| ● Council of the EU | | | 27/10/2025 14:07 | Press release | | | | | In 2024, the European Union and its 27 member states contributed €31.7 billion in climate finance from public sources and mobilised an additional amount of €11.0 billion of private finance to support developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Council published the figures today, in preparation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30 & CMA 7), which will take place from 10 to 21 November in Belém, Brazil. The figures are based on the EU climate finance reporting rules laid down in the governance regulation. According to data compiled by the European Commission, half of the public climate funding for developing countries has been directed to climate adaptation or to cross-cutting action (involving both climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives). Grant based finance represents a significant share (close to 50%) in the EU and Member States public contribution. The EU actively seeks to extend the range and impact of sources and financial instruments and to mobilise more private finance, as major tools to support international climate action, while responding to the forward-looking approach as embedded in the decision on the New Collective Quantified Goal, adopted in 2024 by the Parties to the Paris Agreement. This way, the EU will continue to support developing countries to implement the 2015 Paris climate change agreement. The 2024 figures represent a strong confirmation of the EU, and its member states resolve for delivering on their international climate finance commitments, particularly towards the developed countries' collective goal of mobilising $100 billion per year. This goal remains applicable up to and including 2025. BackgroundThe €31.7 billion in climate finance from public budgets comprises €4.6 billion from the EU budget, including the European Development Fund, and €2.4 billion from the European Investment Bank. The overall public figure is calculated based on commitments for bilateral and disbursements of multilateral finance reported for calendar year 2024. The €11.0 billion figure regards the private financial support mobilised through public interventions (e.g., guarantees, syndicated loans, direct investment in companies, credit lines, etc.). It does not include any amounts of the public finance utilised for the mobilisation of this private financial support. EU member states reported data on the 2024 climate finance pursuant to article 19.3 of regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 (‘governance regulation’) and article 6 and annexes III-V of Commission implementing regulation 2020/1208.
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| | 27/10/2025 10:29 | Press release | | | | | The Council has adopted a revising directive that seeks to make the representation of workers in large multinational companies more effective. This revision will amend the existing directive on European works councils (EWCs) to make the rules clearer, notably as regards how EWCs are set up, their resources and the protection of their members. Key changes to the rulesThe revising directive clarifies the scope of transnational matters to ensure that decisions substantially affecting workers in more than one member state trigger an obligation to inform and consult an EWC, without this being extended to day-to-day decisions or issues that only affect employees in a trivial way. The revised rules also ensure that information can only be withheld by the company or treated as confidential if objective criteria are satisfied and for as long as the reasons justifying these limitations persist. The directive also strengthens provisions on access to justice and (where relevant) administrative proceedings, including by ensuring that the costs of works councils relating to legal representation and participation are covered. Next stepsThe directive will enter into force upon its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. Member states will be required to transpose the provisions of the directive into national law within two years of its entry into force, and will apply the provisions at the latest three years after its entry into force. BackgroundEWCs are information and consultation bodies that represent European workers in multinational companies with more than 1 000 employees operating in at least two EU or European Economic Area (EEA) countries. On 24 January 2024 the Commission presented a proposal for a directive amending Directive 2009/38/EC as regards the establishment and functioning of EWCs and the effective enforcement of transnational information and consultation rights. The aim was to tackle shortcomings in the existing legislation on EWCs with a view to improving the effectiveness of the framework for the information and consultation of employees at transnational level. The Council agreed its mandate for negotiations with the Parliament on 20 June 2024. Negotiations began on 6 February 2025 and concluded on 21 May 2025. The European Parliament adopted the directive on 9 October 2025.
