European Commission

The coalition in Belgium has agreed on a budget deal worth 9. 2 billion euros until 2029 to avoid the collapse of the government. The agreement includes raising excise duties on gas, some recreational goods, and air ticket taxes, as well as bringing 100,000 people back to work.

The European Commission has approved a new regulation requiring most charging devices up to 100W to switch to USB Type-C. The rules, which will come into force on December 14, 2028, cover a wide range of equipment.

European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reported significant progress in peace talks on Ukraine after consultations in Geneva. They emphasized the need for a long-term solution and the return of deported Ukrainian children.

On November 25, a meeting of the coalition of the willing will take place to discuss "constructive progress" in peace talks on Ukraine. The EU is working on a reparations loan for Ukraine, which is becoming increasingly urgent.

EU leaders will be briefed this morning on peace talks to end the war in Ukraine after a weekend of rapid negotiations in Geneva. Officials have become more optimistic about peace, although details were scarce.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that European allies have agreed on three key principles for Ukraine's peace plan. These include the inviolability of borders by force, no restrictions on the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the central role of the EU in ensuring peace.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a phone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discussing the current course of the war and further steps of the European Union. The next steps will be a meeting of European leaders on the sidelines of the G20, and then in Angola at the EU-AU meeting.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed US proposals for ending the war with President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. He emphasized the importance of joint efforts and coordination with partners.

The European Commission has initiated legal proceedings against Slovakia over the adoption of a constitutional amendment that declares the priority of national law over EU norms. This has escalated tensions between Brussels and Robert Fico's government.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to discuss the 28-point US peace plan with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This conversation will take place after the plan's announcement and its discussion with European leaders and G20 leaders.

European Commission spokespersons Anita Hipper and Paula Pinho stated that they were unaware of any other peace plan allegedly being worked on by European officials in Kyiv. Earlier, WSJ reported on Europe's development of an alternative plan to end the war.

European leaders are urgently coordinating a response to the US-Russia peace plan for Ukraine. The initiative has caused panic and concern among European officials, who believe it could force Ukraine to cede territory and limit NATO force deployment.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called on the EU to stop aid to Ukraine amid a corruption scandal at Energoatom. He called the EC's intention to send another 100 billion euros to Ukraine absurd.

Germany is urging the European Union to reach an agreement with the United Kingdom on access to the EU defense fund by the end of the month. This would allow the UK to participate in the €150 billion fund designed to strengthen European defense.

A Spanish court has ordered Meta to pay over $550 million to Spanish digital media outlets. This is due to the use of personal data for behavioral advertising and a violation of EU data protection rules.

The European Commission has allocated 600 million euros for the expansion of infrastructure for electric vehicles and alternative fuels in the EU. The funds will go to 70 projects in road, maritime, air and inland waterway transport.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is considering suing the EU over plans to stop Russian gas supplies from 2028. Slovakia and Hungary criticize these plans due to their dependence on Russian energy carriers and fears of economic consequences.

According to Politico, the White House is preparing to unveil a new peace deal for Ukraine. A senior White House official expects the framework of the agreement to be finalized by the end of November, possibly even this week.

The European Commission plans to continue negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU at the working group level, even without the unanimous support of all member states. The Hungarian veto will not affect the overall decision, although the opening of negotiating clusters is currently not possible.

The European Commission has launched an investigation into Amazon and Microsoft's cloud services to determine whether they should be subject to the Digital Markets Act. A decision is expected within 12 months, and if the conclusion is positive, the companies will have six months to comply with the requirements.

European leaders will gather on December 18 for the last EU summit in 2025 to address Ukraine's funding, aiming to avoid a funding shortfall by mid-next year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for coordinated action, warning of costly alternatives.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cynically responded to the letter from the President of the European Commission regarding aid to Ukraine. He compared the initiative to "helping an alcoholic by sending him another crate of vodka."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent a letter to EU leaders assessing Ukraine's funding needs for 2026-2027. This amount is 135.7 billion euros, based on the assumption that the war will end in 2026.

The European Commission has offered Belgium significant guarantees regarding a €140 billion loan to Ukraine to protect it from the legal and financial consequences of using Russian assets. EU countries are ready to assume the risks of Russian retaliation, including those arising from bilateral investment treaties.

The European Union has offered Ukraine €90 billion in funding in the form of a grant or a loan backed by EU debt. This will happen if countries fail to approve the desired plan to use frozen Russian assets.

Ukraine has reached agreements with Greece on gas imports, which will become another supply route. Kyiv has already secured agreements on financing gas imports totaling almost 2 billion euros to compensate for losses in Ukrainian production due to Russian attacks.

Belgian Foreign Minister Max Prevot stated that Belgium strongly condemns the massive Russian attacks on Ukraine, which are war crimes. He also expressed concern about the strike on the Azerbaijani embassy in Kyiv.

Google has offered the EU measures to avoid splitting its online advertising business after a €2. 95 billion fine. The company announced changes to its advertising services, but Brussels has yet to decide whether to accept these commitments.

The European Commission has supported a new agreement between Greece and the American ExxonMobil on the exploration of offshore gas fields. This decision is intended to help Europe abandon Russian gas.

The European Commission proposes to expand ESMA's powers, including direct supervision of clearing houses, depositories, trading venues, and cryptocurrency companies. This would create a financial supervisory body similar to the SEC in the US.