The Commission launched on Thursday the first call for proposals under the new €1bn European Solidarity Corps 2021-2027. The initiative supports young people wishing to engage in volunteering activities in a variety of areas ranging from helping people in need to supporting health and environmental action, across the EU and beyond.

A top official from the World Health Organisation says Europe has surpassed 1 million deaths from Covid-19 and the situation remains “serious,” with about 1.6 million new cases reported each week in the region.

Rules for Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be human centric, risk-based and balanced, requested in their new report MEPs from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee.

Two years after a fire tore through Paris’ most famous cathedral and shocked the world, French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the building site on Thursday to show that French heritage has not been forgotten despite the coronavirus, AP reported.

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez is standing by his intention to let the state of alarm expire on 9 May even as several regions are calling for it to be extended, El Pais reports. For the past six months, the emergency measure has given the country’s regional governments the power to introduce coronavirus restrictions that limit fundamental rights – such as nighttime curfews and perimetral lockdowns – without facing legal challenges in the courts.

The Commission tabled on Wednesday two very important strategies with renewed focus on preventing crimes, bringing traffickers to justice and protecting and empowering victims.

Greece plans to lift quarantine restrictions from next week for travelers from the European Union and five other countries who have been vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Czech MPs rejected a proposed bill to reduce dependency on food imports by imposing a quota of locally-produced food to be sold in supermarkets, AP reported. Lawmakers in the lower house had originally approved the controversial requirement in January.

Vaccination is picking up speed across Europe, Member States have received over 126 million doses of vaccines as of yesterday, said EC President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.

Denmark will become the first country to entirely cease administering AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine following its possible link to very rare cases of blood clots, several Danish media outlets reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The decision to remove the shot from Denmark’s vaccination scheme,which is expected to be announced later in the day, could delay the country’s vaccine rollout by up to four weeks, based on previous statements by health bodies, Reuters noted.