Priority question for written answer P-004240/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Morten Løkkegaard (Renew)
On 15 September 2025, the Netherlands announced that it would be postponing the implementation of the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive from 7 June 2026 to 1 January 2027. It also announced a number of changes relating to reporting by companies, depending on their size. ‘Netherlands delays implementation of the Gender Pay Transparency Directive – DLA Piper GENIE’[1]
With the above in mind:
1.What is the Commission’s view of the Netherlands’ postponement of the Pay Transparency Directive?
2.Does the Commission have any current plans to revise the Pay Transparency Directive with a view to cutting red tape for Europe’s businesses and authorities?
3.What is the Commission’s estimate of the transition costs to business and to the public purse, as well as of the ongoing costs in the EU, of fully implementing the directive as it currently stands?
MedienmitteilungVeröffentlicht am 31. Oktober 2025
Bern, 31.10.2025 — In Zusammenarbeit mit dem ESTI ruft die Groupe SEB Schweiz GmbH drei verschiedene Modelle des Rowenta X-Force Flex zurück. Beim Akku besteht Brand- und Verbrennungsgefahr. Die Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten sollen das Produkt nicht mehr verwenden und erhalten einen kostenlosen Umtausch des Akkus.
A new study published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB) shows that scaling up bio-based industries can strengthen EU’s strategic autonomy as well as competitiveness, foster innovation and create growth and jobs, particularly in rural and coastal regions.
Improving access to finance by expanding venture debt and early-stage investment offerings can accelerate the upscaling of new technologies that use renewable natural resources to produce sustainable food, materials, and energy. The study, which was commissioned and supported by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation, identifies three areas with significant growth potential:
bio-based materials and chemicals,
innovative food and feed ingredients
bio-based soil nutrients and enhancers.
The bioeconomy sector sustains over 17 million jobs in the EU, corresponding to around 8% of the workforce, and is essential for tackling challenges such as food security, sustainable resource management and reducing reliance on fossil-based materials.
Europe is well positioned to lead in the bioeconomy sector, thanks to its strong R&D base, skilled workforce, sufficient feedstock and robust local demand for bio-based products. However, bureaucracy, fragmented markets and slow regulatory approval processes put European projects and companies at a disadvantage in attracting funding, especially during scale-up.
Coordinated efforts, harmonised regulation and innovative financing are essential to unlock investment, scale up bio-based solutions and reinforce Europe’s leadership in the global sustainability transition.
The study provides a series of actionable recommendations to address these challenges, from creating a European bioeconomy booster programme to expanding venture debt options under InvestEU guarantee. These findings align with the EIB’s Climate Bank Roadmap and TechEU initiative and come as the European Commission finalises its bioeconomy strategy.
Commenting on the report, European Investment Bank Group (EIB) Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti stressed the importance of accelerating investment in bio-based alternatives:
“The bioeconomy is key to the green transition. By harnessing biological resources to produce food, materials and energy, we can strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy while driving innovation and competitiveness. This report confirms that Europe has the assets to succeed. However, to scale up bio-based solutions, we need more innovative financial approaches and collaborative efforts that remove barriers and attract capital. The EIB stands ready to support this transformation.”
The study is complemented by another EIB study published in September 2025: Investments gaps to achieve sustainable targets in the bioeconomy. This report examines the state of the bioeconomy, the structural drivers of the investment gap, and innovative financing mechanisms to mobilize the capital required to realise its full potential.
The bioeconomy is defined as using biogenic resources to produce food, materials and energy. It is central to the EU’s transition towards a carbon-neutral future and essential for tackling challenges such as food security, sustainable resource management and reducing reliance on fossil-based material.
MedienmitteilungVeröffentlicht am 31. Oktober 2025
Bern, 31.10.2025 — Angesichts der schweren Schäden, die Hurrikan Melissa in der Karibik verursacht hat, verstärkt die Schweiz ihr humanitäres Engagement in der Region. Das EDA stellt zur Unterstützung der betroffenen Bevölkerung in Kuba, Haiti und Jamaika über eine Million Franken bereit. Ausserdem werden neun Fachpersonen nach Kuba entsandt, um das kubanische Rote Kreuz bei den Hilfsmassnahmen vor Ort zu unterstützen.
During the upcoming CULT Committee meeting on 5 November, the winners of the 2025 European Charlemagne Youth Prize will be presented. The prize jointly organised by the European Parliament and the international Charlemagne Prize foundation in Aachen, celebrates youth-led projects that promote European cooperation, mutual understanding, and the development of a shared European identity.
As part of the European Gender Equality Week (EGEW), the Committee on Culture and Education will have an exchange of views on 5 November. The discussion will focus on policy measures in education, training and lifelong learning that foster a successful transition from education to employment by addressing the gendered aspects of the skills gaps in the EU.
