The European Commission unveiled a plan to reduce pollution to levels that are no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems by 2050 - including reducing the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution by 55 percent.

French police have arrested a former Luxembourg spy chief, who was suing EUobserver for libel, in an unrelated US fraud case.

Economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni warned that despite the economic rebound, the risk of worsening poverty, social exclusion, and inequality "is very real".

Slovenia was supposed to nominate a delegated prosecutor for the new European Public Prosecutor Office, in charge of cracking down on corruption of EU funds. Ljubljana finalised procedures in December but has yet to send nominations, causing headaches.

UN workers in Gaza feel at risk from airstrikes, as violence continues to spread across Israel and occupied territories.

The European Union has launched a second legal action against AstraZeneca - in a bid to oblige the company to deliver 90 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to EU member states by the end of June.