At a glance: the 10th legislative term of the European Parliament has begun; Roberta Metsola has been re-elected as Parliament President; MEPs also elected 14 Vice-Presidents and 5 Quaestors; in Strasbourg, MEPs discussed the latest developments in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

News in Brief – 18/07/2024 - English

At a glance: Roberta Metsola has been re-elected as Parliament President; MEPs will vote on their position on support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression; Parliament to vote on Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination for a second term as Commission President.

News in Brief – 17/07/2024 - English

At a glance: the EU institutions react to the shooting that took place during former US president Donald Trump’s campaign rally; the newly elected European Parliament will vote on the composition of its committees and delegations during the plenary session in Strasbourg; MEPs will also vote on a position on Russia’s war of aggression, and are expected to reaffirm their strong support for Ukraine.

News in Brief – 16/07/2024 - English

At a glance: in Strasbourg, the European Parliament will elect its new President; MEPs will form committees, sub-committees and delegations; the 20th anniversary of the EU’s biggest enlargement.

News in Brief – 15/07/2024 - English

At a glance: next week, the first plenary session of the tenth legislative term will kick off in Strasbourg; the meeting of the Economic and Social Committee; and World Population Day.

News in Brief – 12/07/2024 - English

At a glance: next week in Strasbourg, MEPs will assess the outcome of the EU summit of 27 June; the S&D Group’s hearing with Ursula von der Leyen; and water quality at beaches across Europe.

News in Brief – 11/07/2024 - English

At a glance: next week in Strasbourg, MEPs will assess the outcome of the EU summit of 27 June; Parliament’s political group Identity and Democracy has changed its name; and President Roberta Metsola met the Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.

News in Brief – 10/07/2024 - English

At a glance: the political groups are preparing for the constitutive session of Parliament’s 10th legislative term, MEPs will assess the outcome of the EU summit of 27 June in Strasbourg next week, and the saving rate in the euro area has risen.

News in Brief – 09/07/2024 - English

At a glance: new EU rules on ecodesign for sustainable products; Canada is now part of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme; and what you need to know about consular protection in case of emergency in a third country .

News in Brief – 08/07/2024 - English

At a glance: the newly elected European Parliament will meet from 16 to 19 July in Strasbourg; the EU is working to reduce plastic waste; and the anniversary of the European Customs Union.

News in Brief – 05/07/2024 - English

At a glance: European Parliament President Roberta Metsola presided over the Conference of Presidents meeting; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán paid a visit to Ukraine; and the EU and Egypt held an investment conference to team up to mobilise private sector investments

News in Brief – 04/07/2024 - English

At a glance: President Metsola’s visit to Portugal, the EU Youth Strategy survey and a competition for the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe.

News in Brief – 03/07/2024 - English

At a glance: Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council until the end of the year; Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, is trying to create a new group at the European Parliament and the International Day of Parliamentarism.

News in Brief – 02/07/2024 - English

At a glance: Ursula von der Leyen, EU leaders’ proposed candidate for a second term as President of the European Commission, will meet Parliament’s group leaders to discuss her political programme; the European Council’s strategic agenda for 2024-2029; and the EU security agreement with Ukraine.

News in Brief – 01/07/2024 - English

How does the EU regulate the post term activities of members of the EU institutions, as for example, Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament, as opposed to staff members? The European Ombudsman has looked the phenomenon, also called ‘revolving doors’ in the context of several individual cases; on a few occasions this has ended in an unsatisfactory outcome for the institution or body under investigation and prompted the European Ombudsman to make specific recommendations to avoid a repeat of maladministration in future cases.

EPRS policy podcast - Rules on 'revolving doors' in the EU

On Its first and constituent plenary sitting of the new parliamentary term (16-19 July 2024), the European Parliament will elect its 32nd President, to hold office for the first half of the 10th parliamentary term, until January 2026. The President has an important and increasingly visible function in the EU institutional and international setting, mirroring Parliament's influential role as shaper of EU policies and as co-legislator.

EPRS policy podcast - How is the European Parliament's President elected?

Mr TAJANI was elected President of the European Parliament on 17 January 2017. 

