Last Month in Brief

• 2 October: The European Commission adopts a Communication on building sustainable international partnerships as "Team Europe".

• 4 October: EU Member States adopt the European Commission’s proposal to impose definitive countervailing duties on imports of Chinese battery electric vehicles. (See Deep Dive 1)

• 7 October: The Commission, via its Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and the European Investment Bank, signs a €20 million agreement with French biopharma company Fabentech to develop broad-spectrum therapeutics against biological threats.

• 9 October: The European Commission adopts the second Work Programme for the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital, allocating around €865 million for improving Europe's digital connectivity infrastructures from 2024 to 2027.

• 10 October: The European Commission updates product liability rules to align with the digital age and the circular economy.

• 10 October: The Council adopts the Cyber Resilience Act, setting cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements to ensure they are safe before being placed on the market.

• 17 October: The European Commission adopts the first implementing rules on cybersecurity for critical entities and networks under the NIS2 Directive, aiming to establish a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union.

• 17-18 October: EU trade ministers gather for an informal meeting to engage in high-level discussions on critical issues, including the European Union's trade relations with ASEAN countries and EU-China trade relations. 

• 22 October: The European Commission adopts a communication on the implementation of the European Research Area (ERA) (See Deep Dive 2 ).

• 29 October: ​​The European Commission adopts the 2025 work programme of the European Innovation Council, opening funding opportunities worth €1.4 billion for strategic technologies and scaling up companies. 

• 31 October: Former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö presents his report on strengthening Europe's civilian and military preparedness, addressing strategies to enhance resilience against climate change, security threats, and other geopolitical challenges.

Read the full document