European Commission - Daily News Daily News 17 / 04 / 2026 Brussels, 17 April 2026 EU and South Korea strengthen trade and technology cooperation Today, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and South Korean Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo co-chaired the 13th EU-Republic of Korea Trade Committee, under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two sides strengthened their partnership by holdin...
European Commission - Daily News Daily News 17 / 04 / 2026 Brussels, 17 April 2026 EU and South Korea strengthen trade and technology cooperation Today, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and South Korean Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo co-chaired the 13th EU-Republic of Korea Trade Committee, under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two sides strengthened their partnership by holding the first Strategic Dialogue on Trade, Supply Chains and Technology, while also endorsing the final text of the EU-Korea Digital Trade Agreement (DTA) to be signed at the EU-Korea Summit later this year. During the Trade Committee meeting, both sides highlighted the FTA's tangible benefits for businesses and citizens. Commissioner Šefčovič emphasized in particular the constantly growing trade in goods, as well as the significant level of investments. Both sides welcomed progress on the update of the Motor Vehicles and Parts Annex, an agreement to work towards a Mutual Recognition on Electronics, and a decision to set up a Working Group on Cosmetics. At the same time, a frank discussion was held on key trade irritants and issues that European businesses, farmers and other stakeholders face when operating in Korea. Commissioner Šefčovič raised in particular areas such as market access for agricultural products, offshore wind, automotive and restrictions on the online sales of alcoholic beverages. With the Strategic Dialogue , the EU and Korea established a platform for forward-looking cooperation on key shared geoeconomic priorities, including economic security, critical raw materials, advanced tech supply chain protection, and battery cooperation. Commissioner Šefčovič and Minister Yeo also agreed to start preparations for launching an EU-Korea Future Strategic Partnership, in time for the EU-Korea Summit to be held later this year. Finally, both sides welcomed agreement on the final, ambitious DTA text, which reflects the EU's commitment to setting high-standard digital trade rules, while connecting further the digital economies of the EU and Korea. The deal provides binding rules that build consumer trust, ensure predictability and legal certainty for businesses, as well as trusted data flows. Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič said: “The EU-Korea partnership is a success story in action: bilateral trade reached €124 billion last year, with the EU being by far the largest investor in Korea. Today's announcements confirm that we are steadily building on this momentum. I particularly welcome our strong focus on economic security – from critical minerals to critical technologies. In today's world, cooperation among like-minded partners is essential to ensuring stable, predictable and mutually beneficial trade. I look forward to signing the EU-Korea DTA at our Summit later this year, and to our Future Strategic Alliance taking shape.” (For more information: Olof Gill - Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Marta Perez-Cejuela Romero - Tel.: +32 2 296 37 70) EU and Japan discuss how to strengthen defence and security cooperation Today, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius , and Japanese State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshio Ino attended the first meeting of the EU-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue. It was launched by – and brought together - defence industries and associations from the EU and Japan. They recognised the need to fast-track the resilience of their defence supply chains and explore the joint development of dual-use sectors. Both sides confirmed a shared priority to strengthen their industrial bases and to establish a framework for closer cooperation between their respective defence sectors. The meeting served as a practical step toward realizing the goals of the EU-Japan Competitiveness Alliance to further enhance joint competitiveness in line with shared priorities. In addition, it will serve the goals of the Security and Defence Partnership to reduce dependencies and build stronger defence ecosystems. (For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Marine Strauss – Tel: +32 2 298 91 03) Commission awards €180 million tender for sovereign cloud to four European providers The European Commission is strengthening EU institutions' digital sovereignty by awarding a tender that allows EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies (Union entities) to procure sovereign cloud services for up to €180 million over 6 years. The four awarded providers are European companies: Post Telecom with its partners CleverCloud and OVHcloud, StackIT , Scaleway , and finally Proximus , which partners with S3NS (a joint venture of Thales and Google Cloud), Clarence and Mistral. This tender supports the Commission's broader efforts to enhance its own sovereignty, reinforcing strategic control across key technologies and infrastructure. The awarded providers were selected based on their alignment with the Commission's Cloud Sovereignty Framework, which measures sovereignty across eight objectives. These include strategic, legal, operational, and environmental considerations, as well as supply chain transparency, technological openness, security, and compliance with EU laws. Large-scale use of the EU cloud is a prerequisite for improving the EU's digital sovereignty. The Commission leads by example, as the Sovereign Cloud call for tenders sets a new benchmark for what ‘sovereign' means in practice for cloud services. More information is available in our press release online. (For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel. + 32 2 299 10 99; Nika Blazevic — Tel. + 32 2 299 27 17) Commission clears acquisition of Business Center Muthgasse by RHO NÖ-W and RLB OÖ The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Business Center Muthgasse by Raiffeisen-Holding Niederösterreich-Wien (‘RHO NÖ-W') and Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich Aktiengesellschaft (‘RLB OÖ'), all of Austria. The transaction relates primarily to the renting and operating of real estate in Vienna, Austria. