At a glance: Bulgaria will adopt the euro from 1 January 2026; Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen outlined Denmark’s priorities for its six-month EU Council presidency; and Parliament approved a new law to secure gas supplies and tackle speculation.

News in Brief – 10/07/2025 - English

At a glance: Parliament’s July plenary session is under way. We will look at the debate on EU-China relations; the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide; and new rules for a more sustainable automotive sector.

News in Brief – 09/07/2025 - English

Together, the European Parliament and the national parliaments determine how best to organise and promote effective and regular interparliamentary cooperation within the EU. This cooperation takes many forms. In this podcast, we’ll provide a brief overview of the relations between the European Parliament and the national parliaments.

Relations between the European Parliament and the national parliaments

At a glance: Parliament’s July plenary session is under way. MEPs will debate and vote on distributing EUR 280 million of flood relief to Austria, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova; controlling the influx of parcels from outside the EU; and stepping up preparations for the wildfire season.

News in Brief – 08/07/2025 - English

The European Parliament’s delegations are official groups of MEPs that work to deepen relations with parliaments, regions and organisations outside the EU. They maintain and further develop Parliament’s international contacts and help to enhance the EU’s role and visibility around the world.

The role of the European Parliament’s delegations

Outside of the European Parliament’s plenary sessions, MEPs also sit on parliamentary committees. There are many of these committees and each one specialises in a particular field. But how do they work?

The role of parliamentary committees

Being a Member of the European Parliament is much more than just voting and taking part in plenary debates. Some MEPs will be involved in putting together reports about Parliament’s opinions on proposals and all sorts of other subjects: welcome to the work of the rapporteurs.

The role of the rapporteur

In 1989, Jozef Mad’ar and his TV crew from what was then Yugoslavia were sent to film civil protests for freedom and democracy in the former Czechoslovakia. Let us listen to his recollections as he takes us on a journey through the streets of Bratislava.

The keys to freedom - memories of a cameraman from the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia

The constitutive meetings of the European Parliament's standing committees and subcommittees take place in Brussels on 10 July 2019, following the appointment of their members in the plenary sitting of 3-4 July. During the meetings, each committee and subcommittee will elect its respective bureau, made up of a Chair and Vice-Chairs, for a two-and-a-half year mandate. The newly set up committees will then start holding their regular meetings during the week of 22 July.

PECH - Committee on Fisheries

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

In July 2024&nbsp; MEPs re-elected Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT) as President of the European Parliament until 2027, with 562 votes in the first round. Roberta Metsola won the election in the first round of voting, where she received an absolute majority of 562 votes cast out of 699 by secret paper ballot, among two candidates. She will continue to lead Parliament for the first two and a half years of the 10th legislative term.

Born in Malta in 1979, Roberta Metsola has been an MEP since 2013.&nbsp;She was elected First Vice-President in November 2020, and was Parliament’s acting President after President Sassoli passed away on 11 January 2022. On 18 January 2022,&nbsp;she was elected President&nbsp;for the second half of the 9th legislative term. She is the third female President of the European Parliament, after&nbsp;Simone Veil&nbsp;(1979-1982) and Nicole Fontaine (1999-2002).

Addressing the House after she was elected, President Metsola said: “Together, we must stand up for the politics of hope, for the dream that is Europe. I want people to recapture a sense of belief and enthusiasm for our project. A belief to make our shared space safer, fairer, more just and more equal. A belief that together we are stronger and we are better. A belief that ours is a Europe for all.”

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament 2024-2027

The European budget supports citizens, farmers, researchers, businesses and regions across Europe and beyond. It has proven&nbsp;essential for improving the lives of Europeans. Together with NextGenerationEU, it helped overcome a pandemic and energy crisis, while saving millions of jobs during lockdowns and investing in our clean and digital future. The EU budget also provided unprecedented support to Ukraine and the security of Europe, in the face of Russia's war of aggression.<a name="_Hlk189216671"></a>

Next long-term budget&nbsp;will start in 2028. Parliament adopted a&nbsp;<a data-analytics-event-attached="true" href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2025-0090_EN.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">resolution</a>&nbsp;on the future MFF during its May 2025 plenary session, asking for a “significantly more ambitious” budget, and arguing that the current spending ceiling of 1% of the EU-27’s gross national income is not enough. MEPs also rejected the Commission’s idea of replicating the Recovery and Resilience Facility’s "one national plan per Member State" model in the EU’s new long-term budget. Instead, they demand a structure that ensures transparency and parliamentary accountability, and involves regional and local authorities.

