Phil Hogan

In its continuing efforts to protect citizens and to coordinate the response to COVID-19, the Commission has taken immediate steps to protect the availability of supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), by requiring that exports of such equipment outside of the European Union are subject to an export authorisation by Member States, the European Commission said in a press release.

Turkey and the European Union are willing to advance bilateral trade and investment relations, Turkey's trade minister said on Dec. 20.

"We had a fruitful meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan" to address various issues of mutual interest, Ruhsar Pekcan told a press conference following her official talks in Brussels.

Emily O'Reilly remains European Ombudsman for a new five-year term. This was decided by the European Parliament at its meeting today in Strasbourg.

On Wednesday, Emily O'Reilly (Ireland) was elected European Ombudsman for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term. She was backed by 320 MEPs in a secret plenary vote.

The European Union and China agreed on Wednesday to protect 100 European regional food designations in China and 100 Chinese equivalents in the EU to spur trade, particularly of European food and drinks.

The deal will protect the names of such products as cava, Irish whiskey, feta and prosciutto di Parma, as well as China's Pixian bean paste, Anji white tea and Panjin rice.

The EU School Fruit, Vegetable and Milk Scheme in participating countries of the EU 2019-22020 will be resumed at the beginning of the new school year. The EU School Nutrition Scheme aims to promote a healthy and a balanced diet through the supply of fruits, vegetables and dairy products, as well as through education programs in agriculture and nutrition.

Bulgaria wants its current EU commissioner, Maria Gabriel, to receive the agriculture department of the new European Commission, Politico reported. Currently, Gabriel is responsible for the Digital Economy and Digital Society.

"We are interested in the agricultural portfolio," a Bulgarian diplomat told the newspaper.

Romania has closed 11 files in the field of agriculture, rural development and fisheries in the six months in which it held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, compared to four as originally proposed, and the most important file for the country was the one on unfair commercial practices, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Petre Daea told AGERPRES.

Agriculture Minister Petre Daea participated on Friday, 21 June, in the 3rd the African Union (AU) - European Union (EU) Agriculture Ministerial Conference, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, according to a release of the Agriculture Ministry.

The European Commission on Wednesday tabled a proposal that will make available important information on how prices are determined as agri-food products move along the food supply chain.

The European Union has launched a plan to grant cheaper loans to young farmers, which are often rejected by banks. The package is up to one billion euros.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank want banks to combine loans, with a total of two billion euros.