European Commission - Daily News Daily News 12 / 10 / 2026 Brussels, 12 October 2026 Commission welcomes adoption of €115 million ‘AGILE' programme for rapid defence innovation The European Commission welcomes the adoption of the Regulation establishing Programme for agile and rapid defence innovation (AGILE) which will bring disruptive defence technology from the lab to the field at record speed. The new €115 millio...
European Commission - Daily News Daily News 12 / 10 / 2026 Brussels, 12 October 2026 Commission welcomes adoption of €115 million ‘AGILE' programme for rapid defence innovation The European Commission welcomes the adoption of the Regulation establishing Programme for agile and rapid defence innovation (AGILE) which will bring disruptive defence technology from the lab to the field at record speed. The new €115 million funding tool will provide dedicated support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups and scale ups to develop innovative defence solutions and support their uptake. The work programme will cover two main types of activities : mission-driven development of disruptive defence products and technologies and market delivery by helping defence solutions reach the actual markets. AGILE has been adopted in record time , in less than seven months after the Commission tabled its proposal in March 2026. The swift adoption reflects EU's commitment to strengthen Europe's capacity to innovate. Europe's ability to develop, test, and deploy new technologies and cost-efficient solutions in weeks or months rather than years is now being tested. AGILE responds to this need by giving innovative smaller players the support and speed they need to bring promising defence solutions to the armed forces. In practice, the programme will support startups and tech innovators with faster, more flexible funding and allow innovations to be deployed as quickly as possible. More information is available in the press release online. (For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Kateřina Horáková - Tel.: +32 2 299 93 10) Commission clears acquisition of ZF Capri by Harman The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of ZF Capri HoldCo GmbH (‘ZF Capri') of Germany by Harman International Industries, Incorporated (‘Harman') of the US, ultimately controlled by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (‘Samsung') of South Korea. The transaction relates primarily to advanced driver assistance systems (‘ADAS') for passenger vehicles. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given its limited impact on competition in the markets where the companies are active. In particular, the Commission found that on all the markets where the parties' activities overlap, their combined market shares would remain moderate. The Commission further examined the links between Samsung's activities in the supply of memory chips and image sensors and ZF Capri's ADAS. It found that the merged entity would not have the ability or the incentive to restrict the access of rival suppliers of ADAS to these components. The notified transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website , in the public case register under the case number M.12324 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Sara Simonini – Tel.: +32 2 298 33 67) Commission clears acquisition of BTP and Vodafone Antennelocaties by DigitalBridge, TDAM and L&G The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Belgium Tower Partners N.V. (‘BTP') of Belgium and Vodafone Antennelocaties B.V. of the Netherlands by DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (‘DigitalBridge') of the US, TD Asset Management, Inc. (‘TDAM') of Canada and Legal & General BeNe HoldCo Limited (‘L&G') of the UK. The transaction relates primarily to the telecommunications infrastructure sector. 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.12633 . (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Sara Simonini – Tel.: +32 2 298 33 67) ANNOUNCEMENTS Almost 11.000 events to take place across Europe for Erasmus Days 2026 The 10 th edition of the annual Erasmus Days takes place across Europe and countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme from 12-17 October. This year's theme ‘Learning and growing: skills for tomorrow' highlights the important role of Erasmus+ in skills development and the alignment with the Union of Skills . The week showcases the positive impact of Erasmus+ in the fields of education and training, youth, and sport. Almost 11.000 events have been registered so far, under the motto '6 days to make Europe shine'. Among the events: in Spain, students who have taken part in Erasmus+ mobilities to the Czech Republic, Finland and Greece will share their experiences in a radio interview celebrating European diversity, cultural heritage and international cooperation. In Romania, through the event called ‘Skills passport', participants can explore the skills that can be gained through European mobility – ranging from intercultural and digital competencies to teamwork and communication – and learn how to ‘translate' them into language that appeals to employers. In the Czech Republic, students who took part in the Erasmus+ programme will share their experiences with for other students, pupils from elementary schools and also the public. Roxana Mînzatu , Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, stated: “ Everyone should have the chance to take part in Erasmus+ and experience the positive impact it has on education. For this reason, the European Commission has proposed a significant budget increase for the 2028-2034 Erasmus+ programme, so that even more people can take part in this life-changing experience. The events across Europe on the 10 th edition of the Erasmus Days provide a great opportunity to come together and celebrate what Erasmus+ has to offer .” Launched in 2017, the Erasmus Days have become one of the biggest annual highlights of the Erasmus+ calendar; last year, over 10,000 events took place in 59 countries. This year's edition aims to build on that success, leading up to the 40 th anniversary of Erasmus+ in 2027. More information can be