The President chairs the plenary sittings of Parliament, the Conference of the Presidents of Political Groups and the Bureau of Parliament. The President is responsible for the application of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, and, to this end, oversees all the activities of Parliament and its bodies. The President represents Parliament in all legal matters. He addresses the European Council prior to each of its meetings, stating Parliament's viewpoint on the subjects on the agenda in the framework of a debate with the heads of state and government. The President represents Parliament in its international relations, and, in this connection, undertakes official visits within and outside the EU. The President signs the EU budget into being following Parliament's vote on it at second reading. During the procedure, the President chairs the EP/Council conciliation delegations. The President may, under the EP/Council codecision procedure, chair the EP/Council conciliation committee.

Antonio TAJANI, EP President's Agenda

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.

Infoclips - Illustrative footage

Portugal entered the European Economic Community on 1 January 1986, together with Spain. In the following years the economy of the Portugal progressed considerably as a result of the EU structural and cohesion funds.

On 1 December 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon, signed by European Member States on 13 December 2007 in the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon, entered into force. Portugal has 21 MEPs in the EP and has 12 votes in the European Council.

EU - Portugal

The EU is a long-term partner of Iraq, cooperating in the field of stabilisation, security and the political reform agenda.

 
In response to the challenges Iraq is facing following the territorial defeat of Da'esh, including ongoing humanitarian, stabilisation, early recovery, reform and reconciliation needs, the EU adopted on 22 January 2018 a new EU strategy for Iraq. The strategy demonstrates the EU's continued commitment to support the Iraqi people and their government as they seek to tackle these key challenges.

EU - Iraq

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DG ITEC: Directorate-General for Innovation and Technological Support

EU heads of state or government met at the 17-18 April special European Council and&nbsp;adopted conclusions on Ukraine, the Middle East, Türkiye and a new European competitiveness deal.

Special European Council, 17-18 April 2024

The progress of&nbsp;digital transformation&nbsp;has inevitably led to new cybersecurity threats.&nbsp;Also the COVID19 crisis has again exposed the cyber vulnerabilities of some critical sectors, in particular healthcare, while teleworking and social distance has increased our dependency on digital technologies and connectivity.

As&nbsp; a consequence, in December 2020 the European Commission launched a new EU Cybersecurity Strategy&nbsp;to make physical and digital critical entities more resilient.

The European Parliament and the Coucil reached a deal on&nbsp;May 2022 on the new rules to&nbsp;strengthen EU-wide resilience

The agreed text&nbsp;sets tighter cybersecurity obligations in terms of risk management, reporting obligations and information sharing. The requirements include incident response, supply chain security, encryption and vulnerability disclosure, among other provisions.

Cybersecurity

Following the lessons learned from the pandemic and as a&nbsp;part of&nbsp;building a European Health Union, the Commission proposed a new health security framework on 11 November 2020. The package includes three pieces of legislation: a&nbsp;stronger role for the European Medicines Agency,&nbsp;extending the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control&nbsp;and a&nbsp;proposal for a regulation on serious cross-border threats to health.

The new legislation aims to strengthen the EU’s capacity to prevent, prepare for and manage communicable diseases outbreaks.The ECDC will cooperate with the European Commission, national authorities, EU bodies and international organisations to ensure their respective activities are consistent and complement each other.&nbsp;

The new rules concerning cross-border threats include improved prevention, preparedness and response planning at EU and national levels. The Commission will be able to formally recognise a public health emergency at EU level, which would trigger stronger intra-EU cooperation and allow for the timely development and stockpiling of medical countermeasures.

EU countries hold primary responsibility for organising and delivering health services and medical care. EU health policy therefore serves to complement national policies, and to ensure health protection in all EU policies.&nbsp; EU policies and actions in public health aim to protect and improve the health of EU citizens, support the modernisation of health infrastructure, improve the efficiency of Europe's health systems.

The Committee for Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety ENVI is Parliament’s main actor on health matters and is responsible for over 10% of Parliament´s total legislative activity.

EU health policy

Faced with a growing international terrorist threat, the European Union (EU) is playing an ever more ambitious role in counter-terrorism.&nbsp;Even though primary responsibility for combating crime and ensuring security lies with the Member States, the EU provides cooperation, coordination and (to some extent) harmonisation tools, as well as financial support, to address this borderless phenomenon.

EU spending in the area of counter-terrorism has increased over the years and is set to grow in the future, to allow for better cooperation between national law enforcement authorities and enhanced support by the EU bodies in charge of security, such as Europol and eu-LISA.

