The EU has allocated €280 million to help with flood recovery in 4 Central European countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova, following severe floods there in autumn 2024. The funds will finance all aspects of disaster recovery including temporary accommodation for affected populations.
In a historic move aimed at strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy and defence readiness, the Council of the European Union today adopted the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument — a €150 billion financial programme designed to boost joint procurement and investment in the European defence industry.
The new initiative, which enters into force on 29 May 2025, marks the first large-scale coordinated EU effort to address urgent capability gaps, enhance production capacity and ensure rapid availability of critical defence equipment across member states.
“This is not only a success of the presidency, but of the EU as a whole,” said Adam Szłapka , Polish Minister for the European Union. “This unprecedented instrument will boost our defence capabilities and support our defence industry. The more we invest in our security and defence, the better we deter those who wish us harm.”
SAFE is structured around long-maturity loans that will be disbursed to interested EU member states based on national investment plans. The funds are intended to finance large-scale investments in the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) , with a focus on priority areas identified by the European Council on 6 March 2025.
These include:
To promote efficiency and interoperability, SAFE encourages common procurement projects involving at least two participating countries. However, given current geopolitical pressures, single-member-state procurements will also be permitted for a limited time.
A notable feature of SAFE is its openness to third countries. Ukraine and EEA-EFTA nations will be treated on equal footing with EU members, able to participate in joint procurements and supply their domestic industries. Additionally, candidate countries, potential candidates and partners with Security and Defence Agreements — including the United Kingdom — may join procurement efforts.
The regulation also allows for bilateral or multilateral agreements with third states to tailor eligibility conditions where necessary.
To qualify for funding, defence products must meet strict criteria. Category 2 systems — including advanced air defences, drones and strategic enablers — require contractors to maintain control over design decisions. Furthermore, non-EU/EEA/Ukraine components cannot exceed 35% of the total product cost.
The European Commission has emphasized that while SAFE promotes European sovereignty, it does not preclude transatlantic cooperation. On the contrary, the initiative aims to strengthen complementarity with NATO and ensure reciprocal access to cutting-edge technologies with trusted allies.
SAFE forms the first pillar of the European Commission’s broader ReArm Europe Plan / Readiness 2030 , which seeks to mobilize over €800 billion in total defence spending through multiple channels:
The adoption of SAFE follows the European Council’s March 2025 conclusions calling for increased sovereignty, reduced strategic dependencies and faster response times in equipping European forces.
With geopolitical tensions at their highest in decades, the EU is now taking concrete steps to ensure it can act swiftly and collectively when security is at stake.
As the ink dries on this landmark regulation, all eyes will turn to implementation — and whether Europe can deliver on its promise to become a credible, unified actor in global security.
The Commission welcomes the agreement in the Council on the Security for Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. The Commission will raise up to €150 billion on the capital markets, providing financial levers to EU countries to ramp up investments in key defence areas.
The Commission welcomes the agreement in the Council on the Security for Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument. The Commission will raise up to €150 billion on the capital markets, providing financial levers to EU countries to ramp up investments in key defence areas.
After nearly three months of complete blockade by Israel, a “vastly insufficient” amount of aid was finally allowed into the war-ravaged enclave in the last week, insisted Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
“We have not stopped operating,” he said, referring to staff still inside Gaza, who are tasked with liaising with the Israeli authorities to retrieve supplies allowed into Gaza from Israel, via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Mr. Laerke insisted that the UN is not participating in the Israeli aid plan known as the Gaza Humanitarian Fund: “It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border; [aid] needs to get in.”
The veteran humanitarian stressed the ongoing dangers and obstacles that have prevented aid teams from picking up and dispatching lifesaving supplies via the UN’s existing delivery network in Gaza.
“We are not always able to collect what is being dropped off on the other side because of the insecure routes that are being assigned to us by the Israeli authorities to use,” he told journalists in Geneva.
All types of aid must be allowed through and not “cherry-picked”, Mr. Laerke stressed: “The bottom line again is that we are talking about a vastly insufficient amount of aid that eventually enters Gaza at the moment. That’s why we need [the] opening of more crossings, we need all types of aid – not that aid that is cherry-picked by the Israeli side that we are allowed to get in.”
In an update, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that as of Monday, 294 trucks have reached Kerem Shalom from Port Ashdod. On Tuesday, media reports indicated that protesters attempted to block lorries loaded with aid from leaving the Israeli port.
“While desperately needed aid is finally trickling into Gaza, the pace is far too slow to meet the overwhelming needs,” WFP said. “Gaza families are at a breaking point, amid intensified fighting, waves of evacuation orders and population displacement.”
