.
Today’s payment request would bring the funds paid out to Belgium under the RRF to pound 3.86 billion. This corresponds to 73% of all funds included in the Belgian recovery and resilience plan, with 67.6% of all milestones and targets in the plan now fulfilled.
A press release is available online. Commission publishes new guidance to support businesses’ implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act
Manufacturers, developers and businesses of all sizes across the EU now have new guidance on how to apply the Cyber Resilience Act. This will help them prepare for mandatory cybersecurity requirements and reporting obligations.
The new Commission guidance explains how these rules apply in practice. It clarifies which products fall within the scope of the Act, what constitutes a substantial modification, how support periods should be understood, and how to meet reporting obligations and risk assessment requirements.
It also responds to questions raised by businesses, giving particular attention to microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises. It includes practical examples and uses cases to help reduce any unnecessary administrative burden.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “This guidance is part of our simplification agenda, helping businesses meet their obligations under the Cyber Resilience Act on time and with confidence. A cyber-secure Europe and a business-friendly Europe go hand in hand: today’s guidance will help ensure that products on our market are protected from cyber threats, while avoiding unnecessary burden and legal uncertainty for companies.’
Recent developments in frontier AI models with cybersecurity capabilities render the swift and correct implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act even more imperative. The Cyber Resilience Act, in force since December 2024, sets mandatory cybersecurity requirements across the full lifecycle of digital products, with reporting obligations applying as of 11 September 2026. Ahead of the December 2027 compliance deadline, the guidance marks a further concrete step in the Commission’s simplification agenda.
More information is available online.
EU and Seychelles renew agreement granting EU fishing vessels access to Seychelles’ waters
Today, the European Union and Seychelles signed a new protocol to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement granting EU vessels access to Seychelles’ waters for a period of four years to fish up to 55,000 tonnes of tuna and other migratory species per year.
Under the protocol, up to 30 EU purse seiner vessels and 8 longliners will be able to obtain a licence and resume their operations. Activities had been interrupted since the previous protocol expired on 23 February 2026, pending the finalisation and signature of the new protocol.
Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis said: ‘Today’s renewed partnership with Seychelles shows what the EU stands for: trusted cooperation, sustainable fisheries and a stronger economy. The renewal of our partnership is positive for our fishers, for Seychelles, and for the long-term health of our shared ocean.’
This protocol reinforces the EU and Seychelles’ shared commitment to sustainable fisheries and mutual economic progress, and their fruitful collaboration in fisheries governance. As active participants in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), both the EU and Seychelles seek to balance environmental sustainability and economic viability, ensuring significant fishing opportunities for the EU fleet while respecting the needs of the ecosystem.
The total EU contribution under this new protocol will amount to pound 23 million in four years, of which pound 3 million are earmarked for support to the sustainable fisheries sector in Seychelles.
In addition to the EU contribution, EU shipowners will pay to Seychelles a licence and capture fee of pound 90 per tonne, as well as a dedicated fee to environmental management and observation of marine ecosystems in Seychelles waters.
Tuna is the most consumed aquatic product in the European Union. It accounted for 11% of the EU’s total import volume of fishery and aquaculture products in 2024. This agreement allows EU vessels to supply part of this demand and reduce the EU’s reliance on fish imports.
The new protocol applies as of 27 July 2026 and will enter into force as soon as the ratification process by both parties has been completed. On the EU side, this implies the consent of the European Parliament.
You can find more information on the new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement online.
Commission and World Health Organisation strengthen cooperation on pandemic intelligence for medical countermeasures
On 24 July, the European Commission signed an EU4Health contribution agreement worth over pound 4 million with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, Germany. The funding will go towards reinforcing global pandemic preparedness, surveillance and response capacities and will support stronger digital and collaborative pandemic intelligence-sharing. This will turn early signals into a common understanding and practical insights for decision-making in times of emergency.
The contribution agreement will feed into three complementary strands of work. Firstly, the Commission will provide daily threat and medical countermeasures analyses to the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS), which connects scientists, government and communities, and is used in over 125 countries and by more than 30 organisations around the world to support early detection of public health threats. The agreement will help fund the WHO Collaboratory, which accelerates analysis and modelling of health crises situations, and is currently supporting the Ebola response. Finally, the funding will support a Decision-Support Pandemic Simulator which will help leaders make faster, smarter, and life-saving decisions in a pandemic context.
Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said: ‘Today public health faces a new kind of challenge: speed. Diseases move faster and are more unpredictable than ever, racing across borders and continents. The pound 4 million in EU strategic funding to the WHO Pandemic Hub will help detect emerging health threats faster and more accurately. This reaffirms the European Union’s commitment to data-driven, science-based public health intelligence to help inform fast decisions grounded in fact and science. This partnership is a powerful example of the EU’s ability to foster innovation through collaboration. Working with our partners, we are helping to build global public goods that protect everyone, everywhere.’
The European Commission and the WHO Hub in Berlin have been working together since December 2022. Together, the Commission and the WHO Hub share the commitment to strengthening the global health security architecture through closer engagement with the European Union and international partners. This Action renews this partnership and will further strengthen pandemic and epidemic intelligence capabilities.
EU State aid rules enable social support and investments, new Commission guidance shows
New guidance from the European Commission shows how State aid rules allow EU Member States to provide social support and social investment.
