European Commission - Daily News

European Commission - Daily News

Daily News 28 / 06 / 2021
Brussels, 28 June 2021
TVA: les nouvelles règles pour le commerce électronique dans l'UE simplifieront la vie des
opérateurs économiques et permettront d'accroître la transparence pour les
consommateurs
Les nouvelles règles relatives à la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA) applicables au commerce en ligne
entreront ce jeudi 1er juillet 2021, dans le cadre des efforts visant à garantir des conditions de
concurrence plus équitables pour toutes les entreprises, à simplifier le commerce électronique
transfrontière et à accroître la transparence pour les consommateurs de l'UE en ce qui concerne les
prix pratiqués et le choix dont ils disposent. Le système de TVA de l'UE a été mis à jour en dernier
lieu en 1993 et n'a pas suivi le rythme de l'expansion du commerce électronique transfrontière qui a
transformé le secteur du commerce de détail ces dernières années. La pandémie de coronavirus a
également accéléré l'essor du commerce de détail en ligne et a souligné à nouveau la nécessité d'une
réforme pour faire en sorte que la TVA due sur les ventes en ligne revienne au pays du
consommateur. Les nouvelles règles répondent également à la nécessité de simplifier la vie à la fois
des consommateurs et des opérateurs économiques. Ces nouvelles règles concerneront les vendeurs
et les places de marché/plateformes en ligne tant à l'intérieur qu'à l'extérieur de l'UE, les opérateurs
postaux et les services de courrier rapide, les administrations douanières et fiscales ainsi que les
consommateurs. Bien que les nouvelles règles constituent un grand changement dans la manière
dont les entreprises en ligne de l'UE gèrent leurs questions liées à la TVA, elles présentent des
avantages considérables lorsqu'il s'agit de faciliter l'exercice d'activités, de réduire la fraude et
d'améliorer l'expérience des consommateurs en ligne dans l'UE. Un communique de presse est en
ligne et plus d'information est disponible sur le site dédié. Un briefing technique aura lieu
aujourd'hui à 15h. (Pour plus d'information: Daniel Ferrie - Tel: +32 229 86500; Nerea Artamendi
Erro – Tel: +32 229 90964)

Data protection: Commission adopts adequacy decisions for the UK
The Commission has today adopted two adequacy decisions for the United Kingdom - one under the
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the other for the Law Enforcement Directive. Personal
data can now flow freely from the European Union to the United Kingdom where it benefits from an
essentially equivalent level of protection to that guaranteed under EU law. The adequacy decisions
also facilitate the correct implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which
foresees the exchange of personal information, for example for cooperation on judicial matters. Both
adequacies include strong safeguards in case of future divergence such as a ‘sunset clause', which
limits the duration of adequacy to four years. On 19 February, the Commission published two draft
adequacy decisions and launched the procedure for their adoption. Over the past months, the
Commission has carefully assessed the UK's law and practice on personal data protection. The
Commission has been in close contact with the European Data Protection Board, which gave its
opinion on 13 April, the European Parliament and the Member States. Following this in-depth
process, the European Commission requested the green light on the adequacy decisions from
Member States' representatives in the so-called comitology procedure. The adoption of the decisions
today, following the agreement from Member States' representatives, is the last step in the
procedure. The two adequacy decisions enter into force today. Here you can find the Commission's
press release. (For more information: Christian Wigand — Tel. + 32 229 62253; Katarzyna Kolanko
— Tel.: + 32 229 63444; Jördis Ferroli — Tel.: + 32 229 92729)

Coronavirus: 100th EU disinfection robot delivered to European hospitals
Today marks the delivery of the 100 th disinfection robot, part of the Commission's action to supply
these to hospitals across the EU to help them cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Emergency Clinical Hospital Bagdasar-Arseni in Bucharest is receiving the robot today and six other

hospitals in Romania are set to have one delivered in the coming days, thus benefitting from these
robots' ability to disinfect a standard size patient room in as quickly as 15 minutes by using
ultraviolet light. The Commission has already donated disinfection robots to hospitals in 22
countries: Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy,
Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia,
Slovakia, and Sweden. Deliveries will continue until autumn and the aim is to supply more than 200
robots to EU hospitals treating COVID-19 patients that have expressed interest in this technology. By
using disinfection robots, hospitals can ensure a sterile environment without exposing staff to
unnecessary risk. Cleaning staff operate the robot from outside the room to be disinfected, so no
healthcare worker is present during the process. This action is made possible through the Emergency
Support Instrument and the devices are supplied by Danish company UVD robots, which won an
emergency procurement tender. EU hospitals treating COVID-19 patients can still express interest in
receiving a disinfection robot by filling in this online form. (For more information: Johannes Bahrke –
Tel.: +32 229 58615; Charles Manoury – Tel.: +32 229 13391)

