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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13787
Contents Publication in full By article 4 / 33
Russian invasion of Ukraine / Economy/defence

‘SAFE’ instrument - European Commission approves national plans for eight EU countries

Brussels, 15/01/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 15 January, the European Commission announced that it had approved the investment plans submitted by eight Member States - Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania - out of the nineteen EU countries that made use of the European SAFE loan instrument to increase investment in the defence sector (see EUROPE B13763A2).

“Now it is urgent for the Council to approve these plans to allow fast disbursement. And...

Contents

CYPRUS PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
EU2026CY: EU will continue to cooperate with United States on Arctic security, says Ursula von der Leyen
IRAN: Iranian people have our full support, promises Ursula von der Leyen
Russian invasion of Ukraine
ENERGY: EU introduces new automatic and dynamic mechanism for adjusting price cap for Russian crude oil, set at $44.10 a barrel
ECONOMY/DEFENCE: ‘SAFE’ instrument - European Commission approves national plans for eight EU countries
SECURITY - DEFENCE
LEBANON: Ireland, Austria and Spain call for consideration of possibility of an EU army training mission
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: MEPs begin examination of European Parliament 2024 discharge
SECTORAL POLICIES
DIGITAL: X bows to EU pressure and restricts ability of AI to generate images of a sexual nature
DIGITAL: EU releases €300 million for innovative AI and robotics projects
HOME AFFAIRS: several groups in European Parliament call on EU to take firmer stance against drug trafficking
MIGRATION: 178,000 irregular border crossings recorded in 2025—lowest number since 2021
AGRICULTURE: Cyprus Presidency of EU Council opens debate on revision of Unfair Trading Practices Directive
AGRICULTURE: Christophe Hansen pledges €400 billion for agriculture over period 2028-2034
AGRICULTURE: MEP Stefano Bonaccini proposes €419.2 billion for agriculture over period 2028-2034
ENERGY: record increase in LNG imports in EU in second quarter of 2025
ENERGY: favourable reception from MEPs for new PCI/PMI list, despite questions about hydrogen projects
TRANSPORT/INDUSTRY: MEPs sceptical about European Commission’s proposals to stimulate car industry
RESEARCH: MEPs warmly welcome ‘biotech’ package aimed at boosting biotechnology in EU
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
EUROGROUP: euro area countries to seek agreement on ECB vice-presidency on 19 January
BANKS: thanks to EU rules, solvency is “one of the few competitive advantages” of EU banking system, stresses Luis de Guindos
STATE AID: Member States spent €168.23 billion on State aid in 2024, compared with €203.35 billion in 2023
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT: MEPs show initial convergence on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances in workplace
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
RULE OF LAW: secretary general of Council of Europe calls for a collective effort in a world where international law is under threat
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
TRANSPARENCY: Court of Justice rules EU country may request name and address of persons requesting environmental information
TRANSPORT: refund of price of airline ticket cancelled by airline must include commission collected by intermediary at time of purchase
JUSTICE: online gambling - a player may rely on law of their country of residence against a foreign service provider that does not hold required licence
NEWS BRIEFS
HOME AFFAIRS: President of Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides hopes for progress in 2026 on accession to Schengen area
STATE AID: European Commission approves German aid worth €200 million to prevent emission of 2.47 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent
BRAZIL: António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen to meet Brazilian president in Rio de Janeiro on 16 January
ECB: ECB vice-presidency - MEPs favour Latvian Mārtiņš Kazāks and Portuguese Mário Centeno
COLOMBIA: EU to observe Colombian legislative and presidential elections
ECONOMY: EU disburses €1 billion in macrofinancial assistance to Egypt
FINANCE: European Commission consults to facilitate operating conditions for venture capital and growth capital fund managers
MIDDLE EAST: European Commission welcomes launch of Phase Two of peace plan