European Commission - Daily News Daily News 01 / 04 / 2026 Brussels, 1 April 2026 EU reinforces the stability and predictability of its carbon market The Commission has today announced a first concrete measure to reinforce the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) . Today's proposal, which follows President von der Leyen 's announcement at the March European Council, adapts the ETS's Market Stability Reser...
European Commission - Daily News Daily News 01 / 04 / 2026 Brussels, 1 April 2026 EU reinforces the stability and predictability of its carbon market The Commission has today announced a first concrete measure to reinforce the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) . Today's proposal, which follows President von der Leyen 's announcement at the March European Council, adapts the ETS's Market Stability Reserve (MSR) enhancing stability and predictability . The Commission has proposed an amendment to the Market Stability Reserve Decision to strengthen the instrument that ensures a stable, well-functioning carbon market. Under the current system, all allowances in the reserve above 400 million are invalidated. The proposed amendment will stop the invalidation mechanism , allowing these allowances to be kept as a buffer that can support market stability . The MSR reduces the supply of allowances to the market when there are too many in circulation and injects allowances when there is market scarcity. Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra , said : “Today, we are delivering on the one of the commitments made by our leaders. This marks an important first step in modernising our carbon market. By strengthening the Market Stability Reserve, we enhance EU ETS' resilience to volatility and ensure that it continues to drive decarbonisation, support competitiveness, and foster clean investment.” The EU ETS is a key driver for decarbonisation. It has massively reduced fossil fuel consumption, lowering the Union's dependence on imports and strengthening its resilience. In addition, it has driven major investments in the clean energy transition in renewables and low-carbon energy sources. These are homegrown and enhance our energy independence. However, in light of recent challenges, the EU ETS needs to be modernised and made more agile . The Commission is working with Member States to ensure the ETS is a stable tool that continues to deliver these benefits while remaining robust, predictable and fit for purpose . A press release and questions and answers .with more details on the Market Stability Reserve proposal are available online. (For more information: Eva Hrnčířová – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Ana Crespo Parrondo - Tel.: +32 2 298 13 25) Commission boosts support to Ukrainian deep tech innovators The European Commission has awarded €20 million in funding to 41 cutting-edge Ukrainian start-ups and SMEs following a European Innovation Council (EIC) call to help them turn groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions. Each company will receive between €300,000 and €500,000 along with the possibility of faster access to the EIC Accelerator , which offers larger grants and equity investments via the EIC Fund . The initiative comes at a critical time as Ukrainian innovators face huge challenges, from limited access to capital to disruptions caused by Russia's war of aggression. The EU funding will help bridge a critical financing gap, enabling these deep tech pioneers to progress from early-stage development to market-ready deployment in vital sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and more. Some examples of the selected companies include: Farsight vision - a novel method for detection and location of unauthorised drones near airports and critical infrastructure by analysing video feeds, without relying on GPS or radio signals. This enhances airspace security by speeding up incident response and protecting sensitive sites from potential threats; Anotherland – an AI-powered platform that transforms architectural and engineering plans into interactive digital twins for real estate and large-scale reconstruction projects. From a single source, it creates photorealistic images, promotional videos, and immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences. This helps developers, municipalities, and reconstruction agencies to showcase projects in days, while buyers and investors can explore future spaces, test designs, and make smarter decisions faster; Innovinnprom - using AI- powered to predict grain spoilage in silos by analysing temperature humidity and gas. By forecasting biological activity one to three days in advance, farmers and storage managers can take early action to prevent losses, a crucial tool for Ukraine's agriculture sector. Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva said: “Supporting Ukraine's most promising deep tech innovators is more than an investment in innovation, it is an investment in resilience and future growth. This funding will help integrate the Ukrainian start-ups into the European innovation ecosystem, strengthening Ukraine's long-term economic alignment with the EU.” This funding builds on the Seeds of Bravery initiative launched in 2022 under the EIC in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It has already provided Ukrainian tech companies with financial support and business services. Today's announcement takes it further, targeting companies ready to move from development to real-world demonstration and commercialisation. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229- 52117) Commission releases €40 million to support French winemakers The European Commission is releasing €40 million support from the agricultural reserve to help French wine producers address market pressures on the wine sector in France. The funding will finance a temporary exceptional crisis distillation measure and will remove up to 1.2 million hectolitres of surplus red and rosé wines from the market to stabilise declining prices. France's wine sector has faced mounting pressure due to shifting consumer preferences, climate change impacts, geopolitical trade disruptions, and a drop in bulk wine prices. Despite a 16% reduction in production, compared to long-term averages, oversupply has driven prices down, threatening the livelihoods of producers, particularly in regions specialising in red and rosé wines. The emergency measure will offer €33 per hectolitre to distil unsold stocks, easing market pressure ahead of this year's harvest. This latest support complements the Commission's broader Wine package , which includes further measures to help the sector manage production potential, as well as to adapt to evolving