Consumer protection: Commission and consumer authorities call on airlines to improve
handling of flight cancellations
The Commission and national consumer authorities have called on airlines to improve how they deal
with cancellations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines operating in the EU are urged
to improve their practices with the help of a list of measures drawn up by the Commission and the
CPC network. This action follows a huge number of consumer complaints and is based on the results
of a survey launched earlier this year to collect data on the handling of complaints by 16 major
airlines. The analysis of the answers provided highlighted a range of issues. Commissioner for
Justice, Didier Reynders, said: “We have received a lot of complaints from consumers but we have
also worked closely with airlines to understand where there are shortfalls and why. Airlines need to
respect the rights of consumers when flights are cancelled. Today we are asking for simple solutions
to give consumers certainty after a period of extreme turmoil.” Commissioner for Transport, Adina
Vălean, said: “Strong passenger rights are a prerequisite for a thriving aviation sector. We are
currently assessing regulatory options to reinforce passenger protections against future crises, as
foreseen in our Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. We will continue to work with national
authorities to have passengers' rights properly communicated, implemented and enforced.
Passengers must have a real choice between vouchers and refunds.” Airlines operating in the EU
must respect EU consumer law – from ensuring transparent communication, to proactively informing
passengers about their rights. In particular, they must provide a choice between a refund and a
voucher and inform passengers that they have the right to exchange their vouchers for money at any
time. Most airlines surveyed also did not refund passengers within the 7-day time limit provided for
by EU law. They must take action to ensure that this delay is respected for all new bookings –
whether bought directly or through an intermediary – and to swiftly absorb the backlog of pending
reimbursements, by 1 September 2021 at the latest. More details, including the list of all measures
requested from the airlines, are available here. (For more information: Christian Wigand - Tel.: +32
229 62253; Katarzyna Kolanko - Tel.: +32 229 63444; Jördis Ferroli - Tel.: +32 229 92729)

Le Centre européen de compétences en matière de cybersécurité et le Réseau européen de
cybersécurité sont désormais prêts à être déployés
Aujourd'hui, le règlement établissant un nouveau Centre de compétences en cybersécurité et un
réseau de centres nationaux de coordination entre en vigueur. Le Centre de compétences en
cybersécurité, situé à Bucarest, contribuera à renforcer les capacités européennes en matière de
cybersécurité et à stimuler l'excellence en matière de recherche et la compétitivité de l'industrie de
l'Union dans le domaine de la cybersécurité. Avec l'unité conjointe de cybersécurité, proposée le 23
juin, il fait partie de la stratégie de cybersécurité de l'UE visant à garantir que tous les citoyens et
toutes les entreprises soient à l'abri des cybermenaces, à rendre les entités critiques physiques et
numériques plus résilientes et à construire un cyberespace mondial, ouvert, stable et sûr. Le
nouveau Centre et réseau de compétences en cybersécurité élaborera et mettra en œuvre, avec les
États membres, l'industrie et la communauté universitaire, un programme commun pour le
développement technologique et son large déploiement dans des domaines d'intérêt public, ainsi que
dans les entreprises, en particulier les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME). Il mettra en commun
les ressources de l'UE, de ses États membres et de l'industrie afin d'améliorer et de renforcer les
capacités technologiques et industrielles en matière de cybersécurité, ce qui renforcera l'autonomie
stratégique ouverte de l'UE. En gérant les fonds consacrés à la cybersécurité dans le cadre du budget
à long terme de l'UE pour la période 2021-2027, le Centre sera financé par le programme pour une
Europe numérique et Horizon Europe, ainsi que par les contributions des États membres. La

Commission mettra en place et gérera le Centre de compétences en cybersécurité à Bucarest,
jusqu'à ce qu'il puisse fonctionner de manière indépendante. (Pour plus d'informations: Johannes
Bahrke – Tél.: +32 229 58615; Marietta Grammenou – Tél.: +32 229 83583)