The action plan to reinforce the fight against the financing of terrorism focuses on two main strands of action: tracing terrorists through financial movements and preventing them from moving funds or other assets and disrupting the sources of revenue used by terrorist organisations, by targeting their capacity to raise funds.

In April the European Parliament adopted a new regulation that will target content such as texts, images, sound recordings or videos, including live transmissions, that incite, solicit or contribute to terrorist offences, provide instructions for such offences or solicit people to participate in a terrorist group. It will also cover material that provides guidance on how to make and use explosives, firearms and other weapons for terrorist purposes.

Hosting service providers will have to remove or disable access to flagged terrorist content in all member states within one hour of receiving a removal order from the competent authority. Member states will adopt rules on penalties, the degree of which will take into account the nature of the breach and the size of company responsible.

Fight against terrorism

The European Parliament has regularly called for ambitious measures reducing greenhouse gas emissions in road transport.

The EP has been pushing for the implemention of its 2030 goals to be in line with the targets set by the Paris Agreement. MEPs managed to push through a higher target for reducing EU fleet-wide emissions for new cars by 2030 (40% compared to the EU Commission’s 30%; year of reference 2021). There is an intermediate target of 20% by 2025.&nbsp; Similar targets are set for new vans as well.

Car emissions

Parliament is pressing for measures to increase the use of alternative fuels as well as to improve road safety and to tackle unfair competition and the exploitation of workers.

In line with its Work Programme 2017, the European Commission proposes a set of initiatives to make traffic safer, encourage smart road charging, reduce CO2 emissions, air pollution and congestion, cut red-tape for businesses, fight illicit employment and ensure proper conditions and rest times for workers. These initiatives are linked to the strategy for a Resilient Energy Union, Europe's transition to a low-carbon economy and the strategy for low-emission mobility.

See more on this topic by visiting our <a href="https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/mobility-8th-parliamentary-term_6507_pk">package</a> for the 8th parliamentary term.

Mobility

Alexei Navalny was&nbsp;a Russian opposition politician, anti-corruption activist and major political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The European Parliament honoured Navalny’s fight with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2021.

Alexei Navalny’s daughter, Daria Navalnaya, received European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize on behalf of her imprisoned father. In April 2023, MEPs demanded the unconditional release of Navalny, and reiterated concerns over his deteriorating health and the ill-treatment he was subject to. Navalny&nbsp; died on 16 February 2024 at a Russian corrective colony in the Arctic Circle.

Roberta Metsola, EP President, paid tribute to Navalny stating: “First, they took his freedom. Then, they took his life,” Metsola said. “But his legacy and his struggle will live on in people in Russia and in all of us.”

Following his death&nbsp;the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (President and political groups’ leaders) made this statement: "The full responsibility for this murder lays with the Russian state and its President Vladimir Putin in particular. We demand an investigation into the exact circumstances of the death of Alexei Navalny".

"Truth must be told, accountability must be ensured and justice must be served. We demand that the body of Alexei Navalny be returned to his family immediately. Any further delay increases even more the responsibility of the Russian authorities for the death of Alexei Navalny.&nbsp;We demand an international and independent investigation into the exact circumstances of the death of Alexei Navalny", concluded the statement.

Alexei Navalny (1976 - 2024), 2021 Sakharov Prize laureate

To support its publications, the European Parliamentary Research Service is producing a wide range of informative, timely and varied audio-visual products. These products include content-rich videos and animations, and also regular monthly podcasts, such as policy podcasts and science and technology podcasts. They are based on EPRS' independent, objective and authoritative analysis of, and research on, policy issues relating to the European Union, so empowering Members and committees in their parliamentary work and supporting parliamentary outreach to the wider public.

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EPRS Multimedia Centre

Bosnia and Herzegovina - along with other Western Balkans countries – was identified as a potential candidate for EU membership during the Thessaloniki European Council summit in June 2003.

Since then, a number of agreements between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina have entered into force - visa facilitation and readmission agreements (2008), Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade-related issues (2008). The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) has been ratified and entered into force on 1 June 2015.

Bosnia and Herzegovina applied for EU membership in February 2016.&nbsp;The European Council granted the&nbsp;candidate status to the country on December 2022.

EU - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moldova formally applied for EU membership on 3 March. The European Commission concluded&nbsp;that the country has a solid foundation in place to reach the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities; macroeconomic policies have been reasonably sound and progress has been made in strengthening the financial sector and business environment but key economic reforms remain to be undertaken; the country has established a solid basis to further alignment with the EU acquis. On this basis, the Commission recommended&nbsp;that Moldova be given the perspective to become a member of the European Union.&nbsp;The European Council has decided to grant the status of candidate country&nbsp; to the Republic of Moldova in June 2022.

