European Commission

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EU approves $7.1 billion in defense aid for Ukraine

The European Commission on Monday approved €6.1 billion ($7.1 billion) in new defense procurement funding for Ukraine, timing the announcement to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union.

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EU says gas supply faces no immediate risk despite lagging storage levels

The European Commission on Thursday sought to calm growing concerns over Europe's energy preparedness, stating there is no immediate risk to natural gas supply even as storage levels trail well behind recent years heading into the winter heating season.

Apple replaces controversial EU app fees with 5% flat commission

Apple on Tuesday announced it will charge a flat 5% commission on digital transactions in apps distributed outside its App Store in the European Union, replacing a fee structure that EU regulators had criticized as discouraging developers from using alternative…

EU extends fiscal escape clause to energy spending

The European Commission on Monday formally granted EU member states greater flexibility to spend on energy security without running afoul of the bloc's fiscal rules, extending to energy investments the same escape clause mechanism previously reserved for defense spending.

European AI startups raise record $23B in first half of 2026

European AI startups raised a record $23 billion in the first half of 2026, a 130% year-over-year surge that captured 55% of all venture capital deployed in the region, according to the 2026 European AI Economy Report released Tuesday by…

EU’s €5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund goes live

The European Commission has opened a formal call for tenders to establish up to seven AI gigafactories across Europe, backed by €10 billion in public funding and designed to unlock at least €20 billion more in private investment. Separately, the…

EU charges Temu with obstructing Dublin raid in subsidy probe

The European Commission on Friday formally charged Chinese online retailer Temu for failing to cooperate during an unannounced inspection at its European headquarters in Dublin in December 2025, escalating Brussels' scrutiny of the platform under the EU's Foreign Subsidies Regulation.

EU opens $11.4B tender for seven AI gigafactories

The European Union on Thursday formally opened a bidding process for the construction of seven AI gigafactories, offering 10 billion euros ($11.4 billion) in public funding as the bloc seeks to close a widening gap with the United States and…

EU clears Pfizer-BioNTech XFG COVID-19 vaccine for fall

The European Commission on Wednesday granted marketing authorization for Pfizer and BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting the XFG variant for the 2026-2027 respiratory season, clearing the shot for use in individuals six months of age and older across all 27…

EU fines Google $1B, sparking US trade threats

The European Commission on Thursday fined Alphabet's Google €890 million ($1 billion) for violating the Digital Markets Act, marking the largest penalty levied against a single company under the EU's landmark digital competition law and deepening a rift with Washington…

EU fines Google €890M for Digital Markets Act violations

The European Commission on Thursday fined Alphabet's Google a total of €890 million for two violations of the Digital Markets Act, marking the largest penalty yet imposed under the bloc's landmark tech competition law.

EU formally warns JD.com over $2.5B Ceconomy bid

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com received formal notice of European Union regulatory concerns over its $2.5 billion bid for German electronics retailer Ceconomy on Wednesday, raising the prospect that the company may need to offer substantial concessions to save the deal.

EU publishes final AI transparency rules ahead of Aug. 2 deadline

The European Commission on Monday published final guidelines on AI transparency obligations under the EU AI Act, giving companies less than two weeks to comply with rules requiring deepfake labels and disclosure of AI interactions before they take effect on…

EU charges Sika, Cemex and others in construction chemicals cartel

The European Commission on Monday issued formal antitrust charges against a group of construction chemicals manufacturers and three national trade associations, alleging they colluded to raise prices between 2021 and 2022 across France, Germany, and Spain.

EU fines AliExpress record €550M for illegal product sales

The European Commission on Monday fined Alibaba's AliExpress a record €550 million ($629 million) for failing to tackle the sale of illegal, unsafe, and counterfeit products on its platform, marking the largest penalty ever issued under the EU's Digital Services…

Google says EU ‘on the wrong track’ with Android AI rules

The European Commission issued two binding decisions on July 16 requiring Google Alphabet Inc. to give competing AI assistants the same access to Android that its own Gemini service enjoys, while also mandating that the company share anonymized search data…

Saudi fund poised to win EU approval for $55B EA deal

A consortium of investors led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is poised to secure European Union approval for its $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts, removing one of the final regulatory hurdles for the largest leveraged buyout in history.

EU unveils plan to ease cross-border banking barriers

The European Commission on Thursday published a long-awaited banking competitiveness report outlining plans to dismantle national barriers to cross-border banking, ease capital requirements for banking groups, and replace its decade-old proposal for a European deposit insurance scheme — a package…

EU prepares record DMA fines against Google for next week

The European Commission is preparing to impose fines worth hundreds of millions of euros on Alphabet's Google in a series of decisions expected next week, marking what would be the largest penalty ever issued under the bloc's Digital Markets Act,…

EU accepts X’s plan to resolve DSA transparency violations

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it has accepted an action plan submitted by Elon Musk's X to comply with transparency obligations and researchers' access to data under the Digital Services Act, resolving a months-long dispute that began with…

EU approves Wegovy pill as first oral weight-loss drug

Novo Nordisk announced Wednesday that the European Commission has approved its once-daily oral Wegovy pill for weight management in adults with obesity, making it the first GLP-1 receptor agonist available in tablet form across all 27 EU member states.

Google asks EU’s top court to uphold scrapping of $1.7B fine

Alphabet unit Google on Wednesday urged Europe's top court to dismiss EU antitrust regulators' appeal against a lower court ruling that scrapped a €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) fine, in a case that tests the European Commission's ability to enforce competition…

Meta sues Irish regulator as EU targets addictive design on Facebook, Instagram

The European Commission issued preliminary findings on July 10 that Meta breached the Digital Services Act through the addictive design of Facebook and Instagram, setting up a potential fine of up to 6% of the company's global annual revenue —…

EU prepares new fining powers over Big Tech consumer harms

The European Commission is readying new powers to impose fines on Big Tech companies that fail to protect consumers, particularly children, from online spending traps and manipulative design practices, according to the Financial Times. The planned Digital Fairness Act, expected…

IEA chief calls Europe’s slow electrification a ‘major mistake’

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol has warned that Europe's failure to electrify its economy faster since the 2022 energy crisis amounts to a "major mistake," leaving the continent dangerously exposed to volatile fossil fuel markets at a time of…

EU charges Meta over addictive design of Instagram, Facebook

The European Commission on Friday formally accused Meta Platforms of breaching the bloc's Digital Services Act over what regulators called the "addictive design" of Instagram and Facebook, marking the latest enforcement action in Brussels' campaign to rein in the power…

EU accepts binding commitments from SAP over ERP support practices

The European Commission on Wednesday accepted binding commitments from SAP to address competition concerns over its on-premises ERP maintenance and support services, concluding a formal antitrust investigation that began in September 2025. SAP welcomed the decision, framing it as an…

Paramount submits EU remedies for $110B Warner Bros deal

Paramount Skydance Corp has formally submitted remedies to the European Commission to address competition concerns over its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, with the EU extending its decision deadline to July 22 to assess the proposal.

Google security chiefs warn EU data rules risk exposing users to hackers

Google's Alphabet Inc. top security and privacy executives have warned that proposed European Union measures requiring the company to share detailed search data and open up parts of its Android operating system could expose billions of users to hacking and…

EU moves to designate AWS and Azure as gatekeepers under DMA

The European Commission on Thursday issued preliminary findings that Amazon Web Services Amazon.com, Inc. and Microsoft Azure should be designated as "gatekeepers" under the Digital Markets Act, a move that would extend the bloc's strictest digital competition rules into the…