Commissioner Johansson attends the launch of the Annual Report on the Situation of
Asylum in the EU
Tomorrow, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, will attend the launch of the 10 th
edition of the Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU, published by the European Asylum
Support Office (EASO). The Commissioner will be joined by EASO's Executive Director, Nina Gregori,
and the Chair of the EASO Management Board, Mikael Ribbenvik. The annual report provides a
comprehensive overview of key developments in the area of asylum in the EU Member States and
associated countries. The report will present trends in asylum in 2020, with a special focus on the
impact of the coronavirus pandemic on national and EU asylum systems. The report will also outline
policy changes, good practices and persisting challenges in the field of asylum. For embargoed press
material, please contact EASO directly. (For more information: Adalbert Jahnz - Tel.: +32 229
53156; Ciara Bottomley - Tel.: +32 229 69971; Laura Bérard - Tel.: +32 229 55721)

Taxation: Report shows increased tax revenue for 2019 (40,1%) but expected to decrease
in 2020, 2021
The Commission has today published the 2021 Taxation Trends Report, a yearly snapshot of tax
systems in the EU, Iceland and Norway. The report offers a breakdown of tax levels in the EU and
provides extensive and comparable data on different tax structures and rates in Member States, as
well as an estimation of the tax revenue for the coming years (2020-2022), taking into account the
impact of COVID-19. In addition, the report presents the latest tax reforms in each country.
According to the report, tax revenue in the EU stood at 40.1 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in
2019, 6.3 percentage points above the OECD average (33.8 %) and more than 15 percentage points
above the United States. The latest data confirm the development towards lower rates on corporate
taxation (nominal and effective) – although at a very slow pace – while revenues from corporate
income stagnated in 2019 after several years of sustained growth, which stopped in 2017. This
report analyses the possible impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on future public finances. According
to the latest forecast (spring 2021), tax revenue in the EU is expected to have decreased in 2020,
but less than GDP. Therefore, the tax-to-GDP ratio would have increased in 2020 but it will fall
significantly in 2021, with further decreases in 2022. Finally, as tax measures have been and can be
part of recovery packages, the report offers a wealth of data for evidence-based policy analysis and
development. The Tax Trends report also contains data on energy, environmental and property
taxation, plus rates for personal and corporate income taxes. The report can be found online. (For
more information: Daniel Ferrie - Tel: +32 229 86500; Nerea Artamendi Erro – Tel: +32 229 90964)

REACT-EU: €1.5 billion for Portugal to support the health system, SMEs and investments in
skills and jobs
The Commission granted €1.5 billion to Portugal, distributed between the mainland and Azores,
complementing the funding provided to Madeira on 4 June. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms,
Elisa Ferreira, said: “I am glad that, across Europe and including the outermost regions, Member
States are taking advantage of the emergency support from the Commission to fight the pandemic
and quick-start a long-term recovery.” €1.43 billion in mainland Portugal and €96 million in the
Azores will reinforce the health system and schools testing capacity, provide working capital to the
most affected small and medium-sized enterprise, increase apprenticeships and human resources in
schools, and support environmentally friendly production processes. These amendments follow the
approval of equivalent support to Madeira, where €64 million are now being invested to facilitate the
recovery of the region, including by supporting jobs maintenance and jobs creation for the
unemployed and for young people and the health system. Financing is coming from the REACT-EU
initiative and it is implemented by modifying two operational programmes that combine the
European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund. REACT-EU is part of
NextGenerationEU. It provides €50.6 billion additional funding (in current prices) over the course of
2021 and 2022 to Cohesion policy programmes. Measures focus on supporting labour market
resilience, jobs, SMEs and low-income families, as well as setting future-proof foundations for the
green and digital transitions and a sustainable socio-economic recovery. The funding now approved
corresponds to Portugal's allocation in 2021. The national allocations for 2022 will be known in
autumn when the relevant statistic data will be available. (For more information: Vivian Loonela -

Tel.: +32 229 66712; Marta Wieczorek – Tel.: +32 229 58197; Veronica Favalli - Tel.: +32 229
87269; Flora Matthaes – Tel.: +32 229 83951)

