DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 22 May 2026
Press invitations:
15:00 Nicosia General Hospital [Nicosia General Hospital Press Room ] – statement to the PRESS by Cssr Valdis Dombrovskis,
(project visit includes photovoltaic park of the General Hospital, Invasive Radiology Unit, Cyprus Blood Establishment in Geri )
Commission launches €16.5 million call to dismantle criminal networks
Yesterday, the European Commission published a call for proposals to co-fund projects aiming to fight organised crime and drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings. With a budget of €16.55 million, it will support police forces and law enforcement more broadly, but also civil society and other public and private bodies working to dismantle criminal networks and their business models. The call is open from 21 May until 3 September 2026.
The call will support projects focusing on improving the intelligence picture on criminal networks; facilitating cross border investigations and financial investigations; supporting crime prevention measures tackling criminal infiltration; and dismantling organised criminal networks engaged in trafficking in human beings in the EU.
The fight against organised crime is a priority for the EU. Organised criminal groups are a threat to Europe. They resort to violence, corruption and intimidation to make huge profits while hiding their assets through complex schemes outside of the formal financial system and then using laundered assets to infiltrate the legal economy.
Drug trafficking, including its production, is one of the most profitable crimes which causes violence, harms health and damages the environment. Trafficking in human beings, is the second most widespread illicit economy in the world, claiming about 10,000 victims in the EU per year. It is often linked to other crimes, such as drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, organised property crime, money laundering and document fraud.
This initiative supports the implementation of the EU Internal Security Strategy (ProtectEU), the EU Drugs Strategy, and the Action Plan against Drug Trafficking to strengthen Europe's defences against organised crime. It is also part of the Internal Security Fund Work programme 2023-2027.
Previous projects addressed drug and human beings trafficking routes (Latin America, Caribbean and Western Balkans), AI tools for financial investigations, strengthened judicial expertise and frontline responses to child trafficking.
More information on these projects can be found online.
(For more information: Markus Lammert – Tel.: +32 2 296 75 33; Elettra Di Massa - Tel.: +32 2 298 21 61)
Commission publishes 2025 report on the Digital Markets Act implementation
The European Commission published its third annual report outlining the progress towards achieving the objectives of the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA') to support fair and contestable digital markets in the EU.
The report provides information about the progress in the open proceedings under the DMA. Some of the proceedings reached a closure with the adoption of two non-compliance decisions accompanied by fines: one on anti-steering and one related to consumers' options on the usage of their personal data. In addition, last year, the Commission set out the conditions for interoperability with connected devices, such as smartwatches or other wearables, closing two specification proceedings opened in 2024.
The Commission also opened three market investigations related to the cloud sector: two investigations on whether certain cloud computing services should be designated as gatekeepers, and a third investigation into the effectiveness of the DMA in supporting the competitiveness and fairness of the cloud computing sector, in addition to a non-compliance investigation into possible demoting of media publishers' content in search results
Additionally, the report gives the latest data on gatekeepers' reporting obligations, such as on their mergers and acquisitions, and audited descriptions of their consumer profiling techniques. It also outlines this year's activities related to cooperation across legal frameworks, including those related to the DMA High-Level Group, as well as the Commission's cooperation with authorities from third countries.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier - Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99; Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Patricia Poropat - Tel.: +32 2 298 04 85; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschütz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)
Commission launches public consultation on revision of the EU Tobacco rules
The European Commission has today launched a public consultation on the revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive. The opening of this public consultation follows and complements the call for evidence which was also published this week.
The EU Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive set out the EU rules on the manufacturing, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products, as well as their advertising and sponsorship. Both this public consultation and the call for evidence build on the Commission's recently published Evaluation of the EU tobacco control framework, which highlighted the importance of EU legislation for the protection of public health, as well as the smooth functioning of the internal market for tobacco and related products. The findings of the evaluation show that the EU rules on tobacco control have contributed to a significant decline in smoking and tobacco-related deaths across the EU. At the same time, the evaluation highlights growing challenges linked to the rapid emergence of novel tobacco and nicotine products, particularly among young people. The revision of the Directives will also support the EU's objective of achieving a tobacco-free generation by 2040.
The public consultation will run until 14/08/2026. It is a further chance for contributors to express their views and share insights on the problems to be solved, the key action areas proposed and the likely impact. It will inform the upcoming revision of the legislative framework on tobacco control, planned before the end of 2026.
Further information is available online.
(For more information: Eva Hrnčířová – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Anna Gray – Tel.: +32 2 298 08 73)
Commission publishes guidance to strengthen Europe's resilience by clarifying the application of EU water laws
The European Commission published today guidance to ensure simpler and more harmonised implementation of EU water laws by reducing uncertainties about compliance. It aims to support Europe's overall resilience agenda, which includes water resilience. This guidance is part of the Commission's efforts to support Europe's overall resilience by maintaining high standards for our waters to protect human health and the environment, while ensuring access to the critical raw materials needed for the clean transition.
The guidance provides clarity on the Water Framework Directive, supported by its so-called daughter directives – the Groundwater Directive and the Environmental Quality Standards Directive. It is part of the RESourceEU Action Plan and takes into account the objectives of the Water Resilience Strategy.
The guidance document explains how to assess the environmental impact of new projects on water quality. It focuses on projects affecting the chemical status of water bodies and rules set out in EU water laws, which already allow for lower environmental objectives.
It also explains new exemptions that are introduced through recent amendments of water legislation. They allow simplified procedures for projects that lead only to short-term deterioration or to the relocation of pollution without a net increase. The document also provides examples of how flexibilities can be applied to facilitate mining, metal processing, and other critical raw materials projects.
The European Commission will work with Member States to ensure that faster and more consistent assessments are carried out for permits relating to critical raw materials projects.
While today's guidance focuses on the mining sector, the conclusions can also be applied to other projects or activities, including those related to strategic sectors promoted under the Renewable Energy Directive III, the Chips Act, or the Net Zero Industry Act. It also complements the Commission efforts to accelerate permitting, including its proposal for a Regulation on speeding-up environmental assessments.
Background
The Water Framework Directive is the cornerstone of EU water policy, and its effective implementation is a key focus of the Water Resilience Strategy. It requires Member States to ensure that all surface water (lakes, rivers, transitional and coastal waters) and groundwater achieve good quality status by 2015 or at the latest by 2027. This deadline can also be postponed beyond 2027 under certain conditions. The WFD fitness check in 2019 confirmed the clear added value of EU action on water policy.
The EU directive revising the lists of pollutants in surface and groundwaters entered into force on 11 May 2026, ensuring that the lists are aligned with the latest scientific advice and that new substances will be monitored more closely and subject to stricter controls.
The RESourceEU Action Plan aims to secure raw materials for key industrial sectors, from automotives to industrial motors, defence to aerospace, or AI chips to data centres, all while protecting EU value chains from supply disruptions.
While providing more clarity on provisions of the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Environmental Quality Standards Directive, the guidance document does not replace, add to, or amend these provisions. It is also not legally binding.
For more information
Guidance document
Commission webpage on Water Framework Directive
Water Resilience Strategy
Quote(s)
Today’s guidance on EU water legislation is part of our efforts to speed up permitting, simplify and accelerate procedures, increase competitiveness and achieve strategic goals while maintaining high environmental standards and improving water resilience.
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 2 295 46 73
Commission awards €400 million to European projects to decarbonise heat production
oday, the European Commission has selected 65 projects under the Innovation Fund Heat Auction, the first ever EU-wide auction to accelerate the deployment of innovative clean heat technologies across European industry.
Across 10 European Economic Area countries, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, the projects will use a wide range of technologies to decarbonise industrial heat production, and accelerate the market uptake of electrified heat solutions and of heat produced directly from renewable sources.
