COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Friday, 31 October 2025

● European Council   31/10/2025 18:25 | Media advisory | Press briefing - EU-CELAC summit of 9-10 November 2025   The press briefing ahead of the fourth EU-CELAC summit, Santa Marta (Colombia), 9-10 November 2025, will take place on Monday 3 November 2025 at 17.00. This briefing will be "off the record". The press briefing will take place in a hybrid format: EU accredited journalists will be able to participate and ask questions either in person at the Europa building press room or remotely. To attend the event remotely, please use the link below to register and have the possibility to ask questions. Deadline for registration: Monday, 3 November 2025 at 16.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline. Registration page Media accreditation for journalists   Visit the website

● General Secretariat of the Council

31/10/2025 17:02 | Press release | Forward look: 3 – 16 November 2025   Overview of the main topics and events at the Council of EU and European Council for the coming fortnight. Environment Council, 4 November 2025 EU environment ministers will seek to agree on the amendment to the EU climate law, setting a 2040 emissions reduction target. Ministers will also aim to approve the EU’s post-2030 nationally determined contribution (NDC) to be submitted to the UNFCCC ahead of COP30. Read more Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 13 November 2025 EU finance ministers will be invited to agree on the revision of the energy taxation directive. The Council will also aim to reach political agreement on the elimination of the customs duty relief threshold for goods entering the EU. Read more Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Budget), 14 November 2025 The Council will meet to prepare the same-day’s meeting of the conciliation committee for the EU budget, with the aim of reaching an agreement with the European Parliament on the EU’s annual budget for 2026. Read more Other meetings Informal meeting of culture ministers, 3-4 November 2025 COP30 leaders summit, Belém, Brazil, 6-7 November 2025 EU-CELAC summit, 9-10 November 2025 Eurogroup   Indicative calendar of meetings under the Danish presidency (1 July - 31 December 2025) Danish presidency   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   31/10/2025 13:23 | Press release | Joint press release: EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 30-31 October 2025)   The Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of Denmark, representing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, together with the European Commission, represented by the European Commissioners for Home Affairs and for Justice, met on 30-31 October 2025 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with their counterparts from the Western Balkans at the annual EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs. Representatives of the incoming Cypriot and Irish presidencies of the Council of the EU also attended. The meeting underscored the shared commitment and close partnership on Justice and Home Affairs. In the margins of the Forum, on 30 October 2025, the European Union and the Western Balkan partners signed the new Joint Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism for the Western Balkans. Building on the achievements of the previous Joint Action Plan signed in 2018, the European Union and the Western Balkan partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation on counter terrorism and prevention and countering of violent extremism. The following matters were discussed: HOME AFFAIRS  The online dimension of security The European Union and Western Balkan partners discussed how to further enhance cooperation on the online dimension of security, including countering radicalisation, terrorist financing, violent extremist and terrorist content, and drug trafficking. They acknowledged social media and online gaming platforms have become the main vector for radicalising and recruiting vulnerable young people. The participants emphasised that joint efforts will continue in the framework of the new Joint Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism for the Western Balkans, particularly with the cooperation of the EU Knowledge Hub on prevention of radicalisation and the support of agencies, inter alia, Europol and CEPOL, as well as with institutions and the civil society in the region. The participants highlighted that joint efforts will also continue on the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking, through the new cycle of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT). They stressed the need for effective cooperation with online platforms to refer illegal content and ensure lawful access to data, and welcomed the support of EU agencies in facilitating new opportunities for cooperation within the region and beyond. Strengthening migration, asylum, and border management, and visa policy alignment The European Union and Western Balkan partners welcomed the progress in implementing the EU Action Plan on the Western Balkans of December 2022. They reaffirmed their joint commitment to tackling irregular migration, by reinforcing border protection and fighting migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, including through strengthened cooperation between Frontex and Western Balkan partners, and in line with the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling. The European Union underlined its continued political and financial support to the region in the area of migration, asylum and border management, and encouraged further steps towards aligning visa policies with the EU’s, noting the proven impact of such alignment in reducing irregular border crossings. In addition, the EU and Western Balkans partners discussed the promotion of legal pathways in the Western Balkans, while preventing secondary movements and reinforcing other key areas of cooperation, such as returns and readmission. JUSTICE Strengthening the Rule of Law through judicial reform and the fight against organised corruption The European Union and the Western Balkans discussed recent developments concerning judicial independence and ways to strengthen resilience through the protection from undue political interference and public pressure, and through judicial reforms. The European Union encouraged Western Balkan partners to address, monitor and sanction instances of pressure against magistrates and ensure the protection of persons and institutions concerned. They also discussed the judicial dimension of the