The European Union has adopted on Tuesday a €56.5m package to promote sustainable job creation and strengthen support to refugees, internally displaced populations and their host communities in Iraq. More specifically, the purpose of the programme is to contribute to the development of the urban areas of Mosul and Basra, and of the rural areas of Nineveh governorate.

European citizens worry about possible interference in 2019 European elections and fear of disinformation campaigns, data breaches and cyberattacks, according to a new Eurobarometer survey, published last Tuesday. It was unveiled for the annual European Commission's Fundamental Rights Colloquium devoted this year to the EU democracy.

European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Tuesday that the Italian budget was among the "uncertainties" that weighed on Europe and the European Commission's strictures on the 2019 budgetary plans had not yet "found a response". Moscovici cited global trade tensions, Brexit and the Italian budget as the three main uncertainties weighing on Europe, ANSA reported.

The EU opened last week a formal investigation into whether agreements between booking system providers Amadeus and Sabre and airlines and travel agents restrict competition in breach of EU antitrust rules, the EU press service reported. “Our investigation focuses on possible restrictions. We are concerned that such restrictions could create barriers to innovation and raise ticket distribution costs,” Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

It is not a surprise that the stand of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme (EfYE) pulled a lot of interest at the SME Assembly in Graz. In its context, 'young' is used in terms of experience. Under this EU cross-boarder exchange programme for entrepreneurs, people who want to start or successfully run a small business can share knowledge and business ideas with an experienced entrepreneur, with whom they stay and collaborate. 

The Commission adjusted its recommendation for the Eurozone as a whole to have a stronger focus on the key challenges of boosting growth and shoring up public finances. “The recommendation calls for policies that support inclusive and sustainable growth, and improve resilience, rebalancing and convergence within the euro area,” it said in its European Semester Autumn Package presented last Wednesday.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban needs to offer a “sound explanation” of his country's decision to grant political asylum to the former Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski, Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahh tweeted on Wednesday. Hahn tweeted that he had seen reports about the asylum granted in Hungary. “If confirmed, I expect a sound explanation of its grounds by @Viktor_Orban,” his tweet read.

Vice-President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip, will be in Berlin tomorrow to participate in the Platform Economy Summit as well as a seminar on artificial intelligence, which brings together decision-makers from across multiple sectors and countries with leaders of online platforms, government officials and investors.

The EU Commission released on Thursday the results of a new Eurobarometer study on the public knowledge on antibiotics and overall trends in their use ahead of the 11th European Antibiotic Awareness Day. The study, conducted with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), shows that there has been a positive evolution in the use of antibiotics: 32% of people said they had taken antibiotics in the last twelve months, compared to 40% in the 2009 survey.

The European Commission has awarded an additional €43.7m in emergency assistance to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support Greece in responding to migratory challenges. The grant has been awarded from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and will support the provision of emergency shelter for up to 6,000 asylum seekers and refugees by rapidly establishing places in temporary accommodation facilities.