The need for accountability and increased scrutiny of the European Council has been a constant theme in the European Parliament's resolutions throughout the 2019-2024 legislative term. The increased need to scrutinise the European Council also results from the changing role of the institution over recent years. In this podcast, we analyse the need for democratic oversight of the European Council and outline the different tools at Parliament's disposal to do so. We also look at the content of Parliament's resolutions addressing the European Council and the messages it sends to the EU leaders.

EPRS policy podcast - European Parliament's scrutiny of the European Council: The use of Parliament resolutions

Maastrichtin sopimus, jonka virallinen nimi on Euroopan unionista tehty sopimus, allekirjoitettiin 7. helmikuuta 1992 Maastrichtissa Alankomaissa. Sen allekirjoittivat Euroopan yhteisöjen silloiset kaksitoista jäsenmaata. Sopimus tuli voimaan 1. marraskuuta 1993, kun kaikki jäsenmaat olivat ratifioineet sen.
Maastrichtin sopimuksella perustettiin virallisesti Euroopan unioni, jolloin Euroopan talousyhteisö muuttui yhtenäisemmäksi ja kattavammaksi unioniksi. Sillä otettiin käyttöön myös EU:n kansalaisuus.

Maastrichtin sopimus ja sen muutokset

At a glance: the European Parliament is about to start confirmation hearings for candidates for the von der Leyen Commission; members of the Public Health Subcommittee  concluded their visit to the EU Disease Prevention Centre and an EU delegation attended COP16 in Colombia.

Uutisia Euroopan parlamentista – 31/10/2024 - suomi

At a glance: following Georgia’s elections, MEPs call for investigations into alleged vote manipulation; MEPs push for more support to Ukraine; and European Parliament delegation meets with representatives of international legal bodies in The Hague.

Uutisia Euroopan parlamentista – 30/10/2024 - suomi

At a glance: MEPs of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee are in Colombia to attend the UN Conference on Biological Diversity; a delegation of the Committee on Transport and Tourism is in France, to take stock of major EU funded transport projects and MEPs of the Committee on Development are in Guatemala to review the EU development portfolio in the country.

Uutisia Euroopan parlamentista – 29/10/2024 - suomi

At a glance: MEPs from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs are visiting Poland; a delegation from the Committee on International Trade is in the UK; and Parliament denounces violations of human rights and international law by Azerbaijan.

Uutisia Euroopan parlamentista – 28/10/2024 - suomi

Vuoden 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia -journalismipalkinto on myönnetty voittoa tavoittelemattomalle kansainväliselle journalismihankkeelle Lost in Europe. Palkitusta tutkinnasta käy ilmi, että yli 51 000 ilman huoltajaa tullutta lasta on kadonnut saavuttuaan Euroopan maihin vuosina 2021–2023. Palkinnolla edistetään EU:n periaatteita ja arvoja, jotka on vahvistettu Euroopan unionin perusoikeuskirjassa. Palkinto on nimetty maltalaisen Daphne Caruana Galizian mukaan. Hän oli toimittaja, bloggaaja ja korruption vastainen aktivisti, joka murhattiin vuonna 2017.

Daphne Caruana Galizia -journalismipalkinto 2024

At a glance: during the plenary session, Parliament proposed an overall budget for 2025 of almost EUR 201 billion; María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia win the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought; and MEPs expressed their solidarity with Taiwan.

Uutisia Euroopan parlamentista – 25/10/2024 - suomi

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.

BUDG - Committee on Budgets

The work of CONT committee&nbsp;involves controlling and monitoring the correct, targeted use of the budget (some EUR 166 billion in 2019). The main responsibility for budget management lies with the European Commission, which distributes the lion's share of the funds. Some 80% of the money goes to the Member States, around 13% is invested around the world, and roughly 7% is spent on administration.

The Committee on Budgetary Control is supported in its work by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in Luxembourg. The remit also covers the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). CONT is also involved in all legislative procedures concerning issues relating to the proper management of the budget and the safeguarding of the EU's financial interests. The Committee is also committed to having a robust European Public Prosecutor's Office.

