239 million people around the world need humanitarian assistance but current funding can only reach less than half of them.
The European Union is acting. In 2025, the European Commission and its Member States provide 35% of all global humanitarian funding including nearly €2 billion from the Commission alone.
The new EU strategy on humanitarian aid is built on three pillars to improve results:
Protect: defend aid workers and ensure safe delivery
Perform: reform supply chains and scale cash assistance
Partner: build resilience and reduce long-term dependency by increasing partnerships with donors and third parties.
Following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, security in the Baltic region faces unprecedented challenges. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continue to confront evolving threats across cyber, airspace, and territorial defence. On 26 May, President von der Leyen and Baltic leaders met to address these vulnerabilities and reinforce regional stability.
Following recent drone incidents along the EU eastern border, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is travelling to Vilnius, Lithuania on 26th May, 2026.
Follow the press conference with her, the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Estonian President Alar Karis, and Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs here live on YouTube.
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At the 2026 EU-Mexico Summit, Commission President von der Leyen announced a landmark trade deal that eliminates 95% of tariffs, unlocking €100M annual savings for EU exporters—especially in agri-food, dairy, wine, and meat.
🔹 Key Highlights: ✅ Zero-Tariff Trade: EU businesses gain unprecedented access to Mexico’s €100Bn+ market—Europe’s 2nd-largest Latin American trade partner. ✅ €5Bn Global Gateway Investment: Funding 13 solar/wind projects, Mexico City cable cars, pharmaceuticals, and digital networks. ✅ 568 EU Geographical Indications Protected (e.g., Gouda, Feta, Prosciutto di Parma, Tiroler Speck, Tequila). ✅ Gender Equality & Social Impact: €4M (80M pesos) for women’s rights projects + Joint Declaration on Trade & Gender Equality. ✅ Sustainable & Fair Trade: Aligned with Paris Climate Agreement, banning unfair export pricing and promoting circular economy (e.g., sargassum cleanup). ✅ New Security & Migration Dialogue to tackle transnational challenges.
🔹 Why This Matters for EU Businesses? 📈 More jobs (5.5M+ already supported by EU firms in Mexico). 💰 Cost savings (no tariffs = cheaper exports). 🌍 Sustainable growth with clean energy & digital trade opportunities.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: A Historic EU-Mexico Partnership
01:20 – Gender Equality & €4M Investment in Women’s Rights
02:45 – The Modernised EU-Mexico Agreement: Trade, Climate & Fairness
04:10 – Zero Tariffs: Boosting EU-Mexico Agri-Food & Business Exports
06:30 – €5Bn Global Gateway Investment: Clean Energy, Digital & Health
08:50 – Protecting EU Geographical Indications (Gouda, Feta, Tequila & More!)
10:20 – New Security & Migration Dialogue
12:00 – Cultural Ties: Football, Art & Shared History
13:30 – Conclusion: A Stronger EU-Mexico Future.
Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission:
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This week in the EU (18-22 May): two major trade deals got sealed — one with Mexico, one with the United States.
Europe also announced plans to build its own AI gigafactories and a new Fertilisers Action Plan to secure food production with European alternatives.
Links to the full details below. Follow for your weekly EU news recap.
🔹 EU–Mexico: a historic trade deal sealed this week, https://link.europa.eu/rkgypbkd
🔹 EU–US: after intensive negotiations, a transatlantic agreement, https://link.europa.eu/rkdnyvxk
🔹 AI Gigafactories: Europe opens calls for its first AI giga factories this summer, https://youtu.be/8pW1mhm09Fs?t=185
🔹 Fertilisers Action Plan: securing Europe’s food production with European alternatives, https://youtube.com/shorts/VZzEIujGWaM?si=udnxpOIgQDNwF-Rn
The European Commission is allocating €15 million in emergency assistance to support people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda affected by the Ebola outbreak. The EU has also invested over €80 million in research and development for vaccines against filoviruses, which cause Ebola, while supporting treatments and clinical trials to strengthen preparedness before a crisis hit. For people in Europe, the Commission says there is no cause for broader concern.
Tariffs, rising energy prices, and global uncertainty are putting pressure on Europe’s economy.
The European Commission projects weaker EU growth, with GDP expected to slow to 1.1% in 2026, while inflation is forecast to rise to 3.1% due to renewed energy pressures.
But investment in energy resilience, supply diversification, decarbonisation, and lower energy consumption may help Europe absorb the shock.
As Europe adapts to weaker demand, cautious businesses, and higher prices, one question remains:
Can Europe turn today’s uncertainty into tomorrow’s strength?
The European Commission has presented a new Fertiliser Action Plan to support farmers, strengthen Europe’s food security and reduce dependency on imports.
The plan includes immediate financial support for farmers, measures to reinforce domestic fertiliser production, and investment in sustainable and bio-based alternatives to improve Europe’s resilience and strategic autonomy.
The risk of Ebola infection in the European Union is very low, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), even for people travelling to affected regions in Africa.
The EU is following the situation closely and coordinating with Member States, experts and international partners. At this stage, no specific measures beyond normal public health advice are needed for people in Europe.