The UN agency noted that it has “more than 130,000 metric tonnes of food in the pipeline as well as a functioning delivery network ready to provide assistance. An immediate surge in daily aid trucks and unrestricted access to safely collect and distribute food inside Gaza are critical before it is too late.”
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, meanwhile, explained that “no supplies whatsoever” prepared by the agency have reached Gaza since the Israeli siege began on 2 March.
This is despite UNRWA having readied more than 3,000 trucks carrying food and medicines in Jordan and Egypt which will perish soon.
“We have clinics, we have pharmacies that the agency runs and there we normally would distribute medicines against chronic diseases…but also basic medicines, things like paracetamol and then childhood diseases and these are the medicines that we’re running out of,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications.
The development comes as UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini urged the Israeli Government to provide proof to back up its unsubstantiated allegations that the UN agency’s staff were involved in the Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel that sparked the war in October 2023.
Investigations carried out internally by the UN last year found sufficient evidence that nine active UNRWA staff had been involved.
A separate independent probe commissioned by the UN Secretary-General found that the agency’s rules, mechanisms and procedures were the most “elaborate” within the UN, reflecting the complex and sensitive demands associated with working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
“It’s been over 20 months of these claims coming our way, harming the agency’s reputation of course, but more importantly, putting the lives of our staff, especially those working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, at risk,” said Ms. Touma.
Despite numerous requests by UNRWA to the Israeli Government for evidence to substantiate “numerous accusations”, no evidence has been shared to back up the claims against the agency and its personnel, Ms. Touma continued.
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Published ahead of the Human Rights Council’s upcoming session, the report highlighted the worsening situation since the military coup in 2021, which derailed Myanmar’s democratic transition and ignited widespread armed resistance.
In the years since, military forces have targeted civilian populations with airstrikes, artillery bombardments and other forms of violence, while anti-military armed groups have gained ground, particularly in Rakhine state.
“The country has endured an increasingly catastrophic human rights crisis marked by unabated violence and atrocities that have affected every single aspect of life,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
The report documents a grim toll: military operations killed more civilians in 2024 than in any previous year since the coup.
In Rakhine, the Arakan Army seized control of most of the state, displacing tens of thousands, while Rohingya civilians were caught between warring factions, facing killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and widespread destruction of villages.
Some Rohingya armed groups have also been drawn into the conflict, according to reports.
The escalating violence has had a cascading effect on Myanmar’s economy, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions.
Myanmar’s economy has lost an estimated $93.9 billion since the coup, with the gross domestic product (GDP) not expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels before 2028.
Inflation has surged, the kyat has lost 40 per cent of its value, and over half the population now lives below the poverty line, facing food insecurity and soaring prices.
The March earthquakes further exacerbated the crisis, leaving thousands more displaced, homeless and without basic services.
Meanwhile, the military continues to control key revenue sources, including the central bank and state-owned enterprises, particularly in the extractive sector.
While targeted international sanctions slowed some revenue streams, the junta has maintained its financial lifelines through forced currency conversion, import restrictions, and a crackdown on informal money transfers.
Myanmar has also become the world’s largest producer of opium and synthetic drugs, with transnational criminal networks thriving under military rule.
The report urged a multifaceted response to the crisis, including urgent humanitarian support, cross-border aid for displaced populations and increased political engagement with Myanmar’s democratic forces and emerging governance structures.
It also emphasised the need for accountability through international justice mechanisms, including a referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The report also identified key “constituents for change” in the country’s future – women, youth, ethnic minorities, civil society and pro-democracy actors – and highlighted the work of communities who have established local institutions and forms of governance, often with increased participation from women.
Buildings lie in ruins in Mandalay region, in central Myanmar, following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struk in March.
The report underscored the importance of planning for the day-after, ensuring human rights are central to a future Myanmar – from rebuilding systems to restoring fundamental freedoms.
“There are strong, resourceful and principled individuals and groups rallying and creating the conditions for an inclusive and democratic future,” High Commissioner Türk said. “They are a shining example of hope for a peaceful future.”
The report will be formally presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 July.
The majority of those killed and injured were in major cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv, or in populated areas in other regions.
Meanwhile, large numbers of long-range drones launched into Russia by Ukrainian armed forces injured at least 11 civilians over the weekend, according to Russian authorities.
High Commissioner Volker Türk underscored the urgency for an end to hostilities.
“It is time to put an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to commit to – and implement – a comprehensive ceasefire that stops the daily killing and destruction, and to start genuine peace negotiations, built on respect for international law,” he said.
