EP Plenary Session - Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19-20 March 2026

SEDE - Current developments on EU Security and Defence with Ambassador Lene Mandel Vensild, Chair of the Political and Security Committee (PSC

Official Visit of  Nikol PASHINYAN, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

EP Plenary Session - EUCO and situation in the Middle East

EP Plenary Session - Joint debate - Defence

EP Plenary session - Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission

MEPs debate in the presence of Valdis DOMBROVSKIS, European Commissioner and António COSTA, President of the European Council, the Conclusions of the European Council of 19 March 2026 where EU leaders discussed the military escalation in the Middle East, Europe’s response to the geopolitical and economic fall-out and efforts to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. MEPs debate

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 March 2026: MEPs debate

MEPs debate the US-Israel military operation against Iran, its consequences and the need to support Iranians, as well as expectations for the 19-20 March EU summit. As the United States and Israeli air strikes in Iran are ongoing, and Iran continues to respond with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and other countries in the region with links to the US, MEPs discuss the latest developments. MEPs also outline their demands for the upcoming EU summit. They build on the sense of urgency expressed at the informal competitiveness retreat of EU leaders on 12 February 2026, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen committed to a “One Europe, one market” roadmap aimed at completing the single market and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness. MEPs also discuss the role of the EU’s next long-term budget (the 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework) as a driver of competitiveness, alongside European defence and security priorities.

EUCO and situation in the Middle East: MEPs debate (part 5)

MEPs debate the urgent actions required to boost EU competitiveness, deepen the single market, and reduce the cost of living. MEPs outline their priorities for transforming the recommendations in the 2024 Draghi report into reality. They also assess the work already undertaken on the recommendations. In September 2023 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked Mario Draghi to prepare a report on the future of European competitiveness. The report was completed in September 2024. It looks at the challenges faced by industry and companies and outlines how Europe will no longer be able to rely on many of the factors that have supported growth in the past. It lays out a diagnosis and provides recommendations to put Europe on a different trajectory. Second part of MEPs debate.

Urgent actions to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the EU Single Market and reduce the cost of living - from the Draghi report to reality: MEPs debate (part 2)

MEPs debate on the European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system causing a humanitarian crisis. Russia is deliberately and systematically attacking Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure in an attempt to break the resilience of the Ukrainian people. The European Union has mobilized unprecedented support to stabilize, repair, and integrate Ukraine's energy system, providing over 3 billion euros in energy aid since the start of the war.

European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system causing a humanitarian crisis: MEPs debate

MEPs debate on drones and new systems of warfare – the EU’s need to adapt to be fit for today’s security challenges. In a draft report on the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) for 2025, MEPs say that “an arc of instability” has formed around Europe, with competition and protectionism replacing cooperation and free trade. They stress the importance of enlargement to enhance European security, call for stronger global partnerships, and urge the EU to respond to new challenges with greater unity. MEPs warn against any settlement on Ukraine imposed by Russia or that rewards its aggression. In a draft annual report on the common security and defence policy (CSDP), MEPs express their dismay at the current ambiguity of the EU-US defence and security relationship, while acknowledging that the US remains the EU's most important strategic ally and essential to NATO’s collective defence and European security.

Drones and new systems of warfare – the EU’s need to adapt to be fit for today’s security challenges: MEPs debate

MEPs debate on European Council meeting (18 December 2025). At their meeting in Brussels, European leaders reinforced the EU’s solidarity with Ukraine and agreed to provide a €90 billion loan for 2026-2027 based on EU borrowing, while deferring the use of frozen Russian assets for reparations. On the Middle East, they reiterated the EU’s commitment to a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution. On defence and security, the European Council strongly condemned recent hybrid attacks against EU member states and reviewed progress on boosting EU defence readiness. Leaders also discussed the geoeconomic situation and its implications for the EU’s competitiveness, addressed the 2028-2034 EU long-term budget, and reaffirmed that enlargement remains a key geostrategic priority.

Joint debate - European Council meeting (18 December 2025): MEPs debate (part 2)

MEPs debate on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark and the need for a united EU response to US blackmail attempts. European governments rejected US plans to acquire Greenland, warning that it would undermine sovereignty, NATO cohesion, and transatlantic security. Many EU governments, as well as Denmark, have stated that decisions on Greenland’s status rest exclusively with Denmark and Greenland, emphasised the importance of collective, NATO-led Arctic security, and cautioned against unilateral actions that could destabilise allied relations and regional stability. The authorities of Denmark and Greenland reiterated that Greenland is not for sale and called instead for cooperation. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark - the need for a united EU response to US blackmail attempts: MEPs debate (part 2)

MEPs debate on the presentation of the programme of activities of the Cyprus Presidency. They discuss the programme of Cyprus’s six-month Council Presidency, which began on 1 January, with the President of the Republic of Cyprus. Under the banner “An Autonomous Union. Open to the World”, Cyprus will focus on strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy while remaining firmly committed to multilateralism, international law, and global cooperation. Second part of MEPs debate.

VAN LANSCHOT, Reinier (Greens/EFA, NL)

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