Explainers

The EU-AU partnership advance a peaceful, prosperous future grounded in rules-based international cooperation.

The EU is committed to multilateralism, with a strong and effective UN at its core. The Council of the EU adopts the EU’s priorities annually at the UN and the UN General Assembly.

With the REPowerEU plan, the EU wants to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels by saving energy, diversifying supplies and accelerating the clean energy transition.

The EU is taking action to end Russian energy imports and reduce its energy dependency, while maintaining stable energy supplies and prices across Europe.

The EU stands in support of the Belarusian people. It condemns human rights abuses in Belarus, Belarus' hybrid attacks against the EU and its involvement in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

New EU rules grant start-ups and SMEs access to supercomputers for artificial intelligence testing and development.

Targeting criminal networks that exploit vulnerable migrants is necessary in order not only to fight migrant smuggling, but also to combat human trafficking.

Member states must meet certain conditions known as 'convergence criteria' in order to adopt the euro. The Council decides whether a country can introduce the euro.

The economic and monetary union involves the coordination of member states’ economic and fiscal policies alongside a single monetary policy for member states that have introduced the euro. It contributes to economic stability and growth.

The euro is the second most important currency in the world. A strong international euro supports the EU's strategic autonomy and benefits consumers and businesses.