consumer preferences, and unlock new market opportunities. Commissioner Hansen said: “French wine producers are the backbone of Europe's viticultural heritage, but at the moment they face unprecedented market challenges. This is an essential response, taken in close coordination with French government, to address the collapse in prices and the saturation of stocks in France. With this €40 million support we aim to provide relief to the market.” More information is available online. (For more information: Louise Bogey – Tel.: +32 2 296 97 76; Kateřina Horáková - Tel.: +32 2 299 93 10) Commission awards €7.4 million to media reporting on European affairs The European Commission announced the selection and financing of three European-level newsrooms, the European Media hubs , which will report on EU affairs for the next two years. The results announced today follow an open call for proposals published in 2025. The first, Project BEAM, coordinated by Arte, will deliver a diverse editorial mix of audiovisual pieces and in-depth articles. Partners will include, among others, Internazionale and Gazeta Wyborcza. Then, PULSE 2, coordinated by the Centro per la Cooperazione Internazionale/Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, will focus on cross-border online journalism. Participating newsrooms include HVG and HotNews. Finally, Lens EU, coordinated by OKO.press and with consortium members such as AFP and TVNET, will produce weekly podcasts and in-depth newsletters. All supported projects operate with full editorial independence. The funding is part of the EU's Multimedia Actions, which aim to increase production and consumption of independent information on European affairs across the EU in many languages. Under the same Multimedia Actions budget line, a total of €21.1 million will be made available through calls for proposals to media consortia in support of the European public sphere debate and media freedom and pluralism. More information on the Commission's funding opportunities for the media sector can be found online. (For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99; Patricia Poropat – Tel: +32 2 298 04 85) EU releases additional €2 million in humanitarian aid for the Cuban population In view of the worsening humanitarian conditions in Cuba, the European Commission has released an additional €2 million in humanitarian aid. This funding will contribute to provide logistics support to humanitarian partners delivering urgent relief to the most vulnerable, due to the current energy crisis and related difficulties on the distribution of food and drinking water. This funding adds to the €4 million already approved earlier this year as a regional allocation for the Caribbean, which has been dedicated mainly to address increasing needs in Cuba. It also follows the assistance provided last year after hurricane Melissa caused extensive damage in the island. In 2025, a total of nearly €6 million was mobilised for disaster preparedness and emergency response in Cuba. “ The EU stands with the people of Cuba in their hour of need. After Hurricane Melissa, we were there. And today, we are stepping up again with €2 million in humanitarian aid to help deliver food and safe drinking water to those who need it most. In a country facing an energy crisis and growing shortages, this support will help keep life-saving aid flowing to up to two million people in need. ” Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib , said. (For more information: Eva Hrnčířová – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Quentin Cortès – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35) Commission clears acquisition of TSG by CapVest The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of TSG Solutions Group SAS (‘TSG') of France by CapVest Partners LLP (‘CapVest') of the UK. The transaction relates primarily to the provision of energy infrastructure and mobility solutions. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given that the companies are not active in the same or vertically related markets. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website , in the public case register under the case number M.12380 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774) Commission clears acquisition of Swixx Biopharma by SK Capital The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control control of Swixx Biopharma Holding AG (together with its subsidiaries ‘Swixx Biopharma') of Switzerland by S.K. Capital, L.P. of the US. The transaction relates primarily to the commercialisation and distribution of finished dose pharmaceutical products for third-party pharmaceutical companies. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given that the companies are not active in the same or vertically related markets. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website , in the public case register under the case number M.12332 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774) Commission clears acquisition of Inkia Americas, Kallpa Generación and Orazul Energy Perú by CPP Investments and I Squared The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Inkia Americas S.A.C., Kallpa Generación S.A. and Orazul Energy Perú S.A., all of Peru, by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (‘CPP Investments') of Canada and I Squared Capital Advisors (US) LLC (‘I Squared') of the US. The transaction relates primarily to the production, trade, and storage of electricity in Peru. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the limited impact on the European Economic Area. More information is available on the Commission's competition website , in the public case register under the case number M.12373 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774) Commission clears acquisition of Urbaser by Blackstone and EQT Fund Management The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Urbaser S.A.U of Spain by Blackstone Inc. of the US and EQT Fund Management S.à r.l. of Luxembourg. The transaction relates primarily to waste collection, management and treatment. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies' limited market positions resulting from the proposed transaction. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website , in the public case register under the case number M.12371 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774) Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings Note that these items can be subject to changes. Upcoming events of the European Commission Eurostat press releases Calendar items of the President and Commissioners Individual calendars of the President and Commissioners MEX/26/769
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