EU agri-food exports increased in July 2025
The latest agri-food trade report published by the European Commission shows that EU agri-food exports increased in July 2025 compared to the previous month, reaching pound 20.7 billion. The EU agri-food trade surplus increased by 19% in July and amounted to pound 4.6 billion.
EU agri-food exports reached pound 20.7 billion in July 2025, an increase of 8% on the previous month, but a similar level compared to July 2024. Since January, cumulative EU exports reached pound 139.4 billion, an increase of 2% (+ pound 2.7 billion) compared to the same period in 2024, mainly due to higher prices. The UK remained the first destination (23%).
EU agri-food imports increased by 5% month-on-month in July, reaching pound 16.1 billion. They were 10% higher than in July 2024. Since January, cumulative EU imports reached pound 113 billion. This represents an increase of pound 14.9 billion (+15%) compared to 2024, mainly explained by high prices for several EU imports, such as cocoa and coffee. Imports from Côte d’Ivoire (+ pound 2.2 billion, +59%) and Canada (+pound 1.3 billion, +93%) experienced the largest increase. Imports from Russia further decreased by 70% (- pound 561 million), continuing the downward trend.
More insights as well as detailed tables are available in the latest edition of the monthly EU agri-food trade report.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari – Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Emma Maréchal – Tel.: +32 2 299 48 18)
Commission adopts plan to complete Madrid-Lisbon high-speed connection by 2034
The European Commission has adopted an implementing decision setting out key milestones and deadlines to complete the high-speed rail connection between Madrid and Lisbon.
This flagship cross-border infrastructure project will significantly enhance connectivity within the European Union. Unanimously supported by Member States, the decision advances the full integration of Portugal and Spain into the European high-speed rail network. By 2030, passengers will be able to travel between the two capitals in about five hours, and by 2034, in just three hours.
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas said: ‘Covering slightly more than 600 kilometers from Lisbon to Madrid in just three hours is a remarkable example of the high-speed rail connections we aim to achieve across Europe. Such links make train travel a genuinely attractive and sustainable alternative for city-to-city journeys.’
The Commission has already supported establishing this railway connection. In Portugal, the new high-speed line ‘Evora-Elvas’ received pound 235 million from the Connecting Europe Facility. On the Spanish side, different EU investment funds, such as ERDF and RFF, have provided around pound 750 million support for the high-speed line connecting Extremadura-Madrid since 2014.
Today’s decision is part of a broader effort to accelerate the implementation of cross-border projects under the revised trans-European transport network (TEN-T) Regulation, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to seamless, sustainable, and secure transport. It also represents an important step forward in the EU’s vision to connect Europe through high-speed rail. In early November, the Commission will present its plan for a European high-speed network.
More information is available online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Anni Juusola – Tel.: +32 2 296 09 86)
DiscoverEU celebrates 40 years of Schengen with 40,000 tickets for young travellers
The European Commission is offering 40,000 young people a unique opportunity to explore Europe through DiscoverEU, an action of the Erasmus+ programme, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Schengen area.
To apply for a travel pass, young people born between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2007 must complete a short quiz about the EU on the European Youth Portal. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to travel for free for up to 30 days between 1 March 2026 and 31 May 2027, and will receive a discount card for public transport, culture, accommodation, food, sports, and other services in 36 European countries.
Ticket holders can plan their own routes or be inspired by existing ones, such as the New European Bauhaus Route which includes stops in beautiful, sustainable and inclusive cities, in line with the New European Bauhaus initiative.
Another is the DiscoverEU Green Route, which takes young travellers to some of the most sustainable and nature-friendly destinations across the continent, such as the winning cities of the European Green Capitals and Green Lead Award or the cities leading the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. DiscoverEU’s top green tips to travel help participants with the planning of their green routes.
The DiscoverEU call opens today at 12:00 CET and will run until 13 November 2025 at 12:00 CET. It is open to applicants from the European Union and third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme. Participants with disabilities or health issues will receive support on their journeys, in line with the values of the Erasmus+ programme and the DiscoverEU Inclusion Action. This will include the possibility to travel with accompanying persons.
More information is available in a press release online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Eirini Zarkadoula – Tel.: +32 460 76 57 13)
Commission strengthens security cooperation with Western Balkans with new Joint Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
Today, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner will sign a new ‘Joint Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism’ between the EU and its Western Balkan partners, in the margins of the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Commissioner Brunner said: ‘The Western Balkans are not only our neighbours, they are destined to become Members of the European Union. By signing the Joint Action Plan today, we take another step in deepening our cooperation on security.’
The security of the Western Balkans is closely linked to the EU’s internal security. With this new Action Plan, the EU and the Western Balkans will be better equipped to address new and emerging threats, including online radicalisation, as well as the impact of new technologies on terrorist threats such as risks associated to the misuse of drones, or the use of cryptocurrencies for terrorism financing.
The new joint action plan will strengthen cooperation and capacity-building in five main areas: alignment with EU counterterrorism legislation, preventing extremism, strengthening cooperation with Europol, including on counter-terrorism investigations, reinforcing the capacity to investigate terrorism financing, and strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure and public spaces.
The Action Plan was announced in the EU’s Internal Security Strategy, ProtectEU in April 2025 and builds on the cooperation already taking place since October 2018 under the current Joint Action Plan on Counter Terrorism for the Western Balkans. This includes the participation of Western Balkans partners in the Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation and in Europol led operational projects. The action plan also plays a key role in the gradual integration of candidate countries in the EU’s security architecture, as well as in the context of the enlargement process.
