European Union

The Council extended the listings targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for another six months, until 15 September 2026.

Written by Tarja Laaninen.

Background

The end of free movement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) following Brexit has resulted in decreased mobility for EU and UK citizens, particularly for young people. For example, EU and UK touring artists and creative professionals face additional costs and administrative requirements since Brexit, not only for their own mobility, but also for the transport of equipment, which must comply with customs and haulage rules.

The first EU‑UK summit took place in London on 19 May 2025, setting out a new strategic partnership. Both parties agreed to enhance cooperation, sign agreements in several areas and hold an annual summit. Three documents were officially adopted: a joint statement, a common understanding on a renewed EU‑UK agenda and a security and defence partnership. The common understanding outlines commitments from both parties to strengthen bilateral cooperation in policy areas, such as youth, mobility, new technologies and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Further discussions and negotiations are expected to lead to new formal agreements in these areas. The EU will need to adopt negotiating mandates for new agreements, with the European Commission negotiating on behalf of the EU following authorisation from the Council.

Erasmus+, youth mobility and the youth experience scheme (YES)

When the UK formally exited the European Union on 31 January 2020, it chose not to participate in the Erasmus+ programme. EU student applications to UK universities subsequently fell, and data from HESA (the Higher Education Statistics Agency) show that the number of EU students in the UK halved between 2020/2021 and 2023/2024. Reasons include the need for a student visa, a healthcare surcharge and higher tuition fees. UK students coming to the EU also face visa requirements and higher tuition fees. For student exchanges, the UK set up the Turing scheme, which allows UK students to study abroad, including in EU universities.

After the EU‑UK summit, negotiations took place throughout 2025. In December 2025, the Commission and the British government announced the conclusion of negotiations for the UK to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ programme in 2027, enabling learners, students, apprentices, teachers and staff in the fields of education, youth and sport from the EU and the UK to once again benefit from opportunities for study, training and work placements. Erasmus+ is one of the best known and most successful EU‑financed programmes and the most popular exchange scheme in Europe. The UK contribution for 2027 will be approximately £570 million and covers the 2027/28 academic year. Any participation in the next multiannual financial framework (2028‑2034) will need to be agreed in the future.

However, EU students who want to study a degree in the UK are still subject to high international tuition fees. The reverse can also be true, depending on where UK‑based students decide to study in the EU.

In the common understanding from the first EU‑UK summit, the UK and EU shared the view that both parties ‘should work towards a balanced youth experience scheme on terms to be mutually agreed’. Such a scheme should facilitate the participation of young people from the EU and the UK in various activities, such as work, study, au-pairing, volunteering or simply travelling, for a limited period. It should provide a dedicated visa path and ensure that the number of participants is acceptable to both sides, possibly including a cap. Negotiations are currently underway between the European Commission and the UK government. The agreement envisaged would benefit both EU and UK citizens aged 18 to 30. Those eligible would, for example, be able to stay in the destination country for up to two to four years. The EU has also tried to negotiate domestic-level tuition fees for European students in the UK; however, the UK government and UK universities have been against the idea. In a recent joint statement, the EU and the UK expressed their willingness to conclude the negotiations by the next EU‑UK summit (expected to take place in Brussels in 2026). The UK already has similar youth schemes with 13 non‑EU countries and territories.

Culture and touring artists

After Brexit, performing artists can no longer tour and work freely across the EU and the UK. UK artists must comply with the immigration and work permit regulations in each EU Member State, including visa costs. Currently, 24 out of the 27 Member States offer time-limited visa and work permit‑free routes for touring, but the requirements and time limits vary significantly. UK artists touring the EU may also need to hire EU‑registered vehicles to comply with road haulage restrictions and need ATA carnets for going through customs with musical instruments, stage equipment and artworks. Making these kinds of arrangements is particularly challenging for young and lesser-known artists.

EU artists, entertainers or musicians touring in the UK may rely on the UK’s permitted paid engagement scheme, allowing visa‑free travel for one month for paid activities, upon invitation by a UK‑based client. In November 2025, more than 200 cultural organisations from both the EU and the UK signed the EU‑UK policy recommendations, highlighting the importance of culture in political, societal and economic relations. Solutions proposed include an EU‑wide visa waiver agreement for creative industries between the EU and the UK, or a ‘cultural exemption’ from the post-Brexit EU‑UK trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) or from carnet requirements for transporting musical equipment. However, the European Commission and UK government position is that there is no prospect of changing the TCA in the near future.

The UK Musicians’ Union has warned that 75 % of musicians who had previously worked in the EU have experienced a decline in bookings, while a 2025 Best for Britain study showed that the number of artists playing at festivals in the EU had declined by more than a quarter since Brexit. Urged by industry representatives, the UK government has clarified immigration and work permit rules with some individual EU Member States and agreed some easements for touring bilaterally, for example with Spain.

