At a glance: a new plenary session will start on Monday. In Strasbourg, MEPs will assess the outcome of the last European Council meeting and debate the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy; other items on the agenda include a discussion on how to support energy-intensive industries. Yesterday, the Special committee on the European Democracy Shield discussed the fight against online disinformation.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 28/03/2025 - Gaeilge

At a glance: new rules to trigger EU-wide driving disqualifications for reckless drivers; Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs holds a hearing with the Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank; MEPs from the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee will ask Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis for details about the activation of the national escape clause.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 27/03/2025 - Gaeilge

At a glance: the new Eurobarometer survey finds that Europeans want greater EU protection and unity; Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on digital driving licences and stricter rules for new drivers; members of the Committee on Development will attend the Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 26/03/2025 - Gaeilge

At a glance: the political groups of the European Parliament are preparing for the next plenary session; next week in Strasbourg, MEPs will debate EU security, foreign policy and economic competitiveness; World Water Day: how the EU is tackling water scarcity and protecting access to clean water.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 25/03/2025 - Gaeilge

At a glance: the Special committee on the Housing Crisis hosts a conference on affordable housing in the EU; Parliament’s Committee on International Trade approves two proposals to offer financial assistance to Egypt and Jordan; lawmakers and industry experts will meet in Brussels to discuss strategies for expanding Europe’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 24/03/2025 - Gaeilge

At a glance: third monetary dialogue with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde; a new EU digital platform to facilitate international recruitment; strengthening the EU’s role at the UN.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 21/03/2025 - Gaeilge

Tá foraoisí príomhúla seanfháis san Aontas tearc, beag agus briste suas. Is ionann iad agus faoi bhun 3% de limistéar foraoise iomlán na hEorpa. Is éiceachórais nádúrtha gan lot iad, inar beag comhartha tionchair dhaonna agus ina bhfuil rath ar an bhfiadhúlra leis na céadta bliain. Tá príomhról ag na foraoisí seo chun bithéagsúlacht a chaomhnú, carbón a ionsú agus a stóráil, fionnuisce a sholáthar, dálaí aeráide áitiúla a rialú agus daoine a choimeád sláintiúil. Tá go leor speiceas atá i mbaol ina gcónaí iontu chomh maith. 
Ní ar na Ballstáit amháin atá an fhreagracht foraoisí na hEorpa a chosaint. Is gealltanas comhroinnte é ar leibhéal an Aontais. Tá Parlaimint na hEorpa i gceartlár na n-iarrachtaí seo chun seasamh le foraoisí príomhúla seanfháis.

Foraoisí ársa na hEorpa a chosaint do na glúine atá le teacht

At a glance: MEPs debate stronger protections for Europe’s forests; Parliament’s Environment and Internal Market Committees push for stricter vehicle recycling rules; the European Parliament and national parliaments discuss how to strengthen the EU’s human rights role at the UN.

Blúiríní Nuachta – 20/03/2025 - Gaeilge

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

Poland is a member of the EU since 1st of May 2004 and member of the Schengen area since 21st December 2007.

Poland is a parliamentary republic with a Head of government - the Prime Minister - and a Head of state - the President. The government structure is centred on the council of Ministers. The country is divided into 16 provinces, largely based on the country’s historic regions. Administrative authority at provincial level is shared between a government-appointed Governor, an elected regional Assembly and an executive elected by the regional Assembly.

There are 51 members of the European Parliament from Poland.

EU - Poland

In September 2018, the Article 7(1) TEU procedure was triggered. In this case, the European Parliament voted a resolution calling the Council to determine the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values in relation to Hungary. This resolution was preceded by numerous others adopted by the Parliament between March 2011 and May 2017, and it made reference to concerns related mainly to judicial independence, freedom of expression, corruption, rights of minorities, and the situation of migrants and refugees in Hungary.

Under Article 2 TEU, the EU is founded on the shared values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights (DRF). Article 7 TEU establishes two mechanisms (preventive and sanctions) to enforce EU values in cases of systemic violations and to sanction Member States departing from them.

See also the previous <a href="https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/rule-of-law-in-hungary-8th-parliamentary-term_5702_pk">package</a> on the rule of law in Hungary.

Rule of law in Hungary (2019-2020)

On 24 February Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Shortly before&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized&nbsp;two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine&nbsp; as independent.&nbsp;The Conference of Presidents of the EP condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. "Ukraine is an independent and sovereign nation and its territorial integrity is non-negotiable. The invasion is unjustified and illegal. It is a threat to European and regional stability, as well as to the rules-based world order. The attack targets our model of democratic society. It cannot go unanswered, " says declaration of the COP.

