At a glance: MEPs prepare for plenary debate on Polish presidency of the Council of the EU and Middle East Strategy; in Strasbourg, Parliament will also focus on migrant smuggling and Russia’s disinformation; the Committee on International Trade will discuss EU-Mercosur deal with Commissioner Šefčovič.

Kurznachrichten – 15/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU leaders unite to tackle security challenges; President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola met the Austrian Chancellor and the NATO Secretary General; the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development discussed the 2026 budget, wine policy and forest monitoring.

Kurznachrichten – 14/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: the latest Eurobarometer survey shows growing support for the EU’s common agricultural policy; a public hearing explores how tax policies affect gender equality; the new Commissioner for Enlargement is set to address MEPs.

Kurznachrichten – 13/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: NATO chief Mark Rutte meets Parliament committees to discuss NATO-EU cooperation, Ukraine and global security threats; Parliament President Metsola in Egypt for regional dialogue; EU aims for climate neutrality by 2050.

Kurznachrichten – 10/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: Poland takes over EU Council Presidency; Germany’s Chemnitz and Slovenia’s Nova Gorica celebrate European cultural heritage and diversity as Capitals of Culture; 30 years of EU membership for Austria, Finland and Sweden.

Kurznachrichten – 09/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: MEPs visit India to boost digital and consumer ties; tax policies and gender equality under scrutiny; and improving the enforcement of EU laws to benefit citizens.

Kurznachrichten – 08/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: Poland takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union; MEPs visit India to boost digital and consumer ties; Parliament calls for leadership on women’s rights.

Kurznachrichten – 07/01/2025 - Deutsch

At a glance: President Metsola at the EU-Western Balkans summit: ‘It is time to grow’; Parliament sets up new committees on defence, health, democracy and housing; on 1 January, Poland will take over the EU Council presidency from Hungary.

Kurznachrichten – 20/12/2024 - Deutsch

Animal, Dahomey, Flow, Intercepted, and Julie Keeps Quiet have been shortlisted for the 2025 Lux European Audience Film Award. The five shortlisted films were announced on Wednesday by the European Parliament first vice-president&nbsp;Sabine Verheyen&nbsp;(EPP, DE), and the chair of the Committee on Culture and Education&nbsp;Nela Riehl&nbsp;(Greens, EFA, DE).

The announcement event took place for the first time at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Following the announcement, vice-president of the EP Sabine Verheyen said: "European cinema reflects the challenges and hopes of our society. This year's finalists, each in their distinct form, showcase the rich variety of the film world. They offer powerful perspectives on pressing issues such as women's rights, climate change, our history and the war in Ukraine. They pen up important conversations and inviting us to see the world through diverse lenses."

The LUX Audience Film Award is presented every year by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. A symbol of the European Parliament’s commitment to culture, the Lux award continues to build cultural bridges across Europe, by putting the spotlight on films that go to the heart of the European public debate. The award aims to strengthen ties between politics and citizens, by inviting European audiences to become active protagonists and cast their vote for their favourite films.

Lux Audience Award 2025

Hungary officially joined the EU on 1 March 2004 and the Schengen Area in December 2007.

The Hungarian EU accession negotiations started on 31 March 1998. Hungary had successfully concluded negotiations on its accession at the Copenhagen European Council in December 2002. Hungary has 22 MEPs, 12 votes in the Council and has chaired the Council of the European Union from January to June 2011.

EU - Hungary

Austria has been an EU Member since 1st January 1995. Austria is a federal parliamentary republic with a head of government - the chancellor - and a head of state - the president.

Austria ihas also been a member of the Euro area since 1 January 1999 and a member of Schengen since December 1997.

There are 19 members of the European Parliament from Austria. The country held the EU Presidency in 1998, 2006 and 2018.

Austria consists of 9 states (Bundesländer). Both regional and federal governments exercise executive power. The federal Parliament consists of 2 chambers: the Lower House (Nationalrat) - directly elected - and the Upper House (Bundesrat) - elected by regional parliaments.

EU - Austria

MEPs elected Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT) on January 2022 as President of the European Parliament until 2024.