The European Parliament

In its resolution of April 2021 on the outcome of the EU‑UK negotiations, Parliament regretted the lack of ambition of the TCA on mobility policies, and welcomed the mechanism in the TCA allowing the EU and the UK to agree additional arrangements on a case-by-case basis and for specific professions.

On 27 November 2025, Parliament adopted an own-initiative report on the TCA implementation, noting that the EU‑UK summit established key steps for filling the gaps of the TCA. In December 2025, Parliament welcomed the EU‑UK agreement on Erasmus+.

From 16 to 18 February 2026, a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education met representatives from the UK government, Parliament, universities, cultural institutions and the creative sector in London to discuss the process of bringing the UK back into EU‑funded programmes, such as Erasmus+, for the post‑2027 period. They discussed barriers to cultural collaboration and practical challenges facing touring artists. The MEPs also took stock of negotiations on the EU‑UK reciprocal youth experience scheme.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘EU-UK relations: Mobility and youth opportunities‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Rostam Aziz's purchase raises questions about continued journalistic independence in the region.

Ismeretlen személyek a Közegészségügyi Hivatal munkatársának adják ki magukat és készpénzt kérnek a lakosoktól.

2022 ist Österreichs Dreifacholympiasieger Matthias Mayer vor der Abfahrt in Bormio völlig überraschend zurückgetreteten. Nun wartet Niels Hintermann mit einem vergleichbaren Abgang auf.

«Jetzt wird abgerechnet», sagt Sion-Trainer Didier Tholot. Neben dem Platz wurde eine saftige Gefängnisstrafe gegen einen Anhänger ausgesprochen, wie aus dem Wallis zu vernehmen ist. Das Sion-Inside.

In Zusammenarbeit mit RED+ zeigt Blick die Playoffs der MyHockey League im Livestream. In der vierten Runde der Derby-Serie zwischen Thun und Huttwil könnten die Berner Oberländer im heutigen Heimspiel die Serie nach einem zwischenzeitlichen 0:2-Rückstand ausgleichen.

Die MS Jean-Jacques Rousseau sucht einen neuen Besitzer. Das 22,5 Meter lange Passagierschiff mit Baujahr 1952 ist auf dem Obersee im Sommer zwischen Rapperswil-Jona SG und Altendorf SZ im Einsatz. Technisch ist es auf dem neusten Stand, 2019 wurde es komplett saniert.

Wir testen die Brennbarkeit von Akustikschaum. Dafür zünden wir zwei Schaumstücke an – eines ist mit Brandschutzmittel vorbehandelt, das andere nicht. Wie viel schlechter das behandelte Stück brennt, siehst du im Video.

Der Schaumstoff an der Decke in der Bar Le Constellation soll laut Typbeschreibung «nicht entflammbar» und «selbstverlöschend» gewesen sein. Trotzdem brannte er lichterloh. Wie passt das zusammen? Ein Akustik-Experte erklärt, was hinter den Begriffen steckt.

Korlátozta a vágsellyei Duslo vegyi üzem az ammóniagyártást, mivel a közel-keleti helyzet miatt jelentősen drágult a földgáz. Az ammóniagyártás visszafogása egyelőre nincs hatással a műtrágyagyártásra.

Vadászati, méhészeti és horgászati vásár kezdődött Nyitrán, az Agrokomplex területén, amely március 15-ig tart.

Robert Fico kormányfőnek kellene aláírnia az ellenzéki pártok Vlagyimir Putyinnak írt levelét – jelentette ki pénteki sajtótájékoztatóján Michal Šimečka (PS), František Mikloško (KDH) és Juraj Šeliga (Demokraták) Fico felszólítására reagálva, hogy az ellenzéki pártok elnökei is írják alá a Volodimir Zelenszkijnek írt levelét.

Der

Der

Februárban 70 automata defibrillátort helyeztek el közterületeken, és azok bekerültek az országos mentőszolgálat operatív központjának nyilvántartásába.

Alessandro Vogt gehört zu den grossen Aufsteigern der Super League – und im Sommer folgt der nächste Schritt zur TSG Hoffenheim. Für den Stürmer ist es der nächste Meilenstein in einer Karriere, die zuletzt im Eiltempo verlaufen ist.

Kigyulladt egy családi ház teteje pénteken Pozsonyban, Pozsonypüspöki városrészben. Nyílt láng használata miatt keletkezett a tűz.

Written by Katarzyna Sochacka.