Antitrust: Commission amends and re-adopts decisions in the Euro Interest Rate
Derivatives cartel
The European Commission has today adopted two decisions concerning the Euro Interest Rate
Derivatives (EIRD) cartel. Following the 2019 partial annulment by the General Court of its 2016
decision, the European Commission has today re-adopted its prohibition decision against HSBC. The
European Commission has now imposed total fines of €31.739 million on HSBC Holdings plc, HSBC
Bank plc and HSBC France (now called HSBC Continental Europe). Interest rate derivatives are
financial products used by banks or companies to manage the risk of interest rate fluctuations or for
speculation. They derive their value from the level of a benchmark interest rate, such as the Euro
Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR) and/or the Euro Over-Night Index Average (EONIA) for EIRD. In
December 2016, the Commission adopted a decision imposing fines on HSBC, and two other
undertakings, Crédit Agricole and JPMorgan Chase, for their participation in the cartel. In September
2019, the General Court confirmed HSBC's participation in the cartel but annulled the fine for
insufficient reasoning. Today's decision explains in further detail how this fine was calculated. For the
same reason, the Commission today adopted another decision amending the 2016 decision against
Crédit Agricole (Crédit Agricole SA and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank) and
JPMorgan Chase (JPMorgan Chase & Co., JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association and J.P.Morgan
Service LLP). This decision aims at correcting the same irregularity (lack of sufficient reasoning of the
fines imposed) identified by the General Court in the HSBC decision, pending the General Court's
judgement in these two appeals. The decisions are in line with the Commission's policy of pursuing
an effective and deterrent enforcement against cartels. The decisions will be made available under
case number 39914 in the public case register on the Commission's competition website. More
information on the Commission's action against cartels is available in the cartels section of the
competition website. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni –
Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Aides d'État: la Commission autorise le mécanisme de régulation du stockage de gaz
naturel en France
La Commission européenne a conclu que le mécanisme de régulation du stockage de gaz naturel mis
en œuvre par la France depuis 2017 était conforme aux règles de l'UE en matière d'aides d'État. La
mesure contribuera à la sécurité et à la diversification de l'approvisionnement énergétique en France,
sans fausser indûment la concurrence. En février 2020, la Commission a ouvert une enquête
approfondie pour vérifier que ce mécanisme était conforme aux règles de l'UE relatives aux aides
d'État. L'enquête approfondie de la Commission a révélé que la méthode de rémunération est établie
de manière indépendante par l'autorité indépendante de régulation de l'énergie en France (la CRE),
et la valorisation des actifs régulés en particulier mène à une compensation proportionnée pour
limiter les effets de la mesure sur le marché intérieur. En outre, à l'issue de l'enquête approfondie, la
Commission a conclu que les effets négatifs que la mesure pourrait produire en termes de distorsions
de concurrence sont suffisamment limités pour que l'équilibre général de la mesure soit positif. À ce
sujet, entre autres, la Commission ne considère pas que la mesure entraîne de distorsions entre les
fournisseurs de gaz français et les fournisseurs d'autres États membres, dès lors que les enchères
sont ouvertes à tous les fournisseurs de gaz, dans des conditions similaires, qu'ils soient installés en
France ou dans un autre État membre. En autre, France s'est engagée à soumettre à la Commission
un rapport avant la fin de l'année 2024, contenant des informations sur l'incidence de la mesure, sur
la concurrence. Par conséquent, la Commission est parvenue à la conclusion que la mesure est
conforme aux règles de l'UE en matière d'aides d'État, car elle renforcera la sécurité et la
diversification de l'approvisionnement énergétique sans fausser indûment la concurrence. Margrethe
Vestager, vice-présidente exécutive chargée de la politique de concurrence, a déclaré: « À l'issue
d'une enquête approfondie, la Commission est parvenue à la conclusion que le mécanisme de
régulation du stockage de gaz naturel en France était conforme aux règles de l'UE en matière d'aides
d'État. En particulier, la mesure est nécessaire et proportionné pour assurer la sécurité de
l'approvisionnement énergétique des citoyens et des entreprises, en assurant par ailleurs que les
éventuelles distorsions de la concurrence soient réduites autant que possible». Un communiqué de
presse est disponible en ligne. (Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024;
Giulia Astuti – Tél.: +32 229 55344)

