UPDATE - Statement by President von der Leyen - UPDATE
DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 10 April 2025
Statement by President von der Leyen
“We took note of the announcement by President Trump.We want to give negotiations a chance.
While finalising the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our Member States, we will put them on hold for 90 days.
If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in. Preparatory work on further countermeasures continues.
As I have said before, all options remain on the table.”
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_1036
CALENDAR - UPDATE
Calendrier du lundi 7 avril 2025 au dimanche 13 avril 2025
FRIDAY 11/04
Ms Dubravka Šuica in Nicosia, Cyprus,
Presidential Palace
09:30 – 10:00 meets with Mr Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus;
[followed by Press point / exit doorstep]
Deputy Ministry for European Affairs
10:30 -11:15 meets with Ms Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus;
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
11:30 – 12:30 meets with Mr Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus;
House of Representatives
Mr Costas Kadis in Nicosia Cyprus;
Cyprus Institute premises (Aglantzia)
12:00 -12:45 meets with Mr Stavros Malas, President of Cyprus Institute and members of the board;
Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth
13.30 -14:30 meeting with Minister Athena Michaelidou and with students for the presentation of the project ‘Exploration of the Oceans’, at the first Lego League Cyprus Robotics Competition 2025
Commissioner Šuica in Cyprus to discuss the New Pact for the Mediterranean, regional developments and energy aspects
Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica is travelling to Cyprus on Friday 11 April to discuss current work on the New Pact for the Mediterranean, regional developments and energy aspects. Being a key regional player in East Mediterranean, Middle East and the Gulf, Cyprus active role and expertise in the region is valuable for promoting cooperation and strengthening mutually beneficial relations. On Friday, the Commissioner will meet with Mr Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus; Dr Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus; Ms Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus.
Moving towards healthier soils in Europe
The Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission's proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive.
The Soil Monitoring Law will put the EU on a pathway to healthy soils for the benefit of citizens, farmers, land managers and the environment.
This is an important step to address the pressing challenges on soil health that impact every European country, the resilience of our food chain and the wider economy. The new law will also help to enhance the resilience of soils to natural disasters, heatwaves and extreme weather events, as well as other critical environmental challenges, such as erosion, contamination, and biodiversity loss.
The primary objective of the new directive is to introduce a framework to monitor soil health across the EU that is pragmatic and flexible, and based on national soil monitoring systems. Given the complexity of soil, the directive leaves a lot of flexibility to the Member States to adapt their approach to local soil conditions.
In line with the simplification agenda, the stepwise and pragmatic approach of the directive will keep the burden for Member States low. The agreement also extended most deadlines for the stepwise implementation of the directive proposed by the Commission. Furthermore, those Member States in need will be able to get the assistance of the Commission to undertake soil sampling, testing and archiving. The directive will also not impose obligations on monitoring or improving soil health and resilience on landowners and land managers, including farmers.
Specific measures to guarantee healthier soils
The agreement reached today provides for the following key measures to be taken by the Member States:
Establish a comprehensive and harmonised, yet flexible, soil health monitoring framework with criteria for healthy soil;
Provide support to soil managers to improve soil health and resilience;
Mitigate the impacts of land take, such as buildings and infrastructures, on soil's capacity to provide other ecosystem services while not preventing the permitting of such activities;
Identify potentially contaminated sites and manage them to eliminate risks for human health and the environment while respecting the ‘polluter pays' principle.
Next steps
The European Parliament and the Council will now formally have to adopt the new Directive before it can enter into force. It will then enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU, after which Member States will be required to put in place the national framework within 3 years for the directive to operate.
Background
The Commission adopted its proposal for the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive on 5 July 2023. The Directive is a key element of the European Green Deal, the Soil Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
Soil degradation and contamination pose significant risks to food security and safety, biodiversity, resilience to climate and extreme weather events. Currently 60 to 70% of soils in the EU are in unhealthy state. As an example, a billion tonnes of soil are washed away every year due to erosion, resulting in an estimated annual agricultural productivity loss of €1,25 billion. Costs associated with soil degradation are estimated at over €50 billion per year.