"The Russian invasion into Ukraine is part of President Putin’s destabilisation agenda. It is a path that will bring the Kremlin in direct confrontation with Europe and the rule-based world-order. It is a path that pits authoritarianism against democracy. It is a path that we cannot allow him to walk unchallenged," said EP President Roberta Metsola.

European Union leaders met for a special European Council in Brussels on 24 February&nbsp;and adopted a set of sanctions related to the the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors,dual-use goods, exports, Russian individuals etc.&nbsp;

Ukraine is a priority partner for the European Union (EU). The EU supports Ukraine in ensuring a stable, prosperous and democratic future for its citizens and is unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Association Agreement (AA), including its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) signed in 2014, is the main tool for bringing Ukraine and the EU closer together. Since 2014, the EU and the Financial Institutions have mobilised more than €15 billion in grants and loans to support the reform process in the country, with strong conditionality on continued progress.

As a result of the cooperation with Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada in the field of democracy support, European Parliament launched on 11 March the website “<a href="https://ukraine.europarl.europa.eu/en/home.html" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">The EU stands with Ukraine</a>” (in English and Ukrainian) provides the latest news, videos and podcasts, relevant legislation and resolutions to show how the EU is helping Ukraine. Content from the Ukrainian Parliament could also be shared on the site. Actively supporting EU efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the world is one of Parliament's core responsibilities.

EU - Ukraine

Parliament, Council, and Commission  discuss Hungary’s restrictions on the right of assembly and the announced ban on the Budapest Pride march.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament assesses the state of fundamental rights in Hungary after the pro-government majority changed the law on public assemblies in March 2025, enabling authorities to classify pro-LGBTIQ+ gatherings as violations of the Child Protection Act and consequently ban the Budapest Pride march. MEPs are set to argue that this limitation of the rights of assembly and expression is a direct violation of the basic human and civil rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the core values of the Union.

In 1997, Budapest became the first capital of a former Communist bloc country to host a Pride march, a landmark moment for equality and freedom. However, Hungary’s government has been taking regressive steps for many years, dismantling institutions, the rule of law, and freedom of expression, to the point where Parliament can no longer consider the country a full democracy. In January 2024, MEPs once more urged the Council to unblock the process to assess Hungary’s “serious and persistent breaches of EU values”.

EP Plenary debate on the threats to fundamental rights in Hungary

Parliament reviews recent Commission proposals to support the EU steel and metals industries, and the EU’s approach to other energy-intensive industries.

On Wednesday morning, MEPs hold an initial debate with the European Commission on its new action plan to transition to a competitive and decarbonised steel and metals industry in Europe. The sector, which is critical for the EU's security of supply, is facing high energy costs and unfair global competition at a time when money is needed to pay for decarbonisation.

Energy-intensive industries

In a separate debate on Wednesday, MEPs are set to highlight the crucial role energy-intensive industries, such as chemicals, steel, paper, cement and glass, play in the EU economy.

In a draft resolution on which MEPs vote on Wednesday, they propose faster permit-granting processes for clean energy projects and the swift implementation of electricity market design legislation, to lower energy costs, improve energy system integration and increase investment in grid infrastructure. Simplifying administrative procedures and securing the availability of critical and secondary raw materials are essential, the draft text says, to attract private investment and support decarbonisation.

EP Plenary debate on EU steel support and the role of energy intensive industries

The Commission unveils its internal security strategy at the plenary, and discuss with MEPs its latest proposals to enhance crisis preparedness in the EU.

In response to the current global threat landscape, the EU wants to improve intelligence-gathering to build a comprehensive threat picture, improve preparedness against hybrid threats, building on already-announced measures on protecting undersea cable infrastructure, and enhance measures against serious and organised crime. These may include new actions against drug and firearms trafficking, a deepening of the European Ports Alliance, and a new counter-terrorism agenda.

Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner presented an outline of the strategy to the Civil Liberties Committee on 19 March 2025.

In a separate debate on the same day, MEPs will react to the EU’s Preparedness Union strategy, presented by the Commission on 26 March. It contains a wide range of proposals to step up EU preparedness throughout society, including better crisis response coordination, protecting essential services, stockpiling critical materials, and improved civil-military cooperation.

EP Plenary debate on plans to improve the EU’s safety and preparedness

MEPs and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas discuss the need to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian military and authorities have been accused of committing a multitude of war crimes in the occupied Ukrainian territories. There have been deliberate attacks against civilian targets, such as hospitals, medical facilities, and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas. Other atrocities include the abduction, torture and murder of civilians, forced deportations, including that of children, and the killing and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Following a statement by Ms Kallas, one speaker from each of Parliament’s political groups will take the floor.

