Commission approves major payment requests under NextGenerationEU for Greece, Slovenia, and Portugal
Today, the European Commission greenlit substantial payment requests from Greece, Slovenia, and Portugal under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) of the NextGenerationEU program, signifying crucial steps in their post-pandemic recovery and growth initiatives. The three payments amount to close to pound 4 billion.
The Commission positively assessed Greece’s sixth payment request worth pound 2.44 billion, which will bring the total funds disbursed to pound 23.45 billion. Greece successfully met 32 milestones and 7 targets, with flagship measures including the enhancement of renewable energy infrastructure, improvements in healthcare with a national digital health record database, and upgrades in education through interactive learning systems in classrooms. The payment corresponds to 65% of the total funds allocated to Greece under the RRF, with 48% of the milestones and targets fulfilled.
Simultaneously, Portugal received a positive assessment for its seventh payment request for pound 1.06 billion in grants, net of pre-financing, was also met with a positive assessment. This is bringing the disbursed total to pound 13.85 billion will be crucial for the country’s initiatives in health, gender equality, and renewable energy, with notable investments in medical equipment and emergency accommodations.
Slovenia’s fourth payment request for pound 439.7 million, was also met with a positive assessment. Once approved, this will raise the total funds to pound 1.54 billion, which includes pound 231 million in pre-financing from September 2021 and pound 24 million under REPowerEU. The funds support reforms in long-term care through new legislation, labour market resilience, and enhanced digitalisation and decarbonisation efforts.
These approvals mark key advancements in the respective recovery plans for these countries, aiming to drive economic growth, improve citizens’ quality of life, and foster more resilient and competitive societies. The disbursements are contingent upon the opinions of the Economic and Financial Committee and subsequent approval by the Commission.
The RRF remains a cornerstone of the EU’s response to the pandemic, with interactive maps and detailed scoreboards available to track the progress of these significant investments and reforms.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari – Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Anna Wartberger – Tel: +32 2 28 20 54)
Foreign direct investment screening continues to safeguard EU security and public order
Today, the Commission published the fifth annual report on the screening of foreign direct investments (FDI) into the EU. It is accompanied by a staff working document. The report reveals that the number of notifications to the EU’s cooperation mechanism has increased by 15% since 2021, one year after the corresponding regulation entered into application.
In 2024, EU Member States notified 477 investments, triggering questions from other Member States in around 10% of cases. Of the 477 cases notified, most (92%) were closed within two weeks. The remaining 8% were subject to an in-depth security risk assessment. Around half of those detailed assessments related to manufacturing, often triggered by concerns about potential technology or knowledge leakage, as well as security of supply issues. In keeping with the previous year, the Commission issued opinions in less than 2% of cases. The report shows that by the end of 2024, 24 EU Member States had national FDI screening legislation in place.
In January 2024, the Commission presented a legislative proposal to further strengthen the EU’s current FDI screening framework. If agreed by co-legislators, the revised regulation will make it mandatory for all EU Member States to put in place and maintain a national FDI screening mechanism and introduce a minimum level of harmonisation throughout the EU.
(For more information: Olof Gill – Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Ana Apse-Paese – Tel.: +32 2 298 73 48)
Commission fines fashion brands Gucci, Chloé and Loewe over pound 157 million for anticompetitive pricing practices
The European Commission has fined fashion companies Gucci, Chloé and Loewe for fixing resale prices, in breach of EU competition rules. The Commission’s investigation revealed that the three companies restricted the ability of the independent third-party retailers they work with to set their own online and offline retail prices for products designed and sold by Gucci, Chloé and Loewe under their respective brand names. This kind of anticompetitive behaviour increases prices and reduces choice for consumers.
The fines, which were reduced in all three cases due to the companies’ cooperation with the Commission, amounted to over pound 157 million in total.
Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, said: ‘Today we have fined three European fashion houses for interfering with their independent retailers’ prices in breach of EU competition rules. In Europe, all consumers, whatever they buy, and wherever they buy it, online or offline, deserve the benefits of genuine price competition. This decision sends a strong signal to the fashion industry and beyond that we will not tolerate this kind of practices in Europe, and that fair competition and consumer protection apply to everyone, equally.’
A press release is available online.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99; Sara Simonini – Tel.: +32 2 298 33 67)
European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards 2025: winners announced
The 2025 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards winners were honoured at a ceremony in Brussels, co-presented by Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, and Europa Nostra’s Executive President.
The five laureates of the Grand Prix and the winner of the Public Choice Award for 2025 were announced from amongst this year’s 30 laureates from 24 European countries. The five Grand Prix laureates are:
Inge Bisgaard, from Greenland and Denmark, in the category ‘Heritage Champions’;
Pro Monumenta – Preventive Maintenance of Monuments, in Slovakia, in the category ‘Education, Training and Skills’;
Antwerp City Hall, Belgium, in the category ‘Conservation and Adaptive Reuse’;
Glacier Archaeology Programme – Secrets of the Ice, from Norway, in the category ‘Research’;
Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World, from Serbia, in the category ‘Citizens’ Engagement and Awareness-raising’.
In addition, around 10,000 citizens from all over Europe participated in an online poll, selecting the restoration project of the Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid as the winner of the 2025 Public Choice Award.
The five laureates of the Grand Prix and the winner of the Public Choice Award will each receive a monetary prize of pound 10,000.
Commissioner Micallef congratulated all the 2025 laureates: ‘Once more the winners of the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards demonstrate the sheer diversity and richness of Europe’s cultural heritage. I warmly congratulate all winners of the 2025 edition on their outstanding achievements in safeguarding and promoting our shared heritage. Their extraordinary skills, innovative actions and huge commitment set example for cultural heritage practices for the future. With immense dedication to our shared heritage, professionals and volunteers alike have demonstrated how to engage communities both locally and across borders, uniting people from different backgrounds and generations by working together for more inclusivity, social cohesion, sustainability and a better future in Europe and beyond.’