European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and political group leaders will visit Nicosia on 1-2 December ahead of the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union. EP leaders will meet with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, and with members of the Council of Ministers at the Presidential Palace.

They will also hold discussions with the President of the House of Representatives, Ms Annita Demetriou, and with the leaders/representatives of the political parties in parliament.

On 1 January 2026, Cyprus assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU, taking on a central role in shaping the direction of the Union. In preparation for this task, Nicosia will welcome the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents – President Roberta Metsola and political group leaders – to discuss priorities for the six-month Presidency with government officials and members of the House of Representatives.

Cypriot Presidency

Parliament will debate on Tuesday 25 November, and vote on Wednesday, a report calling for accelerating the enforcement of the EU&nbsp;Digital Services Act&nbsp;and the&nbsp;AI Act, while closing legal gaps to ensure online services are safe for minors to use. Sounding the alarm over the mental health risks and rising social media addiction among children and adolescents, MEPs want to ban the most harmful addictive practices for minors and for the EU to take action against persuasive technologies and practices such as targeted ads, influencer marketing, addictive design, loot boxes and dark patterns. The text proposes a common EU-wide minimum age threshold of 16 years for accessing social media platforms and the development of privacy preserving age assurance systems.

The rights of the child are part of human rights: rights that the EU and its Member States must respect, protect and fulfil. The Treaty on European Union establishes the objective for the EU to promote protection of the rights of the child. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU guarantees the protection of the rights of the child by the EU institutions and by EU countries when they implement EU law. Over the years the European Parliament has been instrumental in pushing children's rights to the core of European policies, particularly through its Intergroup on Children's Rights.

fight against child sex crimes (T)

rights of the child (T)

children's rights (T)

international child abduction (T)

Children’s rights

The EP President Roberta Metsola was&nbsp;in Ukraine in September&nbsp;to express Europe´s continued&nbsp;support to the country. In her meetings with Ukraininan representatives she&nbsp;expressed support to permanent, just and real peace, strenghtened parliamentary cooperation, continued efforts to weaken Russia&nbsp;through coordinated and strong sanctions and the need to advance on Ukraine´s membership bid.

Ever since Russia launched an illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24&nbsp;February 2022, the EU and the Parliament have supported the country by condemning Russia’s aggression, sanctioning those responsible and providing financial and material aid. Parliament has also been supportive of Ukraine’s efforts to become an EU candidate country and has been calling on EU countries to launch accession talks.

The&nbsp;new EP reconfirmed in July 2024&nbsp; its view that the EU must continue to support Kyiv for as long as it takes until victory. The resolution, which sets out the newly-elected European Parliament’s first official position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, restates the continued support of MEPs for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. It calls on the EU to maintain and extend its sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus, monitor and review its effectiveness and impact, and systematically tackle the issue of sanctions circumvention by EU-based companies, third parties, and third countries.



Using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction is the subject of a debate with Commission and Council representatives. MEPs, the Commission, and the Danish Council Presidency discuss ending all energy imports from Russia and closing loopholes that enable imports via non-EU countries.

Solidarity with Ukraine

The EU is debating its own protection against the&nbsp;incursions into European airspace,&nbsp;following the&nbsp;incidents in which Russian drones and aircraft violated&nbsp;European countries&nbsp;airspace in recent months. It also comes after drones of unidentified origin caused disturbances at and around civilian airports and military bases in Denmark – events that the Danish authorities have referred to as “concerted hybrid attacks”.

​​​At a critical time for Ukraine and European security, the EU is committed to becoming more responsible for its own defence and better equipped to act and deal autonomously with immediate and future challenges and threats, including Russia’s war and its repercussions on European security, which constitute an existential challenge for the EU.

The common security and defence policy (CSDP) is an integral part of the EU’s common foreign and security policy (CFSP). The CSDP is the main policy framework through which Member States can develop a European strategic culture of security and defence, address conflicts and crises together, protect the Union and its citizens, and strengthen international peace and security. As a result of the tense geopolitical context, the CSDP has been one of the fastest developing policies over the last 10 years.

European security and defence

Have a look at stockshots (from 2021 onwards) with illustrative pre-edited broadcast quality video footage. These editable stockshots are clean (raw), with natural sound (no voice-over), produced to illustrate priority EU dossiers and parliamentary work. They are intended to help audiovisual media produce their own programs, for example, editing of news reports or documentaries.

Stockshots are clean (raw), with natural sound (no voice-over), pre-edited videos

9th parliamentary term

Infoclips (T)

Infoclips - Illustrative footage

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded each year by the European Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

 
Each nominee must have the support of at least 40 MEPs, and each individual Member may support only one nominee. Signed nominations accompanied by supporting evidence are then assessed in a joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) and the Committee on Development (DEVE). A shortlist of three candidates is drawn up through a vote by AFET and DEVE committees, and then submitted to the Conference of Presidents for a final vote. The winner is usually announced in October, and the award ceremony takes place in November/December at plenary sitting in Strasbourg.

Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar are the 2016 laureates of Parliament's Sakharov Prize.

On 5 October 2018 the Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.

Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, Sakharov Prize laureates 2016

Pakistani campaigner for girls' education Malala Yousafzai has been awarded the laureate of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2013, following the decision of the Conference of Presidents (EP President and political group leaders) on 13th October 2013. She was invited to receive the award at a ceremony in Strasbourg on 20 November 2013.

Ms Yousafzai was a student from the town of Mingora in Swat District, Pakistan, known for her women's rights activism in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban regime has banned girls from attending school.

On October 9, 2012, on her way home from school, a gunman fired at her, hitting Malala on the left side of her head; the bullet then traveled down her neck. She survived. Malala continued to speak out about her rights, and the rights of all women, to an education.

 
In 2014, she became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala Yousafzai, Sakharov Prize laureate 2013

Nelson Mandela led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa by a multi-racial democracy. Sentenced to life in prison, he spent 27 years in jail before becoming the country's first black President. He played a leading role in the drive for peace.He is laureate of the 1988 Sakharov Prize and of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize®.This video illustrates the relations between Nelson Mandela and the European institutions.

Nelson Mandela

Kofi ANNAN was a former UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner. In 2003, the United Nations staff and Secretary General Kofi Annan were honoured with the Sakharov Prize.

Kofi Annan

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded each year by the European Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Each nominee must have the support of at least 40 MEPs, and each individual Member may support only one nominee. Signed nominations accompanied by supporting evidence are then assessed in a joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) and the Committee on Development (DEVE). A shortlist of three candidates is drawn up through a vote by AFET and DEVE committees, and then submitted to the Conference of Presidents for a final vote. The winner is usually announced in October, and the award ceremony takes place in November/December at the plenary sitting in Strasbourg.

Denis Mukwege is the 2014 laureate of Parliament's Sakharov Prize.

On 5 October 2018 the Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.

Denis Mukwege, Sakharov Prize laureate 2014

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).

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