Making soil data available will support innovation, technological and organisational solutions, notably in farming practices. It will help farmers and other landowners implement the most appropriate treatment methods and help them increase soil fertility and yields, while minimising water and nutrient consumption. In addition, this data will improve our understanding of trends on droughts, water retention and erosion, strengthening disaster prevention and management. Healthy soils and better data provide additional income opportunities for farmers and land managers, who can be rewarded for carbon farming, receive payments for ecosystem services or for increasing the value of healthy soils and food produced on them.
For More Information
Commission's proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (5 July 2023)
Commission website on soil and land
Quote(s)
The agreement marks an important step in addressing the risks that the EU faces due to soil degradation for our food security, mitigating the impacts of climate change and socio-economic prosperity in all our regions and cities alike. The law will particularly benefit our farmers and soil managers by providing them with support and better knowledge of soil conditions, while not imposing obligations on them. We will continue to work with Member States, farmers, foresters and other soil managers to mobilise the necessary support and engagement to safeguard this fundamental resource for future generations.
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
EU announces €282.5 million in humanitarian aid for Chad and Sudan crisis
The Commission has announced today €282.5 million in EU humanitarian aid to address the needs of the most vulnerable people in Chad, Sudan and neighbouring countries. Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib is today in Chad, where she is visiting several EU-funded projects in the country, including those assisting Sudanese refugees.
In Chad, €74.5 million will support the response to the forced displacement crisis in Lake Chad province, as well as the influx of Sudanese refugees and returnees to the east of the country. Funding will be used for food and nutrition assistance, protection for vulnerable individuals and families, health care and essential medicines, water, sanitation, and hygiene services, shelter for displaced populations, education, and multisectoral rapid response.
In Sudan, €160 million will support people in regions severely affected by conflict, with focus on areas facing famine and severe food insecurity and hosting large forcibly displaced populations. Assistance includes addressing food insecurity through cash assistance, healthcare and nutrition services, water and sanitation, shelter support, protection and education.
A further €48 million will support refugees, returnees and host communities in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Libya, to respond to the spillover effects of Sudanese crisis in neighbouring countries, where almost 4 million people have already sought refuge.
Out of the total amount announced today, €140 million is subject to the approval of the budgetary authorities.
Commissioner Lahbib will also meet in Chad EU humanitarian partners, national authorities and civil society organisations to discuss humanitarian challenges and needs.
Chad faces overlapping natural and manmade humanitarian crises, with 7 million people needing humanitarian aid in 2025. Humanitarian needs are soaring due to a protracted crisis in the Lake Province, unprecedented food insecurity and a mass influx of refugees and returning Chadians from Sudan.
Even before the beginning of the armed conflict Sudan in April 2023, Chad hosted one of the region's largest refugee populations. With nearly 1 million new arrivals, the total forcibly displaced now exceeds 1.3 million, including over 1.1 million Sudanese refugees, as well as refugees from the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Cameroon, and 220.000 returning Chadians.
With more than 15 million forcibly displaced individuals, the Sudan crisis is the largest displacement crisis in the world, significantly affecting its neighbouring countries that have already taken in more than 3.7 million displaced persons. In December, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) had projected that 24.6 million people would experience acute food insecurity, including famine, in Sudan by May 2025. These already critical levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition are now expected to deteriorate and expand even before May due to the ongoing conflict, displacement, the early start of the peak season, limited access and cuts in funding. More than 30 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance, 9 million of whom are in Darfur, and can only be reached through cross-border assistance via Chad.
In 2024, the EU allocated almost €260 million to the Sudan crisis for Sudan and its neighbouring countries. This included €147 million for the response inside Sudan.
To draw global attention to the crisis, the EU will co-host the London Sudan Conference, together with the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the African Union, on 15 April 2025, two years since the start of the armed conflict.
