DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 26 January 2026
Commission approves second wave of SAFE defence funding for eight Member States
Following, the approval of the first wave of defence funding, the European Commission has cleared a second group of national defence plans under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, marking another major step in making the Union safer. The Commission submitted a proposal to the Council to approve financial assistance for Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Finland.
This decision follows a rigorous assessment of the countries' "National Defence Investment Plans" under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative. The Commission is opening the door for the first wave of low-cost, long-term loans to be released, allowing these nations to urgently scale up their military readiness and acquire needed modern defence equipment. The framework also deepens Ukraine's integration into the EU's security ecosystem, ensuring that European support remains both agile and sustainable.
The funding levels for each country were provisionally set in September, based on principles of solidarity and transparency. This group of eight Member States are entitled to around €74 billion after the loan agreements will be signed. These funds will provide a vital boost to strategic capabilities where they are needed most.
Next steps
With the Commission's assessment complete, the Council now has four weeks to adopt the implementing decisions. Once approved, the Commission will finalize the loan agreements, with the first payments expected to hit the ground in March 2026. The Commission continues its assessment of the plans for the remaining Member States.
Background
The SAFE Regulation was adopted on 27 May 2025, as part of the Readiness 2030, an ambitious defence package providing financial levers to EU Member States to drive an investment surge in defence capabilities.
SAFE will allow Member States to immediately and massively scale up their defence investments through joint procurement from the European defence industry, focusing on priority capabilities. This will contribute to ensuring interoperability, predictability, and reducing costs for a strong European defence industrial base. Ukraine and EFTA/EEA countries will be able to join common procurement, and it will be possible to buy from their industries.
SAFE will also allow acceding countries, candidate countries, potential candidates and countries having signed Security and Defence Partnerships with the EU to join common procurement and contribute to aggregated demand. They can also negotiate specific, mutually beneficial agreements on the participation of their respective industries in such procurement.
For more information
White Paper for European Defence and the ReArm Europe Plan- Readiness 2030
SAFE
Quote(s)
Europe is ramping up its own defence and security. In today’s geopolitical reality, we need to act fast. With this second round of funding, we are taking a massive step toward making our Union safer and more self-reliant. We are building a stronger backbone for European security and standing firmly beside our partners in Ukraine.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
With this second batch of SAFE investments, Europe is finally backing its security ambitions with the necessary financial weight. We are no longer just drafting strategies; we are building a hard-power reality. With SAFE we incentivize Member States to procure jointly, seek speed, scale and efficiency. This is a clear signal to European industry and our adversaries alike: Europe is serious about its strength and sovereignty, our militaries need the best and on time.
Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space
Commission launches task force to strengthen import controls on food safety
The European Commission today established a Task Force to maintain and reinforce the EU's ability to ensure imports meet Union standards, while supporting the jobs and growth of EU producers.
The Task Force will focus in particular on food and feed safety, pesticide residues and coordinated EU monitoring actions on specific imported products. It brings together expertise from the Commission and Member States, and will contribute to:
The central goal of the European Commission's Food Safety policy is to ensure the highest levels of protection for human, animal and plant health by guaranteeing safe, nutritious food for EU consumers, as well as the highest standards for animal feed.
Strict import rules with respect to food and feed hygiene, consumer safety and animal and plant health status aim at assuring that all imports fulfil the same high standards as products from the EU itself. Import controls are crucial in verifying compliance of food and feed products with relevant requirements. EU rules apply to all products sold in the EU, whether produced domestically or imported.
The formal launch of the Task Force happened in the margins of today's Council, and builds on the Implementation Dialogue on import controls held last December, when the Commission announced a reinforcement of its actions in this area.
The EU has robust food and feed safety legislation that ensures food and feed that is imported from third countries is safe for our citizens. National authorities are responsible for carrying out the checks on imports that arrive from third countries to assess their compliance with EU food and feed safety rules. The Commission performs audits on the third countries to assess the countries' systems and their reliability, while also working closely with the veterinary and customs authorities in the Member States.