The Joint Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism will be available online later this afternoon.
(For more information: Guillaume Mercier- Tel.: +32 229-80564; Elettra Di Massa – Tel.: +32 2 298 21 61)
Commission proposes 2026 fishing opportunities for EU-managed stocks in the Atlantic and Skagerrak-Kattegat waters
Yesterday, the European Commission unveiled its 2026 proposals for 15 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in EU waters of the Atlantic and the Skagerrak-Kattegat waters. Some are extending into 2027 and 2028.
These proposals are based on scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and aim to ensure the long-term economic sustainability of EU fisheries.
For 11 of the 15 proposed TACs, ICES recommended aligning with the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) – a target ensuring fish populations remain healthy while supporting long-term economic benefits. The Commission proposes to follow this advice in most cases, with limited exceptions for certain mixed fisheries where strictly following the MSY could lead to early closures of fisheries. For the remaining 4 TACs, ICES’s recommendations are in line with the precautionary approach – which is the approach used when available data is more limited.
Fisheries Ministers will discuss the Commission’s proposal during the AGRIFISH Council on 11 and 12 December in view of reaching a political agreement on the EU-managed TACs for 2026, and in some cases also for 2027 and 2028. The Council regulation should apply as of 1 January 2026.
You can find more information on the Commission’s 2026 fishing opportunities proposal in our press release online. Questions and answers are also available online.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari – Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Anna Wartberger – Tel: +32 2 28 20 54)
Commission adopts equivalence decision for New Zealand’s financial benchmarks
The Commission has determined that New Zealand’s legal and supervisory framework for financial benchmarks aligns with EU standards under the Benchmark Regulation (BMR).
This equivalence decision ensures that from January 1, 2026, when new rules under BMR for third-country benchmarks take effect, EU banks and investment funds can continue using New Zealand regulated benchmarks, especially those that are widely used in the EU.
Benchmarks are key reference points for financial instruments like derivatives, funds, loans, and mortgages, used by both financial and non-financial companies and investors. New Zealand developed its benchmark system specifically to allow administrators who opt-in to access the EU market through equivalence with EU standards.
Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, responsible for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union said: ‘Today’s decision benefits EU benchmark users and New Zealand benchmark administrators. It proves that the revised BMR continues to be a worldwide reference for the regulation of financial benchmarks. This equivalence decision acknowledges New Zealand’s high regulatory standards and fosters closer cooperation between our jurisdictions.’
The equivalence decision was prepared in cooperation with the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Financial Markets Authority. New Zealand authorities will now finalise arrangements with ESMA to facilitate the exchange of supervisory information on New Zealand benchmarks used in the EU.
More information is available online.
(For more information: Olof Gill – Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Saul Goulding – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35)
Commission releases pound 8.5 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to support 5,800 dismissed workers in Sweden
The European Commission has proposed to mobilise pound 8.5 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) to help 5,800 workers dismissed after the bankruptcy of Northvolt in Sweden.
Founded in 2016, Northvolt faced major production challenges and global oversupply in the battery market. Its bankruptcy in March 2025 led to nearly 6,500 job losses. Sweden applied for EGF support in June 2025.
The EGF-funded measures aim to help these workers quickly rejoin the labour market and match their skills with emerging industries in northern Sweden.
In addition, the funding will finance measures such as career counselling and guidance, education and training, including support for dismissed workers to launch their own start-up companies.
More information is available in a press release online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Eirini Zarkadoula – Tel.: +32 460 76 57 13)
Commission approves updated pound 50 billion Dutch State aid scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation of and amendments to the Dutch SDE++ (‘Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie’) scheme. The scheme supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions via a range of technologies including renewable electricity and heat, hydrogen and transport fuels.
The SDE++ was approved by the Commission in December 2020 and amended in December 2021 and July 2023. The prolonged and modified scheme will run until 31 December 2029 and has a budget of pound 50 billion. The changes concern the introduction of support to existing e-boilers and a measure to address the increasing number of hours with negative electricity prices.
The Commission found that the prolonged and amended scheme meets the compatibility criteria in the 2022 Guidelines for Climate, Environmental Protection and Energy. On that basis, the measure is compatible with the internal market and the Commission approved the Dutch scheme under EU State aid rules.
More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number SA.118519 once confidentiality issues have been resolved.
(For more information: Arianna Podestà – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774)
Commissioner Albuquerque in Moldova for high-level talks on accession process and financial sector reform
Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, is visiting Chisinau from 30 to 31 October. During her visit, the Commissioner will engage with Moldova’s senior leadership, key stakeholders, and representatives of civil society.
The visit will feature high-level discussions with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, as well as with Moldova’s wider political and economic leadership, focusing on financial stability, market integration, and EU accession priorities. Commissioner Albuquerque will also deliver a keynote address at the conference ‘Finance and Growth: Accession Lessons for Moldova’.
In addition to these high-level discussions, the Commissioner will meet with representatives from the financial sector, students and academics, and a group of female professionals in finance.
A central focus of the visit will be Moldova’s EU accession process, which the European Commission remains fully committed to advancing as swiftly as possible. Discussions will also explore how deeper integration of financial services, stronger supervision, and continued structural reforms can help deliver more growth opportunities for Moldovan businesses and citizens alike.
(For more information: Olof Gill – Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Saul Goulding – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35)