Chad - European Commission
Sudan - European Commission
With conflict still raging in Sudan, humanitarian needs in the whole region are soaring. Neighbouring countries, grappling with their own challenges, are under immense pressure and the recent surge in fighting is likely to cause even more people to flee across borders. During my mission to Chad, I witnessed firsthand the scale and impact of this crisis, in which the most vulnerable bear the brunt. Since the eruption of war in Sudan, the European Union has stepped up its support and today’s aid package reaffirms our unwavering commitment to address this crisis, providing crucial humanitarian assistance and extending support to neighbouring countries in their time of need.
Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management
EU and Ukraine extend Road Transport Agreement until end 2025
To facilitate Ukraine's access to global markets by enabling smoother transit through EU countries and strengthening trade links with the EU market, the EU and Ukraine have extended their Road Transport Agreement until 31 December 2025.
Since the Agreement's implementation on 29 June 2022, it has significantly boosted road trade between Ukraine and the EU, benefiting both economies.
Thanks to its extension in June 2024, there has been a further boost in trade.
Since the Agreement came into force, EU imports from Ukraine by road have increased by 42% in volume and 28% in value, while EU exports to Ukraine grew by 37% in volume and 50% in value. This expansion in trade underscores the Agreement's effectiveness in fostering economic cooperation between the EU and Ukraine.
The Agreement between the EU and Ukraine has yielded significant results since its application signature. Notably, Ukrainian road exports have substantially increased, resulting in over 200,000 additional tonnes of goods being exported monthly to the EU.
Likewise, Ukrainian imports from the EU have risen by 200,000 tonnes per month.
Originally signed on 29 June 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Agreement facilitates Ukraine's access to global markets by enabling smoother transit through EU countries and strengthening trade links with the EU market.
On 20 June 2024, the Agreement was extended until 30 June 2025, with a provision for automatic six-month renewals, unless one of the parties raises an objection at least three months in advance and provides clear evidence of major disruptions to its road transport market.
Originally introduced to mitigate the impact of lost transport routes and markets in eastern Ukraine due to the Russian aggression, the Agreement is crucial in supporting the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, facilitating the transport of vital goods like fuel and humanitarian aid, while enabling Ukrainian exports such as grain, ores, and steel to reach the EU and beyond.
The 20 June 2024 extension introduced measures for stronger enforcement by Member States and mechanisms to address market disturbances, including a dedicated working group for compliance monitoring.
A similar agreement exists between the EU and Moldova.
Researchers and innovators invited to shape Europe's AI Strategy in Science
The European Strategy for Artificial intelligence (AI) in Science will accelerate the responsible use of AI. It will help scientists across the EU to adopt AI more easily and enhance research in key areas like climate change, health, clean technologies, and more. The Commission has launched two key consultations, inviting researchers and the research and innovation community to contribute through a call for evidence and a targeted questionnaire.
The Strategy will also lead to the creation of a European AI Research Council. This Council will take the form of a Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE), which will pool resources for scientists developing and applying AI in the EU and drive the advancement of AI in and through science in Europe.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said:
"Scientists and researchers are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence to gain insights and make ground-breaking discoveries. Europe needs to lead this transformation, so I invite the community to take part in the consultations and help design a strategy that supports European science as the bedrock of our competitiveness."
The use of AI is advancing scientific fields like astronomy, medical diagnostics, drug discovery, materials science and climate modelling. The strategy will build on these successes by improving access to AI tools and computing infrastructure, while attracting talent and investments to fully leverage the potential of AI. This will also drive innovation and boost EU competitiveness.
An updated edition of the European Research Area Forum ‘Living Guidelines on the responsible use of Generative AI in research' has also been published today. This ensures that the EU research and innovation community has up-to-date guidance to responsibly embrace this fast-changing technology.
Both consultations, the call for evidence and the targeted questionnaire, will be open until 5 June 2025.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel. + 32 2 299 10 99; Nika Blazevic — Tel. + 32 2 299 27 17)
EU and Egypt successfully conclude negotiations on opening research and innovation funding to Egypt through Horizon Europe
The Commission and the Arab Republic of Egypt have successfully concluded negotiations on Egypt's association to Horizon Europe, allowing Egyptian researchers to access the EU's flagship research and innovation funding programme. The Agreement is expected to be signed by November 2025, with its entry into force subject to final validations by both parties.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said: "Egypt's association to Horizon Europe will drive progress in key sectors like energy, food security, and digital transition, creating new opportunities for innovation."