Official controls and enforcement (Food Safety)
Questions and answers: Import controls of food and feed
European citizens already benefit from the highest food safety standards in the world. These rules protect human health, animal health and welfare, plant health, and the environment. Whether food comes from nearby or from across the world, the rule is the same: any product entering the Union must meet our standards, without exception. This is essential for citizens and for farmers, who expect fair competition. Import controls are crucial and the Task Force launched today, in line with the Vision for Agriculture and Food, will help us in reinforcing import controls by ensuring that strong rules are matched by more consistent and effective implementation across the Union.
Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare
Commission investigates Grok and X's recommender systems under the Digital Services Act
The European Commission has launched a new formal investigation against X under the Digital Services Act (DSA). In parallel, the Commission extended its ongoing investigation launched in December 2023 into X's compliance with its recommender systems risk management obligations.
The new investigation will assess whether the company properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok's functionalities into X in the EU. This includes risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material.
These risks seem to have materialised, exposing citizens in the EU to serious harm. In light of this, the Commission will further investigate whether X complies with its DSA obligations to:
Separately, the Commission has extended its ongoing formal proceedings opened against X in December 2023 to establish whether X has properly assessed and mitigated all systemic risks, as defined in the DSA, associated with its recommender systems, including the impact of its recently announced switch to a Grok-based recommender system.
If proven, these failures would constitute infringements of Articles 34(1) and (2), 35(1) and 42(2) of the DSA. The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority. The opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome.
In preparing for this investigation, the Commission has closely collaborated with Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish Digital Services Coordinator. Further, Coimisiún na Meán will be associated to this investigation, pursuant to Article 66(3), as the national Digital Services Coordinator in the country of establishment in the EU.
The Commission will continue to gather evidence, for example by sending additional requests for information, conducting interviews or inspections, and may impose interim measures in the absence of meaningful adjustments to the X service.
The opening of formal proceedings empowers the Commission to take further enforcement steps, such as adopting a non-compliance decision. The Commission is also empowered to accept any commitment made by X to remedy the matters subject to the proceeding.
The opening of formal proceedings relieves Digital Services Coordinators, or any other competent authority of EU Member States, of their powers to supervise and enforce the DSA in relation to the suspected infringements.
Grok is an artificial intelligence (‘AI') tool developed by the provider of X. Since 2024, X has deployed Grok in its platform in various ways. These deployments, for example, enable users to generate text and images and to provide contextual information to users' posts.
As a designated very large online platform (VLOP) under the DSA, X has the obligations to assess and mitigate any potential systemic risks related to its services in the EU. These risks include the spread of illegal content and potential threats to fundamental rights, including of minors, posed by its platform and features.
This investigation complements and extends the investigation launched on 18 December 2023, which focuses on the functioning of X's notice and action mechanism, its mitigation measures against illegal content, such as terrorist material, in the EU, and risks associated with its recommender systems.
These proceedings covered also the use of deceptive design, the lack of advertising transparency and insufficient data access for researchers, for which the Commission adopted a non-compliance decision on 5 December 2025, fining X €120 million. On 19 September, the Commission sent to X a request for information related to Grok, including also questions in relation to the antisemitic content generated by @grok in mid-2025.
Help and support is available at national level for individuals who have been negatively affected by AI-generated images, including child sexual abuse material or non-consensual intimate images. Under the DSA, citizens have the right to make a complaint about a breach of the DSA to the Digital Services Coordinator of their Member State.
Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation. With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated rights of European citizens - including those of women and children - as collateral damage of its service.
Commission to examine European Citizens' Initiative called ‘Stop Destroying Videogames'
Today, the European Citizens' Initiative called ‘Stop Destroying Videogames' was submitted by its organisers to the European Commission. Following its registration in June 2024, the initiative obtained 1,294,188 validated statements of support from EU citizens and reached required thresholds in 24 Member States, making it the 14th valid initiative that will be examined by the Commission. According to the ECI Regulation, when the Commission receives a valid initiative with at least 1 million certified statements of support, the Commission is required to start an examination process and issue a reply within 6 months.
The organisers of the initiative call on the Commission to introduce a requirement for publishers selling or licensing videogames in the EU to leave such games in a functional state, so as to prevent publishers from remotely disabling videogames.
