Daily News 29 / 05 / 2026

Daily News 29 / 05 / 2026

Poland receives first €6.6 billion payment under SAFE

Today, Poland received its first payment of €6.6 billion under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence financing instrument, representing 15% of its total allocation of €43.7 billion. Poland is the largest recipient of SAFE funding and the first Member State to receive a payment under the instrument.

The pre-financing will help Poland accelerate priority defence investments, strengthen resilience, and modernise its military capabilities in line with shared European goals. SAFE is designed to enable swift, co-ordinated action, improve the ability of European forces to work together, and strengthen Europe's defence industry.

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy said: “Europe must be prepared for any scenario and ready to act under any circumstances. The SAFE loan programme is important element in this mission—it is an essential tool for securing and advancing our continent's urgent military capabilities.”

Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space said: “Today's €6.6 billion pre-financing for Poland under SAFE is a concrete step forward for our common security. It will help deliver investments faster and strengthen Europe's readiness through greater co-operation and joint capabilities.”

This pre-financing payment follows the completion of all required procedural steps and reflects the EU's commitment to providing timely, practical support through SAFE. Further payments will follow, as the Polish SAFE plan will be progressively implemented.

The SAFE instrument is financed by EU borrowing on the financial markets. This enables competitively priced and attractively structured long-duration loans to requesting Member States. The terms of the SAFE loans benefit from the EU's strong credit rating. All SAFE loans will be repaid by the beneficiary Member States.

(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Marine Strauss – Tel: +32 2 298 91 03)

EU formally receives control of key Galileo ground antenna in Belgium

The European Union has taken ownership of a ground antenna that helps keep Galileo, Europe's satellite navigation system, running. The antenna, located at a space centre in Redu, Belgium, was previously held by the European Space Agency (ESA) and has now been formally handed over to the EU at a signing ceremony in Brussels.

The RED-1 Telemetry, Tracking and Control antenna is part of the infrastructure that monitors and communicates with Galileo's satellites in orbit, making it a critical link in the system's operation.

Galileo, Europe's answer to GPS, serves over 4 billion users worldwide, offering highly precise positioning and timing services, designed to guarantee the continent's independence from foreign navigation systems.

The handover was sealed through two agreements: one between the EU and ESA covering the transfer of ownership, and a second involving Belgium to ensure the antenna can remain hosted at its current site.

(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Marine Strauss – Tel: +32 2 298 91 03)

Commission seeks feedback on draft trusted flaggers guidelines under the Digital Services Act

The European Commission is seeking feedback on its draft guidelines on trusted flaggers, organisations specialised in identifying illegal content online, to ensure a clear and consistent framework under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Under the DSA, online platforms must prioritise trusted flaggers' notices signalling illegal content, such as child abuse, intellectual property rights violations and online fraud, while retaining responsibility for verifying whether the content is illegal. Over 70 trusted flaggers with diverse expertise have already been designated. They include the Bank of Ireland, specialised in financial scams, Someturva, focusing on online harassment, such as non-consensual sharing of intimate materials, and Child focus, tackling online of child abuse material.

The draft guidelines clarify the criteria, as well as the process by which the Digital Services Coordinators award the ‘trusted flagger' status. They also provide guidance on the technical requirements trusted flaggers and platforms should follow when processing notices of illegal content. Finally, the guidelines aim to ensure trusted flaggers remain independent, objective and accountable, and that they are operating with freedom of expression. The guidelines also include measures to safeguard the integrity of trusted flaggers, to ensure the mechanism is not misused. These measures include public annual transparency reports by trusted flaggers, as well as procedures to suspend or revoke the status of trusted flaggers.

In preparation of the guidelines, the Commission has published a study on the implementation of this mechanism.

The Commission invites stakeholders with relevant expertise, including platforms, trusted flaggers, applicants, researchers, and civil society organisations, to share their views on the draft guidelines by 26 June 2026. Following the receipt of the feedback, the Commission plans to adopt the guidelines in the second half of 2026.

(For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel. + 32 2 299 10 99; Patricia Poropat - Tel.: +32 2 298 04 85)

New EU framework boosts Single Market resilience in times of crisis

As the Internal Market Emergency and Resilience Act (IMERA) enters into application today, the EU now has a structured framework to strengthen crisis preparedness, improve coordination with Member States and businesses, and ensure targeted and proportionate action to safeguard the free movement of goods, services, and people across the Single Market. During times of crisis, a well-functioning Single Market is Europe's strongest asset and IMERA builds on lessons from recent crises.

