Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) - European Parliament

AMENDMENTS 1 - 294 - Draft report EU enlargement strategy
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Petras Auštrevičius

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On Thursday, 11 December 2025, the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will organise a public hearing on "Illegal Settlements in the West Bank". This hearing will provide an opportunity to assess recent developments on the ground. The discussion will inform the next steps of the European Parliament in holding the EU institutions accountable for the effective implementation of its positions on settlements.
Over 700,000 Israeli settlers live across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, covering an estimated 14% of the territory. These settlements are illegal under international law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, and stand in contradiction with UN Security Council Resolution 233 (1967). Settlement expansion is a major obstacle to the viability of a two-state solution, the only path to sustainable peace endorsed by the European Union and the international community.
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AFET hearings
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On Monday, 15 December, the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Development and the Subcommittee on Human Rights will hold a joint exchange of views with representatives of the 2025 Sakharov Prize laureates Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia.
Andrzej Poczobut is a journalist, essayist, blogger and activist from the Polish minority in Belarus. Known for his opposition to Alexander Lukashenko's regime, he has become a symbolic figure in the struggle for freedom and democracy in Belarus. Detained since 2021 and sentenced to eight years, he has endured solitary confinement. In a resolution adopted on 15 March 2023, the European Parliament called Andrzej Poczobut's immediate and unconditional release. Mzia Amaglobeli, a Georgian journalist and director of online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, is the first female political prisoner in Georgia since its independence, and a fighter for freedom of expression. Detained in 2025 and imprisoned for two years, Amaglobeli has become a prominent symbol of Georgia's pro-democracy protest movement. The European Parliament demanded on 19 June 2025 Mzia Amaglobeli's immediate and unconditional release and condemned the Georgian Dream authorities.
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Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On Thursday, 11 December 2025, the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will organise a public hearing on "Illegal Settlements in the West Bank". This hearing will provide an opportunity to assess recent developments on the ground. The discussion will inform the next steps of the European Parliament in holding the EU institutions accountable for the effective implementation of its positions on settlements.
Over 700,000 Israeli settlers live across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, covering an estimated 14% of the territory. These settlements are illegal under international law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, and stand in contradiction with UN Security Council Resolution 233 (1967). Settlement expansion is a major obstacle to the viability of a two-state solution, the only path to sustainable peace endorsed by the European Union and the international community.
Location : Brussels
Draft programme
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Next AFET committee meeting will be held on:

• Tuesday 9 December, room SPINELLI 1E2, Brussels - extraordinary meeting
• Thursday 11 December, room SPAAK 1A2, Brussels
• Monday 15 December, room WEISS S1.4, Strasbourg - extraordinary meeting - 2025 Sakharov Prize Laureates

Meetings are webstreamed with the exception of agenda items held "in camera".

AFET - DROI calendar of meetings 2025
AFET - DROI calendar of meetings 2026
Meeting documents
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

REPORT on relations between the EU and Saudi Arabia
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hana Jalloul Muro

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 41 - Draft opinion Discharge 2024: General budget of the EU - Commission
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Evin Incir

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Length of video : 60'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 22 - Draft opinion on 2024 discharge: General budget of the EU - European External Action Service
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Evin Incir

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

AMENDMENTS 190 - 416 - Draft report Recommendation for the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on EU-China political relations
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Length of video : 120'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

AMENDMENTS 1 - 189 - Draft report Recommendation for the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on EU-China political relations
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Length of video : 30'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The proposal for a Global Europe instrument is included in the post-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) package, which aims to be simpler than previous regulations and to provide additional flexibility (over and above MFF ceilings). The new instrument merges the Neighbourhood, Development, International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe; the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, humanitarian aid; the Ukraine Facility, the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans; and the Reform and Growth Facility for Moldova. The impact assessment (IA) focuses on the six corresponding regulations. It falls under the Better Regulation Tool #9 (special case of preparing a new MFF); the scope and depth of analysis are therefore different compared with a non-MFF IA. Although the IA provides an intervention logic and defines the drivers, the problem definition remains vague and unclear. Moreover, the interlinks with objectives and drivers are not detailed in the intervention logic. In accordance with the Better Regulation Requirements, the IA assesses the expected economic, social and environmental impacts for the three policy options. It also compares and rates them against the Better Regulation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and coherence. Proportionality and subsidiarity are not assessed in the IA, not even in the policy options. In terms of monitoring and evaluation, the IA is limited on data collection methods and on how progress will be measured. The evidence from previous evaluations could have been better integrated in the IA and be used to provide quantitative estimates. The Regulatory Scrutiny Board decided to issue an opinion without qualification given the lack of fundamental elements in this IA. The legislative proposal is aligned with the IA's preferred option.
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Western Balkans region stands at a critical crossroads for democracy, challenged by rising disinformation campaigns that exploit social divisions and fuel political polarisation, ultimately undermining democratic institutions and sowing scepticism toward European integration.

In the morning of 2 December, the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) will hold a joint public hearing and discuss ways to effectively counter disinformation and FIMI in the Western Balkans, strengthen its democratic institutions, build public trust, and focus on the role the EU can play in this process.

Location : Brussels
Programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Western Balkans region stands at a critical crossroads for democracy, challenged by rising disinformation campaigns that exploit social divisions and fuel political polarisation, ultimately undermining democratic institutions and sowing scepticism toward European integration.
In the morning of 2 December, the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) will hold a joint public hearing and discuss ways to effectively counter disinformation and FIMI in the Western Balkans, strengthen its democratic institutions, build public trust, and focus on the role the EU can play in this process.
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AFET Hearings
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On Thursday, Parliament called on the EU to assume more responsibility for European security and to support peace in Ukraine in the most proactive way.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On 21 October 2025, the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen's second mandate adopted its work programme for 2026 (2026 CWP). In line with the Commission President's political guidelines and letter of intent and highlighting the need for full implementation of Mario Draghi's competitiveness report, the 2026 CWP places a strong emphasis on competitiveness, innovation and collective security. In parallel, the Commission commits to advancing simplification, implementation, and this year, also to strengthening enforcement. These three areas will remain key horizontal priorities for the entire Commission mandate. Just like last year's CWP, the 2026 CWP adheres to the seven headline ambitions put forward in the political guidelines. It is accompanied by a report on implementation, simplification and enforcement, the first of its kind. This new annual report is set to replace the annual burden survey. Annex I of the 2026 CWP puts forward 70 major new legislative and non-legislative initiatives, 44 % of which fall under the competitiveness headline ambition. (Up to) 48 of the new initiatives are legislative, including three sector-specific omnibus packages (on energy product legislation, taxation and citizens). Of the forthcoming legislative initiatives, 67 % are likely revisions of existing legislation, while more than half have a strong simplification dimension. Unlike previous CWPs, the 2026 CWP does not indicate whether a legislative initiative will be accompanied by an impact assessment; this lack of transparency runs counter to the spirit of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making. Information on the Commission's 'Have your say' portal shows that, at the time of writing, two thirds of the up to 48 legislative initiatives were expected to be accompanied by an impact assessment (though the final number may be higher). The annual evaluation plan presented in Annex II of the CWP, comprising 20 evaluations, does not appear exhaustive. Finally, the communication on Better Regulation, expected in Q2 2026, may entail a revision of the Better Regulation Guidelines, the first since 2021.
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP