To ensure that the EU banking sector benefits from a level playing field with international competitors, the European Commission has today introduced targeted, time-limited amendments to its implementation of the new market risk capital framework for banks. The measures will apply for three years from 1 January 2027.
At the EU-Moldova Investment Conference, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos announced investment plans and project initiatives worth up to €641 million in coordination with international financial institutions, private sector partners and public stakeholders.
The European Commission has launched the Simplification Platform - a high-level expert group, which will work on simplification and burden reduction. It will help the Commission identify where EU rules are too complex in practice, and how they can be made simpler for people, businesses and administrations. The call for applications to select experts is open until 10 July 2026.
The European Commission has published the 14th edition of the annual report, which shows an improved perception of the independence and efficiency of justice systems. It also highlights the essential role of effective justice systems and independent authorities in fostering a fair and competitive environment, including data on key actors of the Single Market.
European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela is in Dublin on 4 June for meetings with Minister Helen McEntee and Minister of State Neale Richmond on EU foreign policy priorities, the Global Gateway strategy and international development. He will also meet business representatives and speak at an IIEA event on the changing global context for EU international partnerships.
The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Ireland (INFR(2025)2238) for failing to comply with its obligations under European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) Regulation [(EU, Euratom) No 883/2013]. Ireland limits OLAF’s access to bank data to criminal cases only, blocking it for administrative probes, significantly hampering OLAF investigations.
Ireland has been sent a letter of formal notice by the European Commission for failing to establish national rules on penalties for breaches of Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 (ReFuelEU Aviation). The Commission states that, despite continued calls, Ireland failed to submit this information by 31 December 2024, as required.
The European Commission has referred Ireland to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to enforce the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive.While Ireland has made progress, illegal peat cutting persists, particularly on smaller sites under 50 hectares, due to weak local enforcement.
The European Commission adopted OceanEye, an initiative to expand the EU’s role in ocean observation. It aims to position the EU as the world’s leading provider of ocean intelligence by contributing to 35% of the global ocean observing system by 2035 and securing 35% of the market for ocean observation technologies.
Ahead of the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, an expert panel will consider the current state of Europe’s social policy agenda and identify the main gaps and opportunities in European social policy. The panel will consist of Esther Lynch, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, Dr Shana Cohen, Executive Director of the Think-tank for Action on Social Change, and Maria Jepsen, Deputy Director of Eurofound.
Marta Kos has been the European Commissioner for Enlargement since 2024. She is responsible for driving the European Union’s enlargement process forward and developing EU relations with countries in the region, including in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova. This fireside chat is taking place as part of the conference: Gateway to the Irish Presidency: Leadership in a Changing Europe.
Agenda available via the link.
The European Commission has presented the European Technological Sovereignty Package, a set of measures to strengthen Europe's capacity in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cloud and open source. The package includes two legislative proposals: the Chips Act 2.0 and the Cloud and AI Development Act. It also includes the Open Source Strategy and a Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy.
On 3 June, the Commission adopted the 2026 European Semester Spring Package, including a country report on Ireland. It highlights Ireland’s strong economic performance, low unemployment, continued job growth and healthy public finances. It also points to challenges including housing shortages, infrastructure pressures and the need to maintain competitiveness as the economy adapts to global changes.
A 2025 Eurobarometer survey shows 98% of Irish people believe society must protect nature, higher than the EU average of 96%. Meanwhile, 99% say nature protection is essential for tackling climate change (compared to 94% across the EU). When asked about the best way for the EU to protect biodiversity, nearly half of Irish respondents (49%) backed including biodiversity in infrastructure planning, while most Europeans favoured restoring damaged ecosystems.
In 2025, Small and medium-sized businesses in Ireland faced several barriers in the process of recruiting third country nationals. 37% of SMEs stated difficulties in finding suitable candidates, surpassing the EU average of 25%. Other barriers included insufficient information or guidance on recruitment and immigration procedures (31%), language barriers (25%), the administrative complexity of immigration processes (19%), and difficulties integrating new recruits into company culture (18%).
With wildfire risks rising across Europe, the European Commission is helping finance and coordinate the deployment of a record number of firefighters, aircraft and emergency experts under the Civil Protection Mechanism. 777 firefighters from 14 European countries will be strategically pre-positioned in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal.
The European Research Council (ERC) launched the competition for its ERC Plus Grants designed to boost ambitious and transformative research in Europe. With a dedicated budget of €210 million under the ‘Choose Europe' initiative, the grants will provide up to €7 million per project over a maximum of seven years, supporting exceptional researchers of any nationality whose pioneering ideas have the potential to redefine entire fields of study.
The European Commission welcomes the political agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on the Regulation establishing a new Common European System for Returns. The Return Regulation will give Member States the tools necessary to make returns more efficient, with swifter, simpler and more effective procedures across the European Union, in full respect of fundamental rights.
The European Commission and the Republic of Moldova have reiterated their commitment to strengthening collaboration in the areas of education, employment, and social policies, which are crucial for Moldova's reform efforts and its aspirations to join the EU.
