European Union

The Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D) of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the main opposition Partido Popular (PP/EPP) would be tied in the polls and have the same number of seats in parliament if elections were held today, according to data...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni adopted a ‘realistic’ €24 billion budget bill at a press conference on Tuesday, as bloc countries prepare for a world where EU deficit rules, put aside since the pandemic, will likely come back to haunt...

The Netherlands will take “extraordinary” measures to reduce stress on the national grid caused by electricity demand and supply reaching similar levels, such as proposing incentives for large companies to use less electricity at peak times, outgoing Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten (D66/Renew) announced on Wednesday.

The French government pushed the first chapter of its 2024 budget bill through parliament without a vote on Wednesday amid growing fears that the European Commission could slap France with an excessive deficit procedure in the spring. The annual Budget...

If Poland’s opposition parties unite to form the strongest coalition after their strong joint showing in the elections, they would be working towards reconciliation with the EU after Poland’s PiS triggered a long tug-of-war with the Commission. Unlike most EU...

Geothermal heat, especially when paired with district heating networks for broad local distribution, is an abundant resource just below our feet. Europe needs more of it to decarbonise the building sector and kick its fossil fuel habit, writes a cross-party group of five MEPs.

The Bulgarian government will soon hold talks with its European partners about imposing a new tax on Russian gas transiting its territory, it was announced on Wednesday, a move that predictably angered Serbia and Hungary.

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, is considering removing the service formerly called Twitter from Europe in response to a new internet platform regulation in the region, news site Insider reported on Wednesday (18 October).

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lobbied Egypt and Jordan for support in evacuating civilians from the Gaza Strip and providing aid amid growing fears that the conflict between Hamas and Israel will continue to escalate. With many Palestinians trapped in Gaza...

On 26 October, a Hearing is organised on “Rising geopolitical tensions: the protection of subsea infrastructure, including communication cables and pipelines". As defence capabilities are connected digitally, undersea cables are vital for defence and security of EU Member States. The Hearing will therefore aim at assessing the current threat landscape and risks to subsea infrastructure, including different actors and their modus operandi to sabotage subsea infrastructure.
In the light of the recent reports of sabotage on the Finland/Estonia pipeline, the debate will also focus on possible ways to mitigate the risks, in particular via coordinated action with NATO to protect cross-border critical undersea infrastructure.
Location : SPINELLI 5E2
Draft programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

On 26 October, SEDE will discuss with an expert the study on “Security implications of China-owned critical infrastructure in the European Union”. The study analyses Chinese companies’ access to EU critical infrastructure and exposes how entities linked to the Chinese party-state can gain access to and exert influence on assets that are vital to Europe’s security and defence, including transport infrastructure, critical resources, telecommunications networks, defence sector.
Members will have the opportunity to discuss on the major security risks of the EU's interdependence with China, which is particularly important given the structural geopolitical changes, especially the fallout of the war in Ukraine, climate change and the transformative technological revolution that is underway. In addition, Members will discuss amendments tabled to two SEDE Own Initiative Reports on the subject of "The security and defence implications of China's influence on critical infrastructure in the European Union" and the Subcommittee's flagship Annual Report on the Implementation of CSDP.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

On 26 October, a Hearing is organised on “Rising geopolitical tensions: the protection of subsea infrastructure, including communication cables and pipelines". As defence capabilities are connected digitally, undersea cables are vital for defence and security of EU Member States. The Hearing will therefore aim at assessing the current threat landscape and risks to subsea infrastructure, including different actors and their modus operandi to sabotage subsea infrastructure.
In the light of the recent reports of sabotage on the Finland/Estonia pipeline, the debate will also focus on possible ways to mitigate the risks, in particular via coordinated action with NATO to protect cross-border critical undersea infrastructure.
Draft programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The European Commission on Wednesday (18 October) published its first call for industries to benefit from EU funds to ramp up their production capacities of ammunition and missiles.

An early draft summit communiqué, seen by Euractiv, considers the possibility of highly capable AI models escaping human control or being used to produce catastrophic harm - for instance, to produce bioweapons - among the most significant risks.

On 23 October 2023, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold a hearing on "The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution: Standstill, Dynamics, EU response, and Future Prospects?". It will provide a reflection on the political, social and economic consequences of the ongoing conflict, which has shaped the country's development in the twelve years since the Revolution.
Members will discuss with experts the geopolitics of the region under the changed circumstances, in which international and regional actors including Iran, Russia, Türkiye and the United States, but also local groups, are operating. The hearing will contribute to the upcoming Recommendation on the situation in Syria that the Foreign Affairs Committee is preparing and which will provide recommendations for concrete political and diplomatic fine-tuning of the EU's Syria policy.
This hearing will take place during the European Parliament Gender Equality week and will be an opportunity to highlight the impact of conflict on women and the importance of women's contribution to conflict resolution and sustainable peace, in line with the UN resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Questions are mounting on how a Tunisian ordered to leave Belgium after having his asylum request rejected was able to stay, before killing two Swedes in the streets of Brussels on Monday night.

The European Parliament has agreed its position on next year's budget, adding €6.3bn to tackle the challenges ahead. This will further complicate the trilogues with member states who have proposed cuts to the EU Commission's draft.

The leaders of Belgium and Sweden and the European Union's chief executive promised on Wednesday (18 October) to tighten border security and step up repatriations after a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels.

Members of the AFET Committee will meet on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 October in Antall 2Q2, Brussels

Debates:

• Global Gateway: Strategic governance and implementation
• Debrief on the AFET Ad-hoc delegation to Belfast and London, the United Kingdom
• Debrief from the 12th EU-China Strategic Dialogue
• Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (jointly with AFCO)
• Exchange of views with José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain

Draft reports:

• Role of preventive diplomacy in tackling frozen conflicts around the world...
• EU-Russia political relations
• EU-India relations

Votes:

• Implementation report on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (jointly with INTA)
• Strengthening the right to participate
• Strategic Compass and EU space-based defence capabilities
• Measures to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats

Hearing: The situation in Syria 12 years after the revolution

Meetings are webstreamed with the exception of items held "in camera".
AFET-SEDE-DROI meetings 2023
Meeting documents
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Comments by a Spanish cabinet minister this week have sparked tensions between Israel and Madrid, prompting a harsh exchange and complicating the two countries' diplomatic relationship.