European Union

The announcement comes as Sweden struggles to handle an influx of new inmates arising from a wave of gang crime.

The extension will provide “legal certainty for EU member states, reassurance for Ukrainians, and avoid burdening national asylum systems,” Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said.

Swedish parliamentarians are demanding the formalisation of regional healthcare norms to reduce health inequalities. Services targeted include breast cancer, and the number of hospital beds per capita.

Europe is entering a critical phase in its digital transformation. With the new Commission mandate underway, this plenary session will focus on the 2030 Digital Decade targets while examining how policies can be translated into tangible outcomes.

Citizens are calling on the European Parliament to address the export of pesticides that are banned in the EU. Many citizens have written to the President of the European Parliament on this subject since May 2025, asking her to advocate for legislative measures to prohibit their production and export entirely.

We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the President:

Main elements of our reply

The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the European Commission to take action to prohibit the export from the EU of hazardous substances banned in the EU.

In a resolution from 2021, Parliament called for the EU to stop all exports of pesticides banned in the EU, in line with the EU’s commitments to policy coherence for development, the Green Deal, the ‘do no harm’ principle and the Rotterdam Convention. In another 2021 resolution, Parliament stressed that the EU should support developing countries to help them reduce the imprudent use of pesticides and promote other methods to protect plants and fishery resources.

In 2024, the European Parliament rejected two Commission proposals to allow higher pesticides levels in imported food. Parliament stressed that allowing higher maximum residue levels for imports would jeopardise citizens’ health, both in Europe and in the producing countries.

In 2023, the European Parliament held a debate on the sustainable use of pesticides. You can watch the video of the debate on the Parliament multimedia website. The transcription is also available (in the language of the speaker).

Background

Citizens often send messages to the President of the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.

The European Commission also announced that it would urge member states to acknowledge Romania’s “non-effective action” to address its deficit, which could lead to financial penalties as early as this autumn.

The announcement comes in spite of major anti-euro protests across the country, with many citizens concerned that the currency switch could trigger steep price increases.

The four-party coalition government in The Hague has collapsed. Geert Wilders' right-wing populist PVV had presented plans for a significant tightening of the asylum laws last week and made the party's continued participation conditional on their acceptance, but the three other coalition partners rejected the ultimatum. After a crisis meeting on Tuesday, the PVV recalled its ministers and Prime Minister Dick Schoof resigned. Europe's press takes stock and looks ahead.

The expansion of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip is prompting growing criticism of the Israeli military's operations. A number of people have also been killed or wounded in skirmishes at aid distribution points run by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The Greek government has announced plans to tighten the immigration laws. Illegal residence in the country is to be punishable with up to five years in prison and the maximum period of detention pending deportation will increase from 18 to 24 months. In addition, previous provisions which gave irregular immigrants the chance to obtain a residence permit after seven years in the country, is to be abolished.