Explainers

The EU is committed to multilateralism, with a strong and effective UN at its core. The Council of the EU adopts the EU’s priorities annually at the UN and the UN General Assembly.

The EU has created incentives for producers and consumers to make repairing products easier and more attractive, in order to reduce waste and promote more sustainable business models.

The EU-Guatemala partnership is built on political dialogue, cooperation and trade. The EU supports Guatemala's efforts to strengthen democracy, protect human rights and advance sustainable development and prosperity.

The EU space programme helps carry out everyday activities on Earth. The satellites that the EU sends into orbit allow millions of people to communicate using new technologies, to travel by land, sea and air, and to develop ways to improve the health of our planet.

The Ukraine Facility is an EU instrument providing Ukraine with up to €50 billion in loans and grants to help its recovery, reconstruction and modernisation.

The EU can impose sanctions on individuals and entities in response to human rights abuses and violations worldwide.

The EU condemns human rights abuses in Iran, as well as Iran's nuclear proliferation activities and its military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. It has adopted a number of sanctions in this regard.

Montenegro applied for EU membership in December 2008 and was granted EU candidate status in December 2010. The EU-Montenegro accession negotiations started in June 2012. So far, all 33 negotiation chapters have been opened and 18 have been provisionally closed.

Child sexual abuse is a widespread and often hidden crime. The EU is strengthening its rules to better prevent abuse online and offline, bring perpetrators to justice and improve protection and support for victims.

EU sanctions can target governments of non-EU countries, entities and individuals. The EU can impose restrictive measures in order to implement UN resolutions, to reinforce UN sanctions or on its own initiative.