The European Union has submitted to the World Trade Organization a plan it believes will more effectively broaden supply of COVID-19 vaccines than the intellectual property (IP) rights waiver backed by the United States, Reuters reports.

Looking for a rebound and return to normal for EU economies for gaining sustainable growth, the Commission tabled on Wednesday the European Semester Spring Package. It is providing fiscal guidance to EU countries as they continue the process of gradually reopening their economies.

For making the largest free travel area in the world more robust, the EU executive put in a new Strategy towards a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area. Last years this ‘jewel in the Europe’s crown’ was challenged in many ways, either due to the introduction of strict sanitary measures to limit the spread of coronavirus in recent times or earlier due to the huge migration flows or other threats directly related to security.

From Tuesday, the EU gateway, the technical backbone of the system at EU level, which allows to verify COVID certificates in a secure way across Europe, is up and running. Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland are already connected to the gateway and started issuing first EU certificates.

As the pandemic ebbs and the holiday season approaches, the EU executive direct efforts in trying to stop the chaos with the travel restrictions around Europe. On Monday, it proposed to Member States updated recommendations for coordination of free movement restrictions in the EU, posed due to COVID-19.

One in ten bee and butterfly species in Europe are on the verge of extinction, and one third of them are in decline. Pollinating insects are crucial for the functioning of ecosystems, our food security, for medicines and our wellbeing, the Commission warns.

The Commission received last days the official recovery and resilience plans from Finland, Ireland and Sweden that set out the reforms and investment projects countries intend to implement with the support of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke over the phone on Thursday and agreed on the need to step up efforts to provide the necessary vaccines to Ukraine. They talked on the prospects of establishing the EU vaccine sharing mechanism and appreciated the role of COVAX, to which the EU significantly contributes.

The European Union’s two top officials expressed support Thursday for holding the Tokyo Olympics despite growing opposition to the event in Japan because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Commission released on Wednesday its guidance to strengthen the Code of Practice on Disinformation, which sets out principles and commitments for online platforms and the advertising sector to counter the spread of fake news online.