The selected projects, with their use of innovative technologies, will avoid more than 6.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over 10 years by replacing natural gas-fuelled heat production systems. Together they are expected to produce around 16.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of decarbonised heat over their first 5 years of operation, based on a thermal capacity of 766 megawatts (MW). This is equivalent to replacing over 1.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas over five years, roughly comparable to the annual consumption of 4 million EU households.
The projects will receive a total amount of around €400 million in grants from the Innovation Fund. The money is coming from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
The support from the Innovation Fund will allow these projects to contribute to the EU's clean transition, energy independence and security and industrial competitiveness.
Selected Projects
Projects have a wide range of technology and sector portfolios. Most projects rely on direct resistance heating or indirect resistance heating. Others include technologies such as heat pumps, solar thermal, electromagnetic and dielectric heating, and hybrid technologies.
In terms of industrial off-taker sectors, projects cover pulp and paper, as well as glass, ceramics and construction materials and iron and steel, which are sectors that have so far been less represented in the Innovation Fund portfolio. Other sectors that benefit from the Heat Auction are food and beverage, textiles and pharmaceuticals.
The auction was structured around three ‘topics', based on temperature level and installation capacity:
Next steps
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will now begin the formal preparation of grant agreements with the selected projects.
This process will confirm the final conditions for financial support. Grant Agreements are expected to be signed in the second half of 2026.
Selected projects will have to reach financial close within two years of grant signature and enter into operation within four years. These commitments are backed by a completion guarantee provided by the projects to the Commission. CINEA will continue to monitor progress throughout implementation to ensure projects are delivered as planned and support is used in line with the agreed terms. The final list of signed projects under the Innovation Fund (IF25) Heat Auction is expected to be published in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Moreover, preparations for the Innovation Fund 2026 have begun, with the announcement of a second round of the Heat Auction for 2026 with a budget of €1 billion announced at the 2026 Cleantech Conference on Tuesday. The Commission plans to publish the draft Terms and Conditions for the IF26 Heat Auction by the end of May 2026 and a general Innovation Fund Stakeholders consultation event will be held on 19 June 2026.
The IF25 Heat Auction is the first EU-wide auction to tap the large potential for decarbonisation of heat production in industry. It is a pilot for the future Industrial Decarbonisation Bank. While there is considerable potential across all industrial sectors, the uptake of decarbonised solutions for process heat production is still slow. The auction covers technologies such as heat pumps, electric boilers and furnaces, as well as solar thermal, geothermal and thermal energy storage, and was open to projects from all industrial sectors.
With a total of 85 applications submitted, this first auction for the decarbonisation of industrial heat received a strong and encouraging response from industry. Project size and grant requests from the 65 successful projects ranged from 3 MWth to 45 MWth, and from €444 000 to €37.1 million.
The Innovation Fund has an estimated total budget of €40 billion from the EU Emissions Trading System for the period from 2020 to 2030. It creates financial incentives for companies and public authorities to invest in cutting-edge net-zero technologies and support Europe's transition to climate neutrality. The Innovation Fund has already awarded grants to around 260 innovative projects across the EEA.
For More Information
List of selected projects
News: Innovation Fund 2025 auctions attract almost €10 billion of bids from European industry for decarbonisation support
News: Launch of three new funding opportunities under the Innovation Fund
EU Funding and Tenders Portal
Innovation Fund projects dashboard
IF25 Heat Auction Call
IF25 Hydrogen Auction Call
Innovation Fund
This is a real game changer for EU decarbonisation. The projects span technologies from heat pumps and solar thermal to electric resistance heating. Collectively, they are expected to replace more than 1.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas over the next five years — roughly equivalent to the annual gas consumption of 4 million EU households. A win for climate, competitiveness, and energy independence.
Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Cristiana Marchitelli – Tel: +32 2 298 94 07)
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