This guidance assists Member States in designing State aid measures for social support and social investment, as set out in the Clean Industrial Deal. It brings together for the first time available information on State aid for social support and social investments. It presents key State aid instruments and measures that allow national authorities to support social objectives, including: aid for Services of general economic interest to finance public service obligations entrusted to one or more service providers; aid for employing workers with disadvantages or disabilities, training aid and knowledge measures benefitting employees; support to households for energy efficiency measures; and selected measures with social benefit, including aid to SMEs and startups.
The guidance provides general information on public support measures that do not constitute State aid and explains what types of State aid are allowed under EU rules. It is a ‘living tool’ and will be updated when State aid rules change. This will be done, for example, when the Commission adopts an updated General Block Exemption Regulation.
Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, said: ‘The guidance published today shows the vast options that national authorities can consider for supporting diverse social objectives under EU State aid rules. Our guidance also shows possibilities for State aid that national authorities can implement directly, without any involvement of the Commission. It will facilitate public financing reaching swiftly those who are in need.’
Commission approves pound 103 million Dutch State aid scheme to accelerate greening of maritime fleet
The European Commission has approved a pound 103 million State aid scheme by the Netherlands to accelerate the greening of the Dutch maritime fleet. The scheme will support the purchase of new clean and zero-emission vessels powered by renewable methanol or renewable hydrogen and the retrofitting of existing vessels to enable them use renewable methanol and renewable hydrogen. It covers different types of vessels, including passenger, cargo and work vessels, mainly operating in the short-sea shipping segment. The support will take the form of direct grants awarded under an open, transparent and non-discriminatory selection process.
The scheme aims to help companies overcome high upfront investment costs and limited market incentives that currently slow the uptake of clean shipping technologies. The aid will be granted between 2027 and 2031 and will help bridge the investment gap in line with the objectives of EU legislation such as the FuelEU Maritime and the EU Emission Trading System.
The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and the 2022 Climate, Environmental Protection and Energy Aid Guidelines (CEEAG). The Commission concluded that the scheme is necessary and appropriate as the supported investments would not take place without public support at the same scale and within the same timeframe. The measure is also proportionate as it has limited effects on competition and trade in the internal market.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.120994 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
Commission approves pound 300 million Italian State aid for road transport companies facing increased fuel prices
The European Commission has approved a pound 300 million Italian State aid scheme to support road transport companies facing increased fuel prices due to the Middle East crisis. The scheme was approved under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (METSAF) adopted by the Commission on 29 April 2026.
The scheme aims to mitigate the impact of the increase in fuel prices resulting from the Middle East crisis. Compared to February 2026, diesel prices in Italy increased by 16.9% in March 2026, by 23.3% in April 2026 and by 18% in May 2026.
The aid will take the form of a tax credit, which may be used to offset any taxes that the company is required to pay to the government, for example income taxes, VAT, or social security contributions, by 31 December 2026. For beneficiaries active in the road transport sector established in Italy or with a registered office in Italy, the aid can cover up to 70% of the additional fuel costs resulting from the Middle East crisis for fuel purchased during the four-month period from March to June 2026. The scheme will run until 31 December 2026.
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 enables Member States to support the development of certain economic activities subject to certain conditions, as well as Sections 1 and 2.2 of the METSAF. The Commission found that the scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the METSAF. In particular, aid will be granted based on a scheme with a clear estimated budget of pound 300 million and will be provided to temporarily support the development of companies active in the road transport sector.
The Commission concluded that the scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to facilitate the development of an economic activity and does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest. On this basis, the Commission approved the Italian scheme under EU State aid rules.
More information on the METSAF can be found online. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the number SA.123830 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
Commission approves pound 74 million Spanish State aid to support maritime transport companies facing increased fuel prices
The European Commission has approved a pound 74 million Spanish State aid scheme to support maritime transport companies affected by increased fuel prices due to the Middle East crisis. The scheme was approved under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (METSAF) adopted by the Commission on 29 April 2026.
The scheme aims to mitigate the impact of the increase in marine fuel prices on companies providing regular maritime passenger, roll-on/roll-off and freight transport services on specific routes connecting mainland Spain with the non-peninsular territories of Ceuta and Melilla, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, as well as certain inter-island routes. The aid will take the form of direct grants. The amount will be based on actual fuel consumption calculated on the basis of a fixed coefficient based on gross tonnage and nautical miles sailed on eligible routes. The scheme will cover additional fuel costs resulting from the Middle East crisis incurred between 21 March and 21 September 2026. The aid will not exceed 70% of the additional fuel costs resulting from the Middle East crisis.
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 enables Member States to support the development of certain economic activities subject to certain conditions, as well as Sections 1 and 2.3 of the METSAF.
The Commission found that the scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the METSAF. In particular, the aid will be granted based on a scheme with a clear estimated budget and will be provided to temporarily support the development of companies active in the maritime transport sector. The Commission concluded that the scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to facilitate the development of an economic activity and does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.
More information on the METSAF can be found online. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.122731 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
Commission clears acquisition of Athlon by Arval
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Athlon Car Lease International B.V. (‘Athlon’) of the Netherlands by Arval Service Lease S.A. (‘Arval’) of France, which is controlled by BNP Paribas Group.
The transaction relates primarily to operational leasing markets.
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 Commission found that the parties would continue to face competition from other established players on the market and that their own position in all the markets where their activities overlap would remain, at most, moderate. 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.12416.