In a statement from Friday evening, the Commission welcomes the decision to include the Bulgarian lev and the Croatian kuna in the Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II). It also welcomes the ECB Governing Council's decision on close cooperation with both countries, marking their entry into the Banking Union.

The Commission published on Friday the 2020 EU Justice Scoreboard, a key component of EU Rule of Law policy. It presents a comparative overview of the efficiency, quality and independence of justice systems in all EU Member States.

Commenting on the final adoption of the Mobility Package I, EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said on Thursday that the social improvements in it are significant, but the Commission regrets that the new set of rules includes elements that are possibly not in line with the European Green Deal's ambitions and the European Council endorsement of the objective of achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050.

Delivering on the Green Deal, EU’s flagship policy, the Commission presented on Wednesday energy system integration and hydrogen strategies. They are necessary to make Europe's green recovery a reality, and they put us firmly on the path towards climate neutrality, EC Exectuive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans stressed at a news conference in Brussels, he delivered together with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.

The European Commission on Wednesday approved German plans to set up a €500bn fund to support businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis. The decision brings the total of German approved funds to € 600bn, as the EU's executive arm previously has given its nod to €100bn in funds, dpa reported.

The Commission has reached agreements with pharmaceutical companies Roche and Merck to supply experimental drugs that can be used to treat Covid-19 patients, a commission source told Reuters on Wednesday. The EU executive agreed to supply Roche's RoActemra and Merck's Rebif to any EU members states willing to buy them, the source said, declining to disclose the terms of the deal.

To support the wine sector, following the coronavirus crisis and its consequences on the sector, the Commission adopted on Tuesday an additional package of exceptional measures. The wine sector is among the hardest hit agri-food sectors, due to rapid changes in demand and the closure of restaurants and bars across the EU, which was not compensated by home consumption.

The EU executive published on Tuesday its latest report on the Commission's system to prevent or restrict the selling of dangerous products on the market, the so-called ‘Rapid Alert System'. The report shows that the number of actions taken by authorities following an alert is growing year on year, reaching 4,477 in 2019 compared to 4050 in 2018.

The Summer 2020 Economic Forecast, presented by the Commission on Tuesday, estimates that the euro area economy will contract by 8.7% in 2020 and grow by 6.1% in 2021. At large, the EU economy is forecast to shrink by 8.3% this year and grow by 5.8% in 2021. The pandemic has hit the European economy tougher than previously expected, even if a cautious rebound is commencing. 

On Sunday, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight arrived in Mogadishu from Brindisi, Italy, carrying humanitarian and medical supplies provided by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian civil society organisations and international NGOs.