Moldova's application for EU membership

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)

Parliament to vote on Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination for Commission President

If elected by MEPs on Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen is set to return to the office of European Commission President for the next five years.

At 09.00 on Thursday, she will take the floor in Parliament’s plenary session and outline her vision and plans as Commission President, followed by a debate with MEPs.

The vote by secret paper ballot will take place at 13.00, following the debate. 

Background
Article 14 of the Treaty of the European Union provides that the EP “shall elect the President of the Commission.” In practice, based on Parliament’s Rules of Procedure (rule 128), the candidate proposed by the European Council has to present their political guidelines to Parliament, followed by a debate. Parliament then elects the President of the Commission by a majority of its component MEPs - i.e. 361, in a Parliament of 720 Members. If the candidate does not obtain the required majority, the President will invite the European Council to put forward another within one month, for election in accordance with the same procedure.

Ms von der Leyen has been Commission President since 2019 and was the EPP’s lead candidate in the 6 - 9 June European elections.

Election of the President of the European Commission

MEPs will confirm the number and size of Parliament’s standing committees, sub-committees and delegations on Wednesday. Membership of the committees will be announced on Friday. 

The vote on the proposal by the Conference of Presidents (i.e. the President and political group leaders) to set up the European Parliament’s committees and delegations for the new legislative period is expected to take place on Wednesday. The lists of MEPs to be appointed to each committee and delegation (which are decided internally by the political groups and non-attached members) are expected to be announced on Friday. 

According to Parliament's Rules of Procedure (rule 216), the composition of its committees and subcommittees should as far as possible reflect the composition of Parliament as a whole. The proportional distribution of committee seats among political groups must not depart from the nearest appropriate whole number.

Background

Each committee’s responsibilities are set out in Annex VI of the Rules of Procedure. During the previous legislative period, Parliament approved structural reforms for a more modern and efficient Parliament. 

Committees meet in public (unless the rules dictate otherwise) once or twice a month in Brussels. Their work revolves around drawing up, amending, and voting on legislative proposals and own-initiative reports, as well as holding debates with Council and Commission representatives, hearings with external experts, and organising fact-finding missions. They will play a crucial role in the upcoming hearings of Commissioners-designate.

Parliament can set up sub-committees and special temporary committees to deal with specific issues, and may also create committees of inquiry to investigate allegations of maladministration of EU law. The Conference of Committee Chairs coordinates their work.

Votes on the numerical strength of the Parliament’s standing committees, sub-committees and delegations

The House is expected to elect its 14 Vice-Presidents and its five Quaestors on Tuesday 16 July and Wednesday 17 July.

Following the election of its President, Parliament will also elect its 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, which comprise Parliament’s Bureau. 

What do Vice-Presidents and Quaestors do?

Vice-Presidents can replace the President, including to chair plenary sittings and in representing the Parliament at specific ceremonies or acts, when necessary. Quaestors deal with administrative matters directly affecting MEPs. 

Vice-Presidents and Quaestors are members of the European Parliament’s Bureau (where Quaestors participate in an advisory capacity), which lays down rules for Parliament’s smooth functioning. Among its other duties, the Bureau draws up Parliament’s preliminary draft budget and decides on administrative, staff and organisational matters. In practice, the political groups aim to ensure that the composition of the Bureau broadly reflects the numerical strength of the groups, taking into account also the results of the President's election.

The process

Parliament’s Rules of Procedure (rules 17 and 18) set out how Bureau members are elected. As for the President, nominations are put forward either by a political group or by a group of MEPs reaching the low threshold (1/20th of MEPs). 

Vice-Presidents are elected in a single ballot, by an absolute majority of votes cast. If the number of successful candidates is less than 14, a second vote is held for the remaining seats, under the same conditions. If a third vote is necessary, a simple majority is sufficient. Vice-Presidents take precedence in the order in which they are elected and, in the event of a tie, by age. If voted by acclamation, a vote by secret ballot determines the order of precedence.