fight against corruption and organised crime. The European Union encouraged Western Balkan partners to make full use of cooperation with relevant EU agencies and bodies, including Eurojust, to improve the exchange of relevant information and evidence, and presented new tools to monitor progress made and to support justice systems in tackling corruption and organised crime. Democracy and fundamental rights The European Union and the Western Balkans discussed the significant challenges facing democracies in Europe. The European Union outlined its measures to safeguard the fairness and integrity of elections and to strengthen democracy, including through the upcoming European Democracy Shield. It called upon the Western Balkans to continue electoral reforms in line with OSCE / ODIHR recommendations. Both sides acknowledged shared challenges in addressing racist and xenophobic hate offences, and discussed how to do so by means of criminal law. The Western Balkans were encouraged to step up efforts to address alignment gaps with the EU acquis and to ensure enforcement of fundamental rights in practice.   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   Career opportunities at the General Secretariat, 31/10/2025   Vacancy title: Translation Secretary in the Resources Unit (Translation Service) Reference: CONS/14/2025/TA SC/LING.2.A Closing date for applications: 17 November 2025 (12:00)   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   31/10/2025 09:18 | Meetings | Agenda highlights - Environment Council, 4 November 2025   EU environment ministers will seek to agree on the amendment to the EU climate law, setting a 2040 emissions reduction target. Ministers will also aim to approve the EU’s post-2030 nationally determined contribution (NDC) to be submitted to the UNFCCC ahead of COP30.   View meeting page ● Council of the EU   30/10/2025 15:07 | Media advisory | Press briefing - Environment Council of 4 November 2025   The press briefing ahead of the Environment Council will take place on Monday, 3 November 2025 at 11.30. This briefing will be "off the record". 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 Building press room. To attend the event remotely, please use the link below to register and have the possibility to ask questions. Those who already registered for previous press events of the Environment Council do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Monday, 3 November 2025 at 10.30 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants after the deadline. Registration page Media accreditation for journalists   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   27/10/2025 14:07 | Press release | Council publishes 2024 international climate finance figures   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. Background The €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. Council conclusions on climate finance in view of COP30 Council conclusions on climate finance in view of COP30, including the figure for 2024 Financing the climate transition (background information) Governance regulation COP30 website   ● Council of the EU   27/10/2025 10:58 | Press release | Crisis preparedness: Council approves framework for compulsory licensing in crisis situations   The Council has today given its final approval to the compulsory licensing regulation. This legislation will allow certain intellectual property rights (such as patents) to be used without the consent of their holders, to ensure the availability of critical products (such as vaccines and protective equipment) in the event of a crisis. The regulation focuses on voluntary agreements and makes sure that compulsory licensing is a last-resort measure. The regulation also ensures that intellectual property rights holders will have no obligation to disclose trade secrets. Next steps The approval of the first-reading position is the last step in the adoption process at Council level. The text still needs to be approved in a plenary session of the European Parliament. The regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal. Background In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, the EU has tabled several crisis instruments at European level, such as the proposal for a regulation establishing a Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI, now IMERA) and the Council regulation on a framework of measures for ensuring the supply of crisis-relevant medical countermeasures in the event of a public health emergency at Union level. These instruments provide the EU with a means for ensuring access to and the free movement of products needed to tackle a crisis in the internal market. The instruments focus on voluntary approaches, which remain the most efficient tool for enabling the rapid manufacture of products covered by intellectual property rights, including during crises. However, in cases where such voluntary agreements are not possible or appropriate, compulsory licensing can provide a way to allow the rapid manufacturing of products needed during a crisis. Crisis preparedness: Council adopts position on compulsory licensing regulation (press release, 26 June 2024) Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament Commission’s proposal on compulsory licensing for crisis management SMEI / IMERA: Council and Parliament strike a provisional deal on crisis preparedness (press release, 1 February 2024) Internal market emergency and resilience act How the EU responds to crises and builds resilience (background information) EU single market (background information) Intellectual property (background information)   Visit the website  Council of the EU   27/10/2025 10:29 | Press release | Strengthening representation of EU workers in multinational companies: Council greenlights revision of the European works council directive   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 rules The 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 steps The 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. Background EWCs 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. Text of the directive Strengthening representation of EU workers in multinational companies: Council and Parliament reach agreement on the revision of the European works council directive (press release, 21 May 2025)   Visit the website     Press material Monday, 27 October 2025     ● European Council   27/10/2025 07:04 | Statements and remarks | Press statement by President Costa following his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang   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.   Visit the website