The exchange will be with Ms Heike RAAB State Secretary of the Rhineland Palatinate State Government in Germany and member of the Committee of the Regions, Ms Justyna Kalina Ochędzan, President of the Working Community of Associations of Social Organisations WRZOS, President of the Wielkopolskie Coordinating Council of the Union of Non-Governmental Organisations WRK, Member of the National Public Benefit Council and member of the European Economic and Social Committee, and Mr Gyula CSEREY, Head of the Strategy and Investments Unit of DG EAC at the European Commission.
In her mission letter, the Commission President had requested Commissioner Albuquerque to establish a structured dialogue with the competent committee in the European Parliament. This is the first such dialogue to take place in the ECON Committee which is the competent committee for most files entrusted to the Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. The present briefing reviews the input received from the Commissioner for this exchange of views (i.e., her 2025 Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement); the briefing also discusses several topical issues in the portfolio of Commissioner Albuquerque.
EIB invests in a new fund connecting European and African economies, helping European SMEs expand their activities on the continent.
€20 million investment from the EIB alongside European partners to boost job creation and sustainable growth.
A renewed partnership with Amethis, marking the fifth EIB investment with this leading impact-oriented private equity firm.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a €20 million investment in the Amethis Europe Expansion Fund, a new private equity vehicle designed to support European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expanding their business in Africa, as well as in Europe and the Middle East. The initiative aims to strengthen economic ties between Europe and Africa, foster private sector development and promote sustainable and inclusive growth.
Amethis Europe Expansion will provide both growth capital and strategic support to help European companies establish in particular a local presence in Africa, through exports, partnerships, acquisitions, or direct investment. With a final fund size of €143 million, the fund benefits from strong European backing, including prominent private institutional investors and family offices as well as Bpifrance and COFIDES, under the Team Europe framework.
The operation is aligned with the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, which promotes sustainable, high-impact investment cooperation between Europe and Africa.
“This new investment in Amethis Europe Expansion Fund reflects our commitment to fostering sustainable economic ties between Europe and Africa” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. He added: “By supporting European SMEs seeking to grow on the African continent, we are helping to unlock new opportunities for innovation, quality jobs and shared prosperity”.
Laurent Demey, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Amethis, said: “We are delighted to have our long-standing partner, the EIB, as a significant subscriber to this new innovative European strategy. The EIB’s commitment to this new Amethis strategy demonstrates the relationship of trust that has been built up over more than 10 years. The EIB’s support for this new strategy provides significant resources to support French and European SMEs in their international expansion, particularly in Africa, and create win-win partnership between the two continents”.
This marks the fifth EIB investment in an Amethis-managed fund, confirming a long-standing partnership between the two institutions. Since its creation in 2011, Amethis has become a key private equity player in Africa, backing local businesses to scale and thrive. With this new fund, Amethis now extends its impact by helping European companies take root and grow across African markets.
Background information
EIB
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.
Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.
High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.
Amethis
Founded by Luc Rigouzzo and Laurent Demey, and a partner member of Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity, Amethis is an investment fund manager focused on the African and European continent. With assets under management exceeding 1.4 billion EUR and over thirty investments to date, Amethis provides growth capital to promising mid-sized champions across many sectors, offering growth support through its international network covering Europe and Africa. With seven offices in Paris, Abidjan, Casablanca, Nairobi, Cairo, cape Town and Luxembourg, the Amethis team comprises over 45 experienced professionals with strong regional and sectoral expertise.
Question for written answer E-004186/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE), Adrián Vázquez Lázara (PPE)
In relation to our question E-002601/2025[1], and irrespective of the competences that the Euratom Treaty grants to the Commission, it is clear that the Commission does have competences in ocean management, as shown in the recent Ocean Pact and Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) which the EU is party to.
The Pact’s priorities include advancing ocean research and knowledge, enhancing maritime security and defence and strengthening ocean diplomacy. In addition, it announces an ‘ambitious EU ocean observation initiative’ – which also covers the deep sea. Among other things, this initiative will include observation and mapping campaigns for knowledge gaps.
Given the fact that drums containing radioactive waste are causing concern among populations in Atlantic coastal regions:
1.Is the Commission considering including the areas in which there are drums in the ocean observation initiative?
2.In the new context created with the Pact and the Agreement, is the Commission considering launching an initiative, in collaboration with Member States that are responsible for or affected by the dumping of drums, to monitor these and also to study possible measures to neutralise the risks of spillages?
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in English
Press releasePublished on 31 October 2025
Bern, 31.10.2025 — In response to the severe damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean, Switzerland is stepping up its humanitarian efforts in the region. The FDFA has released over CHF 1 million to help those affected in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica and is deploying nine specialists to Cuba to support the Red Cross there with the relief operations on the ground.