The European Commission stepped up its defense of judicial independence and rule of law across the EU on 3 April, announcing new legal measures against Poland and cautioning Romania not to pardon corrupt politicians. The Commission is struggling to respond to what many in western Europe see as creeping authoritarianism in the eastern wing of the bloc, especially Poland, Hungary and Romania. The Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said more needed to be done to strengthen the rule of law in the EU.

Bulgarian honey “Strandzhanski manov med” was recognised as protected designation of origin (PDO) in the European Union. At a ceremony today in Brussels, Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan and Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel handed over the official certificate of registration of the Bulgarian honey to Manol Todorov, Chairman of the “Strandjanski manov honey”.

The EU brought last Tuesday two disputes in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against India and Turkey, respectively targeting unlawful import duties on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products and unlawful measures on pharmaceuticals, the EU press service reported. In both cases, there are significant economic interests and important legal principles at stake for the EU, with the total value of affected European exports estimated at about €1bn a year.

Europe is concerned over Italy's economic “regression” and Rome must make “further efforts” to stoke growth, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Italian PM Giuseppe Conte, meeting him in Rome on Tuesday.

The Commission announced on Tuesday a large Cohesion Policy investment, worth €4bn and targeted at 25 large infrastructure projects in 10 Member States, the EU press service reported. The package involves Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Romania and covers a wide range of project areas: health, transport, research, environment and energy. With national co-financing, the total investment amounts to €8bn.

Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger proposed on Sunday that the EU should have the right to deny Chinese-funded infrastructure deals in Europe if they don't serve the EU's common interests. The call came a day after Italy signed on to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has raised concerns in many EU capitals.

On the World Tuberculosis Day taking place on Sunday 24 March, the European Commission aims to raise awareness about the burden and prevention of tuberculosis as well as to mobilise efforts in the fight against the disease. Although every hour, 30 people are diagnosed with tuberculosis in Europe, overall, the decrease in tuberculosis cases observed in most countries is reassuring. Still, sustained efforts are needed to reach the 80% reduction target in the tuberculosis incidence rate in 2030 compared to 2015.

The European Commission will call on EU Member States next week to share more data to tackle cybersecurity risks related to 5G networks but will reportedly ignore US calls to ban Huawei Technologies, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

Only half of the population know to distinguish true information from false on the internet. Only a fifth of the adult population over 35 have been educated in fact checking online. This data from the survey 'Swedes and the internet 2018' and the projects that aim to change this situation were among the many different cases presented at the high-level conference on media literacy in Brussels. It was hosted by the Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel.

The EU's Security Union is slowly building up with 15 out of 22 legislative initiatives agreed so far, the Commission said in its latest report. However, some of the key proposals, such as terrorist content online and the European Border and Coast Guard, still require urgent action if they are to be closed before the European Parliament elections in May 2019. Furthermore, prior to the elections, it is of utmost importance to redouble efforts to fight disinformation and boost electoral and digital resilience.