The decision on the next long-term EU budget requires unanimous agreement among member states and must also be backed by Parliament, by a majority of its component members.&nbsp;

EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034

In two debates on Wednesday morning, MEPs assess the outcome of June’s EU summit with Presidents Costa and von der Leyen. On Tuesday morning, they will  and look ahead to the EU-China summit.

At their meeting in Brussels, EU heads of state or government focussed on ways to bolster EU competitiveness. They also discussed how the EU can continue supporting Kyiv against Russia’s aggression, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, how to strengthen the EU’s defence capabilities, and the EU’s response to the escalation in the Middle East. Leaders also discussed migration and the situation in the Western Balkans.

Plenary debate on the outcome of June’s EU summit with Presidents Costa and von der Leyen

MEPs assess the latest developments in the Middle East, in particular in Iran, and what the EU can do to help restore peace.

Parliament reviews the latest events in the region, including the US airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities at the end of June 2025, and Israel’s earlier attacks on Iranian targets, which led to Iran launching missiles at Israeli cities. In a plenary debate on 16 June, the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, said that Iran, as the main source of regional instability, must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. She also defended diplomacy as the best way to address Iran's nuclear programme in the long run.

MEPs are also expected to repeat their calls for an end to the deplorable humanitarian situation in Gaza, for a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and for a hostage release agreement.

Plenary debate on the situation in Middle East

Confeence of Presidents: 

Exchange of views with Ms VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission, on the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework

Conference of Presidents: Exchange of views with Ursula VON DER LEYEN, EC President on the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework

On Tuesday, MEPs adopt their opinion on Bulgaria’s bid to become the newest member of the euro area from 1 January 2026.

The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee adopted a favourable opinion on 24 June, with 46 votes in favour, 3 against and 5 abstentions. This opinion has now been tabled for a vote in plenary.

With Bulgaria joining the euro area, 21 of the EU’s 27 member countries will have the euro as their currency.

A press conference with the rapporteur Eva Maydell (EPP, Bulgaria) is held at 14:00 CET on Tuesday in the European Parliament’s Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room in Strasbourg.

Vote on the adoption by Bulgaria of the euro on 1st January 2025

Strasbourg's Plenary session through the lens. Week 28.

Strasbourg's Plenary session through the lens. Week 28

As every year, two annual procedures are central to the budgetary work of the European Parliament and the other institutions – agreeing on the 2026 budget, and granting discharge for the implementation of the 2024 budget. In addition, in 2025, the process of agreeing the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the years from 2028 will also get under way. This timeline sets out the main steps in the three procedures up to end 2025.

Timeline for the three key EU budgetary procedures up to end 2025

The widespread use of military drones spans reconnaissance, strikes, logistics and naval operations, with both state and non-state players increasingly relying on unmanned systems. The European Union (EU) has prioritised drone development and countermeasures, funding and coordinating research and capability development through the European Defence Fund and Permanent Structured Cooperation. The EU is also fostering synergies between the civilian and the defence sectors, addressing strategic dependencies and collaborating with NATO. Meanwhile, drone regulation remains fragmented: civilian drones are subject to comprehensive EU rules, while military drone use falls under international law. The European Parliament has called for transparency, adherence to international law and a ban on LAWS, while supporting defence innovation and proposing an EU drone package to stimulate joint procurement and industry participation.

Most common drone uses

Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act is under way. The European Commission has launched formal proceedings against three major providers of core platform services. The Commission's preliminary findings suggest breaches of EU rules. To date, two of these preliminary findings have been confirmed, resulting in non-compliance decisions and fines for the companies in April 2025.

Digital Markets Act enforcement: Gatekeeper designation

Pollination is a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems and ultimately, of our planet. Nearly 90 % of the world's wild flowering plant species depend on pollination, along with more than 75 % of the world's food crops and 35 % of global agricultural land. Without pollination, many interconnected species and processes functioning within the ecosystem would collapse.

Bees and pollinators

EU competence does not extend to recognition of marital or family status. In this area, national regulations vary, with some Member States offering same-sex couples the right to marry, some allowing alternative forms of registration, and others not providing any legal status for same-sex couples. Same-sex couples may or may not have the right to adopt children and to access assisted reproduction. Combating discrimination has become part of EU internal and external policies, and is the subject of numerous resolutions of the European Parliament.

Same sex unions and adoption rights

Russia's war on Ukraine has been a wake-up call for many EU Member States' defence budgets. Rising from €218 billion in 2021 to €326 billion in 2024, a further increase of at least €100 billion is projected by 2027. Despite these significant increases, most experts note that current geopolitical developments will require much more.

