The European Union has lifted a wide range of sanctions on Syria, but slapped new ones on people it says participated in attacks on Alawite civilians during a wave of violence in the Syrian coastal region in March.

The EU announced major strides toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting the proportion of energy from renewable sources but said it was doing less well on energy efficiency and removing CO2 from the air.

The European Union is nearly on track to reach its main climate target for this decade, with countries' existing CO2-cutting plans set to bring the bloc within one percentage point of the goal, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

The European Commission is warning the Spanish government that it does not have the power to block BBVA’s €11bn hostile bid for rival lender Sabadell. The Spanish government on Tuesday ordered that the bid be subjected to a full review by cabinet ministers, the latest setback in a year-long attempt to unite two of the country’s largest banks.

A large majority of European Union countries are demanding that Hungary revise a new law that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities.

The European Commission plans to create a public-private fund of at least 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) to help tech companies scale up as the European Union aims to narrow its innovation gap with the United States and China.

EU regulators are planning their first stress test to look for vulnerabilities in the financial system outside of banks, reflecting fears about the rapid growth of less regulated groups such as hedge funds and private equity.