The Commission has until 27 July 2026 to present its official reply, outlining the actions it intends to take, if any. The Commission will meet the organisers to discuss the initiative in detail in the coming weeks. A public hearing will then be organised by the European Parliament.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Antoine Lomba: +32 460 76 56 15)
Commission seeks views on future voluntary certification for carbon farming
The European Commission has launched a public consultation to collect views on proposed certification methodologies for carbon farming activities. Carbon farming includes practices that help store more carbon in forests and soils and can provide extra income for farmers and forest owners.
To help land managers scale up climate-friendly practices such as rewetting and restoring peatlands or adopting soil protection measures, the Commission is developing certification methodologies designed to provide them with result-based payments for their climate action. These payments will supplement their income and encourage a transition towards more resilient and sustainable production systems.
In 2024, the EU introduced its first EU-wide voluntary framework for certifying carbon removals, carbon farming activities, and carbon storage in products. The goal is to apply the same standards across Europe and to make climate mitigation efforts clearer, more transparent and easier to verify.
Farmers, businesses, and other interested parties involved in carbon farming activities are invited to provide feedback to the consultation available on the Have Your Say portal until 19 February 2026. In addition, the proposed rules will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the Carbon Removal Expert Group on 5 February 2026. Overall feedback will be valuable contributions towards the final voluntary certification for carbon farming.
More information on the carbon farming methodologies consultation is available online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen - Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Ana Crespo Parrondo - Tel.: +32 2 298 13 25)
Statement by President von der Leyen ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
“Tomorrow, we mark the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. We remember and pay tribute to the six million Jewish women, men and children murdered in the Holocaust, as well as all the other innocent victims of the Nazi regime. These lives were brutally ended by an ideology of hatred but their memory shall endure as moral testament to humanity and as a permanent warning.
Three generations after the Shoah, Holocaust remembrance is increasingly important. Holocaust distortion is being used to divide us, to relativise crime and to fuel antisemitism. Let us be clear: nothing can ever justify distorting, minimising or instrumentalising one of the darkest chapters in Europe's history.
We have witnessed a spike of antisemitic acts all over Europe, forcing many Jews to hide their identity and live in fear. This is unacceptable. There is no place and no justification for antisemitism.
We stand with our European Jewish communities. Jewish life in Europe must be able to thrive, not hide. Europe must be a safe place for Jews and people of all faiths. We continue to implement the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life together with all EU Member States. To tackle antisemitism online, we are developing a network of trusted flaggers. We are working to prevent radicalisation, ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups online and strengthening security measures to protect public spaces and places of worship from attacks.
We are now reaching the end of the so-called 'era of the witness'. As the last survivors pass away, our responsibility increases. We must find new ways to remember the atrocities, to tell the truth of what happened and to learn from the past. To this end, we are safeguarding the Holocaust sites and strengthening their visibility and recognition across generations.
Remembrance is not a given. It depends on us. We must pass on the lessons of the Shoah and build a Europe free from antisemitism and all forms of hatred. Holocaust remembrance must remain accurate, relevant and meaningful. This is our shared responsibility and our enduring commitment as Europeans.”
In October 2024, the European Commission published its progress report on the first-ever EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, adopted in October 2021, to support EU Member States and civil society in the fight against antisemitism and in fostering Jewish life in the EU. Holocaust remembrance is an essential pillar of ensuring that we never forget our history. In February 2024, the Commission launched an initiative to foster remembrance of the Holocaust by developing the Network of Places Where the Holocaust Happened, to use memorial sites for educational purposes and ensure they are safeguarded.
On 20 January, the Commission presented its new EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030 which calls for a Europe free from racism, where individuals can thrive, fully participate in society and contribute to its stability and prosperity. The Strategy aims to combat all forms of racism, including antisemitism.
The Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia ensures that serious manifestations of racism and xenophobia – this includes publicly condoning, denying or trivialising the Holocaust – are punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal sanctions. The Commission is also taking measures to stop the spread of disinformation about the Holocaust, online and offline.