State aid: Commission approves Austrian network reserve for ensuring security of

electricity supply
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Austrian plans to establish a
network reserve for the Austrian electricity market. The temporary measure will be in force until end
2025 and will contribute to safeguarding secure network operation and sufficient electricity supply in
Austria, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market. In September 2020, Austria
notified the Commission of its plan to establish a network reserve, as a part of its congestion
management system, to ensure that there is sufficient electricity capacity at all times to resolve
bottlenecks in the transmission network. The Commission considers that the network reserve
constitutes a measure to ensure generation adequacy and security of electricity supply. The 2014
Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy allow Member States to put in place
such measures under certain conditions. The Commission found that the measure is necessary in
view of the structural congestion problems that the Austrian electricity grid is facing and which
prevent sufficient power flows, as demonstrated by the transmission system operator's annual
system analysis, which must be coordinated with the regulatory authority. The Commission also
found that the aid is proportionate and limited to the minimum necessary, and that potential
distortions of competition and trade are minimised, given that the reserve procurement through
competitive tenders will be open to a broad group of eligible bidders and that the contracted capacity
will be held outside of the electricity market. Finally, in line with the Electricity Regulation, Austria
set out an action plan with a concrete timetable for adopting measures to reduce the identified
structural congestion problems. On this basis, the Commission concluded that the scheme is in line
with EU State aid rules and approved it as a temporary measure, aligned with the duration of the
action plan i.e. until the end of 2025. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of
competition policy, said: "The Austrian network reserve approved today will enable Austria to ensure
security of electricity supply at all times. It will be contracted through competitive tenders.
Consumers and a broad group of eligible operators, including local and foreign ones, will be able to
participate in the tenders. This will allow for a cost-effective and competitive measure, to the benefit
of all electricity consumers.” A full press release is available online. (For more information: Arianna
Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229
90526)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million German scheme to support publicly
accessible recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €500 million German scheme to
support investments in publicly accessible electric recharging points for electric vehicles in Germany.
The scheme will be partly funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), provided that the
Commission's positive assessment of Germany's recovery and resilience plan is adopted by the
Council, and partly by national funds. The measure will support the installation of new fast and
standard recharging points and their connection to the grid or the upgrading or replacement of
existing recharging infrastructure. Under the scheme, the support will take the form of non-repayable
grants and the beneficiaries will be selected through an open and transparent competitive bidding
process. The Commission assessed the scheme under EU State aid rules, and in particular Article
107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which enables Member States to
support the development of certain economic activities, subject to certain conditions. The
Commission found that the aid is proportionate and limited to the minimum necessary, in particular
as it will be granted through a competitive process. The Commission also considers that the scheme
will encourage the shift from fossil fuels to electric mobility through the development of an open and
user-friendly national recharging infrastructure. The Commission therefore concluded that the
measure will contribute to the reduction of CO2 and pollutant emissions, in line with the EU's climate
and environmental objectives set out in the European Green Deal, without unduly distorting
competition. On this basis, the Commission approved the scheme under EU State aid rules. All
investments and reforms entailing State aid included in the national recovery plans presented in the
context of the RRF must be notified to the Commission for prior approval, unless covered by one of
the State aid block-exemption rules, in particular the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).
The Commission will assess such measures as a matter of priority and has provided guidance and
support to Member States in the preparatory phases of the national plans, to facilitate the rapid
deployment of the RRF. At the same time, the Commission makes sure in its decision that the
applicable State aid rules are complied with, in order to preserve the level playing field in the Single
Market and ensure that the RRF funds are used in a way that minimises competition distortions and
do not crowd out private investment. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made
available under the case number SA.60775 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition
website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Arianna Podesta
– Tel.: +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

State aid: Commission approves €102.8 million Luxembourg scheme to support news media
publishers
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Luxembourg scheme to support
media publishers. The support will take the form of grants to news publishers, emerging publishers
and citizen publishers, which promote media literacy and citizen awareness. The scheme, with an
estimated budget of €102.8 million, will run until 31 December 2031. The Commission assessed the
measure under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
which allows State aid to facilitate the development of certain economic activities or areas. The
Commission found that the scheme will facilitate the development of the news media sector and
contribute to promoting media pluralism and editorial independence. The Commission concluded that
the positive effects of the measure outweigh any possible negative effects in terms of distortions of
competition. On this basis, the Commission approved the scheme under EU State aid rules. The non-
confidential version of the decision will be made available under case number SA.60939 in the State
aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been
resolved. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32
229 55344; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Announcements

