Press Releases

The Eurogroup will discuss the macroeconomic outlook for the euro area based on the Commission's spring forecast, including energy market trends. Ministers will also exchange views on housing affordability as a challenge to competitiveness and receive an update on the digital euro.             Council of the Europea...
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Indicative programme All times are approximate and subject to change (local time) Wednesday 20 May 10:00 Arrival and welcome ceremony (including official photo) 10:30 Bilateral meeting, Presidents Costa and Arévalo 10:50 Extended meeting 12:00 Press conference 13:00 State lunch At the end of the meeting (+/- 12:00) press conference in live streaming. Videos and photos of the events wi...
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From 20 to 22 May, HR/VP Kaja Kallas will visit Mexico to attend the EU-Mexico Summit. On Thursday, 21 May, the HR/VP will hold the first-ever EU-Mexico Strategic Dialogue with Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs. They will deliver joint press statements at around 18:30 CET, which will be transmitted on EBS. Later that day, HR/VP Kallas will deliver closing remarks at the ...
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The press briefing ahead of the Eurogroup meeting will take place on Wednesday, 20 May at 15.30. The briefing will be "off the record" and will be given by Tuomas Saarenheimo, President of the Eurogroup Working Group. The press briefing will take place in a hybrid format: EU accredited journalists will be able to participate and ask questions either remotely or in person at the Europa buildi...
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The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) will launch the 2025/2026 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction on 19 May 2026 at 09:00 EAT/08:00 CEST/06:00 GMT. The 10th edition of this flagship report evaluates whether the global buildings sector is on track to meet a 2050 net-zero pathway. It examines progress in energy eff...
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Good morning, everybody. So, today we have the FAC Development, and we are discussing first the future of external action, especially since development aid is really on decline, but we see that Europe is still the largest donor in the world of humanitarian aid and development aid. But if we want to be a geopolitical actor, we have to be more strategic about this. Which means that we have to mat...
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216 000 people took part in Brussels Pride on Saturday 16 May, with the streets of the capital awash with the colours of the rainbow. This year’s event marked the 30th anniversary of this celebration of diversity in Brussels. Three decades of advocacy and raising the profile of the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, RainbowHouse Brussels chose the theme ‘When Times Get Darker, We Shine Brighter’, a po...
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The Cyprus Presidency has decided to activate the Council’s IPCR (Integrated Political Crisis Response) arrangements in information sharing mode to actively monitor the ongoing hantavirus outbreak. The activation of the IPCR arrangements will facilitate exchange of information among member states and EU institutions. It will serve as a platform bringing together all relevant information and all...
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The EU warmly welcomes today’s announcement by Türkiye on initiation of bilateral trade with Armenia. This is a remarkable development in their normalisation process, also illustrated by the recent meeting of the bilateral working group to advance the restoration of rail connections between the two countries on 28 April 2026, which we welcomed. This significant step has the potential to boos...
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BRF: Brussels dives back into its history for eight weeks The Brussels Renaissance Festival (BRF) kicks off on Sunday 17 May. For eight weeks, our capital will be celebrating European heritage and Brussels’ history during the Renaissance. A whole host of events and activities are planned, including Bart Van taking the plunge for a historic stroll through Brussels. Read the press release
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