He highlighted that – even amid ongoing hostilities – people deprived of their liberty must be protected. Summary executions, torture and all forms of inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners are always prohibited, in any circumstances, and must stop immediately.
In addition, civilian detainees should be released as soon as the lawful reason for their detention ceases to exist and their protection against refoulement must be ensured, he said.
High Commissioner Türk welcomed the recent exchange of prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
Eight hundred eighty prisoners of war and 120 civilians from each side were exchanged. Most of the civilians appeared to have been detainees, but details on individuals included in the exchange are not yet available, according to his office, OHCHR.
“Many families can now breathe a sigh of relief because their loved ones have finally returned home,” Mr. Türk said.
“But at the same time, other families have lost relatives and their homes, as their communities across Ukraine came under attack.”
In a separate statement, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed deep concern for the impact of the latest attacks on Ukraine’s children.
Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine, said that in the past three days, at least three children were reportedly killed in Zhytomyr, and at least 13 children were injured in several regions across the country.
“Ukraine’s children have suffered for far too long. How many more futures must be stolen? The senseless violence and loss of young lives must stop,” Mr. Mammadzade said.
According to UNICEF, more than 220 children were killed or injured between January and April 2025 – a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
“Attacks on civilian areas must end, and children must always be protected,” Mr. Mammadzade emphasised. “Above all, children need an end to this war.”
In occupied East Jerusalem, meanwhile, Israeli protesters illegally entered a compound of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
The development comes after the Israeli military coordination unit COGAT said on Saturday that 388 trucks had entered Gaza since last Monday – the first aid to arrive in well over two months of blockade that have caused hunger levels to spike.
Humanitarians have repeatedly warned that at least 500 to 600 trucks need to cross into Gaza every day to provide people with their daily needs – as they did before war erupted on 7 October 2023 after Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel.
“We are on the back of 11 weeks of nothing entering the Gaza Strip, no food, no medicines for 11 weeks, nothing apart from bombs,” said James Elder, a spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“And so today, a week after life-saving aid was finally allowed into Gaza again, the scale of that aid is painfully inadequate,” he told UN News. “It looks like a token that appears more like cynical optics than any real attempt to tackle the soaring hunger crisis among children and civilians in Gaza.”
Today, Gazans remain at “critical risk of famine”, UN-backed food security experts warned earlier this month. In their latest update, they estimated that one in five people in Gaza – 500,000 – faces starvation.
Reports on Monday indicated meanwhile that Israel’s intensifying military operation in northern Gaza against alleged terrorists and their infrastructure had killed at least 50 people in air strikes.
One attack hit a school in Gaza City sheltering hundreds of people uprooted by more than 19 months of violence. Footage reportedly taken after the incident showed the silhouette of a child stumbling through a classroom set ablaze at Fahmi al-Jarjawi school.
Another air strike hit a home elsewhere in Gaza City killing four people, according to the health authorities.
UN-run shelters are now “overwhelmed with displaced people desperately seeking safety”, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said in an update on Monday. It also underscored that the lack of food has added to people’s suffering.
“Many families are sheltering in abandoned, unfinished, or damaged buildings,” the agency explained. “Sanitation conditions are dire; in some cases, hundreds of people are having to share a single toilet. Others, including children and pregnant women, are sleeping in the open.”
Across Gaza, less than five per cent of the Strip’s cropland remains available for cultivation, according to UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).
Using high-definition imagery, the agencies’ findings emphasize just how much food production capacity has shrunk in Gaza because of the war, exacerbating the risk of famine.
As of April 2025, more than 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip’s total cropland area has been damaged (12,537 hectares out of 15,053) and 77.8 percent is not accessible to farmers, leaving just 688 hectares (4.6 percent) available for cultivation.
The situation is particularly critical in Rafah and in the northern governorates, where nearly all cropland is not accessible.
Following the protest at the UNRWA compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, a spokesperson for the UN agency noted that one member of the Israeli Knesset had joined the settlers inside the gates. Monday is a national holiday in Israel, marking the moment following the Six-Day War in 1967 when the country’s troops occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The UNRWA facility – located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem – has been targeted in past arson attacks that set light to the perimeter fence.
At the end of January, UNRWA withdrew its staff from the compound under protest at the entry into force of an Israeli law banning the agency’s operations in occupied East Jerusalem.
The location retains its status as a UN facility that is protected under international law.
European Commission Speech Brussels, 16 Jul 2025 Honourable members, dear colleagues,
I stood before the plenary last week to debate on the future CAP. Now I am presenting it to you.
I was an active listener d…