Roberta Metsola won the election in the first voting round, where she received an absolute majority of 458 votes out of 690 cast in the remote secret vote, among three candidates.&nbsp;

President Metsola is leading the Parliament in the second half of the current legislative term, until a new Parliament is constituted following the 2024 European Elections.

Born in Malta in 1979,&nbsp; Roberta Metsola who has been an MEP since 2013, is the youngest EP President ever elected. She became First Vice-President in November 2020, and was Parliament’s acting President after President Sassoli passed away on 11 January 2022.

She is the third female President of the European Parliament, after Simone Veil (1979-1982) and Nicole Fontaine (1999- 2002).

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament 2022-2024

The EP’s Press Service holds a press briefing with the Parliament’s political group spokespersons at 11.00 on Friday

Pre-session briefing

EP President Roberta Metsola, meets the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa

EP President meets with Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa

The Committee on International Trade meets with Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič to discuss the trade aspects of the EU-Mercosur deal on which a political agreement was reached on 6 December 2024.

INTA- Debate with Maros SEFCOVIC, Commissioner for EU-Mercorsur Agreement

MEPs in the Foreign Affairs Committee meet Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. The discussion is expected to focus on the state of play and the progress made by the ten enlargement countries.

AFET debate with Marta KOS, Commissioner  for Enlargement

LUX European Audience Film Award 2025 - Meeting between Greek MEPs and director of nominated film Animal

The European elections are the largest transnational elections in the world. There are some common rules that apply in all EU countries but many details vary by country.


Election days range from Thursday 6 June to Sunday 9 June and it is up to each country to decide when and how they organise the vote.


The number of MEPs elected varies between countries: bigger countries get more seats than smaller ones. Due to changes in the size of the population, some EU countries will get extra seats in the upcoming elections compared to the outgoing Parliament. In total 15 seats will be added.


There are also differences in other aspects of voting, for example regarding the minimum voting age or the rules about voting from abroad.

EU Elections 2024

The European elections are the largest transnational elections in the world. There are some common rules that apply in all EU countries but many details vary by country.


Election days range from Thursday 6 June to Sunday 9 June and it is up to each country to decide when and how they organise the vote.

Map European elections 2024

Online shopping, take-away food, coffee to go... Packaging waste is growing. Find out how much is being produced and how the EU wants to reverse the trend

How to reduce packaging waste in the EU

With war having returned to the European continent, measuring the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world – as the 'Normandy Index' does – is more important than ever. The annual Index was presented for the first time at the Normandy Peace Forum in June 2019, as a result of a partnership between the European Parliament and the Region of Normandy. The Index has been designed and prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), in conjunction with and on the basis of data provided by the Institute for Economics and Peace. This paper sets out the findings of the 2023 exercise, which draws on data compiled in 2022, and explains how the Index can be used to compare peace – defined on the basis of a given country's performance against a range of predetermined threats – across countries and regions. It is complemented by 61 individual country case studies, derived from the Index. The paper forms part of the EPRS contribution to the 2023 Normandy World Peace Foru

Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide: Normandy Index 2023

Discover key figures about the repatriation of migrants and proposed changes to EU law.
The EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum includes new rules and the revision of existing legislation, such as the Return Directive.
In a draft resolution on the Return Directive adopted in December 2020, MEPs stressed the importance of protecting individual fundamental rights as well as respect for procedural safeguards.

Repatriation: how many migrants in the EU are sent back?

Over the past 30 years the single market has brought unity and opportunities to Europeans.

30 years of EU single market: benefits and challenges

Find out about the top cyber threats in 2022, the most affected sectors and the impact of the war in Ukraine.

The digital transformation has inevitably led to new cybersecurity threats. During the coronavirus pandemic, companies had to adapt to remote working and this created more possibilities for cybercriminals. The war in Ukraine has also affected cybersecurity.

In response to the evolution of cybersecurity threats, Parliament adopted a new EU directive introducing harmonised measures across the EU, including on the protection of essential sectors.

Cybersecurity: main and emerging threats

With fast fashion, the quantity of clothes produced and thrown away has boomed. Find out more about the environmental impact and what the EU is doing about it.