Association to Horizon Europe is the deepest form of collaboration offered by the EU in research and innovation. Once signed, the agreement will enable Egyptian researchers and organisations to participate on equivalent terms as entities established in EU Member States.
Egypt will be the second North African country fully associated to Horizon Europe after Tunisia.
You can find more information online.
Commission announces IPCEI Design Support Hub and endorses project candidate on innovative nuclear technologies at Joint European Forum
The European Commission yesterday (9 April) announced the launch of a Design Support Hub for Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), within which it will work closely with Member States to shape and design IPCEI candidates following their endorsement.
The Hub's work will allow Member States to directly assign candidates in line with IPCEI rules, which will accelerate the entire process. The launch of the Hub follows the Clean Industrial Deal Communication, published on 26 February 2025.
The launch was announced during a high-level meeting of the Joint European Forum on Important Projects of Common European Interest (JEF-IPCEI). The Forum was attended by Executive Vice-Presidents Teresa Ribera and Stéphane Séjourné and high-level representatives of the Member States.
Discussion at the forum further focused on (i) possible improvements to further simplify and speed up the IPCEI process; (ii) how to use IPCEIs to achieve the objectives set out in the Clean Industrial Deal; and (iii) options to facilitate EU co-financing of IPCEI projects.
The Forum also endorsed the launch of the design phase of a new potential IPCEI candidate on innovative nuclear technologies. Interested Member States will develop its scope and structure with support of the new IPCEI Design Support Hub.
More information about the meeting is available on the JEF-IPCEI webpage.
(For more information: Lea Zuber – Tel.: +32 2 295 62 98; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774)
Commissioner Roswall participates in Implementation Dialogue to streamline environmental assessments and permitting
Today's Implementation Dialogue, hosted by Commissioner Roswall, will focus on streamlining permitting, including environmental assessments, to allow for more efficient management of projects and investments. The meeting, taking place in Brussels, gathers representatives from the industry, civil society and Member States' authorities.
During today's dialogue, participants will notably discuss national implementation of the existing legal framework concerning environmental assessments and environmental permitting. In addition, they will share their best practices and gather ideas on the potential for simplification of administrative procedures.
Accelerating permitting processes is key to strengthening Europe's industrial competitiveness during the green transition. In line with the Clean Industrial Deal, today's Implementation Dialogue highlights the importance of working together for a decarbonised and competitive European industry. This is an opportunity to align implementation with realities on the ground.
Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, said: “Today's Implementation Dialogue enables an open discussion with stakeholders to identify the potential challenges of implementation and simplification solutions. By working together, we can make procedures simpler, faster, and lighter, while keeping high environmental standards. This is crucial for our common goal: fostering Europe's competitiveness while preserving our environment and health.”
You can find more information on today's Implementation Dialogue online.
(For more information: Maciej Berestecki — Tel.: + 32 2 296 64 83; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 2 295 46 73)
Statement by President von der Leyen on US tariffs
“I welcome President Trump's announcement to pause reciprocal tariffs. It's an important step towards stabilizing the global economy.
Clear, predictable conditions are essential for trade and supply chains to function.
Tariffs are taxes that only hurt businesses and consumers. That's why I've consistently advocated for a zero-for-zero tariff agreement between the European Union and the United States.
The European Union remains committed to constructive negotiations with the United States, with the goal of achieving frictionless and mutually beneficial trade.
At the same time, Europe continues to focus on diversifying its trade partnerships, engaging with countries that account for 87% of global trade and share our commitment to a free and open exchange of goods, services, and ideas.
Finally, we are stepping up our work to lift barriers in our own single market. This crisis has made one thing clear: in times of uncertainty, the single market is our anchor of stability and resilience.
My team and I will continue to work day and night to protect European consumers, workers and businesses. Together, Europeans will emerge stronger from this crisis.”