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies' limited combined market position and 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.12317 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschütz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83) ANNOUNCEMENTS Executive Vice-President Séjourné and Commissioner Dombrovskis to highlight Europe's industrial future at Hannover Messe On Sunday and Monday, 19-20 April, Stéphane Séjourné , Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, and Valdis Dombrovskis , Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification, will join world leaders at the opening of Hannover Messe – Europe's biggest trade fair for manufacturing and technology. At Hannover Messe, the EU will highlight how it is helping European industry stay strong, innovative, and competitive. This means supporting key sectors like computer chips and high-tech manufacturing, but also energy-intensive industries, while making it easier for businesses to produce high-quality, sustainable products. Another priority is ensuring Europe has reliable access to the raw materials needed for green and digital technologies. The EU is also cutting unnecessary red tape to make it simpler for businesses to grow and innovate. At the same time, it is working to improve the Single Market, removing obstacles so companies can trade more freely across Europe. With Brazil as this year's partner country of the Hannover Messe, the event will serve to strengthen cooperation on sustainable industry and critical raw materials, benefiting both economies. Finally, the Commission will discuss with stakeholders the Industrial Accelerator Act , notably the introduction of “Made in Europe” requirements to boost European production. Executive Vice-President Séjourné will, on Sunday, give a keynote speech on how the EU is boosting industrial competitiveness, ensuring Europe remains a leader in innovation and clean technology. The next day, he will open the EU's exhibition stand, followed by an event with business leaders, policymakers, and innovators. On Sunday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will deliver a keynote speech on competitiveness as Europe's response to geoeconomic challenges, followed by a panel discussion. The next day, he will also take part in the EU's exhibition stand opening, as well as a roundtable discussion on simplification with industry representatives. Executive Vice-President Séjourné and Commissioner Dombrovskis will also take part in an official tour of the fair alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Olaf Lies, Minister-President of Lower Saxony. You can find more information on the Commission's dedicated website to the EU at Hannover Messe 2026 . (For more information: Siobhan McGarry - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 2 299 47 74) Commissioner Jørgensen in Spain to discuss ways to tackle the energy and housing crises On Monday and Tuesday, 20-21 April, Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen will be in Madrid and Barcelona to discuss energy security, affordability and ways to tackle the housing crisis with Spanish national and local authorities, as well as sectorial stakeholders and young people. As part of his country visit, Commissioner Jørgensen will meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, in Madrid on Tuesday. On the same day, following his participation to the ESADE Annual Energy Meeting, dedicated to affordable, secure, and clean energy for Europe, he will also deliver a keynote speech at the WindEurope Annual Event 2026 . In Barcelona on Monday, the Commissioner will visit Fusion for Energy (F4E), the Barcelona-based EU organisation responsible for Europe's contribution to ITER, the largest fusion energy experiment in the world. Spain marks the third stop of the Commissioner's European Affordable Housing Tour, following Austria and Portugal. In Madrid, Commissioner Jørgensen will hold a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Housing and Urban Agenda, Isabel Rodríguez. In Barcelona on Monday, he will discuss housing policies with the President of the Regional Government of Catalunya, Salvador Illa, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni. Following their meeting, Commissioner Jørgensen and Mayor Collboni will hold a joint press point that you can follow on EbS. The Commission is advancing work on the Affordable Housing Act that will provide a European framework to tackle the negative impacts of short-term rentals and promote housing affordability in areas under housing stress across the EU. In Barcelona, the Commissioner will also chair a Youth Dialogue on Housing, which will give young people from a variety of backgrounds the possibility to exchange on the pressing housing problems they are facing, as solutions moving ahead. Audiovisual coverage of the country visit will be available on EBS . (For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Cristiana Marchitelli – Tel: +32 2 298 94 07) 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/26/840
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