Fast fashion is the constant provision of new styles at very low prices.

To tackle the impact on the environment, the EU wants to reduce textile waste and increase the life cycle and recycling of textiles. This is part of the plan to achieve a circular economy by 2050.

The impact of textile production and waste on the environment

Find out about the economic inequalities that continue to persist between women and men in the EU.

It has been more than 25 years since the adoption of the UN’s Beijing Declaration, which aims to promote equality between men and women. The same goal lies behind the creation of UN Women - dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women - and the inclusion of gender equality in the Sustainable Development Goals.
s
So where do we stand? Progress has been made, but inequality between men and women persists, including on the labour market. On average, women in the EU are paid less than men.

Gender pay gap in Europe: facts and figures

Euroscola

LUX European Audience Film Award 2025 - Screening of nominated film Animal

AFET - Exchange of views with Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement

FISC Subcommittee - Public hearing on “The Impact of Taxation on Gender Equality in the EU”

AFET SEDE - Exchange of views with Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO

Roberta METSOLA, EP President President meets with Mark RUTTE, NATO Secretary General

ENVI AGRI joint committees - Public Hearing - Forest Monitoring for resilient European Forests

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, meets with Alexander SCHALLENBERG, Austrian Chancellor

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, to Cairo (Egypt) - Meeting with Badr Ahmed Mohamed ABDELATTY, Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Committees on Foreign Affairs and Security and Defence and the Delegation for Relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meet Mark RUTTE, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for the first time. In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the incoming US administration, the topics discussed include efforts to strengthen NATO defence and deterrence as well as the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine. MEPs also inquire about other regional and global security threats that require close cooperation between the EU and NATO.

Exchange of views with Mark RUTTE, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO): extracts - AFET Committee, SEDE Subcommittee and Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly

Auf den Kontext kommt es an, und Verbreiter von Desinformation wissen das. Sie versuchen, uns mit wahren Fakten, Fotos oder Auszügen aus Reden, die aus dem Kontext gerissen sind, in ihre Lügenfallen zu locken. 
 
Wir zeigen dir, wie das funktioniert und wie du es vermeiden kannst, in diese Falle zu tappen.

So funktioniert Desinformation | Folge 5: Aus dem Kontext gerissen  - 9:16

So funktioniert Desinformation | Folge 5: Aus dem Kontext gerissen 

The Committees on Foreign Affairs and Security (AFET) and Defence (SEDE) and the Delegation for Relations with the National Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly (DNAT) meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for the first time. In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the incoming US administration, the topics discussed include efforts to strengthen NATO defence and deterrence as well as the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine. MEPs also inquire about other regional and global security threats that require close cooperation between the European Union and NATO.

Exchange of views with Mark RUTTE, Secretary General of the NATO: Opening statements by David McALLISTER, AFET Chair, Marie-Agnes STRACK-ZIMMERMANN, SEDE Chair, Mark RUTTE, NATO Secretary General, and by Salvatore DE MEO, DNAT Chair

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Mark RUTTE, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), in Brussels. Arrival, meeting and roundtable

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Mark RUTTE, Secretary General of NATO: arrival

Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, meets with Alexander SCHALLENBERG, Austrian Federal Chancellor, in Brussels. This news item shows extracts from the arrival, meeting and roundtable at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, meets with Alexander SCHALLENBERG, Austrian Federal Chancellor: arrival, meeting and roundtable

Wer hört nicht gerne Informationen, die scheinbar bestätigen, was wir bereits glauben. Es könnte jedoch auch unser wunder Punkt sein. 
  
Verbreiter von Desinformation nutzen Inhalte, die unseren Überzeugungen und Werten entsprechen, um uns zu manipulieren. 
  
In diesem Video erfährst du, wie du diese gängige Manipulationstechnik erkennst und wie du dich davor schützen kannst.

So funktioniert Desinformation | Folge 4: Überzeugungen bekräftigen 9:16

So funktioniert Desinformation | Folge 4: Überzeugungen bekräftigen

EP President Roberta METSOLA meets with Badr Abdelatty, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

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