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| | ● European Council | | | 27/10/2025 07:04 | Statements and remarks | | | | | I met the Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the margins of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. We discussed EU-China bilateral relations and multilateral and global issues. I underlined the importance that the EU attaches to constructive and stable relations with China, as well as our willingness to enhance cooperation to address global challenges. I underlined that climate action has to remain top of our agendas. The upcoming COP30 on climate change in Brazil will offer an opportunity for the EU and China to lead with ambition in order to achieve a successful outcome. I stressed the need to make concrete progress as a follow up to the EU-China Summit, more particularly to rebalance the trade and economic relationship. I shared my strong concern about China’s expanding export controls on critical raw materials and related goods and technologies. I urged him to restore as soon as possible fluid, reliable and predictable supply chains. I also raised Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. I expressed the EU’s expectation that China helps to put an end to the war. This war is an existential security threat for the EU. The EU will continue to increase pressure on Russia.
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| ● European Council |
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| 26/10/2025 09:39 | Speech | | | | | Prime Minister |
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Anwar Ibrahim, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour to address you today on behalf of the European Union at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
I would like to thank Prime Minister Anwar for inviting, for the first time, the European Union to participate in an ASEAN Summit. Following your visit to Brussels earlier this year, it is a great pleasure to join you in Kuala Lumpur today.
I would also like to congratulate Prime Minister Anwar on his successful chairmanship of ASEAN during this year.
And for his leadership in brokering the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, last July.
This is a demonstration of ASEAN’s commitment to peace stability and dialogue.
I also warmly congratulate ASEAN on the inclusion of Timor-Leste as its 11th Member State.
This is an important milestone in fostering Timor-Leste’s economic and political interdependence, and in strengthening ASEAN’s regional integration.
The European Union is proud to engage with ASEAN as a reliable partner in today’s shifting geopolitical environment.
We live in a multipolar world. A world facing increasing fragmentation and uncertainty. And so it is crucial that we weave a global network of cooperation across regions. That we strengthen our partnership.
The European Union is ASEAN’s third-largest trading partner, and its third-largest investor.
Our economies are deeply interlinked, and this partnership drives opportunities, growth and stability.
We must secure our supply chains, diversify partnerships, promote sustainable trade, and build resilience in critical sectors.
Our collective ambition is clear: to work side by side to keep our regions even more connected to each other and to the world.
Every new trade agreement and new investment is a bridge that reinforces stability and shared prosperity.
We are proud to have just concluded a Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia, our third such agreement with an ASEAN member, following those with Singapore and Vietnam.
Negotiations with Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia are progressing well, and step by step, these agreements are bringing our two regions ever closer together.
We must keep our regions linked, not just through trade, but also through deeper ties in areas like digital infrastructure, energy, and green transitions.
At the recent Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, we reaffirmed our support for key regional connectivity projects, such as the ASEAN Power Grid.
Our common focus is clear, as rightly highlighted by the motto of the Malaysian Chairmanship: “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.
But our partnership is also grounded in shared security interests.
Maritime security is a key area of cooperation.
Both the European Union and ASEAN advocate for a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on respect for international law.
Our regions share a commitment to multilateralism, to the rules-based international order and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
These principles are the foundation of our security and prosperity.
The alternative is a chaotic and violent world.
International law must prevail everywhere, grounded in the United Nations Charter.
In the South China Sea, in Gaza, and in Ukraine.
The European Union has long been a champion of deeper regional integration.
We know from our own experience that stronger ties leads to better cooperation, greater stability, and lasting prosperity.
A multipolar world requires multipolar cooperation.
As we look ahead to the 50th anniversary of European Union-ASEAN relations in 2027, we must continue to deepen our partnership.
By addressing shared challenges, such as climate change, ocean protection, and technological transformation.
By exploring new areas for cooperation, including digitalisation, security, and education.
And by upgrading our partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by 2027.
Our partnership is long-term and strategic.
Together, we are building a future of peace, prosperity, and stability.
You can count on the European Union as a reliable, predictable and trustworthy partner.
We wish you a successful summit and look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of European Union-ASEAN relations in 2027.
Thank you, Prime Minister Anwar, and Excellencies, for your attention.
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