The Commission and EU Member States have committed to work against antigypsyism as part of the EU Roma Strategic Framework and the Council Recommendation on Roma. A first assessment report of the Member States' National Roma Strategic Frameworks was adopted on 9 January 2023.
As part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, the Commission will provide over €28 million of EU funding to support projects on European Remembrance in 2026-2027. Priority will be given, among others, to projects that aim to strengthen Holocaust remembrance, education and research or combat Holocaust denial and distortion. With the support of the Erasmus+ programme, and as part of the EU-funded project ‘Addressing antisemitism through education', UNESCO is launching a survey of teachers' knowledge and understanding of antisemitism.
On 14 January 2026, as part of its efforts to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Commission organised the Holocaust remembrance conference ‘Remembering the Past. Shaping the Future', in partnership with the Cypriot Presidency of the Council and Brussels-based Jewish umbrella organisations.
EU actions to combat antisemitism
European space industry and strategic autonomy top the agenda at 18th European Space Conference
Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Commissioner Kubilius attend the 18th European Space Conference tomorrow and Wednesday. There, they will highlight the critical role of space infrastructure in Europe's defence, security, and industrial competitiveness. The event will gather EU leaders, heads of space agencies, and industry representatives to discuss the future of the EU space programme and to debate Europe's strategic priorities in this area.
The discussions come at an important moment for Europe's ability to act independently in space. Talks will focus on how to ensure secure and reliable access to space and the "make-or-break" decade ahead for the European space industrial base. Key topics include negotiations of the next long-term EU budget and its competitiveness fund, plans for the future EU Space Programme and recent decisions taken by the ESA Ministerial Council meeting.
The conference will also cover space and defence cooperation, national space strategies, the resilience of Europe's satellite systems and the deployment of GovSatCom and IRIS² for secure governmental communications.
Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, will deliver the opening address on Tuesday morning to present the Commission's vision for integrating space into Europe's wide security and defence approach. He will also lead a discussion on the "Digital Ocean," together with Commissioners Costas and Kadis, and take part in a dialogue with students and young professionals.
On Wednesday, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen will give a keynote speech on technology sovereignty and security. The program also includes discussions between European military and defence leaders on the growing link between space capabilities and space defence readiness. On the same day, Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva will deliver a keynote address on the importance of research, development and innovation for space.
The event will also be an opportunity to discuss support for European space start-ups and investments tools, such as the CASSINI investment facility, aimed at helping the sector grow and innovate.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Marine Strauss – Tel: +32 2 298 91 03)
EU and Jordan discuss business and investment opportunities ahead of investment conference in April
The European Commission and Jordan are hosting an investment meeting today in Brussels, bringing together senior EU and Jordanian representatives. The meeting follows the EU–Jordan Summit held on 8 January and helps prepare for an investment conference that will take place in April in Amman. It is part of a broader strategic partnership agreement between the EU and Jordan signed earlier last year.
At today's roundtable, participants will discuss next steps to increase investment opportunities in Jordan. This event is the first of a series of meetings that the Jordanian government will co-organise in the upcoming months across European capitals, ahead of the EU-Jordan Investment Conference. The aim is to strengthen dialogue with European investors and financial institutions and to present investment opportunities especially in key sectors such as water, energy, digital, connectivity, transport and the industry. To support this, the EU has recently launched a single-entry point for EU companies to better understand their investment plans and challenges in the region.
The roundtable brings together the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, Yarub Qudah, Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Zeina Toukan, and Jordanian Minister of Investment, as well as representatives of European international financial institutions and European private sector organisations.
The EU-Jordan Investment Conference will be a key step under the wider strategic partnership between the EU and Jordan. This partnership is backed by a financial package of €3 billion, including €1.4 billion of investments to be mobilised with the support of EU's financial instruments.
Following the roundtable, Commissioner Šuica and Minister Toukan, will hold a press point at +/- 14:30. Watch it live on EBS. A joint statement will be published at the end of the meeting. You can find more details on EU-Jordan relation in a dedicated factsheet.
