Overview   News

The Commission welcomes the agreement between the European Parliament and the Council delivering a landmark reform of the EU Customs Union. It introduces new measures for e-commerce and launches a modern customs architecture that simplifies procedures and increases efficiency. With these upgrades in place, European customs will be equipped to adapt to the fast-changing landscape of international trade.

The European Commission has decided to designate Mairead McGuinness as Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. In this capacity, she will report to Commissioner Brunner, who is in charge of leading the Commission's dialogue with churches and religious associations or communities, and with philosophical and non-confessional organisations, and will provide support for intercultural and interreligious dialogue processes outside the European Union, including with national authorities, organisations and representatives of different faiths.

The Commission welcomes the agreement between the European Parliament and the Council, selecting Lille as the seat of the EU Customs Authority (‘EUCA'). The Commission received nine applications from Member States looking to host EUCA. The decision represents one of the last steps required before concluding the negotiations on the ambitious EU Customs Reform.

The European Commission and consumer protection authorities from 23 Member States, including Ireland, released the results of a screening (‘sweep') of online discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Adding items without the consumer's consent, displaying prices in a misleading way, falsely claiming a product is running out, or hiding extra fees until the end of the process are illegal practices under EU consumer law. Following the sweep, national consumer authorities may take action against the businesses concerned.

Secure satellite connectivity is a backbone for modern crisis management, emergency response and operations in remote regions where traditional infrastructure is limited. By joining these programs, Norway and Iceland will gain access to high-tier encrypted communication services, which are essential for protecting sensitive information, supporting public authorities, and ensuring the safety of air and maritime navigation across the North Atlantic and Arctic.

The European Commission is presenting a new €115 million funding tool, AGILE, to bring disruptive defence technology from the lab to the field at record speed. This pilot instrument is set to accelerate the development and testing of disruptive defence innovations and their market uptake, such as artificial intelligence, quantum or drones, focusing on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, including start-ups and scale-ups.

The European Commission has taken two enforcement actions under the Digital Services Act. The first is formal proceedings to investigate if Snapchat is ensuring a high level of safety, privacy and security for children online, in compliance with the Digital Services Act. In the second action, the Commission has preliminarily found Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos in breach of the Digital Services Act for failing to protect minors from being exposed to pornographic content on their services.

59.7% of people in Ireland use online material or online courses for educational purposes. Ireland ranks second in the EU wide comparison, with only the Netherlands ranking higher (60.2%). Both top performers land well above the EU average of 34.8%. Romania ranks last, with just 11.8% making use of online learning opportunities.

Ireland recorded 34 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2025, below the EU average of 43. However, fatalities have increased significantly since 2019, particularly among pedestrians, powered two-wheeler riders and in urban areas. Ireland is not on track to meet its 2030 road safety targets, with fatalities and serious injuries up 31% compared to 2019 levels.

Dear Readers, as the European Commission enters its Easter recess, our weekly newsletter will also take a short break in line with the pause in the official Brussels legislative calendar. You can expect our next edition on 16 April.

The European Commission has announced the results of the 2025 call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks, with a total budget of €617.18 million. The funding will support 141 doctoral programmes, training around 2,115 doctoral candidates and equipping them with the skills needed for successful careers both within and beyond academia. The call attracted strong interest from the research community, with 1,616 applications submitted from organisations across Europe and beyond.

The Commission has adopted a proposal initiating the process for the European Union to become a founding member of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Once Member States approve this proposal, the Commission will be able to notify the EU's intention to join the Tribunal as a founding member, and will play a central role in the Tribunal's operations.

The initiative invites the European Commission to ‘make travel by train a true alternative to aviation by creating a strong continental network and organization and removing imbalances in the market'. Specifically, the organisers propose an ‘introduction of an EU-wide aviation fuel tax', a ‘removal of VAT exemptions and the introduction of fair pricing' and the ‘allocation of revenues to a strong European rail organisation with far-reaching authority'.

As wildfires are getting larger, more frequent, and more destructive, the European Commission is presenting a new approach to wildfire risk management. The strategy covers prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This approach will enhance Europe's resilience against the threat of wildfires and ensure stronger protection for the environment, infrastructure, and cultural heritage.

Member States have successfully reprogrammed €34.6 billion in their 2021-2027 cohesion policy funds towards the EU's most urgent strategic priorities. These include boosting competitiveness, enhancing defence and civil preparedness, promoting affordable and sustainable housing, improving water resilience, and advancing energy connectivity.

This week, the European Commission Representation in Ireland, with CaraDem, hosted a half-day seminar on EU enlargement and the Western Balkans, opened by Head of Representation Peter Power. European Commission Director Valentina Superti outlined progress, ongoing challenges and the transformative potential of enlargement. Former Tánaistí Eamon Gilmore and Simon Coveney emphasised enlargement as a tool for promoting peace, stability and prosperity. Speakers also highlighted the need to better communicate its benefits to citizens and businesses.

Retaining public support is an ongoing, potentially existential, challenge for the European Union. The Member States and EU institutions must therefore take particular care as to how it is perceived by European citizens. In this week's blog post, Bobby McDonagh, Former Ambassador to the EU and UK, explores how a window represents the importance of perception and understanding, the window through which the public can see and judge the European Union.

As Cyprus continues to fight the consequences of February’s foot and mouth disease outbreak, the European Commission has mobilised its strategic stockpile of emergency supplies, rescEU, to support the ongoing response.

The EU and Australia have announced a groundbreaking Security and Defence Partnership. They have also concluded negotiations for an ambitious free trade agreement and agreed to launch formal negotiations for the association of Australia to Horizon Europe, the world’s largest funding programme for research and innovation.

Central Library Letterkenny are hosting a free ‘EU Unfiltered’ Roundtable workshop with European Movement Ireland on Thursday 26th March at 6.30pm. The event will bring participants together in an informal setting to have an open dialogue on the EU-Mercosur agreement. With growing attention on how misinformation and disinformation can shape public understanding of EU developments, the discussion will also explore how narratives around Mercosur show up online and how citizens can navigate them.