European deeptech innovation and strategic policy debates define today's landscape, with significant investments in health and agriculture alongside crucial discussions on digital rights and trade.

Welcome to EU Pulse, where European deep tech innovation and strategic policy debates are defining today's landscape. Indeed, we're seeing significant investments in health and agriculture alongside crucial discussions on digital rights and trade across the continent. Our number of the day, $617 million dollars, reflects the total seed and pre-seed funding raised by two European deep tech startups in health and agriculture as reported today. That figure includes one million for UK-based Respiro Diagnostics, which secured pre-seed funding to advance its breath-based diagnostics for lung diseases. This investment, led by Zinc Venture Capital and SFC Capital, highlights continued venture interest in early stage health technology, particularly for respiratory health. And in agriculture, Wageningen's R.DYR secured five million in seed funding, led by Point Nine and FoodLabs, to develop new crop varieties using wild plants. This innovative approach leverages crop wild relatives to enhance resilience and nutritional quality, addressing critical needs in sustainable agriculture. Moving to policy, Ireland has passed a bill prohibiting the import and sale of goods from Israeli settlements following a similar move by Spain. This legislative action reported by Euractiv marks a significant shift in EU foreign policy and trade relations regarding disputed territories. It certainly underscores a growing trend among some EU member states to adopt more assertive stances on trade practices linked to international law considerations. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical giant Amgen has pulled a drug from the Danish market reportedly due to the influence of US pricing policies. This withdrawal, highlighted by the Financial Times, raises concerns about medicine availability across Europe and the complex interplay of international trade and national healthcare. A clear example of how decisions in one major market can have direct consequences for patient access in others. Absolutely. These policy and trade discussions are becoming increasingly intertwined with the availability of essential goods and services. That's all for today's EU Pulse. For more details on these stories, visit eu.eu.