European Commission - Daily News Daily News 19 / 06 / 2026 Brussels, 19 June 2026 Commission greenlights Bulgaria's fourth payment request under NextGenerationEU Today, the European Commission greenlighted Bulgaria's fourth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU . The Commission found that Bulgaria has satisfactorily completed 23 out of 26 milestones and ...
European Commission - Daily News Daily News 19 / 06 / 2026 Brussels, 19 June 2026 Commission greenlights Bulgaria's fourth payment request under NextGenerationEU Today, the European Commission greenlighted Bulgaria's fourth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU . The Commission found that Bulgaria has satisfactorily completed 23 out of 26 milestones and targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision . The reforms and investments tied to this payment request will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in areas such as anti-corruption, digitalisation of administrative justice, vocational education and training, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, sustainable transport, decarbonisation and renewable energy, agriculture, and outpatient care. Flagship measures in this payment request include: anti-corruption measures, including the adoption of legislation establishing a politically and financially independent Anti-corruption Commission for preventing and countering corruption among persons holding public office, and the introduction of rules to regulate lobbying activities; measures to decarbonise the energy sector, such as improving the corporate governance of state-owned energy companies through the restructuring of the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) to avoid the risk of cross-subsidisation of coal-related activities and align its structure with Bulgaria's future energy market needs, as well as the establishment of a National Fund for Decarbonisation to support energy efficiency; boosting renewable energy by supporting almost 1,400 solar domestic hot water systems or photovoltaic systems to produce electricity in households; and a new public service contract for public rail transport to improve quality, accessibility and passenger uptake alongside a modernised legal framework promoting zero- and low- emission transport, including new electric mobility rules and low-emission zones. More information in the press release . (For more information: Maciej Berestecki - Tel: +32 229-66483; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229-52117) Support for EU accession remains high across enlargement partners, latest surveys show Today, the European Commission published the results of the latest perception surveys on enlargement among citizens in the Western Balkans, Eastern Neighbourhood and Türkiye. The findings show that support for EU accession remains strong across the enlargement partners, with citizens continuing to associate closer ties with the European Union with greater security, economic opportunity and better prospects for younger generations. Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos , said: “ As the latest polls show, citizens across our enlargement partners are clear about what closer ties with the European Union mean in practice: stronger peace and security, wider economic opportunities, and better prospects for the next generation ”. In candidate countries and potential candidates, surveys show that EU accession continues to enjoy public support, although levels of support vary among countries. In the Western Balkans, support is strongest in Albania (92%) and Kosovo (83%). More than 60% of respondents in Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are also in favour of joining the EU, while support in Serbia stands at 31%. Expectations about the timing for accession have grown significantly in Montenegro, where 62% believe that the country will join the EU in the next five years, compared to 39% in 2025. In the Eastern Neighbourhood, support for EU accession stands at 71% in Georgia, 65% in Ukraine and 58% in Moldova. In Türkiye, 46% of respondents expressed support for EU membership. The perception surveys were conducted through face-to-face interviews between February and April 2026. A sample of around 1,000 individuals per partner country and 2,400 individuals in Türkiye, was selected using a two-stage stratified sampling design method. The results will help inform the Commission's outreach and engagement with the public in partner countries. They will also support the Commission's communication on progress in the enlargement process, including as part of the annual enlargement reporting cycle. More information on the results of the perception surveys can be found online. (For more information: Markus Lammert - Tel. +32 2 296 75 33; Yuliya Matsyk - Tel. +32 2 296 27 16) EU delivers €34 million in immediate support to Armenia as announced by President von der Leyen Today, the European Commission has disbursed €34 million to Armenia to help mitigate the impact of Russia's trade restrictions on the country's private sector. Just two weeks after President von der Leyen 's call with Prime Minister Pashinyan, the EU is delivering swiftly on its commitments to support Armenia and its people. This financial assistance is the first tranche of a broader package announced by President von der Leyen , which also includes trade facilitation and solidarity measures to strengthen Armenia's economic resilience. Building on the commitments made at the EU-Armenia Summit last month, the EU and Armenia will continue working together to strengthen business ties and expand market access for Armenian producers. Additional support will be provided to sectors affected by the trade restrictions, including agri-food products, flower production and other export-oriented industries, through trade initiatives, business matchmaking events and targeted market access initiatives. The EU-Armenia Task Force on Economic Resilience continues to meet regularly to steer and monitor the implementation of these measures. Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos , said: “ The EU stands firmly with Armenia – a sovereign, democratic and independent country. Today's support will help address immediate economic challenges while opening new opportunities for Armenian businesses to trade with regional and European markets. This is European solidarity in action ”. On 5 July, Commissioner Kos will travel to Armenia to advance the implementation of the support package and discuss further steps to strengthen EU-Armenia cooperation. (For more information: Markus Lammert - Tel. +32 2 296 75 33; Yuliya Matsyk - Tel. +32 2 296 27 16) Commission selects EUROPA consortium as winner of the Frontier AI Grand Challenge, a project to build European open-source frontier AI model in all 24 EU languages The European Commission has selected EUROPA, a European consortium led by the Italian company Domyn, as the winner of its Frontier AI Grand Challenge . The project will develop an open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model covering all 24 official EU languages. The Commission chose EUROPA to help strengthen Europe's capacity to develop advanced AI on its own infrastructure. The project also shows that Europe has the talent, infrastructure and industrial capacity to build advanced AI systems. EUROPA's model will be openly available and designed to perform at the forefront of global AI capabilities. It will