found online. (For more information: Eva Hrncirova - Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Eirini Zarkadoula - Tel.: +32 2 295 70 65) Commissioners Dombrovskis and Síkela in Thailand and Malaysia to participate in IMF- World Bank Annual Meetings and strengthen EU partnerships Valdis Dombrovskis , Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification and Jozef Síkela , Commissioner for International Partnerships, will be in Bangkok, Thailand, this week to participate in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings , to strengthen EU partnerships in the region, as well as to advance cooperation on investment, sustainable development and climate resilience. Besides participating in the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, Commissioners Dombrovskis and Síkela will engage with international financial institutions and partners on global economic and development priorities. Commissioner Dombrovskis will also participate in G7 and G20 Finance Ministers' meetings taking place also in Bangkok, focusing on global economic developments, macroeconomic stability and international economic cooperation. He will also take part in a fireside chat on geoeconomic fragmentation on Tuesday at 7:00 am CEST and a high-level roundtable on investment and innovation on Thursday at 9:00 CEST. Both events will be livestreamed on EBS . Commissioner Dombrovskis 's programme will also include high-level discussions on financial support for Ukraine, climate resilience, the green transition and commodity security. On his side, Commissioner Síkela will attend the meeting of G7 Development Ministers. In the margins of the meetings, Commissioner Dombrovskis will hold talks with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Finance, Mohammed Aljadaan, and Ukraine's Minister of Finance, Sergii Marchenko, and Minister of Economy, Oleksandr Kravchenko. Commissioner Síkela will meet with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, and Makhtar Diop , Managing Director of the International Financial Cooperation. Furthermore, Commissioner Síkela will also meet with representatives of the Thai Government, including Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, and Suriya Juangroongruangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, to discuss Thailand's growth and investment priorities, and EU-Thai economic cooperation. As part of the EU's engagement on climate resilience, Commissioner Síkela will participate in a high-level ceremony showcasing the Lower East Chao Phraya Irrigation System Improvement Project, supported through Global Gateway and which helps strengthen flood risk management and resilience in the Chao Praya river basin. He will also join the World Bank Public Event focused on Investing in Water for Jobs and Prosperity. In addition, Commissioner Síkela will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he will participate in the EU-Malaysia Business Day and engage with the Malaysian and European business sector. He will also meet with YB Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. These visits highlight the EU's commitment to strengthening partnerships in Southeast Asia and advancing Global Gateway investments that support sustainable development and shared priorities. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Guillaume Mercier – Tel.: +32 2 298 05 64; Francisca Marcal Santos - Tel.: +32 2 299 72 36; Bridget Moylan – Tel.: +32 2 298 28 44) Commissioner Brunner visits Bangladesh and Pakistan to strengthen cooperation on migration and border management Today and tomorrow, Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Magnus Brunner , is visiting Bangladesh and Pakistan for high-level talks to strengthen cooperation in the areas of migration, border management, labour mobility and the fight against migrant smuggling. Bangladesh and Pakistan are important EU partners in the context of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling, and the ‘ Eastern Corridor' initiative, a route-based response to reduce illegal migration and foster labour mobility pathways. In Bangladesh, the Commissioner is scheduled to meet Minister of Home Affairs, Salahuddin Ahmed, Minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ariful Haque Choudhury, and the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam. The Commissioner will also visit the July Memorial Museum , a symbol of Bangladesh's new generation, democracy, human rights and justice. In Pakistan, the Commissioner will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister of Interior, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Minister of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Chief of Defence Forces, Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, and Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency, Usman Anwar. Commissioner Brunner will also deliver a keynote speech at the National Risk Analysis Summit, organised by the Federal Investigation Agency. On the occasion of the Commissioner's visit, a €5 million project will be formally launched to support integrated border management in Pakistan, as part of the EU's efforts to step up migration cooperation with international partners. Funded by NDICI-Global Europe , this additional support will strengthen Pakistan's border management capacity, facilitating safe and legal mobility while curbing illegal migration and related cross-border crime. Commissioner Brunner 's visits underline the European Union's strong commitment to deepening cooperation with Bangladesh and Pakistan in addressing a wide range of migration related challenges, preventing illegal migration and building a framework for safe and legal migration and attracting talent to the EU, including through Talent Partnerships. To facilitate regular contacts and cooperation, annual EU-Bangladesh and EU-Pakistan Migration and Mobility Dialogues have been taking place since 2023. (For more information: Markus Lammert – Tel.: +32 2 296 75 33; Elettra Di Massa – Tel.: +32 2 298 21 61) 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/26/2138 <@rel_link@>
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