(For more information: Guillaume Mercier – Tel. +32 2 298 05 64; Luca Dilda – Tel. +32 2 295 21 53)
Commissioner McGrath in South America to advance partnerships on data protection, judicial cooperation and democracy
Today, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, travels to Brazil to conclude the EU-Brazil mutual adequacy framework for the free and safe flow of personal data, benefitting a combined 670 million consumers across the EU and Brazil.
During his visit, Commissioner McGrath will meet with Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, as well as with Minister of Justice and Public Security, Wellington César Lima e Silva, with whom he will discuss further avenues of judicial cooperation. He will also meet with Minister of State of the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, Sidônio Cardoso to share their experiences in promoting democratic resilience. In addition, Commissioner McGrath will meet with the Director-President of Brazil's National Data Protection Authority, as well as with representatives of Brazilian and European companies to discuss the advantages of free flow of data between the EU and Brazil.
To mark the adoption of the adequacy decision with Brazil, and ahead of World Data Protection Day, Commissioner McGrath will participate in a ceremony which will take place tomorrow at 20:00 CET. After Brazil, the Commissioner will travel to Colombia for two days to discuss topics related to data protection and judicial cooperation. Commissioner McGrath will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yolanda Villavicencio, and the Acting Minister of Justice, Andrés Idárraga, as well as with European and Colombian companies. He will also deliver a speech on defending democracy in the information age in the context of a roundtable with youth representatives at the Pontifical Javeriana University.
(For more information: Markus Lammert – Tel: +32 2 296 75 33; Antoine Lomba – Tel: +32 2 299 32 33)
EU and Council of Europe agree to set up an advance team for the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine
The European Union and the Council of Europe have signed an agreement on the financing of an advance team to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe.
The aim of the joint project is to create a team to prepare the institutional, logistical and organisational foundations of the Special Tribunal, which will have the mandate to prosecute senior political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The joint project will be managed by the Council of Europe. It will lay the groundwork for the election of the Special Tribunal's judges and prosecutor, and the development of the tribunal's rules of procedure and evidence, as well as its court management system.
The advance team will also support stakeholder engagements to bolster support for the Special Tribunal.
The European Union will contribute with €10 million to the Special Tribunal Advance Team (STAT) project through the European Commission's Service for Foreign Policy Instruments.
The project will last for a maximum of 24 months, or until the work can be funded via the future Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal.
Unpunished crimes only encourage future atrocities. The European Union’s release of the first €10 million to help set up a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is a concrete step towards justice. Russia’s leaders are responsible for this war, and they must be held accountable. There can be no impunity.
Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission
Our support for Ukraine is unwavering. The Special Tribunal is essential to ensuring a just and lasting peace by holding Russia accountable for its crime of aggression. There can be no durable peace without justice, and no justice without accountability. Today, we move one step closer to turning these principles into action.
Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection
Today’s agreement is a major step towards ensuring justice and accountability for the people of Ukraine, without which there can be no lasting peace. The Council of Europe will determinedly work together with the European Union and other key partners around the world to uphold the values that we hold dear, to ensure respect for international law and to make sure that violence and impunity do not prevail.
Alain Berset, Council of Europe Secretary General
Commission hosts European Startup and Scaleup Forum
Today, the European Commission is hosting the third European Startup and Scaleup Forum in Brussels. The gathering unites founders, investors, and industry leaders from across Europe to evaluate the progress of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy eight months after its launch.
Discussions focus on the initiatives which are underway, such as the European Business Wallet of November 2025 to simplify cross border businesses via a single digital identity as well as the call for proposals to establish a robust network of European Startup & Scaleup Hubs set to transform the continent's business ecosystem, with the winning consortium expected to be unveiled in June 2026.
Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva said: “Trust in Europe's ability to deliver for our startups and scaleups was fragile when we met last year. Since then, my focus has been clear: to act, to deliver, and to turn ambition into results. Because if we get this right, we can build the business environment you are asking for: one where founders and investors have the means, the opportunities and the support they deserve, and where their success becomes Europe's success.”
The EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy was adopted in May 2025 and includes a comprehensive set of actions to make the EU a better place to launch and grow technology-driven innovative companies.
(For more information: Maciej Berestecki — Tel.: + 32 2 299 66483; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel.: 32 229-52117)