CONT - Committee on Budgetary Control

ENVI - Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

ITRE - Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Confirmation hearing of Teresa RIBERA, Executive Vice-President designate, Clean, Just and Competitive Transition

Confirmation hearing of Henna VIRKKUNEN, Executive Vice-President designate, Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy

Confirmation hearing of Roxana MÎNZATU, Executive Vice-President designate, People, Skills and Preparedness

Confirmation hearing of Stéphane SÉJOURNÉ, Executive VIce-President designate, Prosperity and Industrial Strategy

Santander International Banking Conference 2024 - Madrid - Participation of Roberta METSOLA, EP President to the exchange on "Growth in a Disrupted World"

The European and Spanish flags at half-mast in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels and  Strasbourg as a tribute to the victims of the floods in Valencia (Spain)

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.
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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

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Madrid (Spain) - Statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President on the floods in Spain

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Malta - Visit to the National Archives

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Malta - Visit to San Andrea school

TRAN Committee delegation visit to Marseille, France - Visit of the Grand Port maritime

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Malta - Visit to the Archbishop Seminary Secondary School

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Malta - Visit to Lufthansa Technik Malta

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Rome (Italy) - Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the passing of Alcide de Gasperi

Teresa Ribera Rodríguez was the Third Deputy Spanish Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. She is now Executive Vice-President-designate of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, for the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot illustrates the relations between Teresa Ribera Rodríguez and the EU institutions in 2023 and contains new footage in her office in Charlemagne.

Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Executive Vice-President-designate of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition

Olivér Várhely was European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement in the von der Leyen Commission I. He is now European Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare, for the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot illustrates the relations between Olivér Várhely and the EU institutions from 2022 to 2024 and contains new footage in his office in Berlaymont, filmed on 30/10/2024.

Olivér Várhely, European Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare

Wopke Hoekstra was Dutch Minister for Finance from 2017 to 2022, Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2022 to 2023 and European Commissioner for Climate Action and acting Commissioner for Transport in the von der Leyen Commission I. He is now European Commissioner-designate for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, for the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot illustrates the relations between Wopke Hoekstra and the EU institutions from 2020 to 2024 and contains new footage in his office in Berlaymont, filmed on 31/10/2024.

Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner-designate for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth

Piotr Serafin became Head of cabinet of Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, in 2014 and Acting Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU in 2023. He is now European Commissioner-designate for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, for the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot illustrates the participation of Piotr Serafin at the COREPER II on 06/03/2024 and contains new footage in his office in Charlemagne, filmed on 29/10/2024.

Piotr Serafin, European Commissioner-designate for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration

Ekaterina Zaharieva was Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Judiciary reforms and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021 and she is currently a Member of the Bulgarian National Assembly. She is now European Commissioner-designate for Startups, Research and Innovation, for the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot illustrates the participation of Ekaterina Zaharieva in the meetings of the EU Council in 2018 and contains new footage in her office in Charlemagne, filmed on 29/10/2024.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner-designate for Startups, Research and Innovation

Raffaele Fitto was a Member of the European Parliament (1999-2000, 2014-2022) and became Co-Chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) of the European Parliament in 2019. He was the Italian Minister for European Affairs, Southern Italy, Cohesion Policy and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) from 2022 to present, and he is now Executive Vice-President-designate of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, for the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot contains footage of Raffaele Fitto in the EP in Strasbourg from 1999 to 2022 and in his office in Charlemagne, filmed on 29/10/2024.

Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President-designate of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms

Apostolos Tzitzikostas was President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) from 2020 to 2022 and First Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) since 2022. He is now the European Commissioner-designate for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, in the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot shows Apostolos Tzitzikostas at the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions in 2020, during the European Week of Regions and Cities in 2021 and in his office in Charlemagne on 31/10/2024.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner-designate for Sustainable Transport and Tourism

Jozef Síkela has been Czech Minister for Industry and Trade since 2021. He is now the European Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships, in the von der Leyen Commission II. This stockshot illustrates the participation of Jozef Síkela in the meetings of the EU Council from 2022 to 2024 and contains new footage in his office in Charlemagne.

Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, is in Madrid to participate to the exchange on "Growth in a Disrupted World" in the Santander International Banking Conference 2024.

Santander International Banking Conference 2024 - Madrid (Spain) - Participation of Roberta METSOLA, EP President to the exchange on "Growth in a Disrupted World"

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