In each round MEPs may vote for up to as many candidates as the number of seats available in that round, but they have to vote for more than half of the positions to be filled - rounded up. In practical terms, this means that in the first round MEPs will have to vote for at least eight candidates and, if there is an odd number of seats in subsequent rounds, the number would be rounded up: for example, for nine positions the minimum would be five votes. The ballot papers that do not meet the threshold are not counted.

The election of Quaestors follows the same procedure as that for the election of Vice-Presidents.

Elections of EP's Quaestors

New Parliament set to voice strong support for Ukraine

On Wednesday morning, political group leaders will make statements on the need for the EU's continuous support for Ukraine, followed by a vote on a resolution at 17.00.
With Russia intensifying its bombardment of Ukrainian civil infrastructure, including strikes on the country’s largest paediatric clinic, political group leaders will discuss the latest developments in Russia’s war of aggression.. In a vote on a resolution at 17.00, MEPs will set out the newly elected Parliament’s position and are expected to reaffirm their strong support for Ukraine. 

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of Ukraine resolutions adopted by MEPs during the previous legislative term (2019-2024).

The need for the EU's continuous support for Ukraine

The House is expected to elect its 14 Vice-Presidents and its five Quaestors on Wednesday Tuesday 16 July and Wednesday 17 July.17 July and Thursday 18 July.

Following the election of its President, Parliament will also elect its 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, which comprise Parliament’s Bureau. 

What do Vice-Presidents and Quaestors do?

Vice-Presidents can replace the President, including to chair plenary sittings and in representing the Parliament at specific ceremonies or acts, when necessary. Quaestors deal with administrative matters directly affecting MEPs. 

Vice-Presidents and Quaestors are members of the European Parliament’s Bureau (where Quaestors participate in an advisory capacity), which lays down rules for Parliament’s smooth functioning. Among its other duties, the Bureau draws up Parliament’s preliminary draft budget and decides on administrative, staff and organisational matters. In practice, the political groups aim to ensure that the composition of the Bureau broadly reflects the numerical strength of the groups, taking into account also the results of the President's election.

The process

Parliament’s Rules of Procedure set out how Bureau members are elected. As for the President, nominations are put forward either by a political group or by a group of MEPs reaching the low threshold (1/20th of MEPs). 

Vice-Presidents are elected in a single ballot, by an absolute majority of votes cast. If the number of successful candidates is less than 14, a second vote is held for the remaining seats, under the same conditions. If a third vote is necessary, a simple majority is sufficient. Vice-Presidents take precedence in the order in which they are elected and, in the event of a tie, by age. If voted by acclamation, a vote by secret ballot determines the order of precedence.

Elections of EP's Vice-Presidents

After the new Parliament is established on 16 July at 10.00 CEST, MEPs must first elect their President for the next two-and-a-half years.

The President enjoys a broad range of executive and representative powers, extending to “all powers that are necessary to preside over the proceedings of Parliament and to ensure that they are properly conducted”.

How is the President elected?

Candidates may be put forward either by a political group or by a group of MEPs reaching the low threshold, i.e. 1/20th of MEPs. Ahead of the vote, candidates may address the plenary for a maximum of five minutes. 

The election takes place by secret ballot and requires an absolute majority of valid votes cast, i.e. 50% plus one. Blank or spoiled votes are not taken into account. The deadline for presidential nominations is Monday, 15 July, at 19.00 and the vote will take place on Tuesday 16 July.

If no candidate is elected in the first round of voting, the same or other candidates can be nominated for a second round under the same conditions. A third round may take place if necessary, again with the same rules. If none of the candidates are elected in the third round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes in the third round proceed to a fourth and final round of voting, in which the candidate receiving the most votes wins.

Once elected, the new President will take the chair and may deliver an opening address.

Background

The process for electing the EP President is set out in Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, in rules 14 to 16. The sitting at which a new President is elected is chaired by the outgoing President or by one of the outgoing Vice-Presidents (to be determined according to their order of precedence), or, in the absence of any of them, by the Member who has held office for the longest period. Eight tellers, chosen by lot from among MEPs, oversee the process

Election of the President of the European Parliament

Last minute briefing

Pre- session briefing on the first Plenary session of the new legislature

Pre-session briefing

Provisional agenda of the European Council meeting includes: Ukraine, security and defense, competitiveness, external relations, the next institutional cycle.

European Council Meeting 27/28 June 2024

Following the European Parliament elections, EU leaders meet today in Brussels to discuss the next high-profile EU-level roles in the upcoming institutional cycle.

