Bulgaria adopts the euro as its official currency, becoming the 21st member of the Euro Area.
Building on its place in the European Union and full participation in Schengen, this step further integrates Bulgaria into Europe’s shared economic and mobility space.
Travel, work, and business across the EU will continue to become more seamless and connected, reflecting a common European future and history shaped together. Welcome to the Euro Area, Bulgaria!
The EU is delivering concrete support to Ukraine. From a full thermal power plant to emergency energy assistance helping millions of people.
This is how Europe supports a neighbor under aggression: not just with words, but with action.
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The EU is delivering concrete support to Ukraine. From a full thermal power plant to emergency energy
assistance helping millions of people.
This is how Europe supports a neighbor under aggression: not just with words, but with action.
Watch more: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu
For more European Commission news, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
"We all share one clear goal. A just and lasting peace for Ukraine." – President von der Leyen
On 19 December 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took part in the European Council press conference with Council President António Costa, and Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, to address securing funding for Ukraine.
It was announced that the EU has secured an agreement to finance Ukraine’s needs for the next two years, committing EUR 90 billion through EU borrowing on the capital markets.
Additionally, it was announced that progress has been made on the Mercosur agreement, enhancing trade opportunities amid rising tariffs. Praising the Danish Presidency’s leadership, Commission President von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to Ukraine, energy independence, and defence initiatives.
For the full transcript of the speech, see here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_3134
Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission:
https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-282866
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– Revision of the CO2 standards for cars, vans, and heavy-duty vehicles to help manufacturers meet their 2035 targets;
– Greening corporate fleets to accelerate the uptake of zero- and low-emission vehicles;
– Battery booster strategy with €1.8 billion for a fully EU-made battery value chain
– Automotive industry simplification to ease administrative burdens, cut costs and introduce a new vehicle category of small, affordable cars;
– Revised car labelling rules for consumers to have complete information about the cars’ emissions, empowering them to make more informed choices when buying a car.
This is what the European Commission is proposing in its new Automotive industry package, a set of rules for the industry and EU countries to adapt to clean mobility and a low-carbon economy, while ensuring the competitiveness of the industry.
Between 2013 and 2024, house prices in the EU increased by over 60%, average rents rose by around 20%, and residential building permits fell by 22%, while about 20% of homes remain unused.
The EU’s plan to tackle the housing crisis addresses what has become both a housing and a social crisis.
Rules for affordable housing investment projects will be made simpler, more funds will be mobilised with the help of the European Investment Bank for affordable and social housing, and these projects will be protected through minimum project durations of at least 20 years and price limits below market levels for publicly funded projects.
Leaders from the EU and Western Balkans are meeting in Brussels on 17th December 2025.
Chaired by Council President António Costa, the meeting will highlight and reaffirm the robust strategic relationship between the EU and the Western Balkans as well as the advantages it provides to citizens.
The President of the European Council, along with the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU at the gathering, while High Representative Kaja Kallas will also attend.
Following the summit, a declaration from the EU-Western Balkans summit will be released, and the Western Balkan partners are anticipated to align with it. This livestream will cover the press conference following the summit.
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On 17 December, two Galileo satellites will be launched on Ariane 6 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in the 14th operational launch of the Galileo programme. These satellites will improve the precision, availability and robustness of the Galileo system by adding spares to guarantee the system can always provide a navigation signal for users worldwide. This will be Galileo’s first launch on Ariane 6 and the fifth launch of Europe’s heavy-lift launcher.
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Ukrainians are defending their independence every day, and with that, the security of Europe.
There is real progress being made, and this was shown in the Ukraine peace talks in Berlin, between Ukraine, Europe and the US, on 15 December.
Ukrainians deserve a just peace, worthy of their courage.