EU Member State defence expenditure

For the European Union to compete globally while continuing to ensure progress in environmental, social and fundamental rights, more strategic and collective action is imperative. EU businesses could harness the full potential of the single market and economic and monetary union and challenge competitors in fast-growing and future-oriented economic activities such as digital and clean energy production. This study finds that, compared to a situation where Member States act alone, a coordinated approach at EU level could bring an additional 0.9 % of GDP in 2035. A more ambitious integrated approach could be even more positive, with a benefit estimated at 2.6 % of additional GDP in 2035.

Cost of non-Europe in strategic innovation

Poverty has many dimensions. Following recent crises, not least the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, some of poverty's known dimensions have evolved while new forms have emerged. Addressing poverty remains mainly the responsibility of EU countries' governments acting in complex national social settings. The EU meanwhile seeks to coordinate Member States' efforts and offers support in the form of funding and data. The new European Commission is stepping up efforts to meet the EU's poverty reduction targets.

EU action against poverty

Rare diseases, though seldom recognised and frequently misdiagnosed, affect approximately 36 million people in the EU. Despite their significant collective prevalence, patients with rare diseases are often overlooked by healthcare systems, facing challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and access to advances in research. Researchers are increasingly using networks to share their findings and make better progress, giving new hope to patients.

Rare Diseases: Advances in research give patients new hope

Euroscola

Committee on Regional Development Extraordinary meeting Committee on Regional Development

REGI

Strasbourg's Plenary session through the lens  Week 28

EP Plenary session - Endometriosis: Europe’s wake-up call on the gender health gap

EP Plenary session - Voting session

Summer Reading - Emma Braslavsky

EP Plenary session - European Citizens' Initiative 'Cohesion policy for the equality of the regions and sustainability of the regional cultures'

D-UA Constitutive Meeting

EP Plenary session - Post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy

EP Plenary session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law

EP Plenary session - 51 years after the Turkish invasion of the Republic of Cyprus

With 175 votes in favour, 360 against, and 18 abstentions, the European Parliament rejected a motion of censure against the Commission. The vote on the motion took place by roll call. To be adopted, a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, representing a majority of component Members of Parliament, would have been needed.

Voting Session : Motion of censure on the Commission

B10-0319/2025 * Antonio Decaro (ENVI 03/07) - Amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 as regards obligations of economic operators concerning battery due diligence policies * Hildegard Bentele (ITRE A10-0123/2025) - Future of the EU biotechnology and biomanufacturing sector: leveraging research, boosting innovation and enhancing competitiveness

Voting Session

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, issues a statement on the anniversary since the beginning of 10th legislative term and on Multiannual financial framework (MFF). This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, on one year anniversary since the beginning of 10th legislative term and on Multiannual financial framework (MFF)

MEPs debate on stockpiling strategies and strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape during the plenary session. Opening statement by Hadja LAHBIB, European Commissioner for Equality, and European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Commission statement - Presentation of the Stockpiling Strategies - strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape: Opening statement by Hadja LAHBIB, European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management

MEPs debate on stockpiling strategies and strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape during the plenary session. Closing statement by Hadja LAHBIB, European Commissioner for Equality, and European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management.

Commission statement - Presentation of the Stockpiling Strategies - strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape: Closing statement by Hadja LAHBIB, European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management

MEPs debate on stockpiling strategies and strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape during the plenary session. MEPs debate.

Commission statement - Presentation of the Stockpiling Strategies - strengthening response capacities for a changing risk and threat landscape: MEPs debate

First part of the MEPs debate on the EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season.

EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season: MEPs debate part 1

MEPs, with Commission and Council representatives, debate the EU’s preparations for Europe’s upcoming wildfire and drought season. In the recently launched EU preparedness union strategy, the Commission set out its intention to build on the success of the EU’s rescEU strategic reserve for disaster response, so that it can maintain and possibly scale up its existing capabilities, including aerial firefighting. Drought already affected large parts of Europe this spring, with the situation expected to worsen with rising temperatures. MEPs are likely to ask for details on specific planned EU measures to prevent and prepare for this summer’s wildfires and droughts, as well as on the status of EU climate resilience and preparedness policies

Council and Commission statements - EU Preparedness Union in light of the upcoming wildfire and droughts season: Statements Marie BJERRE, Danish Minister for European Affairs and Hadja LAHBIB, Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Mana

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