IMERA establishes a three-tier approach. Under the default contingency mode, the Commission and Member States will monitor Single Market resilience through early warnings, simulations, and preparedness exercises. If a crisis emerges, the Council may activate vigilance mode, enabling closer monitoring of supply chains for critical goods and services. In cases of severe disruption, emergency mode can be triggered to allow targeted measures such as coordinated procurement, information requests to companies, and restrictions on national measures that fragment the Single Market, including export bans within the EU.

On 4 June, the first formal IMERA Board meeting will bring together Member States to discuss, among other issues, the supply chain implications of the evolving situation in the Middle East.

You can find more information on IMERA, as well as a factsheet for citizens and a factsheet for companies, online.

(For more information: Siobhan McGarry - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Rüya Perincek - Tel.: +32 2 299 49 03)

New scoreboard shows success of European startup policies

Europe's startup and scaleup ecosystem has been growing steadily, according to the first-ever European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS) published today by the European Commission.

The scoreboard reveals a clear trend: pro-startup policies drive real results. Since 2020, the baseline year for the Scoreboard, 20 out of 27 EU Member States have improved their performance, proving that targeted support for founders fuels innovation, job creation, and economic growth.

The Scoreboard highlights a direct link between innovation-friendly regulations, access to talent, and venture capital – and the success of startups and scaleups. Front-runner countries – Estonia, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark – perform well above the EU average (from 40 to 60 percentage points) in 36 measuring indicators, showing how bold policies translate into thriving ecosystems.

More information in the press release.

(For more information: Maciej Berestecki - Tel: +32 229-66483; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229-52117)

2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards winners announced by Commission and Europa Nostra

Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, joined the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides last night at the award ceremony celebrating the 30 winners of the 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards , among them the five Grand Prix laureates. The event took place at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, in Cyprus; Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, conveyed a congratulatory video message to the winners.

The Awards aim to promote and celebrate exemplary approaches to conserving and enhancing cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, while fostering greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing across European borders. Each year, the Awards honour a maximum of 30 exceptional heritage projects, including up to five that receive the esteemed Grand Prix award.

The five Grand Prix laureates are: Polirone Monastic Complex, San Benedetto Po (Italy); the Cypriot Fiddler (Cyprus); Improving the Energy Performance of Heritage Properties in State Care Initiative (Ireland); Din l-Art Helwa - The National Trust for Malta, Valletta (Malta); Maryna Hrytsenko, Chernihiv (Ukraine - Posthumous Award).

The restoration project of Bánffy Castle, Răscruci (Romania) was awarded the Public Choice Award. The Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner will each receive a prize of €10,000.

Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef said: “Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. This year's winners demonstrate how Europe's rich cultural heritage inspires creativity, drives innovation, strengthen social resilience, and helps shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for us all. Their achievements demonstrate both the power of heritage to bring people together and the importance of protecting it for future generations, while celebrating the richness and diversity of Europe's cultural heritage.”

The award ceremony was the highlight of this year's European Cultural Heritage Summit, organised by Europa Nostra in Nicosia from 26 to 30 May and co-funded by the European Union's Creative Europe Programme. Guests of honour included the Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, and Prof. Dr Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra.

More information on the winners of the Grand Prix and the Public Choice Award is available online and on the Culture and Creativity website.

(For more information: Eva Hrncirova - Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Eirini Zarkadoula-Tel.: +32 2 295 70 65)

Commission clears acquisition of ZeMobility by Aberdeen and DigitalBridge

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of ZeMobility JV SCSp (‘ZeMobility') of Luxembourg by Aberdeen Group plc (‘Aberdeen') of the UK and DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (‘DigitalBridge') of the US.

The transaction relates primarily to the operation of electric bus assets in Colombia and Chile.

The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the limited impact on the European Economic Area. 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.12414.

(For more information: Siobhan McGarry – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschütz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)

Commission clears acquisition of Nippon Sheet Glass Company by Apollo Funds

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited of Japan by Apollo Capital Management, L.P., controlled by Apollo Global Management, Inc. (together with its indirect subsidiaries managing the investment funds, ‘Apollo Funds') of the US.

The transaction relates primarily to manufacturing and supply of glass products.

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.12415.

(For more information: Siobhan McGarry – Tel.: +32 2 296 47 98; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschütz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)

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