President von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner
Gentiloni speak at the Brussels Economic Forum on 29 June
President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioner
Paolo Gentiloni will participate in this year's edition of the Brussels Economic Forum (BEF), taking
place tomorrow, 29 June 2021. Over the past 20 years, the BEF has become the flagship annual
economic event of the European Commission, gathering high-level policymakers, academics, civil
society and business leaders to discuss key challenges and policy priorities for the European
economy. The 2021 BEF will consider approaches to building the post-COVID-19 economy we want
to create. This year the opening address will be delivered by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the
Commission. Other distinguished speakers include: Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany;
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand; Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central
Bank; and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization. The conference
will be live-streamed on the BEF website and participants will have the opportunity to submit their
questions to speakers through a Q&A on Sli.do. Participants can join the #EUBEF21 conversation on
social media and follow DG ECFIN on Twitter and Facebook for updates. Further details and the
programme are available here. (For more information: Marta Wieczorek – Tel.: +32 229 58197; Enda
McNamara – Tel.: +32 229 64976)

G20 Foreign and Development Ministers meet in Italy
The High Representative Borrell will travel to Matera, Italy, for the first in-person Ministerial
Meetings under the Italian G20 Presidency, on 28 and 29 June. The meeting of Foreign Ministers will
be followed by a Joint Meeting of Foreign and Development Ministers, at
which Commissioner Urpilainen will participate. This session will be a first ever G20 meeting with
the participation of Development Ministers. On 30 June, Commissioner Lenarčič will participate in a
special G20 Ministerial event on the humanitarian logistics support in future crises in Brindisi. The
G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting will discuss multilateralism and global governance to fight the
pandemic and build back better, as well as Africa in particular. In the margins of the plenary session,
HR/VP Borrell will hold several bilateral meetings with counterparts, including the Ministers of
Argentina, Brunei (ASEAN Chair), India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. HR/VP Borrell will
participate along with Commissioner Urpilainen in discussions devoted to Food Security, Nutrition
and Food Systems held during the Joint Foreign and Development Ministerial Meeting. The
unprecedented participation of Development Ministers at G20 level testifies the
importance of supporting a strong, inclusive and sustainable recovery in developing countries. Italy's
G20 Presidency will culminate in the Leaders' Summit on 30-31 October in Rome, to be attended by
Presidents von der Leyen and Michel. Its agenda is built around three pillars: People, Planet and
Prosperity. The EU fully supports these priorities- the fight against COVID-19, pandemic

preparedness, economic recovery, climate change, digital taxation and trade. Team Europe has
mobilised a recovery package of over €40 billion to help our partner countries address the health
emergency and humanitarian needs, strengthen health, water and sanitations systems and support
the socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. (For more information: Nabila Massrali –
Tel.: +32 229 88093; Ana Pisonero – Tel.: +32 229 54320; Gesine Knolle – Tel.: +32 229 54323)

European Climate Pact Day of Action
Tomorrow, Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans participates in the Climate Pact Day of
Action. This one-day digital event aims to raise awareness of the opportunities provided by the
European Climate Pact for pledging individual and collective climate action, sharing uplifting stories
and connecting people to actions in their own country and local community. The programme includes
a main event, separate launches in different EU countries, matchmaking and expert advice, and a
workshop bringing together young people aged 15-30 from all around Europe to create innovative
projects together. The European Climate Pact is an EU-wide initiative inviting people, communities
and organisations to participate in climate action and build a greener Europe, each taking steps in
their own worlds to build a more sustainable planet. Launched in December 2020, the Pact is part of
the European Green Deal, and is helping the EU to meet its goal to be the first climate-neutral
continent in the world by 2050. For more information and to register, visit the Climate Pact Day of
Action and the Youth Climate Pact Challenge webpages.
(For more information: Tim McPhie – Tel.: +32 229 58602; Lynn Rietdorf – Tel.: +32 229 74959)

Eurostat: communiqués de presse

As of 1 July the Spokesperson's Service will re-open the Berlaymont press room to a limited number
of journalists. For more information, please see here.
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