help ensure that more people and organisations across the Union can benefit from advances in AI, making advanced AI more accessible to businesses, researchers and public institutions across Europe's linguistic diversity. Launched in February 2026, the Frontier AI Grand Challenge invited Europe's leading AI innovators to propose a model with more than 400 billion parameters, a scale associated with the world's most advanced AI systems. Henna Virkkunen , Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “Europe can lead in advanced AI on its own terms. EUROPA will build a frontier European AI model in all 24 EU languages, showing that we can match the best while staying true to our values. This is about strengthening Europe's ability to shape AI's future with openness, trust and strategic autonomy at its core.” (For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel. +32 2 299 10 99; Nika Blazevic — Tel. +32 2 299 27 17) STATEMENTS Joint statement by European Commission and High Representative ahead of World Refugee Day On World Refugee Day, we will recognise the strength and resilience of the more than 117 million people displaced globally. Forced from their homes by conflict, persecution, violence and human rights violations, they continue to demonstrate extraordinary courage in rebuilding their lives and contributing to the communities that welcome them. As the world's leading humanitarian donor, the EU and its Member States support refugees, asylum seekers and host communities, while promoting international protection standards, access to essential services and durable solutions. Through its international partnerships, including with the United Nations, the EU works to address the root causes of displacement and strengthen stability in crisis- affected regions and encourages other regions to do the same. In 2025, the number of displaced people worldwide fell for the first time in a decade, pointing towards the importance of this approach. The full statement is available online. (For more information: Eva Hrncirova - Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Eirini Zarkadoula - Tel.: +32 2 295 70 65) ANNOUNCEMENTS President von der Leyen co-hosts EU-Moldova Summit in Brussels On Monday, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Costa will host the second EU-Moldova Summit. Together with President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, they will take stock of the significant progress achieved in EU–Moldova relations and discuss the next steps in Moldova's EU accession process following the opening of negotiations on the so-called ‘fundamentals cluster'. This cluster covers the core values and principles on which the EU is built, notably the rule of law and the functioning of democratic institutions. Days after the opening of these historic negotiations with Moldova, as well as Ukraine, the Summit with Moldova will send another strong signal of the EU's continued commitment to the country's European path. Leaders will discuss progress in implementing Moldova's Reform Agenda under the Growth Plan , which has already unlocked €504 million in EU funds. The Summit will also provide an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in areas of common interest, including connectivity, energy, education, people-to-people contacts between Europeans and Moldovans, and defence against hybrid threats. President von der Leyen and President Costa, together with President Sandu, will deliver opening remarks at 11:45 CEST. Following the Summit, they will hold a joint press conference at +/-14:30 CEST, livestreamed on EBS . (For more information: Anitta Hipper – Tel. +32 2 298 56 91; Markus Lammert - Tel. +32 2 296 75 33; Yuliya Matsyk - Tel. +32 2 296 27 16) Commissioner Síkela visits Brazil to strengthen cooperation on critical raw materials, transport and digital Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela will visit Brazil from 19 to 24 June to advance the European Union's strategic partnership with Brazil under Global Gateway . The Commissioner's visit seeks to strengthen mutual cooperation on sustainable infrastructure, critical raw materials, clean energy, digital connectivity and transport. It comes in the context of the EU- Mercosur Agreement, which will create new opportunities for European companies with the support of the Global Gateway strategy. In São Paulo, the Commissioner will visit the Metro Line 6 construction project, the largest infrastructure project currently under construction in Latin America. It significantly improves the city's mobility, and is being built by a consortium of European companies. He will also hold discussions with European companies and financial institutions active in Brazil. In Minas Gerais, he will visit the Viridis rare earths mining site and demonstration plant. This project is one of the four priority projects selected to accelerate EU-Brazil collaboration on secure and sustainable supply chains. In Rio de Janeiro, he will open the EU-supported Future Affairs Forum , announced by High Representative Kaja Kallas during her visit to Brazil in September 2025. The Forum serves as an EU-Brazil forum to deepen mutual partnership on digital transformation and technology. The Commissioner will also meet with Aloizio Mercadante, President of the Brazilian Development Bank. In Brasília, the Commissioner will open the 2nd EU–Brazil Investment Forum together with Geraldo Alckmin, Vice-President of Brazil. He will also hold a number of meetings with senior representatives of the Brazilian government, including Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira, and Minister of Presidency, Miriam Belchior. Audiovisual material of the visit will be available on EBS . (For more information: Markus Lammert - Tel.: +32 2 296 75 33; Luca Dilda - Tel.: +32 2 295 21 53) EU, Canada and China host major annual meeting on climate action with G20 countries and United Nations partners On Monday and Tuesday, 22 and 23 June, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra , Canada's Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Nature, Julie Dabrusin, and China's Minister for Ecology and Environment, Huang Runqiu, co-convene the 10th Ministerial on Climate Action , in Brussels. Taking place a few days after the Bonn Climate Change Conference, this is a major annual meeting on international climate action, and an important milestone towards COP31 in November. It is attended by ministers from the G20 group of countries and other key parties in the UN climate negotiations. Commissioner Hoekstra will deliver opening remarks together with the other two co-chairs. Following the opening speeches, thematic sessions will focus on key political issues for COP31. On Monday, ministers will discuss the multilateral process and expectations for the upcoming UN climate negotiations. They will also exchange on climate finance, how to accelerate global climate action and deliver on ambition and implementation. On Tuesday, discussions will be dedicated to enabling a just transition and strengthening international climate cooperation, followed by concluding remarks by the co-chairs. You can follow the opening session live on EBS and find more information on Commissioner Hokesktra 's agenda online. (For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Ana Crespo Parrondo – Tel.: +32 2 298 13 25) 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/26/1396
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