EP President Metsola particpates and gives a doorstep.

EP President's Metsola doorstep at informal EU leaders meeting

In the European elections, people in the European Union vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament. In 2024, 720 MEPs will be elected. Elections take place every five years. The next are held in the EU Member States from 6 to 9 June 2024. EU elections take place today in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden

Election Night- 9/6/2024

In the European elections, people in the European Union vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament. In 2024, 720 MEPs will be elected. Elections take place every five years. The elections are held in the EU Member States from 6 to 9 June 2024. 

EU elections take place today in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland and in Sweden

Election Days- 9/6/2024

In the European elections, people in the European Union vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament. In 2024, 720 MEPs will be elected. Elections take place every five years. The elections are held in the EU Member States from 6 to 9 June 2024.

EU elections take place today in Latvia, Malta and in Slovakia.

Election Days- 8/6/2024

In the European elections, people in the European Union vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament. In 2024, 720 MEPs will be elected. Elections take place every five years. The next are held in the EU Member States from 6 to 9 June 2024.

EU elections take place today in Czechia and Ireland.

Election Days- 7/6/2024

In the European elections, people in the European Union vote for Members to represent them in the European Parliament. In 2024, 720 MEPs will be elected. Elections take place every five years. The elections are held in the EU Member States from 6 to 9 June 2024.

EU elections take place today in the Netherlands.

Election Days- 6/6/2024

The Eurovision debate between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency takes place on Thursday 23 May from 15.00-16.45 in Parliament’s plenary chamber in Brussels.

Eurovision debate between lead candidates for the Commission presidency

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola visits Ukraine on 9 May 2024, on the occasion of Europe Day. The aim of her visit is to show the European Parliament’s continued support and commitment to Ukraine and its European path. During her visit, President Metsola meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addresses the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and meets its Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, as well as meets and discusses with young Ukrainians. Presidents Zelenskyy and Metsola speak to the press present after their meeting.

Visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President in Kyiv (Ukraine) for Europe Day

On 8 and 9 May, landmark buildings across the EU will be illuminated to mark Europe Day and “one month to go” to the last day before voting.

European Elections 2024 - One Month to Go, illumination of landmark buildings across the EU

EP Plenary session - Enhancing Europe’s civilian and defence preparedness and readiness

Confirmation hearing of Jessika ROSWALL, Commissioner-designate, Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

ITRE

IMCO

ENVI

AGRI

Confirmation hearing of Magnus BRUNNER, Commissioner-designate, Internal Affairs and Migration

LIBE

DEVE

Press point by David MCALLISTER (EPP, Germany), Chair of AFET, following the confirmation hearing of Dubravka ŠUICA, Commissioner, Mediterranean

Press point by Li ANDERSSON (The Left, Finland), Chair of EMPL, following the confirmation hearing of Dan JØRGENSEN, Commissioner for Energy and Housing

Committee on Budgetary Control

CONT

Confirmation hearing of Dubravka ŠUICA, Commissioner-designate, Mediterranean

AFET

DROI

EMPL

Confirmation hearing of Dan JØRGENSEN, Commissioner-designate, Energy and Housing

REGI

ECON

Press point by Michael McGrath, Commissioner-Designate for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law

Statement by Ekaterina SPASOVA GECHEVA-ZAHARIEVA, Commissioner-designate, Startups, Research and Innovation

Press point by Javier ZARZALEJOS (EPP, Spain), Chair of LIBE, Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, Germany), Chair of IMCO, and and Ilhan KYUCHYUK (Renew Europe, Bulgaria), Chair of JURI following the confirmation hearing of Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law

Confirmation hearing of Michael MCGRATH, Commissioner-designate, Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law

FEMM

BUDG

JURI

AFCO

CULT

Confirmation hearing of Ekaterina SPASOVA GECHEVA-ZAHARIEVA, Commissioner-designate, Startups, Research and Innovation

Press point by Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI (EPP, Greece), Chair of TRAN, following the confirmation hearing of Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism

Press point by Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, Germany), Chair of CULT, following the confirmation hearing of Glenn MICALLEF, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport

Confirmation hearing of Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS, Commissioner-designate, Sustainable Transport and Tourism

TRAN

Confirmation hearing of Christophe HANSEN, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture and Food

PECH

Press point by Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, Commissioner-Designate for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency

Press point by Bernd LANGE (S&D, Germany), Chair of INTA, and Sven SIMON (EPP, Germany), Chair of AFCO, following the confirmation hearing of Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency

EP Plenary session  - Announcement of the winner of 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought

Meeting of the Conference of Presidents

EP Plenary session  - The abuse of new technologies to manipulate and radicalise young people through hate speech and antidemocratic discourse

STOA Constitutive Panel

IMCO-LIBE Working Group on the implementation and enforcement of the Artificial Intelligence Act

EP Plenary session  - Closing the EU skills gap: supporting people in the digital and green transitions to ensure inclusive growth and competitiveness in line with the Draghi report

EP Plenary session - EU actions against the Russian shadow fleets and ensuring a full enforcement of sanctions against Russia

EP Plenary session - Need to strengthen rail travel and the railway sector in Europe

Launch of anti-harassment campaign

EP Plenary session - Foreign interference and hybrid attacks: the need to strengthen EU resilience and internal security

Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism - Award Ceremony

EP Plenary session - The important role of cities and regions in the EU – for a green, social and prosperous local development

European Flag in the EP in Strasbourg

EP Plenary session - Seven years from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: lack of progress in restoring the rule of law in Malta

EP Plenary session - The findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Poland's abortion law

Daphne Caruana Galizia prize press seminar on Safeguarding Media Freedom

Conference ' The European Parliament as an actor in EU external policies '

LEX signing ceremony in presence of Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Mr Barna Pál ZSIGMOND, State Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of European Union Affairs, on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency

MEPs have adopted measures to help EU countries protect their interests in the face of economic blackmail and distortive market influences from third countries.     
      
EU states can face coercive measures from non-EU countries unhappy at certain policy stances.     
      
Meanwhile, foreign subsidies can undermine the principle of a level playing field in the EU single market.        
      
Find out more about the Anti-coercion Instrument and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation.

Protecting the EU's economy from unfair outside influence

The rule of law is a keystone of democracy and a core EU value.    
   
MEPs have consistently warned it is under threat in some member states, amid concerns corruption and compromised judicial systems could lead to the misuse of EU funds.    
   
The European Parliament has created a tool to protect the EU’s money and values.    
   
The rule of law conditionality mechanism lets the EU suspend payments that may be spent in ways that flout democratic standards and fundamental rights.   
   
Find out more in our short explainer video.

The rule of law conditionality mechanism decrypted

The European Parliament has acted to protect and promote the EU's regional crafts and industries.   
   
The Geographical Indications system already provides a seal of quality for some of the EU’s best-known food and drink products.    
   
Now, it will be extended to industries like textiles, jewellery, glass, porcelain and cutlery.   
   
The new framework will benefit smaller businesses, boost jobs and tourism and help fight counterfeiting.

Geographical Indications: traditional crafts get EU quality seal

The environment and climate change, cost-of-living crisis, migration, Russia’s war on Ukraine, EU enlargement…  

Members of the European Parliament questioned Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the final State of the Union debate before the 2024 European elections.  
 
Has the von der Leyen Commission done enough this past year? And how will it deliver for EU citizens in the coming months? 

Watch this video to learn more on how Parliament scrutinised the Commission’s track-record and programme before next year's vote.

State of the EU: MEPs press Commission President ahead of elections

Every five years European voters are called to the ballot box to choose Members of the European Parliament. The vote has a direct impact on EU policy over the following parliamentary term. 

The European elections are the biggest transnational vote on the planet and they shape not only Europe but also the EU’s place in the world.

Find out more about European elections!

Voting in the European elections

Members of the European Parliament will question the president of the European Commission in the annual State of the European Union debate (SOTEU) in September.
 
The debate is traditionally the occasion when the European Parliament gets to hold the Commission to account on its track record over the past year and scrutinise its policy priorities.
 
This SOTEU is the final such debate before European elections in June 2024, so MEPs will be keen to look back at the track record of Ursula von der Leyen and her Commission since the last elections in 2019.

MEPs to scrutinise Commission in State of EU debate

The European Parliament has given the green light to a new framework to regulate the volatile world of crypto-currency.   
    
MEPs approved a ground-breaking set of rules around crypto-assets, which aim to combat money laundering and market manipulation.  
 
The EU wants to detect and stop illicit flows of crypto-assets, while making it safer for people to hold and trade them.

Protecting consumers with new rules on crypto-assets

The European Parliament, the only directly elected EU institution, is the beating heart of European democracy! 