EP Plenary debate on Russian war crimes in Ukraine

Pre-session briefing

Batteries are vital to the EU’s clean energy transition, industrial future, and strategic autonomy. While the sector benefits from strong R&D support, it faces challenges such as reliance on third countries, high costs, and competition from regions with lower environmental standards. Sustainable value chains and recycling could help, but uncertainty remains over the EU’s ability to meet future demand. Rising costs, market slowdowns, and gigafactory setbacks, including Northvolt’s collapse, raise concerns. To secure a resilient battery supply chain, the EU focuses on strategic coordination, regulatory frameworks, and funding, offering key lessons for industrial policy.

Battery supply chain

The digital information sphere has become the main space for public debate, shaping opinions and access to information. In the past decade, it has also become a geostrategic battleground, with authoritarian states manipulating public opinion to weaken democracies. At the same time, corporate rivalry over emerging technologies, particularly AI, has intensified. AI-driven disinformation poses growing risks to democratic information ecosystems. Strengthening information integrity is crucial to safeguarding human rights and freedom of expression. Multilateral efforts to enhance resilience align with the EU’s planned European Democracy Shield, building on existing measures and fostering new partnerships.

Information Manipulation and the EU response

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

Euroscola

Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA UfM)

DAFR extraordinary meeting

ECON - Public Hearing with Claudia Buch, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the ECB

AGRI - The actors in the agricultural supply chain and their role in price formation: problems and perspectives

Meeting of the EP Conference of Presidents in the presence of Antonio COSTA, President of the European Council

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with  Miloš VYSTRČIL, President of the Czech Senate

High-level event on tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse: Global Action to Combat a Global Crime

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with SOPHIE, Duchess of Edinburgh

Europa Experiences are multimedia spaces around Europe with interactive tools to inform about what is happening in the European Parliament. This video shows extracts from the ceremony of the inauguration of the 14th Europa Experience in Dublin across Europe.

Inauguration of the Europa Experience in Dublin (Ireland): extracts

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with SOPHIE, Duchess of Edinburgh, arrival, welcome and roundtable.

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with HRH SOPHIE, Duchess of Edinburgh, arrival, welcome and roundtable

The EP Conference of Presidents meets with Antonio COSTA, President of the European Council

Meeting of the EP Conference of Presidents in the presence of Antonio COSTA, President of the European Council: arrivals and roundtable

On 1st January 2025 Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen Area after the checks on persons at the internal land borders were lifted. The internal air and sea border controls between Bulgaria and Romania and the countries of the Schengen area were already lifted since 31 March 2024. Welcoming both member states into the Schengen area will boost travel, trade and tourism and contribute to strengthening the internal market. This infoclip shows the borders between Bulgaria and Greece, as well as the port of the city of Varna, on the Black Sea.

Infoclip: Bulgaria joining the Schengen area

Parliament and Council negotiators agreed new driving licence rules, introducing a mobile licence, a probation period for new drivers, and “accompanied” driving. The agreement on an update of EU driving licence directive reached is intended to improve road safety in Europe, with almost 20,000 lives lost on EU roads annually. The preliminary deal still needs to be approved by Council and Parliament. EU countries will have four years to transpose new provisions into national law and prepare for its implementation.

Deal for modern EU driving licence rules: statement by Jutta PAULUS (Greens/EFA, DE), Rapporteur

Irene TINAGLI (S&D, IT), Chair of HOUS, holds a press point following the EP/EC Joint conference "Addressing the housing crisis in the Union".

Press point by Irene TINAGLI (S&D, IT), Chair of HOUS, following the EP/EC Joint conference "Addressing the housing crisis in the Union"

This high-level conference formally launches both the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union (HOUS) and the European Commission's Affordable Housing Dialogue. Following mutual agreement between the institutions, the European Parliament hosts this opening event, with a corresponding closing conference to be hosted by the Commission at a later date to be identified. The opening conference address the full spectrum of topics outlined in both the HOUS Committee's mandate and the Commission's Affordable Housing Dialogue Framework. It will serve as a foundation for gathering evidence that will inform the subsequent consultation process, to be conducted collaboratively between the Parliament, Commission, and other Union’s institutions.

Addressing the housing crisis in the EU: extracts from the EP/EC joint conference and statement by Irene TINAGLI (S&D, IT), HOUS Special Committee Chair

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging the individuals, communities, and businesses to switch off non-essential electric lights, for one hour as a symbol of commitment to the planet. The News shows the switch off the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on that occasion.

Earth Hour Day 2025: the European Parliament in Strasbourg switches off its lights

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, participates at the European Council meeting (20/03): Doorstep. Addressing the European Council today in Brussels, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola highlighted the following topics: Ukraine, economy and MFF.

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