New framework agreement on relations between Parliament and Commission

The revised framework agreement on relations between Parliament and the European Commission aims at strengthening Parliament’s prerogatives as regards the Commission’s duties to inform Parliament of its plans. The Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Committee report emphasises that the new framework agreement retains the institutional balance intended in the Treaties, while also creating a clearer and more accountable relationship between the institutions working in EU citizens’ interests. Members adopted the revised agreement, which will enter into force following a signing ceremony with Presidents Roberta Metsola and Ursula von der Leyen, planned during the March II plenary session (25‑26 March).

Package travel

The EU rules on package travel date back to 2015 and need to be updated to improve passenger protection. Members considered amendments to the Package Travel Directive, following an agreement reached between the co-legislators in December 2025. Parliament’s negotiators succeeded in improving the complaints procedure and consumer information provided on what is included in the ‘package’ they purchase. Parliament adopted the report concluding its first reading on the legislation to amend the Package Travel Directive.

Establishing EU talent pool

A shortage of qualified workers continues to be an issue in many EU countries. While the EU has already provided a platform to match EU jobseekers with employers, the Commission proposed legislation to create an EU talent pool open to non-EU citizens. Faced with international competition for talent, the proposal would allow EU countries to attract workers, without creating an alternative pathway to legal migration. Parliament is keen to ensure that the system is fair, protects against discrimination and is rolled out in all EU countries. Members adopted the text agreed in interinstitutional negotiations on the proposal to establish an EU talent pool.

Guidelines for the 2027 budget – Section III – European Commission

The 2027 annual EU budget will be the last under the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), and Parliament’s Committee on Budgets (BUDG) is calling for a strong focus on delivery for people, the economy, the planet and providing investment for competitiveness. Members debated the committee’s report, which emphasises the EU budget’s role in strengthening the bloc’s cohesion in the face of a difficult geopolitical landscape. BUDG also calls to uphold a strong external policy and underlines the agreement between EU institutions that expenditure covering the financing costs of Next Generation EU must not reduce funding for EU programmes. The vote on the guidelines for the 2027 EU budget sets Parliament’s position for interinstitutional negotiations ahead of the Commission’s draft budget.

Addressing the housing crisis in the EU

Closer to home, many citizens are personally concerned about the EU’s housing crisis. While housing policy remains a national competence, Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the EU (HOUS) tabled a report recommending action to improve housing affordability. The committee proposes to help tackle the issue through EU rules on short-term rentals, aiming to strike a balance between promoting urban local communities and tourism income. The HOUS committee also proposes action to improve quality in the construction and energy-efficiency sectors and calls on EU governments to support people trying to get into the housing market through tax breaks. Members held a debate and later adopted the recommendations on solutions for affordable housing.

Copyright and generative AI

When using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate text, images or code, many people are unaware of the legal implications of the AI tool’s use of copyrighted material as training data. This can mean that content creators, artists and other rights-holders are neither acknowledged nor paid for their input. Members adopted an own-initiative report from the Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee calling for clarification of the legal situation as regards copyright and generative AI.

EU enlargement strategy

Members debated and adopted a Foreign Affairs (AFET) Committee report on the European Union’s enlargement strategy. With nine candidate countries and one potential candidate awaiting EU membership, Parliament’s own-initiative report on EU enlargement strategy underlines its support for the process and for reform of the current procedure for admitting new members. The report also emphasises enlargement’s strategic potential to strengthen the wider region in the face of geopolitical uncertainty. Finally, the report underlines the need for a strong merit-based process where alignment with the EU’s core values is an unconditional principle of membership.

2026 World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference

Ahead of the 2026 World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference, taking place in Cameroon at the end of the month, Members debated and voted a resolution setting out Parliament’s position on the multilateral negotiations. Global instability and the retreat from global trade rules mean the need to reform the WTO is urgent, not least to replace the long-broken dispute settlement system, promote a global level playing field and make the rules more flexible. Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) underscored Parliament’s support for the multilateral trading system and emphasised the need for greater flexibility. A delegation from the INTA committee is due to attend the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

Five decisions to enter into interinstitutional negotiations – from the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), on ‘Amending certain Regulations as regards digitalisation and common specifications’ and ‘Amending certain Directives as regards digitalisation and common specifications’; from the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) on ‘Implementation into Union law of measures adopted by several Regional Fisheries Management Organisations’, from the Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI) and Civil Liberties, Justice, Home Affairs (LIBE) committees on ‘Omnibus IV: Amending certain regulations as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium-sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplification measures’, and from the ECON and LIBE committees on ‘Omnibus IV: Amending Directives 2014/65/EU and (EU) 2022/2557 as regards the extension of certain mitigating measures available for small and medium-sized enterprises to small mid-cap enterprises and further simplifying measures’, were approved without a vote.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘Plenary round-up – March I 2026‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.