It represents the interests of EU citizens.  

MEPs debate, amend and pass laws which have a direct impact on the lives of some 450 million Europeans.  

Find out more about how the European Parliament works!

How the European Parliament works

From messaging apps to online marketplaces, digital services are central to our daily lives.  

But the online world is also home to fake news, harmful content and dubious business practices and has become dominated by big tech companies.  

The European Parliament has passed new rules to regulate them and ensure a fairer and safer environment for businesses and consumers. 

Find out more about the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act in our short Q&A.

The Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts decrypted

The European Parliament has passed new rules to make it easier to top up green vehicles.      
      
The EU wants to help create a network of electric recharging and hydrogen refuelling points that are as practical and accessible as petrol stations.      
      
Meanwhile, airports and big ports will have to provide electricity to planes and ships.     
      
The rules are part of Fit for 55 measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions and build a carbon-neutral EU.

Expanding the EU’s alternative fuels infrastructure

This summer, many people will be heading to beaches, rivers and lakes for their holidays!  
   
The EU sets minimum standards for bathing water and more than 95% of the 22,000 sites tested meet the minimum requirements. 9 in 10 of Europe’s beaches are rated excellent according to the European Environment Agency’s 2022 Bathing Water report.  
  
The European Parliament supports high standards for EU bathing waters.

Summer fun! Europe’s waters cleaner than ever

As a European Union citizen, you are free to live, work and travel across 27 EU countries. The EU supports the economy and protects your rights, ensuring fairer workplaces, safer products and a clean environment.   
   
The EU promotes values like equality, peace and democracy at home and abroad.    
   
Find out more about the benefits the EU brings.

The benefits of the European Union

‘Close’ by Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont has won the 2023 LUX Audience award.  
  
The coming-of-age drama chronicles the unraveling of a close friendship between two 13-year-old boys.   
  
Drawing inspiration from his own youth, Dhont examines the way society discourages young men from engaging with their emotions and forming close relationships with their peers.  
  
Organised by the European Parliament, the LUX Audience Award promotes cultural diversity, raises awareness about current political and social issues and provides support to European cinema.  
  
2023’s other nominees were ‘Alcarràs’, ‘Burning Days’, ‘Triangle of Sadness’ and ‘Will-o’-the-wisp’

Belgian movie ‘Close’ wins 2023 LUX Audience Award

What if your phone turned into a spying device: giving malevolent actors access to your location, photos, contacts, camera and microphone? This is exactly what spyware such as Pegasus and Predator have done to the phones of some journalists, opposition politicians and civil activists.  
On top of being illegal, this practice is dangerous to democracy and human rights. MEPs want to set ground rules on when and how such spyware should be used.  
Your questions on the dangers of spyware, answered by MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld.

Parliament wants to end the illegal use of spyware

Phones, computers, electric cars… they all use batteries. And demand is increasing rapidly.    
 
The European Parliament has approved new rules to reduce the impact on the environment, ensuring minimum standards for recycling batteries and their component materials.

Circular economy: getting more life from batteries

Members of the European Parliament have roundly condemned the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, attributed to occupying Russian forces. The resulting flooding has caused deaths, placed dozens of settlements under water and left thousands of people homeless.   
    
The floods are also an ecological catastrophe: ravaging farmland and habitats, destroying aquatic life and releasing pollution into the Black Sea.  

Parliament also discussed how to help Ukraine sustainably rebuild after the damage inflicted nearly 500 days after Russia’s full-scale invasion. MEPs are calling for international efforts to support and rebuild Ukraine.

Ukraine: Parliament condemns dam destruction

As the EU moves towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the European Parliament wants to ensure no one is left behind.   
    
That is why MEPs have approved an ambitious Social Climate Fund, designed to support vulnerable households, small businesses and transport users.      
      
The fund will be financed by the Emissions Trading System, which makes big polluters pay for the damage they cause.    
          
Discover how the fund will work in our short Q&A.

Energy transition: A fund to support the most vulnerable

What is ‘carbon leakage’ and how will the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism tackle it? 
Industries in the EU face strict limits on the CO2 emissions they produce. To get around these rules, companies may move production to non-EU countries with weaker regulations. 
The European Parliament has approved new rules to encourage responsible behaviour by EU companies and discourage the import of cheap carbon-intensive products made in non-EU countries.
Find out more in our short Q&A.

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