Explainers

Wasting food puts unnecessary pressure on natural resources and affects food security. EU rules aim to prevent and reduce food loss and food waste.

The EU and its 27 member states together are the leading donor of humanitarian aid to populations affected by disasters around the globe. EU assistance aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and maintain human dignity.

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

The EU is taking decisive steps towards managing space traffic to ensure the safe, sustainable, and secure use of space as satellite activity increases.

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.

The EU has actively supported international efforts to achieve peace and stability in Sudan since the beginning of the war in 2023. The EU and its member states together are the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to Sudan.

EU member states' defence expenditure sharply increased between 2021 and 2026. The EU has taken a number of initiatives to complement and amplify member states’ individual efforts, and to boost competitiveness.